We’ve looked at reversing the world’s influence.
Now, let’s go back and look again the Great Commission and the fundamental law of the Covenant of Christ: build a community of faith, loving as He loved. It means you don’t take yourself seriously; you aren’t easily offended by folks who struggle with humility so that they crap on you. You know it’s not about you, but about themselves and something not yet redeemed in their lives. The single most powerful miracle of all is the power to operate in compassion among those who burn with anger against you.
That does not automatically prevent a shepherd from using violent force to protect their domain (people) from a very foolish threat. Jesus cracked a whip at least once. The point is not a question of violence or not as legalistically defined in the West, but of the humility to act without arrogance. The Hebrew concept typically translated in English as “violence” is more about abuse, oppression and injustice, not the use of firmness enforcing God’s will.
The whole point is not classifying the actions based on what they are, but the intentions of the heart. With fear and trembling before the Lord, we exercise His authority, not to change the world, but to change human hearts. Again, we reject the world’s evaluation of things and press ahead on the eternal track.
That is what’s behind our assertion of the gospel message in the face of believers promoting worldliness. We will not take seriously your claim to Christ if you reject His message. Again, Jesus was a Hebrew mystic with eternal priorities, and often criticized the worldly approach to things.
The Great Reverse is a concept that leads directly to better church life.
