Let Christians awake…let the Church arise!

Civil disorder, public anger … riots.  Kier Starmer and the media have blamed current unrest on far-right groups driven by hatred, and the Prime Minister has promised an uncompromising response.  Violence can never be condoned, of course, but there have been equally confrontational and violent Muslim groups, some caught on camera carrying machetes, knives and even axes, and yet condemnation for them, if any, remains muted.  Of all the MPs, Robert Jenrick, a lone voice in a sea of Islamist apologists, has said that protestors chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ should be arrested for aggressive, intimadatory and threatening behaviour.  If the law applies equally to all, he has a point, but to date there have been few, if any, such arrests, and he himself has now become an object of attack.

At the same time, figures just released show that in the first six months of this year anti-Semitic, what are described as, ‘incidents’, have reached a record high; 44% higher than last year, and described by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper as ‘truly appalling’.  While over in Austria, a Taylor Swift tour has had to be cancelled because of threat of attack by Islamist terrorists.  All of which means that, to achieve proper ‘peace’ in this country, all violence must equally be recognised and addressed.  As it is, it is difficult to see how current claims of two-tier policing can be denied, when far-right protestors are singled out for opprobrium, but Muslim threats and violence go largely ignored.

With the current debate, as presented in the media, focusing on violence by those it categorises as right-wing extremists, and largely ignoring the grievances of those they claim to represent, such cock-eyed policy will not and cannot appease the heartfelt cries of those who feel their interests have been betrayed.  It is suggested, therefore, that a perhaps better way of dealing with the problem would be to listen to the concerns and distress of those who feel marginalised, and then try more fairly and equitably to address the issues raised.

But the real problem – to which Church and State need urgently awake – is that we are a nation under judgment, making this at heart a spiritual battle, and the only way our present turmoil can actually be resolved is for us to turn back to Christ and repent.

A little bit of history: For around 1800 years, our island has been Christian.  Our values, laws and culture have all alike been founded on that faith, as set down in the Bible and, as a result, we have been blessed and grown strong.   In times of peril, the Lord Himself has protected us.  Time and again, for example, when faced by invasion and what looked like almost certain defeat, He has delivered us miraculously from attack, so that we could rightly say that God Himself was Britain’s shield and defender.  Yet over the last century we have increasingly betrayed that faith and, as consequence, God’s protection has been withdrawn.

The truth is, as result of our life-choices and actions, we have put ourselves under judgement.  The seeds we have sown have taken root and grown, and we are now seeing the fruits of our rebellion.  Nominally, of course, our nation still swears fealty to Christ, but the reality is that our worship today is given almost exclusively to ‘Self’. We can have whatever we want, we say, do whatever we want, whenever and wherever we want.  With the inevitable result that notions of responsibility towards others, of duty … even of good manners, have been sacrificially slaughtered on the altar of self-interest and personal gain.  And in the brave new world we now inhabit, as token of our sophistication and cultural advance, we have admitted into our nation other religions, hostile to Christ, proclaiming that we’re ‘grown up’ now and don’t need some judgmental fairy in the sky, so what does it matter who people choose to worship!

Because of all of this, along with the mindless blood sacrifice of 10.5 million aborted babies, evil has grown strong.  Which would perhaps be fine, if there really were no God and things were as the secularists proclaim.   But they are wrong.  Not only has God not gone away, He is still very much here – and because of the oaths we have sworn to Him in the past, He is still our Sovereign Lord.

Our God is a God of justice, and He will not compromise with, or accept, evil.  And this is why our nation now is such a mess.  To repeat: we are beginning to reap the consequences of our rebellion, and the only way we can be saved is for our nation to repent.  But that can only happen if and when the Church has the courage and resolve actually to do its job.  It is urgent, therefore, that the Church recovers its vision and its voice, and once again defends the faith.

It is a perhaps unpalatable truth to some that there is no place for so-called ‘multiculturalism’ and diversity in the Church of God.  Yes, we are called to love all, but that does not mean unquestioning affirmation of sexual immorality, of turning a blind eye to the slaughter of the unborn, and of belief systems that deny or attempt to downgrade the sovereignty of Christ.  We are saved from sin, and restored to that relationship with God for which we were created, only by Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross and His resurrection.  There is no other way of salvation, and the Church has been appointed as guardian of that truth, called to seek after the lost and protect the flock against all attack – whenever, wherever, and howsoever such attack comes.

Our nation needs to repent – this is truly the only way we can be delivered from the threats and chaos – the oppression – we now face.  But without the leadership of the shepherds, the flock can only mill around in hopeless despair, while the wolves wreak havoc and grow fat on the flesh of the lambs.
For the sake of all, let Christians now awake … and let the Church stand!