Overseas readers may be forgiven for feeling somewhat confused if they look at recent political events in the UK. The people, the parliamentary party and the party membership have decided who will rule them. But to have four Prime Ministers in four years, is quite a democratic achievement. It says that people choose the leaders they like and then dispose of them when their choice becomes a disappointment.
Russia has no such problem, yet. Mr Putin’s grip on power seems relentless, and the war in Ukraine demonstrates the end-point of personal ambition. China has further strengthened the power-base of President Xi Jinping – sweeping away protests within Hong Kong and inflaming fears of many in Taiwan – while its soft-power-economic-politics projects itself wherever it can. Meanwhile, civil wars in the Horn of Africa, Yemen, Syria and Myanmar; terrorist insurgencies in many parts of equatorial Africa and Afghanistan; and the drug wars of Central America - are creating misery for many who have no voice.
Apparently less violent, but no less damaging, are the ‘woke wars’ in which personal conscience seems to have no social validity. People are ‘cancelled’ for thinking or saying what they believe unless it conforms to the new and changing laws of the urban jungle – where failing to celebrate what God hates according to the Bible, is a hate crime.
Who has the right to rule? Those with unbridled power, those who can use democracy to their advantage, those social media moles digging away at the foundations of society? While each claim to be building a new world, they are inevitably destructive. Most perilous, perhaps, is the new wave of malignant narcissism that exalts an individual’s feelings to be the god that will rule over them and everybody else.
James said that selfish inner desire is at the root of every power struggle; he even extends the problems of global or local domination to the church (James 4:1-3). The desire to climb on top of the pile is part of fallen human nature. Jesus said that bloodied conflicts would seize nations and that persecution would come to the church (Matthew 24:6-13).
But despite it all, Jesus Christ is building His church, and He will be shown to be the eternal Rock which demolishes all other kingdoms (Daniel 2:44-45). Although the world will continue on its destructive path, God’s solution is that: “… this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). He has all authority to rule everywhere for ever!
‘Making Jesus known’ seems to many, perhaps even some Christians, such a poor response to the misery of the world. But the gospel is God’s answer because it focusses on the core problem. As GK Chesterton once wrote to The Times, “Sir, what is wrong with the world? I am!” Until we accept that Jesus is the King and has the right to rule over us, we will always be at war with Him – which will translate into being at war with those around us and ourselves.
That is why BeaconLight is so glad to share Biblical truth, and Word@Work is read all round the world. That is why BeaconLight delivers evangelistic and discipleship teaching wherever it will be accepted. It is why compassionate Christians spend time with the homeless, why brave Christians share CrossCheck from house to house, why soft-hearted people take the truth to broken people in prisons, and why courageous people ignore their own safety to bring scared people into the peace of Christ.
This Newsletter will tell a few of those stories. Please stay in touch, please pray and please give so that the BeaconLight team and our partners may ‘make Jesus known’, for His glory.