That we are now observing symptoms of an ongoing push for global communism seems apparent and self-evident to me, as well as many of the folks I talk with privately. Under the guise of pushing for greater equality of LGBTQ+ persons, as well as combatting Climate Change, we all are witnessing odd manipulations of supply chains of various kinds - particularly where food, energy, and money are concerned.
How then can Christians individually, and the Church as a whole, defend against the current push for authoritarian central planning and control on a global scale? Not by fighting fire with fire. And not by repaying evil for evil.
What the Apostle Paul wrote in the twelfth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans is instructive and practical. For starters, we learn in that section of Scripture that what we do with our bodies matters to God. Our spiritual worship is to present our bodies as a living sacrifice.
So also, what we do with cultivating our minds is of great interest to our Maker. Why else would He have given us minds? Not to dumbly follow the crowd; that way stands in direct contrast to transformative renewal of our minds.
The big idea is not for us to depend only on others to do all our thinking and reasoning. Instead, we are called to embrace the process of developing discernment in ourselves according to God's definitions of goodness, acceptability, and perfection.
Equally important, what follows God's call on us to develop discernment in ourselves is a call to not be conceited. Sober judgment is contrasted with having a lofty opinion of ourselves. Just so, we must remember that while discernment is a spiritual gift, it is not the only one God gives.
Genuine appreciation for other varied gifts God has given to Christian brothers and sisters in our midst is evidence of sober judgment. We have a duty to love one another in an authentic rather than fake way accordingly. This requires hating what is evil, as well as holding fast to what is good.
For those of us with a competitive, the redirection is outdoing one another in showing honor. See also what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians about spiritual gifts, and this stands in contrast to thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought. Here again, we must know what God tells us is honorable before we can show honor ourselves.
Fervency instead of laziness should mark our service to God. And the kind of fervency our service is characterized by is itself distinguished by joyfulness, patience, prayer, generosity, and hospitality.
Relationally, we strive for peaceability with persecutors and fellow Christians alike. Haughtiness is contrasted with associating with the lowly. The implied inverse, then, is that conceit is comparable to exclusively hobnobbing with the wealthy and powerful as we distance ourselves from the poor and weak.
In no way are we to be self-impressed with our own wisdom, then. Nor are we given these gifts from God to promote ourselves. Yet this warning is separate and distinct from a careful attention to the optics of respectability borne of our reverence for God and genuine care for one another. And that, in turn, is closely related to living peaceably with all, and is of a piece with overcoming evil with good.
Thus we find, in my view, a framework for Christians to endure patiently the trials which are here, and which do seem to be on their way in greater measure. We look to God, and are transformed by the renewing of our minds to discern what God's will is in whatever times and circumstances as we find ourselves in, either now or in the future.
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