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[This article appeared in the June 2020 issue of the WACMM newsletter - https://conta.cc/3eOnray]
"Silence in the face
of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to
speak. Not to act is to act." -
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12
Behind all the problems in the
world is sin (Genesis 3:15). Things are not the way they are supposed to be. We
sense the world is a good thing gone bad.
Sin curses and corrupts God's
natural creation and every human being made in God's image. Viruses turn
against us and attack us. Cells turn cancerous and metastasize. The gentle
breezes of Eden's garden turn into deadly hurricanes. Arteries clog and
become "widow makers." Cain murders his brother Abel and other
fallen men likewise slay in thought and deed. Through the ages people
denigrate and enslave one another (Romans 1). Racism, nihilism, narcissism,
genderism, tribalism and every "ism" mock God and destroy God's
image bearers. The Bible says that which is not of faith in Christ is sin;
its payoff is death (Rom 6:23).
Sin is at root is a bad news story.
BUT ultimately it has One Remedy to the curse, delivered to us by One Man,
Jesus Christ, who is the Good News. As we yearn for and seek justice let's
remember that no one gets away with injustice or anything else that mocks
God. All scores will be settled because there is a Sovereign King who is the
Righteous Judge of the living and dead.
The shadow of death, despair and
rebellion has fallen heavily on 2020. Covid-19 has taken hundreds of
thousands of lives across the globe and robbed families of grieving their
loved one. Racism has slain men in the streets. Cancer wages its deadly peril
respects no age, stage or race. Depression drives many to take their own
lives. Death comes in many forms. Yet in the end, we all die in one of two
ways: in faith or in sin.
Below we highlight four men
who've died recently in various circumstances so as to remind us life is
hard, fragile and fleeting. They had faces, real lives, unique personal
histories and legacies, and have grieving families and friends.
GEORGE
FLOYD (photo above) was slain on a street of Minneapolis by a man
sworn to uphold the law and do justice but who corrupted that oath. Thousands
mourn Floyd's death and protest how and why his life was tragically snuffed
out. Seemingly millions know his name but few know anything about George
Floyd ("Big Floyd") the man and his community work. Learn something
Here
 DAVE
PATRICK UNDERWOOD, a native of Richmond, took an oath as
a federal protective Service Officer to protect people and property. He was
an African American man murdered on a street in Oakland CA while defending a
federal court house from a rioting mob. Seemingly very few know his name;
even fewer know anything about David Patrick Underwood ("Pat") the
man. Learn something Here  DARRIN
PATRICK was a St. Louis megachurch pastor and evangelical
"celebrity", who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound last month.
He had been dismissed from the St. Louis church he founded and went through a
multi-year restoration process. I had worked with Darrin; he spoke at a 2014
WACMM conference. Many knew him and benefited from his ministry yet few knew
of his inner battle. Learn something about him Here  RAVI
ZACHARIAS, one of the world's foremost Christian apologists, died
last month after being ravaged by a rare form of cancer. Having worked with
Ravi several times, I found him to be in all his brilliance one of the most
humble and kindest men I've ever known. Millions around the world knew of
Ravi and were impacted by his gospel ministry. Learn Here
Here
LET US
REMEMBER:
"Death is swallowed
up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks
be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1
Corinthians 15:54-57
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What is a Christian
Response to Injustice?
>Do justice &
righteousness (Jer 22:3)
>Comfort the oppressed (Eccles. 4:1)
>Groan with grief (Rom. 8:22)
>Lament before God (Ps. 13,
77)
>Pray desperately (2 Chron.
20:12)
>Be angry without sinning
(Eph. 4:26)
>Weep with the hurting (Rom.
12:15)
>Rescue the oppressed (Prov.
31:9)
>Pray for oppressors (Mt.
5:44)
>Rebuke oppressors (Is. 1:17)
>Speak against injustice
(Eph. 5:11)
>Repent your own injustices
(Rm 2:1-4)
>Do justice (Mic. 6:8)
>Trust vengeance to God (Rm.
12:17-21)
>Hope in Jesus' return and
the Day when evil and tears shall be no more (Rev. 21:4).
LAMENT AND PRAY WITH US:
Join WACMM in prayer with our
friends United We Pray
Here
by Dave Brown, Director and Pastor, Washington Area Coalition of Men's Ministries (WACMM) dave@wacmm.org
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