We have yet to discover the rich treasure and heritage of Christ in our world.
Our hearts teach us the truth; we know that there are generally two paths men tread to power and change in this world. One is by deception, as we see today in rich measure through the fundamental nature of Western government. Society is manipulated through controlled information. One cannot stop the human soul from questing for a better grasp of reality, so this is exploited by feeding, not so much false data, but a false structure so that data accuracy makes no difference.
The other method of dominance is brute force. Today we see this used when those in power have no time or inclination to create a manipulative atmosphere. Or perhaps sometimes the violence itself is part of the manipulation. In our very real world, the two methods are used together, often by the same people.
But a third way is one that men do not try: The power of revelation. To be specific, if men were to rule by the Covenant of Noah, they would need precious little brute force or manipulation. The reason those would be reduced, but not entirely dispatched, is because of fallen nature. Even under Noah we find the necessity of using brute force with brutes, and we use manipulation with people who demand it. But if we are first committed to Noah, we are also committed to the heart-led way, and thus reluctant to abuse anyone, even when folks demand they be abused. But there are people like that because humanity is damaged.
We know better than to expect any human government today to walk in Noah. But on a smaller scale, you and I can walk in the heart-led path of Noah. I won’t suggest that we can do better than the New Testament churches of the First Century, but that we do have certain advantages to match our much higher burden of global resistance to the gospel (never mind how much fake gospel washing over the world). We cannot do what those early churches did because our world is different, but we can learn from their mistakes and successes as we face a world they could not know.
Take a look at the Seven Churches of Asia (Revelation 2-3). Notice something: The churches facing little or no criticism were those in the deepest persecution. There is no answer to the question of whether persecution builds faith or whether faith brings persecution. Rather, we know only that they go together. Our persecution is not the same as theirs was, but it’s a sure thing we face precious little of what came on them. For one thing, there is precious little bloodshed for us in the heart-led way. Yet.
If we choose to walk in Noah by our hearts, persecution is unavoidable. But when and where it comes, our divine power to bring Christ glory is also greater. We have to understand the necessity of these two as one thing. It’s not a question what must be, but that it simply will be. Nor is it a question of being defensive, because that destroys faith by itself. Then again, it’s not a matter of building a whiny victimology so popular these days, either. Rather, it’s a conscious awareness that, beyond some initial celebration of the effects of our early walk in Noah’s Laws, people will become increasingly hostile as the power rises.
Walking by the heart is in your hands, but if you take hold of it firmly, there’s no way to avoid a snowball effect. Your obedience provokes Creation to foster further obedience. You are feeding a living thing and it will grow and prosper. Nature around you will respond and people will eventually see it. They will also respond because they are an unwitting part of the whole of nature. What happens is that you will make them aware; your holiness will provoke their own sense of calling. It polarizes and reveals to all who is and who is not of the Elect. And because the majority in any context are not elected by God, there will always be a rising resistance to His power in us. He is winnowing the fruit of the Spirit, and there’s always more chaff than wheat. Thus, the snowball effect is bigger for the avalanche of destruction.
But there will always be those who are saved by that same revelation. We shining a bright light on the reality everyone hides from themselves. The difference it makes is not a question of going to Heaven on our level of operations, but a question of claiming our divine heritage under the Eternal Covenant of Christ. Noah is what it looks like to human eyes, but it’s Christ in reality. Noah is the earthly mask of Christ. As the power of Noah’s Law grows in our hands, His face more clearly shines.
Let me encourage you to take this seriously. The call of Noah is sweet because we learn to face persecution as the mark of holiness. We should be glad when the Devil sneaks in new ways to challenge our faith; he has to bring out new tricks when we beat the old ones. Soon he runs out of stuff we haven’t seen and we send him packing. This is why the New Testament says we should rejoice in our trials, because the Devil is limited, but glory is not. Every time you make progress in Noah’s Laws, it binds the Devil more tightly — Satan is bound by Biblical Law. This is our irrepressible joy and peace.
Go and claim that heritage.
