"See no evil ?" pt.1

"For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord: walk as children of Light: (for the Fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them. For it is a shame to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest (visible) by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore He said, Awake thou who sleeps, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you Light.

Eph. 5: 8-14

"The Light"

In the world we live in today, there is so much going on around us, that it sometimes can make your head spin. There is chaos and confusion, in every aspect of life. People in disagreement over how to deal with the problems in our world today...at every level . In government, locally, nationally, and internationally, leaders at odds, over legislative policies, fiscal accountability, trade agreements...and so on, and so on. The traditional, biblical, family foundation is being undermined, as relations are stressed over various situations, and differences, everything from finances, to gender identification, families torn apart. The Church is not exempt from trouble and turmoil. A lot of the same problems in the world, also plague the Church, why?

For a long time, the Church, not all, but for the most part, has had a "blind eye" approach to the world in which we live. In doing so, many have developed a, "go along to get along" attitude that has crept in to how church is conducted, thinking if we use the ways, means and methods of the world, and say it's for God's Glory, it's okay. In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul thought the same thing, when he took the "best things" from the defeat of the Amalekites, when the Lord said to destroy them completely. Saul's failure to obey, caused not only his downfall, but trouble and strife in Israel for years. The Lord cut off Saul from the prophet Samuel, leaving him in the dark as far as direction from God. The Lord has called the Church, out of darkness, and into Light.

In today's scripture in, vs. 8, we are told ( a command, not a suggestion) to walk as children of Light. That means our behavior, and order should be a reflection of The Light. How we conduct ourselves in our daily lives, in the world, should reflect The Light in our lives, and influence that world we are in, both directly, and indirectly. In vs.10 , we are told to "prove what is acceptable unto the Lord" by testing our faith, and not partaking in the unfruitful works of darkness. In the world, but not of the world, means we are to be separated,from the influence, but not isolated from the world. On the contrary, we are to influence the world, by walking as children of Light.

One characteristic of light, is that it illuminates, so that we can see. Light is the polar opposite of darkness. Light doesn't simply brighten the dark, it dispels the darkness, eliminates it, so that we can see, clearly. People (and not only children), are often afraid of the dark, because of fear of what is hiding in the dark, fear of the unknown. Light, shows us what is hiding in the dark, so we can see what we're up against. The True Light, reveals to us, not only what we're facing, but how to face it, and deal with it.

The Word of God, Spirit breathed, in the life of the Church, empowers us to not only recognize the"unfruitful works of darkness", but also to reprove or rebuke them. The word rebuke, by definition, means to "express sharp disapproval or criticism", not to condemn, but to correct if possible. As believers, we should not turn a "blind eye" toward sin and darkness, at any level, personal or social. Sin in peoples lives, influences society's outlook and perspective, and has a far reaching effect in how we interact socially, and is reflected in our government function and legislature. To turn a "blind eye" is an example of indifference, that reflects the state of spiritual apathy in the church. This world needs the Church, united in the purpose of reaching people, changing lives, and influencing nations, with the Gospel, by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Word, is the only answer. For a world lost in darkness, to be shown the Way, we the Church, need to walk as children of "The Light".