Anytime you’re running with the crowd you’re running away from God. It does not matter what side of the issue you are on, if you are running with the crowd, you are running with the world. You could be running towards a riot. or running with the virtue signalling crowd, the crowd are cowards and cowards look for cover among their own. There is but one antidote to this, speak the truth in love regardless of the fear or favor of man.

The world is descending into chaos and there are no statesmen. This is part and parcel of the judgement of God. We are in the throes of Matthew 24:7. “For nation shall rise against nation.” The Greek word for nation is ethnos, it is where we get our word “ethnic,’ from. People groups are rising against people groups. If you get caught up in that, if you cannot see that and get involved with that then you are running with the world. There is a scheme going on here. It’s design is to tear society apart.

So saints, now is not the time to see the battle lines that are forming and to choose a side. This is not the work of God, this is the work of man and man is bent on destruction. There is the world and all its many divisions and there is the Body of Christ. We are not called to be a sub-culture but a counter culture. The hated Romans who ruled with complete arrogance over the Jews were hated by the Jews. Jesus told them when they were compelled to walk one mile, walk two. When they demanded taxes, give it to them.

Paul told them to respect the authorities. Now think about the rulers of that day. Caligula and Nero, just two examples. The latter would dip Christians in tar and hang them upside down and set them alight to light up his parties in the evening. The evil the saints suffered not only at the hands of the Roman authorities but also at the hands of the Jewish authorities is hard to describe. What did Jesus command? Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

Will you be sons and daughters of your Father in heaven? It is a heavy burden and a rugged cross we bear who actually follow Jesus. Hear these words in mind from a statesman who is no longer with us.

“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate…Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King Jr.