For the past week or so, I’ve had a particular statement of Christ heavy on my mind. It comes to us by way of Luke’s gospel account:
That last question has rattled loudly in my head and heart: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
We live in a world that is always changing. Of course, we have the obvious changes in the seasons, weather patterns, and geographical changes brought about by natural disasters or by man’s consumption of various resources provided in the earth. Those are not what I have in mind here. Advances in technology, scientific investigation, transportation, medicine, communication, as well as in many other areas of life have contributed to massive changes in our world. Culture, perspective, worldviews, religion… all these (and more) have been impacted by man’s “progress” on this planet.
This is especially true of the advancements made in the last few centuries. Before the 17th or 18th Century, life was relatively simple. Yes, even then man’s progression had been comparatively significant. They were a far cry from the days of living in caves and tents. Societies had been built, civilizations had been developed. However, whatever headways had been made by the 1600s, they pale in comparison to the strides made over the last 200 years. Consider how important the creation of the printing press was in the mid-15th Century. It truly changed the world. Literature could now be mass-produced and widely distributed at an extraordinary rate. In his book, “Brand Luther,” Andrew Pettegree explains how important and even necessary the printing press was for Christianity during the Reformation. Ideas were then able to be spread in ways unimaginable 150 years prior; no longer did every page have to be hand copied. Now, a whole book could be printed and reprinted hundreds of times, shared with friends, shipped across seas, taken all over the globe, with the message being delivered broadly and efficiently. That is incredible.
But compare that to the invention of electricity. Or the automobile. The airplane, the internet, an iPhone. How many examples would it take to illustrate this point? Fundamentally, man is the same. We still need to eat, drink, breathe, work, and survive. Ah, but how those activities have changed! Bottled water, processed food, storage capabilities, oxygen tanks, manufacturing, etc. Man is the same, but life is much different now.
The point of this blog post is not to address the moral, ethical, or even the utility of these advancements. I’d be a fool to say that I’d prefer to have lived in a time before the modern restroom. Even my grandpa’s stories about his childhood, having to walk 5 miles to school each day (up-hill both ways, of course) helped me appreciate the generally undesirable conditions of the school bus my siblings and I rode to school every morning. Rational people will agree that in many ways we live life much more comfortably, secure, and content than our ancient ancestors. But, with a change in “way of life” comes a change in “way of thought”.
Man has always been super religious. Only in modern times do you find people who hold the absurd belief that everything came from nothing. From the oldest historical people groups we find art, literature, and artifacts that convey the sense of religion they possessed. Some worshipped the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. Others created “gods” to worship that either represented aspects of reality, ideals, or abstract concepts. And man has always believed so strongly in the presence of divine entities and/or forces that they have been willing to make immense sacrifices in order to please the “Higher Power”. All this was done in order to find favor with the gods and to, thereby, preserve life, health, security, and human necessities.
Christians do not look to the Pagan gods for support or supply; we depend on the Holy Trinity for all things needed. Consider this familiar passage (Jesus speaking):
The Apostle Paul instructs us: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 (ESV) At the very root of Christianity, therefore, is the concept of faith. Total dependence upon God. Ultimately, faith is concerned with trusting wholly in Christ as the means and end of our salvation, unworthy sinners casting themselves completely on God’s Son for forgiveness and new life… That is faith. But, faith for salvation is not all we are called to — as Jesus and Paul’s words above show us. We are to trust God for His provision in all our areas of life. And as we study Scripture further, we discover that according to God’s Word, all things that we possess have come to us by the hand of God. This is true whether we trust in Him for them or not. The most impenitent, self-avowed atheist, despite his lack of faith in God, receives air and food and water and all he has from the merciful and gracious arm of the Lord. Every breath he takes is a gift from God. He may drink water from a bottle, and may even donate money to the company that bottled it as an act of appreciation, but God made the water.
And with that, we’ve stumbled upon the whole point of this blog. Modernization, industrialization… these things produce in man a sense of sufficiency. “Man no longer needs to look to God for supply. He only needs to go work and make money; then he can buy his own food. He need not pray that God would meet his needs.” That’s a bit of an oversimplified view of man’s progress, but try to see the truth contained within. At least in the pagan worldviews, there was an understanding that something was out there much more powerful than us down here and that we are dependent creatures — whether that be on God or gods, nature, etc. As Paul says in the first chapter of Romans:
He states here that “…they knew God…”, and that “…what can be known about God is plain to [man], because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived… in the things that have been made.” The object of their worship was wrong due to their suppression of the truth in unrighteousness, but the need to worship was still present. In modern times, however, man looks at his own inventions, his own towers, his own productions and says “This is the power of Man!” and seldom looks up to the God who provided the dirt for our sand castles.
“Will he find faith on earth?” Where are the people of faith today? “Oh, that’s the Christians,” you say. There’s as much unbelief in the Church today as there is in the world; Let’s not kid ourselves. How many Christians do you know today that are totally sold out to God? Those who do all they do for the glory of God? Do not mistake what I’m asking here. I’m not looking for people who, through faith, have become sinless. I do not hold to that old Wesleyan doctrine of sinless perfectionism that suggests man can become completely sinless through sanctification on this side of glory. I’m not asking where the perfect Christians are. I’m asking where the plain, real, fervent Christians are. There are some; I know a great many of them myself— men and women striving in the Kingdom of God for the glory of Christ. And I thank God for them! They encourage and push me to serve Christ more fully every day. But they certainly aren’t the majority of professing Christians I know. I imagine the same is true for you.
We know of the many young men and women in the Church who wanted to be baptized. They profess faith in Christ at an early age and we all praised God for it. They may continue going to church throughout their adolescent years at the request of their insistent mother, but they rarely pay mind to any spiritual matters at all. (Unless they fall into trouble, that is.) Their minds are consumed with their youthful lusts, they desire popularity amongst peers, doing whatever they want so long as they do not get caught, and they dream of the life they will have when they grow up and have stuff and money and freedom. Where are the faithful Christian young people? If the Son of Man returns today, “Will he find faith…” among the young?
What about the middle aged folks? Sure, they go to church every Easter and Christmas (and maybe more), and even have a cross sticker on the back of their Tahoe. Surely many of the professing Christians in this age group are actually faithful servants of Christ in word and deed, right? They’ve already come through those young years and their hormones have finally leveled out. They have the house and cars and careers and know those things don’t bring real joy and contentment. This must be the age group where Christians turn their attention to the things of God, right? You know better than that. These folks get so tied up to their work they barely have any time for God or Kingdom work. Their Bibles go untouched for weeks on end. They’d rather talk about the neighbor than pray for them. They teach their children how to throw a baseball and ensure that they make it to every game, but can’t remember the last time they led their family in a Bible study. Bigger house, better jobs, faster cars, nicer lawn… these are the goals many in this group aspire to achieve. No thoughts of Christ or the lost, heaven or hell. Only me, and only more. If the Son of Man returns today, “Will he find faith…” among the middle aged?
The older, then? They must have it together. After all, how often have you heard the statement, “Once I grow up and settle down, then I’ll serve God.” So do they serve Him once they get “grown”? Though often churches are full of elderly (and some have none other than the aged) many others feel that their time to evangelize and serve is over. Retirement is their focus. Rest and relaxation, that’s the goal. Others may not be even to that point yet, but are striving to that end. The need to study God’s Word and pray has drifted along with the desire to grow in holiness. Envy, slander, and bitterness control conversations even amongst many in this group. What should be the day of wisdom, faithfulness, and perseverance become the days of gossip, entitlement, and sloth. If Jesus returns today, “Will he find faith…” among the older ones?
Everything in the world we live in today is seeking to turn our attention away from God. We’re all busy. Jobs, kids, games, media, money… if we’re not careful, we add “church” and “God” to our list as more stuff. All the technological and medical and scientific advancements our age has delivered to us are wonderful in many ways. But if, and when, they turn our minds off of the Creator and on to the creation, idolatry is looming. You’ve got an iPhone, but do you have a prayer life? You’ve got a Tesla, but do you have a heart set on Christ? Is He your greatest treasure? I consider many of the things we have today as great blessings from God; God has given men and women minds capable of creating some of the most helpful and interesting things and given us a world where the most profound discoveries can be made. But, He hasn’t done so with the purpose to turn our hearts to these things.
Every time you turn your water faucet on to fill a cup and drink, thank God that He’s provided you water. Even more so, thank Him that you were able to retrieve that water in about 15 seconds rather than having to have spent an hour walking to a well, filling your bucket, and walking back home in order to quench your thirst. That alone freed up 59 mins and 45 seconds of your day; use some of that freed time to glorify God. Don’t waste your life on those things that will pass away. Serve God today. Where are the faithful? Are you one of them? “Will he find faith on the earth” today?
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