What does hope for a Christian look like in the 21st century? The same as it did 2000 years ago. It looks like Christ’s open arms offering hope to the world.
When we allow bad news or world events to dictate our attitude in a way that takes away from who we were as the body of Christ, we are failing. If the church acts like it is defeated, the culture of defeat will create a pessimistic environment that will overshadow the good news of the Gospel. The world has been in a constant battle between the forces of God and the forces of Satan. The Bible says in Ephesians 6 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
That has always been the case. The issue might be different today than it was yesterday or the methods used against might be different, but the battle is always raging. This battle is bigger than me and you; it’s bigger than this church, state, country, and even this world. It is a battle for supremacy of the entire cosmos. The church has been a part of this battle since its inception, but lately I think the church has been infected with a defeatist mindset. Lately we have spent so much time thinking about the enemy’s’ plans that we have forgotten to look at God’s plan. We have forgotten to rest in God’s promises in God’s love.
I think one of the quintessential elements that the church in the United States has lost is hope. Hope that we can rest in the assurance of God’s love and grace today. Hope that tomorrow will be better than today, hope that salvation is offered to those who believer, hope that the grace of God is powerful enough to transform lives, hope that God is at all times working to thwart the plans of the enemy.
God has a way of turning imperfection back to perfection. We see this so many times throughout the salvation history. It comes in many different forms, some of them painful, but others as the result of the fervent prayers of the righteous. Never doubt that God can find a way to draw in people. Of course we must continue to pray and ask God to use us, so that we can be a part of salvation history, but never forget that we serve a God who is not defeated. We serve a God who wove the fabric of creation into being, who knows every corner of Creation intimately. We serve a God who is faithful and loving, one who desires all people to be in a relationship with him. We serve a God who made us in his image so that we may enjoy life to the fullest. We serve a God whose reign’s sovereign. All it takes is one spark to start a fire and the right kindling. Will you be kindling for God’s spark of hope so that you may burn brightly?
The hope of Christianity is not in death but in life. It is hope that allows us to say to death "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" There is no sting in death, because it is in death that we find life. It is in death that we are enabled to live as we ought to live now. Because of Christ we do not have to hope only for the future, we have hope now. We have hope that we can be a part of God’s salvation history in human history today.
We serve a God who wants to rescue people from the death, corruption, and sin of the world. We serve a God who wants to whisper to every person that they are loved and made in the image of God. We pray in the Lord’s prayer “thy Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.” We are not waiting to escape Earth as citizens of the Kingdom of God; we are God’s agents helping the world to realize that the Kingdom of God is at hand! There are a million reasons to lose hope and faith in humanity, but there is one reason, Jesus Christ, to hold on.
As the Church we must help people to see that belief in Christ produces a hope so profound that it shines brighter than darkness.
Thanks,
Scott Donahue-Martens
