Before you roll your eyes at the title, let me explain…
Yes, we are living in unprecedented times politically, medically, financially, and in so many other ways. And, yes, these are crazy times. But that’s not what I am referring to here…
As believers in the era we find ourselves living, we have some other unprecedented challenges that no other believers have ever faced before us.
Let’s think about how life has changed over the past 100 years or so.
If we go back to 1925, we have a culture that is only starting to step outside an agricultural lifestyle. The Industrial Revolution was only 50 years or so ago. The civil war is still clearly in the memory of the older generation—some were probably children when it all happened. They were still handwashing their clothing, making their bread, butchering their pigs and cows for meat, and churning their own butter.
Cars were just beginning to be the norm and airplanes had just been invented. Trains had been around for a while and, if anyone was going to travel a long distance, this was generally how they would go.
The telephone was a fairly recent invention as was the radio, which was only beginning to enter the average person’s home at this time. The TV wouldn’t be a commonplace addition to the family living room for some years to come.
Children in rural areas helped their parents to survive by working long hours on the family farm or perhaps a neighbor’s farm. They didn’t get to keep their income to spend on their own desires and pleasure, but gave half or more of it towards the family budget.
If you wanted to buy something, you paged through a mail order catalog, such as Sears, and would place an order and then wait many days for it to come. If you needed to get a message to someone fast, you had to send a telegram.
Let’s keep in mind that this is how the whole world lived for thousands of years. If we go back even a bit further than the 1850s, we find no phones, no radios, no cars, no trains, no tv, no movies, no refrigerator, no supermarkets, no clothing stores, no washing machines, no music at the touch of a button, no microwaves, no Amazon, no…well, you get the idea.
It is safe to say that life was different. Different is really an inadequate word to express just how different it was.
As life began to change, believers began to change…perhaps without realizing it.
Worldliness and sin went unrecognized, as we were immersed—rather like a frog in water over a fire—in a culture that was changing drastically. We changed with it and many ended up straying away from the faith in the midst of it. This continues as the culture continues to shift.
“They went out from us because they weren’t of us” (I John 2:19) Professing Christians leave biblical faith, many even leaving basic morality. It’s happening at an astounding rate now. It is the fruit of generations before paying no attention to what was going on in the culture and how it was affecting their walk with Christ.
So what are some of these sins and challenges that we face that never really had to be faced before by believers of past times?
I think we need to recognize the challenges we face and the sin that can so easily ensnare because of these unprecedented times we live in.
Here are just a few (this list is not exhaustive, by any means)—
1) Worldliness— worldliness not only crouches at our door but it has entered our homes through our phones, our iPads, and our tvs. It is there to tempt and beguile us at every moment of every day (if we allow it) concerning how we look, what we wear, what we value, who we admire, how we think. Satan wants to steal our hearts and affections. He wants to move it from God to the things of this world. Don’t forget he is a lion, seeking to devour. I believe entertainment and social media have been some of his greatest tools. (I Peter 5:8; James 4:4)
2) Wasting time—We have more free time to decide how we will spend it than any other time in history. As our world was filled with modern day conveniences, suddenly time became available that was never available before when surviving was simply the goal. How do we spend it? Playing games (video and iPad), scrolling social media, watching YouTube, online shopping—they can potentially gobble up hours and hours of our precious time. How we spend our time is a question we really need to ponder as a believer (Psalm 90:12; Ephesians 5:15-16).
3) Envy and Ingratitude—Never before have we been more tempted to envy and covet our neighbor. Never before has there been such wealth and yet such discontentment. As we watch reels and videos and posts on social media and the internet by people we know or by people we have never met (nor will ever meet), we are drawn into wishing our lives would be more like theirs. We envy their looks, their big houses, their cars, their money, their health, their families, their lifestyles, their travel… everyone seems to have a better life than what we are living.
Oh, how important it is to remember that reels, videos, and posts are so very one-dimensional. They allow the person to show only what they want shown. But even if that wouldn’t be true, how important it is to choose a thankful heart for our blessings rather than discontentment at what we don’t have (Proverbs 14:30; Colossians 3:15).
4) Wrong Priorities—We will absorb this culture’s priorities if we aren’t careful. Priorities that could never exist before because, let’s face it, there was NO time. Few people in bygone eras had time to worry about their dreams and being fulfilled. They were too busy making sure their families had food and shelter. But as the times changed and necessities became a given for most rather than a challenge to be faced, the culture’s priorities shifted. In the midst of that, believers faced a crossroad. Would they follow after the world’s priorities or follow the path of godly living with God-centered priorities? We were not helped by many who called themselves Christians and promoted a self-centered, self-absorbed lifestyle (many still do this) (Mark 12:30-31; I Corinthians 10:31 & 13).
5) Filling Our Minds with Unrighteousness—It’s hard to comprehend how accessible entertainment is now. When I was a kid I had to walk into my family room to watch a show or movie. I could only watch what was on the handful of channels at that moment. There was no recording, no streaming, no access to anything at any time. For music, I had to actually go to the record player in my living room and put on a record. It was a happy day when I had a cassette player in my room. But even then, you had to listen to the whole tape. No playlists with favorite songs. Although, I did figure out a way to record cassette tapes from the radio that would have my favorite songs all on one playlist!
Now we have access to anything at any time. I can take the iPhone sitting beside me right now and pull up any tv show, any song, any movie, anything (!) that I wanted right here, right now. I can’t help but think how dangerous this is. Let’s face it, most entertainment of all kinds is not godly. It is pulling us away from God instead of towards Him. It is denigrating the Bible and its principles, rather than commending them. And yet, think how many hours most people spend being entertained? We are filling our mind with anti-God propaganda, we are allowing our children’s minds to be filled with anti-God propaganda, and then we expect to just live a good Christian life or expect our children to follow God.
How silly.
We can’t constantly fill our minds with all that God hates without any consequences (Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8; I John 2:15-16).
6) Fear and Anxiety—In this age of information, stories assail our ears that would have gone unheard of in times past. We hear of every war. Every weather event. None go unannounced. We hear of the little boy bitten by a snake in the back country; of the shooting in a McDonald’s on the other side of the country; of the bizarre accident that happened in a neighboring state, and, of course, we hear of the many and constant threats to our health.
The news outlets and social media channels glory in making sure we know the latest wars, the next pandemic, and the most bizarre stories. The stories regarding our health are often giving opposite information so that our heads end up spinning wildly as we contemplate them. In the midst of all of this, there is a great temptation to give in to fear and anxiety. Instead of trusting the Lord, we worry about what is going to happen to us and to our loved ones. WHAT IFS can plague us if we aren’t careful to keep our eyes on the Lord (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6-7).
It’s hard to really grasp the changes in this world over the past 100 years. Those changes have yielded great challenges for us, as believers. BUT GOD…
God’s Word is applicable for every age and every season. One of the most glorious things about scripture is that its principles and guidance carry God’s redeemed children through every era. Even this one. We know that all we need to live is to be found within its pages.
Paul says in 2 Timothy—
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
We can be complete and thoroughly equipped if we trust and obey God’s Word.
Peter reminds us in his second letter that we have been given ALL things which pertain to life and godliness—
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4)
The key to godly living is always at the same place: In the inspired, inerrant Word of God. It’s just as applicable in this crazy time as it has ever been.
May we be cognizant of the special challenges and the sins that tempt us as we live in a time never before seen in history.
Where this will all lead, we can’t really know. It seems like we must be in the last days, when we compare what we are experiencing to how scripture describes them. However, the last days could last a long time. Remember how long it took Noah to build that ark?
May we remain faithful and strive to be holy as we wait and watch for our Lord’s return.