Cultural Disruption -- Do you know why?

This is the why:

Theme Scripture

“1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”  -- 2Tim 3:1-5 [NLT]

“14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” – James 3:14-16 [NIV]

Have you stopped watching the cable news? Local news? Reading newspapers? Listening to so called pundits on all things cultural here in the United States? Do you feel the ‘news’ of the day is no longer bearable? Do you feel your world is on a spiral downward and most things are upside down with what was good now labeled bad and what was bad now labeled good? Perhaps, down deep inside, you recall a Judgment against the people of GOD back in Isaiah’s day – something you could read today and see it’s timelessness. Perhaps the following prophecy is bouncing around in your background program pinging your conscience keeping you alert to the danger of the counter cultural movement of today.

This is the why:

“20 Woe to those who say that good is bad and bad is good, Those who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, Those who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” – Isa 5:20 [NWT]

One inspired man, Matthew Henry, lived from the latter part of the 17^th century to the early part of the 18^th century. He was a minister and an author. His commentary is comprehensive and focused on the cohesive message of the Holy Bible in toto. The following excerpt is his commentary on Isaiah 5:20.

“Who confound and overthrow the distinctions between moral good and evil, who call evil good and moral evil (v. 20), who not only live in the omission of that which is good, but condemn it, argue against it, and, because they will not practice it themselves, run it down in others, and fasten invidious epithets upon it-not only do that which is evil, but justify it, and applaud it, and recommend it to others as safe and good.” -- Matthew Henry: Commentary on Isaiah 5

If you have not looked over or read Isaiah 5 in a long while perhaps doing so would be most edifying. You may find GODly peace and long suffering in reading the denunciation of the culture at that time. Because Christians have the blessing of Christ’s exemplary life from the same Holy Bible, we can pray for the wisdom to understand what is going on and even practice what Jesus repeatedly suggested ‘Do not Fear!’ This should prevent Christians from experiencing depression, an inconsolable spirit, a weakened in faith, or even a physical response to the fear of what is happening in the world around us.

The opposite response to the mostly unspeakable things we see is to ‘rejoice for our deliverance is near’. Thus, we can help those who are frozen in fear of what their children or grand children will be living through in a corrupted society. We can teach it is better understand history and what is fair warning from GOD’s Word. ß That is where Christians find joy [Rejoice] because reading words penned millennia ago actually showing relative application in 3-dimensional living today is miraculous. It is as if we can look at the many prophetic statements from both the Old and New Testaments laying flat on the page rise as if 3D seeing your world being described by the likes of an ancient prophet or one of the Apostles of Jesus.

This is the why:

There is nothing new under the Sun.

We have yet another cultural disruption in the same generation’s lifetime [those born to the change in the ‘60’s and now today] will remember historically how their parents and grandparents felt for those fugacious years. By the 1980’s the culture had settled down once again and sort of on the same page.

This is the why:

We are in the next ‘season’  [remember for everything there is a season] of the same type of cultural disruption. The difference is that we are now a few years closer to what was called ‘the last days’ by Paul, the Apostle, so we will see these issues in a more raw form with a more distinctive watermark of the evil responsible for the breakdown of society.

To recap:

·        When you see these things understand they must happen. Our response is to ‘Stay Awake’ ‘Stand Firm’ ‘Do not fear!’ Why?

This is the why:

·        Because our deliverance is getting near.

This is the why:

·        By fully grasping the ebb and flow of history together with a clear knowledge of promises and prophecies we are in the perfect place to help those who are being adversely affected by today’s cultural disruption. Perhaps they were born in the ‘80’s and did not have the life experience of living in the ‘60’s so we must let them know we have been here and down this before and it prepares us each time to understand and react to it when we see it again. Then we can introduce our source for the PEACE that surpasses all things, GODly PEACE. We can show them the source of our Joy. In other words, we share the GOSPEL message with them because when it all boils down, and it will, being saved by the Grace of GOD through HIS Son’s death and resurrection will make the tough witness of today’s blasphemy and evil dominance bearable and in fact will further convict the soul and spirit of every believer that GOD’s WORD/Word is ALIVE! †

    

©Lightwritingmatters 2015

 Bibles Designations

KJV – King James Version

NIV – New International Version

NLT – New Living Translation

NWT – New World Translation

ASV -- American Standard Version

©Lightwritingmatters 2015