Dear Church Family, We are living in an upside-down time. It seems like every time the world has reached its limit of crazy, someone takes it a step further. Apparently, we’re not in a unique time in history. In Isaiah chapter five, God announces six woes against the people. A woe is a pronouncement of God’s displeasure and judgment of sin. Two of the woes particularly stuck out to me: Isaiah 5:20-23 (ESV)
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!
It seems like Isaiah is speaking directly into our time. What are we to do when everyone around us has not only shifted their morality, but outright flipped? One thing we must do is stick closely to the truth. We must not compromise our own morals. If we’re called to be light in a dark world, the answer isn’t to make the light less bright. Paul knew this well when he warned Timothy of this very thing: 2 Timothy 4:2-4 (ESV)
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
We must stick to the unchanging Word of God in an everchanging world. This begs two questions: 1) How well are you feeding on the Word of God, 2) How has the world changed you? We must both know the Word of God and stand against those who seek to deny it. One area of particular relevance is gender and sexuality. The Bible is clear that God created us male and female and made us for a committed relationship between a husband and wife. We must present these realities with both truth and love. One other way we can respond is to shine brightly as Christ’s church. The remedy that a dark world needs is for Christ’s church to shine brightly. I love Paul’s words in Philippians 2: Philippians 2:14-16 (ESV)
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
Have we lost our brightness? Are we reflecting the glory of the Risen Savior in our lives? Can people see a difference in how we live that attracts them to Jesus? He is the only hope for this world and we have the opportunity to spread this Good News and shine our lights brightly for Him, holding onto the unchanging Word of Life. What’s Happening at Gospel Life: | 
