Unpopular Faith

Biblical Christianity is becoming fastly unpopular. Eastern religions are eroding the church through Yoga, cultural teachings, and media. It is unpopular to have traditional values, to use the pronouns his or her, man or woman, and instead afford terms like they or transpecies. The assault on our pure and undivided devotion to Christ is a 24/7 one, with entertainment pounding away at Christian values as out of date, academia enforcing gender neutral pronouns, and a culture devolving into every nature contrary to Scripture. Truly Christ’s own words illustrate we are in the end times, “it shall be the days of Noah (giants and intercourse between angels and humans) and the days of Lot (Sodom and Ghemmorah, homosexuality, and more).” (Luke 17:26-30). 

We are on the precipice. There are only two paths forward for the church, compromise or crushed (Revelation 13:7). Those who compromise will allow the doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1) and false christs (Matthew 24:24) into their churches to appease the cultural norms. Those who will be crushed will find themselves as cultural pariahs, but their faith will remain pure and they will not suffer the punishment of the lukewarm, “So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust].” (Revelation 3:16). Granted as the crushed we must also be tactful, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16). It is alright to be cunning, to find ways to delay being crushed, tactfully minister, and not be turned into Neronic candles, long as it doesn’t compromise your faith. 

Our faith is unpopular. The new generations prefer a buffet of eastern philosophies and New Age combined with humanism and self worship. They are a generation that seeks to listen to false teachers that tell them what they wanna hear, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3). They abandon truth for myths, “They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn to myths,” (2 Timothy 4:4) and they consider nothing sacred, “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” (2 Timothy 3:2). To them we are antiquated, like the sister of Creon in the Theban Plays. But they are wrong! We who keep our trust in the Lord shall be caught up with Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:17), and they who demonize us will call for the mountains to fall on themselves, “And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16). If we endure paradise awaits, a New Heaven snd Earth awaits with a city of gold and previous jewels (Revelation 21:1-43). More than that the prize is to be with The Lord, his presence that which can satisfy our ceaseless craving souls, our restless hearts, and insecure minds. We can have that even bow through knowing Jesus, having a personal relationship were we talk to him daily. This relationship is the prize (Philippians 3:8). But the adversary, the devil is hard at work trying to dilute, deceive, and destroy people’s pure devotion to Christ. We must be sober and put to death vices that hinder our ability to see his crafty coils.  

Christianity was not popular under the Emperors Caligula,  Nero, and Domitian. Christians were made into torches, fed to lions, their skin used as clothes, and more. But the Church did not waver, they endure all! We may not yet be facing these tests, but now when the water is only getting hot and not boiling is when we must adapt to persecution. Those in Africa and other nations are already living the boil setting of persecution, those in West need to stand when the threats are against your reputation, and finances, not your body and family. Or else how will you adapt when the furnace of persecution increases in heat? 

Being unpopular was a badge of honor for a Christian in the early church. It was to come close to Christ, who unpopularity with the religious elite had Him crucified! In the same way we need to be ready. The tide of everyone loving us for free bread, loaves and fishes is over, now is the season of the cross, of Calvary for the Church. Its time to transition, to get use to being unpopular, unliked, and unwanted. Only then will we be ready to meet this season with a steady head and heart. Amen.