Study 8 - Compassionate Troublemakers

‘No more!’ said Jeremiah; and then the word of God so consumed him that he had to speak (Jer. 20:9). The prophet didn’t observe his nation from a distance. He cared passionately for it. The book of Lamentations tells us that he wept rivers of tears over it (3:48). He hated the message he had to bring, but it was God’s word for the people. In reality the man who was branded a traitor loved his nation more than anyone else.

Gentle prophets
True prophets not only speak penetrating words, they grieve. As Jesus ‘approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it’ (Luke 19:41). Then he pronounced God’s judgement on it. ‘Your enemies … will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you’ (Luke 19:43, 44). His prophecy was fulfilled – but he wept as he gave it. May God deliver us from cold-hearted prophets!

God hates wickedness and we can’t condone it, But as we bring His word, we must do so with deep compassion. It is said that as vast crowds gathered to hear George Whitefield (perhaps the greatest evangelist Britain has ever known), those standing at the front felt his tears fall upon them as he preached and gave his uncompromising call to repentance.

Jesus felt deeply for the harassed, helpless crowds, like sheep without a shepherd. What does he think about our generation in which children are abused by members of their own families, ravaged before they ever know anything of life? Today sin is learned at an early age, and one generation quickly teaches the next.

Hostile world
Today’s children are being steadily engulfed by the most appalling practices. In films they see their heroes taking their girlfriends to bed, and learn to regard such behaviour as a perfectly natural part of life. ‘Sex is easy – something to experience as soon as possible.’

In the course of one year, children can see thousands of illicit sex acts on television. But the characters never express remorse or anguish. No one ever says, ‘What have I done?’ Nobody mentions the cost involved. No one says, ‘Look, sex without marriage affects you emotionally, psychologically, economically, medically and spiritually.’ No one says, ‘There is no such thing as free sex. You’re deeply involved. It ruins you. It breaks your heart and it costs you everything.’ No one is seen paying the price.

Society teaches us that anything done privately between two consenting adults is acceptable. ‘You can’t bring your Christian values into what we do in private,’ people say. ‘We’re consenting adults and what we do behind closed doors is none of your business. How dare you seek to moralise over us! We’re just more liberated than you. It’s free sex!’

But if sex is free, why is society paying such a price? Again, because there is no such thing as free sex. What two consenting adults do in private involves us all. Tragically, today’s children are being led to believe that there’s no cost involved. The modern-day message that pounds into their lives is this: ‘It’s easy. It’s free. If you feel like it, go ahead and do it.’

Who am I?
With such a moral landslide in our world you will be tempted to give up, to think, ‘I can’t do much. Who am I to confront that situation anyway? It’s just too hard.’ But don’t give up. Elijah refused to compromise his message or waive his responsibility. Single-handedly he fought to bring a nation back to God.

The church today is beginning to be renewed and restored. We’re living in exciting times – but we mustn’t keep our spiritual renewal to ourselves. We’re being freshly equipped to fulfil a great task that will take us beyond the four walls of our buildings. But we must be sure of this, that as we begin to speak up for righteousness, we’ll be seen as ‘troublers of Israel’.

Whitefield and Wesley were mocked and treated shamefully when they first raised their voices in England, but God stood by them and vindicated their message until a nation was transformed. Before they were ever accepted as saviours, though, they were hated as troublemakers.

Jesus said, ‘You will be hated by all nations because of me’ (Matt. 24:9). Why? Because ‘this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations’ before the end comes (Matt. 24:14).

Wherever the gospel is preached, two responses will be found: rejoicing and hatred, acceptance and refusal, delight and denunciation. We’re called to trouble the nations.

Quote
‘Being misrepresented, slandered, reviled, persecuted, and wrongfully accused is an inevitable part of being a Christian. We must expect to suffer unjustly. Our lives confront the culture we live in. We live as aliens in the world, and it should not surprise us when the world is hostile toward us (1 John 3:13). We were called for that purpose. In this world we will have tribulation (John 16:33). It goes with the territory.’
John MacArthur, The Book on Leadership, 2004, p.130.