Time To Take Our Ball Back!

I've been giving a lot of thought to the recent riots and disorder that occurred in Blighty whilst I was there. The two events were unconnected by the way! I've read many theories about them, watched many news items about them and still am left dazed and confused. There really was no rhyme or reason for what transpired. The initial riot in Tottenham after the fatal shooting of the man in the taxi was kind of understandable and in itself was nothing particularly exceptional. What was unprecedented, at least in my life time, was the way so many 'riots' then randomly sprang up right across the country. None of them were related to the shooting incident but rather appeared to random acts of looting and vandalism in a copy-cat style. Whatever they were and whatever the cause, I was left feeling like a foreigner in my own land.

So as I've reflected on what happened I've come to the realisation that we'll probably never know what really sparked the disorder but what we do know is that society in all its forms has failed to address the needs of many on the fringes of it. Sadly I have to include the church in there!

However, the church now has a fantastic opportunity to stand up and make a difference in the 

communities ripped apart by the disorder and across the rest of the country and the world.

For years Christians and the church have been sidelined and marginalised to the point that we've been backed into a corner. Society has demanded nominalism of the church and by and large the church has been happy to comply. Possibly because having been backed into a corner there's nowhere left to go so it's just easier to give in and give up. Obviously there are exceptions, just look at the likes of the Eden Project run by the Message Trust, but these things are the exception not the norm.

The church finds itself in a position where there is now nothing to lose. We can't be backed any further into the corner so why not stand up and declare the truth of the gospel loud and proud so that everyone can hear it!

Politics have failed! Economics have failed! Philosophy has failed! Religion has failed! 
none of these things have anything to offer. They have all contributed to the collapse 
and moral decay which is so prevalent in society.

There is one thing however that has a proven track record and does work. The local church! At the end of the 19th Century Blighty was in a far bigger mess than it is now. There appeared to be no hope and the political and legal system of the day had no solutions to the problems. In stepped Wilberforce, Booth, Muller et al who transformed society. Their impact was so significant that it was felt for many many decades after! They helped influence and shape the laws of the land which to this day are based on biblical teachings.

Sadly, somewhere down the line the church sat back on its laurels, basked in the glory of what it had achieved and allowed the ball to be stolen by government and legislators who set about changing the bits they didn't like by removing God from them. The 20th Century was the period in which the church was sent into a full retreat, allowing others to kick our ball around and pretend it was theirs.

Today, with everything having failed so spectacularly, we can once again stand up and declare a truth that we know to be real. The church doesn't just have the evidence of the 19th Century reformers to stand on but the genuine life changing power of Jesus Christ.

It's time to stand up and be ridiculed. Let the world laugh at us and mock us for our faith in the Living God. But let us ask them just one question: "If you don't accept Jesus is the answer, what do you suggest the answer is?" There is no answer to this given that no man made system of politics, philosophy, economics or anything else has ever worked.

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!

I've tried your politics, economics, philosophies etc. and they're all useless. I've seen and experienced what the world has to offer and it's all pretty bad. I've also experienced the power of God and his saving grace and I can promise you it's all good!