Wednesday Bible Study: Just one man

 

Hopefully, I'll remember to put a title with this- as it is, there's precious little Bible in this post, but a lot of lesson learned.

It all began as I was listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs.  They were playing a sermon from a few years back, and in the midst of it, he played a clip (on the church video screen) that sent shock waves through me.  They were talking the demographics of the western world.  "The minimum birth rate needed to keep a culture alive", the speaker said, "is 2.1 per couple.  Below this level, it is economically and socially impossible for a culture to continue for long."  There was a brief explanation of how this works.  Say you have a culture who drops below this level at year X.  In year X+ 21, there are fewer new additions to the workforce than those leaving. And every succeeding year after.  Underemployment sinks jobs, depression sinks the economy, so on.  It has apparently been studied and proven in many fallen cultures of history.

That said, Europe- that is, long term, resident born in the nation Europe- hovers between 1.6 and 1.3.  Hence the problems you see on the news in the UK, France, and Germany.  However, the Muslim immigrant population- their culture's birth rate is somewhere around 8.  The clip went on to give some very near-term dates at which these nations will become Muslim nations.  

Canada in at 1.6.  They are starting to go through what Europe is.  We are at 2.0- but only because you add in the Hispanic population.

This was not a pretty picture, and I asked God why he was allowing it.  I said, "Their slogan is going to be, 'Go ahead and deport some of us. We'll make more!' "

And God said, "So?"

You and I look at the news and we see, Sharia Law, kidnappings, suicide bombers, when we see Muslims.  God sees the same thing we see when we go to school, work, the mall- lost people needing saved.

You wonder why the Bible never talks about race? God doesn't see race.  He sees hearts that don't love Him, ears that haven't heard of Him- and He sees us not looking past the hate they show, and we reciprocate, He sees us not even thinking about that they need Jesus, too.

Mat 5:43  'Ye heard that it was said: Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and shalt hate thine enemy; 

Mat 5:44  but I—I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you, 

Mat 5:45  that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens, because His sun He doth cause to rise on evil and good, and He doth send rain on righteous and unrighteous. 

We aren't supposed to be married to our culture- we're supposed to be married to our SAVIOR.  Marin Luther was born in Saxony.  Paul was born in Cilicia.  Watchman Nee was born in the Manchu Empire.  Mother Teresa was born in the Ottoman Empire.  Moses was born in Pharaonic Egypt.  All cultures that have disappeared- but God, and faith, and salvation lives on.  We talk a lot about prejudice.  But if we hate just one man, then we are guilty in God's eyes.