Recently, a Christian teacher refused to use the preferred gender of a person of transgender within their class as their preferred gender label. That teacher has apparently been dismissed and deregistered and, can no longer hold a teaching position within New Zealand. A surprisingly harsh reaction from the powers of government if you ask me. I guess the deregistering of Family First as charity and the house arrest of Destiny Churches’ Brain Tamaki for his actions and the opinions which he expressed against the Covid Vaccine mandates are further evidence of a change at government level regarding state interference in the lives of its citizens in this country.
It seems the Orwellian tendency of government to control what a person can think and say has finally been made manifest, even in Aotearoa. I guess we only have to look at the reaction of the Canadian government to truckers in that country who dared to protest against the policies of that government relating to vaccines mandates and their implementation in the transport industry. Arresting truckers and dismantling blockades while also implementing emergency powers to annex bank accounts and other draconian and heavy handed measures. To know that Big Brother is now watching it’s citizens and is prepared to act against them if they dare to challenge its various agendas by taking verbal or physical actions against the state.
It seems to me that as citizens we have to consider carefully whether we attack the government on the basis of freedom of speech. We need to weigh up whether making a stand is genuinely going to advance the cause of Christianity in our country. We can rail against the secular agenda but is that the most important cause we have. I personally don’t believe that it is even though deriding homosexuality, euthanasia or abortion maybe laudable positions to take. They aren’t as important as simply taking a stand for the gospel and being prepared to lay down our lives for our belief that Christ Jesus is the Lord of All and that He bore our sin on the Cross at Calvary.
Colossians 3: 1-4 says that “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
This is the key issue for Christians around the world and the one which many of the saints die for in Islamic countries and in communist regimes. You see, if you set your heart to follow Jesus Christ and do so with all of your soul, with all of your mind and all of your strength and seek the things that are above and not on the things of this Earth. Then when Christ appears you will also appear with Him in glory. However, to stand for Yahweh means to oppose the beliefs of an increasingly secular society even in the West. To preach Christ crucified is to defy many of the religions and governments in the nations of this World.
Maybe this is a little confusing. So to clarify what I mean. To personally set your heart on the things of God to me means to walk in the Spirit. To read the bible and pray and seek the will of God. To share your testimony of salvation in Christ Jesus. To witness to the lost and to seek them in Christ that they may become found. This to me is the primary purpose of all Christians.
Whereas, to gallop off after secular issues although they may seem to be important is really just a distraction. Those who follow the world will always defend the principles of the world. The way that Christianity is victorious is when Christianity is the majority. When the masses believe on Christ Jesus the wicked are disenfranchised. What we are facing now is the reverse situation. When the majority turns away the righteous are disenfranchised. This is the situation we as Christians face today.
What we need is another reformation. We need God to raise strong leaders within the Church and we need to pray continuously for revival and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Our focus needs to be on witness to the lost much as that was the focus of the churches in England in the nineteenth century. Christians need to seek to bring salvation to the lost in prayer and also by seeking to perform God’s will with all of our hearts. The Church needs to clarify what is important to God and make it the center of its aspirations. Preach the Gospel of Christ Crucified. Lead the lost to Calvary.
Reference List
https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/06/19/teacher-struck-off-after-refusing-to-use-students-pronouns/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/459673/brian-tamaki-remanded-in-custody-for-alleged-breach-of-bail-conditions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_convoy_protest
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