The Grift

If you’re new here, there is no news of the day this week in the morning emails. Because this is the anniversary of the most important week in human history. Even secular historians recognize that the crucifixion of a carpenter in Jerusalem around 2000 years ago is the singularly most important event in history, or, for some, at least in the top five. It is far more important than anything happening in the world today. Sometimes it is hard to grasp that. In the here-and-now twenty-four-hour news cycle where every bit of news is breaking news and of utmost importance, this is the perfect week to be still and know that God is, well, God.

Nothing is happening this week that is not in His sovereign will.

On this day, the week of His crucifixion, Jesus chased the money lenders and merchants out of the Temple.

There’s a lot of money to be made in professing Christ is King without actually believing it. As antisemitism rages these days, a lot of people are using the Lord’s name in vain, professing him as King as a way to divide.

Antisemitism rages and is the canary in the coal mine of many bad things, including the persecution of the Church, too. The things of the world hate the things of God. They come first for the Jews, then for the Christians.

Around the world, including in this country, persecution is happening. It is not confined to one political party. The elites of both parties hate the authentic church. A growing elite on the right likes to talk about traditional families and the necessity of the church, without ever going into one or embracing traditional family structure or family values. They treat faith as an opium for the masses, like Marx. They hope to use the power of the cross for secular ends.

The authentic church will survive, and authentic Christians should resist the impulse of tribalism, which profits off the faith for political gain or claims that the politics of the age are necessary to advance the church.

The gates of Hell will not prevail against the church. The sovereign God Almighty does not need your vote or party to advance His agenda or kingdom.

And you should take real comfort in that. The winds of the world will blow against the people of the church. There is no such thing as a permanent political majority in this country. But the eternal God remains on His throne, in charge, and victory comes in the end.

God’s will is going to be done. You cannot stand in the way of it. But you can be faithful to it. That faith should align you more to Christ than any political party or tribe. You should not feel at home in the world or in a political party. You should not align so perfectly with the politics of the age, in any direction, because Christ is always counter to the culture of the age.

The Christ is coming, perhaps sooner than we think, but not as soon as we want. The world hates Him, but it will not prevail against Him. Guard your heart from the things of the world. You, believer, are to love your neighbor and love the Lord. And if the politics of the age make it hard for you to love your neighbor, you need to reprioritize and recalibrate. The Kingdom is more important than today’s political fight.

This life is fleeting. The Kingdom is eternal.