The Choice against Secularism

Value and prize God's grace against the false promises humanistic secularism

Paul J. Bucknell
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Two Choices, Two Ways | Secularism is Bankrupt | Understanding Secularism | The Kingdom of God

Purpose: Portrays the glorious operations of the Kingdom of God in against the frail, corrupt and feeble expressions of humanistic secularism. This is part 4 of 4 of a larger series 'The Choice Against Secularism.'

The Kingdom of God

When men across the world turn and begin to accept and even call upon God to enter the affairs of their life, the whole sphere of operations changes, both between man and man but also enterprise and enterprise, nation and nation. Man is not longer dependent upon his own limited resources but taps into God our Creator’s purposes and power.

This is the special kingdom dynamics that are hinted at in the parables of the kingdom of God and seen clearly implemented in Christ’s life and all His faithful disciples. Let us identify a number of these elements.

Jesus said, “My peace is not of this world” (c.f. Philippians 4:7). He is essentially saying that a special kind of security and trust comes from God rather than from the world. This contrasts with the promised peace obtained through governments, religions, businesses and even the church.

Paul testifies that there is a greater principle at work that enables him to embrace poor circumstances as well as well–to-do surroundings. God miraculously works and provides the grace need. This includes the humility not to get ensnared by high class living. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

We do not see Paul denying the relationship of man or company. For example, he will encourage the church to give to the church in a famine district. He personally will be willing to suffer if it might benefit those around him.

The apostle has located the spiritual “OUTFLOW” principle. “Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account (Philippians 4:17).

Paul sees God’s principle of giving as the means by which we can bring God’s awesome grace into our broken lives and systems. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than receive.”

“No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12).

The world lives for itself. By its own limits and focus, it is anti-love. God’s love, however, is a pure love. God’s people live for others. They love.

When people begin to prefer others above themselves (it starts by even noticing the needs of those around us), than the world’s self-oriented principles are put in reverse, making room for God’s love to flow through man into the world. This is God’s glorious kingdom.

This outpouring of God’s grace is what we observe in Acts 2 and everywhere God’s principles are acted upon.Instead of disputing how much God’s kingdom can grow on earth, can we not see by Acts 2 and other such demonstrations of the power of God’s kingdom that God wants these things to happen now at least to some degree.

The world as we know it will end one day soon with Christ’s climatic return, but right now is our opportunity to live out God’s grace.

• Since God has shown us His clear purposes, will we not pursue these greater things?

The Book of Joshua well displays our current scene. They had the land of Canaan to conquer; we have the world to conquer with God’s love and holiness. They could possess it. So can we.

If we would together as God’s people purpose to live out lives filled with His Holy Spirit, our world as we know it would go into a tailspin and begin to live out God’s glorious principles of grace and truth.

Summary

By taking the wisdom of God into science and technology, the love of God into our social media, the compassion of God into our nonprofits, the world would begin to reflect the glory of God instead the sheer poverty of humankind.

As man lives by God’s principles, God issues an outflow from His own person into the lives of His people on earth. We would no longer depend on what material resources God has provided in creation but tap into God’s amazing resources gained through redemption.

Will you not humble yourself before God’s marvelous plan and confess any wayward motives and seek to be a vessel through which God can use to bring His knowledge, wisdom, power, love, kindness, joy and peace into the world? We will not be able to give until we become an empty vessel for Him to fill.

Here is a sample prayer. Adapt the prayer for yourself, family, church and company.

“Dear Lord, I am so filled with self-confidence and worries. There is little room for You and Your marvelous working in my life. Please forgive me. Right now, I dedicate myself to be Your instrument of grace. I want You to fill me with Your divine presence. I want You to fill and satisfy me so that I have Your grace to pass to those out in the world. Let my life, and all that I have and influence, be a means by which others can experience for themselves your divine grace, joy and love through Christ Jesus. Amen.”

Although we might feel victimized and vulnerable as this secular world squeezes all our spirit from us, we can by God’s grace instantly turn things around, at least with those people our lives touch.

As Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Is this not clearly God’s will for all of us?

This concludes this series on secularism but BFF has many other topics bringing biblical truth to bear upon our societys at large.

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Rev. Paul J. Bucknell