Yesterday, I was having feelings of hopelessness. Not for me, but for the world. It seems to me that everywhere I look, the world is in a depressing state of rapid moral decline. Crimes are rampant, particularly the recent massacre in Colorado and the riots in Anaheim. Same-sex marriage activist bigots are attacking every institution that has any leader stating their personal views on marriage, such as Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A. The media is full of subliminal, mostly sexual, messages. The minds of young children are polluted by disgusting, filthy images on billboards, on the Internet, et cetera. If something doesn’t have crude humor or bad language, then it isn’t witty, much less entertaining. Concerning bad language, some vulgar words have become so common and widely used, they have become commonplace in almost every informal conversation, and are not considered vulgar anymore. on a more extreme note, I have recently found people saying that there is nothing wrong with pornography or masturbation. They are “safer and an alternative” to having sex and risking babies, or cheating on significant others. People have the audacity to “plan” their parenthood, and abort babies as if they were simply piles of tissue. It’s perfectly okay to stick a long sharp metal rod into a fetus’ head to dig out its brain and be able to pronounce it dead or not a human anymore, if they even considered the baby one in the first place. Sex, originally a beautiful institution by God to produce offspring and create new life, has earned the raunchy, filthy reputation it commonly has today.
I can’t help but wonder, when is God coming back? What does He think of all this? I’m not asking “where is God in all this” because I know He’s watching. I know He’s disappointed, perhaps enraged at how the days of this age have pretty much become like the days of Noah.
And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: (Luke 17:26 NASB)
But who is God really disappointed in? The unsaved people in the world, or us believers? I appreciate the work and prayers of people like Billy Graham, Greg Laurie, and the International House of Prayer, however where are the “normal” Christians? The ones who go to church on Sundays and profess to be believers, but rarely, if ever, share the Gospel or disciple new believers? Where are our prayers, our intercession, our evangelism? Statistics show that many people claim to be Christians, but how many of them are actually passionate lovers of Christ who daily take up their cross to follow Him?
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21 NASB)
To me, it seems as if the depravity of the world is a desperate cry to us believers to do what God has called us to do and bring the Gospel to a broken but extremely proud world. It’s a cry that echoes from the love that gay men and women crave so much to the voids that young people try to fill with excessive use of video games and watching hours of movies and TV shows.
For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:22, 23 NASB)
The world is starving for love. Humans were created to receive, contain, and share God’s love. I believe that every one of the problems I’ve listed in the first paragraph can be traced to a need of love. It is the void that people seek but often do not find. If it’s difficult at times for us believers to understand that God is the only one who can satisfy our craving for love, think of how much more difficult it must be for the unsaved. We at least have hope for the new heaven and new earth that will come after Christ returns, but what does the world have?
This is not to say we should preach a love-based Gospel. God still hates sin and cannot tolerate nonbelievers because they are so entrenched in it. However, it is hoping that as the world understands its sinful and depraved state and repents of it, it would be open to receiving the pure and boundless love God has to offer to His children.
… in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
There is hope, freedom, and love in the Gospel. Have we underestimated its power?
Sekel 
2 Peter 3:9
9) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance
2 Timothy 3:1-7,10
1) But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2) For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3) having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4) betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5) having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away. 6) For from these arise those men who slyly work their way into households and lead as their captives weak women loaded down with sins, led by various desires, 7) always learning and yet never able to come to an accurate knowledge of truth.
10) But you have closely followed my teaching, my course of life, my purpose, my faith, my long-suffering, my love, my endurance.
Revelation 21:8
But as for the cowards and those without faith and those who are disgusting in their filth and murderers and fornicators and those practicing spiritism and idolaters and all the liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur. This means the second death.
John 13:34-35
34) “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35) By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
**and some to uplift you**
Psalms 37:10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
Psalms 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalms 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 55:16-17
16) As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.
17) Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
Isaiah 41:13
For I, Jehovah your God, am grasping your right hand, the One saying to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I myself will help you.’
He knows everything you’re going through, and he understands, and he will in time find a way out for all of us.
Hang in there, I know exactly what you’re going through and so does he.
This is so scary… and so encouraging… and scary… and encouraging. Thank you so much for these verses!
Blessings,
Kyle
“To me, it seems as if the depravity of the world is a desperate cry to us believers to do what God has called us to do and bring the Gospel to a broken but extremely proud world. It’s a cry that echoes from the love that gay men and women crave so much to the voids that young people try to fill with excessive use of video games and watching hours of movies and TV shows. ”
Very convicting point. Sometimes we lose sight of our responsibilities as ambassadors of Christ to the lost that we forget that the condition of society may be an indictment on our faith. If we are not living our faith out, and our neighbor/friend/family does not know the truth of the Gospel, is our faith real? How can we beleive the Christ has sealed us and not do everything we can to share that with the world?
It should wake us up and keep us accountable to daily taking up our cross to be Christ-followers who actually reflect the beauty and power of the Gospel.
I know just what you are saying I have been feeling this way for some years now and each day it gets closer to my heart than the day before. I ask why do we put up with such mess why do God’s people have no reverence for the things of God? Why do they chose to live in sin instead of listening to Him? And though it will burden you with all of this only thing we who truly feel it is to pray that God has mercy on their souls. The world has allot of wickness and evil in it and if the people of God don’t begin as a body of Christ and do 2 Chronicles 7:14 I feel sorry for them…Forgive me for coming to your page speaking so harsh but it really gets to me with all this same sex marriages and than to top it off some of these pastors are all for it giving them the okay when God says clearly He is against it and it’s sin..He loves the sinner but He hates sin…and so do I…
Great post Kyle! We all fall short of God’s standards, fail Him every moment in our sinful nature; and yet in all this God still desires for the world to know just how much He loves. Let’s encourage and pray for those who have grown weary from running the race!
“Same-sex marriage activist bigots are attacking every institution that has any leader stating their personal views on marriage, such as Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A.”
The last I checked, it was the anti-gay marriage crowd that was trying to deny others their rights. Denying others their rights based on nothing more than who they are is the definition of a bigot. If Dan Cathy doesn’t like the heat from his own bigoted remarks, then he is free to keep his beliefs and keep them to himself.
I believe the Bible is clear that homosexual behavior is wrong, and that includes gay marriage because homosexual behavior will inevitably be a large part of the marriage. I also believe that just because a person is attracted to someone of the same sex, it doesn’t mean that their attraction/inclination defines who they are, but it is a part of them. I believe that Cathy’s comments were not bigoted since they were an expression of his personal beliefs, not intended to insult anyone or deny them of their rights (because really, how far does his comment really carry in preventing the legalization of same-sex marriage?)
Also, everyone is entitled to state their beliefs. What was wrong with the Chick-fil-A incident was that the gay activists were attacking the company for what its owner stated. There’s a difference between the owner, a person, and the company. He was not speaking on behalf of the company, but merely his own personal beliefs.
Of course, you’re entitled to your opinion, but that’s what I believe about the whole thing,
1) The bible is not a good source for basing your morals
2) Jesus never mentioned anything about homosexuals
3) Just because someone is expressing a personal belief, or faith, does not mean that they are exempt them from criticism. Criticism is a form of self expression too after all.
4) Your statement: “Cathy’s comments were not bigoted since they were an expression of his personal beliefs, not intended to insult anyone or deny them of their rights” is ridiculous. All bigoted remarks are personal beliefs. His comments are clearly intended to support a social agenda that includes denying others rights based on who they are.
1) The Bible has been a source for morals for a very long time. It shaped Western civilization.
2) He didn’t mention a lot of things that are mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. Besides, the Bible is the Word of God, and Jesus is called the Word, so in a sense He did talk about homosexuality, just not when He was on earth.
3) I didn’t say people had no right to criticize him. I said they shouldn’t attack a company for what the owner stated.
4) Again, I don’t believe that having homosexual attractions defines their identity as a person.
Also, homosexual activists are also bigots. That’s just what most, if not all, people are. It’s how you choose to convey what you believe and how you respond to others’ beliefs that matter.