There was heart-breaking news out of Mississippi last week. The First Pentecostal Church in Holly Springs, Mississippi burned down Wednesday. It was a total loss and arson appears to be the cause. Someone spray-painted on the parking lot in front of the destroyed church “Bet you stay home now, you hypokrits.” (You can read the article on the Daily Citizen blog’s link below.)
This church simply wanted to meet together. They were originally cited by the city following an in-person Bible Study but after filing a suit, they were granted the right to meet in the parking lot. The city even changed its ordinance to allow that to happen. Still, someone apparently became outraged at these Christians, so they burned down their building.
This may be an isolated incident, but again, it may not be. It may be the beginning of an outrage flare against the church in our nation.
I wrote yesterday about forbearance. Paul reminded us in Colossians 3:13a that we are to “bear with one another,” meaning we are to put up with, or politely or patiently restrain an impulse to do something. The society in which we live is not marked by forbearance. We are increasingly impulsive, angry, and prone to react without thinking.
As Christians, no matter how provoked we are, we cannot respond in like manner. We are called to model a higher mindset, the attitude of Christ Jesus. “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.” [1 Peter 2:23]
I genuinely think we are entering an age when we are going to see two things happening. (And it does not take a prophet to see this in our future; just look at history and what is already taking place in our world.) The church is going to be refined during these difficult times and thus become more alive, more on fire, and returning to the classical Christianity that has been lacking in so many areas. Because of that, this society will become increasingly opposed to an awakened church and will retaliate in ways we have only seen elsewhere.
Beloved, we must not respond as the world does, with outrage, but we must respond as Christ would – by speaking the truth with courage and grace, by prayer, by love, and by the power of God’s Spirit within us.
