DOES LOOKING BACK AT '22 AND FORWARD TO '23 CONVINCE US WE NEED A SACRED ASSEMBLY? (PART 6 OF 6)

Courtesy of Abolish Human Abortion, Ames, Iowa, 2016

"Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly." Joel 2:15

In 2018, I read The Benedict Option, where Rod Dreher was warning of a coming flood and that we needed to build our Christian community.

In 2021, I read Live Not By Lies, where Rod Dreher interviewed several Christians who survived the Soviet Regime, in which all said the current climate in the U.S. was identical to when the Communists took over.

Now, in late 2022, I'm in the middle of Letter to the American Church, where Eric Metaxas is saying that the American Church is at the same place the German Church was in the early 1930's when Hitler rose to power. He stated some, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, say the danger, while most did nothing.

A good friend of mine for 30 years unfriended me on Facebook in early 2021 because I committed the unpardonable sin: I voted for Trump in 2020. He considered Trump a threat to our democracy. He didn't want to hear that I was concerned by voting out Trump we could open the door for someone worse. And now, I'm pretty certain that we opened the door and that someone worse - or an ally of those worse than Trump in Congress - entered.

In other words, I do not trust our government. I do not trust our media to tell us the truth. And does it help my mood that I had recently finished another book pointing out that Christ is calling us to repent and to return to the five solas? That is, Scripture alone, Faith alone, Grace alone, Christ alone, to the glory of God alone?

Becky heard a pastor say that persecution of Christians can happen quickly, both in suddenness and in it being soon. Metaxas wrote that Hitler changed things in Germany quickly. I hope they're wrong, but I'm not expecting them to be.

What is the answer? Should Christians be developing strong communities/churches not unlike a monastic brotherhood? Should we be doing what we can to stop evil from rising to power? Should we be most concerned with turning from any idols in our heart or from complacency (which Zephaniah 1:12 describes as believing God will neither do evil or good) or from trusting in men and the word of men than in God and in the Word of God (the Bible)?

I am writing this on December 23rd, and setting it to be posted on December 31st at 6am EST (though the website might post it 3 hours earlier). Today at 12noon, Northside Baptist Church is praying in the New Year for two hours. I'm planning on being there.

No, not a cheerful blog to end 2022. But do we need to be encouraged 2023 will be better? Or do we need to be awakened that 2023 could be worse, and we either need to do something or be prepared for dark times?