Living in an Age of Outrage
Have you ever been accused? In today's society, accusations and outrage seem to be everywhere. As Christians, we are not immune to these challenges. In Matthew 10:21-26, Jesus speaks about rising accusations and hate. Matthew 19:21-22 says, “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
A friend recently mentioned in a post of being hurt by false accusations from someone they helped. In processing it, he referred to the situation in the Bible of David at Keilah. After David helped the people by defending them against the Philistines, he had to run for his life from Saul as the Lord told him that the people would still turn him over to Saul.
This story in the Bible was about a situation of "brother rising up against brother to deliver them to death." It says in the Bible that it was this spirit that overtook Saul at times and caused him, in a rage, to accuse and try to murder David. When Jonathan tried to defend David to Saul, Saul became so outraged that he even considering killing his own son. And when Saul thought the priests where somehow involved in the coverup of David running, this spirit of accusation rose up through Doeg, and Doeg murdered all the priests for this betrayal (false accusation) upon command of Saul.
In the current day, we see accusations frequently on the news. Could they be growing? It feels like we are in an age of people accusing others and becoming outraged. We saw accusations with the Trump election around the fairness of the election process. And we currently see it with the deportation debates. One party says that innocent people are being held in disgusting conditions against their will and deported to dangerous places without due process. The other party says that criminals and gang members are being held in great conditions awaiting their due process so they can be deported back to their home country as they are here illegally.
From my perspective, it seems that people may use accusations to get them what they want and put the other in a defensive
position. Kids seem to pick up on this as well. I hear more recently of kids accusing parents,
accusing each other, and accusing the people in established roles to help
them. While we don't want to disregard genuine concerns, more and more, it feels like we see accusation
and outrage bubbling up out of wanting something, not liking someone, or
difference in viewpoint. Because of
this, it is difficult to know what to believe.
Sometimes great leaders have
fallen under false accusation. Sometimes things are blown out of proportion. And sometimes, poor leaders have covered up outrageous
behavior and it failed to come to the light until today. Besides an age of accusation, it feels like we moved into a season of accountability where things are being called to order and brought to the light. One after the other, companies are going under as scheming, greed, and theft come to the surface. So how do we know what is true and how to
handle these situations?
As it relates to accountability, I think we all find joy in things being set right. There is something in us that is designed to desire justice. In seeing it come forth and people not getting away with things, there is a relief and a joy.
As it relates to accusations, in these verses in Matthew, Jesus is matter of fact that we will experience this spirit of accusation in our life. He makes it very clear that if we know Jesus and are Christians, people will rise up against us. So, at some point, we need to look at how to navigate these situations. Here is some practical advice and suggestions from these verses, and other verses, on what to do:
Endure Until the End. Let accusations bring growth and transformation in your life. I know, a beautiful concept
that feels terrible at the time: Let
death have its work in us. If Jesus,
being perfect, was accused of wrong, we, who are not perfect, probably have
done something wrong at some point. Let’s
let it bring death in our lives so that we can rise in resurrection power.
We all sin and fall short. We all fail at some point. We all will be accused. I remember my first pastor who had cancer, being accused by some of secret sin in her life and being punished by God. And Job from the Bible when He experienced loss, was accused by all those closest to him of secret sin resulting in God’s wrath because the Lord would not punish the innocent.
You are not alone. In this world we will have trouble. And just as certain, in this world we will be
accused. The key is that we cannot sit
down and wallow in it. We need to pick
up our broken self and keep moving towards God.
God is good and He is faithful.
Let’s not let our mistakes, failures, and false accusations stop us in
our tracks. Psalm 145:13b-14 says, “The
Lord is faithful in all His words and kind in All His works! The Lord upholds
all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.”
I used to think that the Lord
being faithful meant that He would rescue me and vindicate me and completely
clear me on any accusation. But this
does not always happen the way we think. He is more interested in our death
than our vindication. As an example, looking
at the situation with David from the Bible, he was accused of betraying Saul and trying to steal
the kingdom. This went on for many years
before he became king and he could put it behind him.
But God used this situation to
make David the king he needed to be. It
was through helping people while they turn on him, and giving when he lacked
that he learned to be a good king. It
was all those places of hiding out with others who fell into the wrong/troubled/failure/broken
camp, that made David a mighty warrior and a mighty king.
Flee the City to Another. I have often tried to follow the practice
that, “the only way out is through.”
This is something that a pastor spoke to me that still rings in my
ears. We don’t run from situations but
work through them. But here, Jesus tells
us that it is not only okay, but a good idea to flee under intense
persecution.
There are times that it makes
sense to flee the accusations. If being accused is harming you, it is time to pack up and leave. Go somewhere else. We do not need to stand in situations of
hate and try to be unmovable. David ran
far from the city who would turn him in and from the king who wanted his head. Don’t
stay in a place of being accused. Move
on so you are not destroyed and utterly torn down by a spirit of false accusation.
Heap Coals on Their
Head. Don’t stop being a blessing.
Bless and breathe life into all around you.
Don’t let someone’s accusation stop you from being life giving to
others. Give what God has given you to give
today. Let’s dwell on whatever is pure
and lovely and give God our best, and keep giving to others.
Keep The End Game in Mind. We are living for eternity and our difficulty
in this world is a light and momentary affliction. It is just a small blip on
the eternal path. I once was so
frustrated and hurt in a situation and I turned on some music. What came on was Phill Driscoll singing, “I’ll
be riding with Him.” It put things in
perspective that, as a Christian, I am
living for another age.
In the book Gasping for Breath,
David Johnson encourages us to finish well over becoming cynical and bitter… [also
a sign of the ending of the age.] Let’s
keep our faith, hope and confidence in God.
Even if our life is diminishing, let’s not blame or become bitter.[1] Let’s be willing to let go of all of it with
open hands and a heart to give to our last breath. He is worthy.
David Johnson notes that many
pastors and ministers do not finish well.
This is something to think about.
What causes them to derail? Is it
accusation that deflates them? Is it
cynicism from multiple trials? Is it losing
a loved one that brought them great joy?
Is it moral failure? Is it a love
for something else that grows into an idol?
Whatever it is as an area of weakness, most likely the enemy will find it and use it against the
minister/pastor. It says that we will be
tested and tried by fire. Let’s come forth
through it like pure gold, keeping on pressing in and living a life that is
pleasing to God.
Daily Pray for Those Who Persecute You by
Name. When we pray for someone who
treats us unfairly or wrongfully, it changes the situation. It changes us. We move from being frustrated with them or
bitter towards them, to genuinely wanting their best. It changes our hearts and keeps us in a place
to receive from God. If we fail to take this step, unforgiveness grows in our
heart and further distances us from God.
Pray daily from a release of
offenses. I find this prayer
incredibly helpful when I pray it at the end of the day: “God, I’m releasing
every negative thing that’s happened to me today—every hurt, every worry, and
every disappointment. I’m forgiving
people who did me wrong, God. I’m going
to bed in peace.” It releases me from offenses in my heart.
Remember advice from I Thessalonians 5 about
The Day of Lord. These verses are
packed full of incredible wisdom to guide us through the time until His return. From rejoicing always in gratitude and praise,
praying continually, building each other up, warning the lazy, encouraging the
timid, and living peacefully, there is an overflow of wisdom and blessing in
this chapter of the Bible. These verses are worth meditating on and letting them guide you
through difficult days.
Lord, You are worthy of our
all. Help us to live in alignment with
Your guidance for these times. Help us
to keep our eyes on You and not get derailed by persecution, accusation,
outrage, or anything else that would try to discourage and make us cynical. We need You. Give us all we need to live in
Your fullness.
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