Last week we launched into a discussion targeting a specific category of fear that has grown to be prevalent in our country, especially among the millions seeking acceptance and approval in the judgmental, contentious, and unreal world of social media. The vehicle for our brief excursion into the subject was the familiar acronym, FOMO, or “Fear of Missing Out.” We pointed out that unless such a fear happens to be focused on the consequences of missing out on all that Jesus offers, it’s a debilitating and worthless drain on our lives. But, obviously, the fear of missing out isn’t the only fear-related weapon in the devil’s arsenal. 

Same Letters – New Definition ~
Fear has always been one of Satan’s favorite mechanisms to attack the Body of Christ. He is the master of subtlety and loves to disguise fear as the helpful and protective mechanism that it often is. But the fears the enemy promotes always have the same objective . . . to isolate and paralyze Jesus’ followers and prevent them from carrying out the mission they were sent to fulfill. But our objective is not to address fear in a generalized way. It’s much too expansive and multi-faceted a subject to attempt something like that in the context of this platform. But what we can do is look at one more aspect of it that confronts Christians in today’s culture. And since our exploration of this topic began with a recognizable acronym, I thought I’d stick with that same kind of mechanism. But rather than try to introduce a new example, we might just monkey around with the same letters and give the acronym a definition that suits today’s discussion. So, for today only, FOMO will herein refer to the Fear of Mobilizing Opposition.  

There are actually two beliefs that work together to make this fear effective. The first is what appears to be an unspoken misconception. That is, that living in ways that openly and distinctively display our Christian values and principles is more or less optional. In other words, practical personal holiness isn’t really required. After all, grace covers everything, so it doesn’t really matter how we live or what we do. 

Commands or Suggested Guidelines?
Let me say quickly that this isn’t an exercise in how to be judgmental or a call for more legalism. It’s just that sometimes the behaviors that professing Christians practice and support seem to suggest that Jesus ‘wasn’t serious’ when He told His disciples not to behave in certain ways. Or maybe that some of His commands regarding their conduct were actually just ‘suggested guidelines’. In any case, it’s obvious that the definition of what constitutes a “Christian life” in our culture covers a broad range of attitudes and behaviors. That promotes the assumption that if we avoid the most egregious examples of ungodly and immoral conduct, we’re doing pretty well. But lest we fall into that trap, there are a couple of challenging questions we ought to ask ourselves. 

Jesus instructed us to pray regularly that His Kingdom would come and His will would be done here on this earth just like it is in the heavenly realm. Do we honestly think that He never expected that prayer to make any difference in how we think and how we conduct ourselves?

A Gospel for Here and Now ~
After all, He didn’t send His followers into a sin-darkened world just to make it a little less murky, right? He had radical changes in mind. He sent them to penetrate this dark, hate-filled, violence ridden, grief stricken, prison house of pain with the blazing radiance of Truth that can’t be extinguished. And the hope He offered was not something they had to wait until they died to experience. Instead, Jesus offered a Kingdom where love prevails, righteousness reigns, and invincible hope lives – here and now. Proclaiming that message like Jesus taught them to do demands the courage to live radical, countercultural lives. But living lives like that and dealing with the opposition it creates is precisely how a handful of His followers changed the world.

Some say that living a godly life isn’t natural, and they’re right. The truth is that it’s supernatural and cannot be done without Him. We might think that living a godly life is harder now than it was in Paul’s day, but the only real difference is that immediate access to many of the devil’s favorite seductive tactics is so much easier to acquire now. In our digital world, virtually every vile, deceitful perversion that hell can generate is available at the touch of a button – but only the button is new now … the debauchery is the same. 

Nothing Really New ~
All the basic temptations we face today were waiting in every Greco-Roman city in Paul’s day, too. We aren’t the only ones who have made gods out of sex, power, greed, and notoriety. All we have to do to understand what Christians in Paul’s day had to deal with is to look at some things he warned believers not to do. Here are a few examples taken from Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. They’re all found in Ephesians 5:1-21 (NKJV), and the admonition is not only to refrain from them, but not to even talk about them.

• • • Fornication – Includes all forms of sexual perversion or misconduct in our world, pornography, and sexual activity outside of marriage.
    • Uncleanness – Don’t engage in any form of debasing, lewd, morally contaminating behavior. 
    • Covetousness – Don’t let your life be controlled by excessive and compulsive desires.
    • Filthiness: Stay away from shameful, demeaning, physically, morally repulsive behavior. 
    • Foolish talking – Engaging in disputes, arguments, contentions, and debates about worthless and ridiculous issues.  
    • Coarse jesting – Making jokes about things that are morally perverse, like many comedians do today.
    • Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them – Don’t join in with groups and individuals who practice and promote things God condemns – and make their purposes known to others.
    • Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit – Let the Spirit of God be the controlling influence in your mind and heart – not alcohol or other drugs.

One of the things history makes crystal clear is that across the centuries, Christians have been persecuted in every way imaginable by cultures that worshipped the gods of money, sex, power, and social status. And they were persecuted because they refused to worship the gods of the lands they lived in. They spoke openly about the Living God they loved and served, and they lived in defiance of the social, political, and religious practices expected, and sometimes demanded, by the ruling authorities. They didn’t attend the pagan feasts and festivals; they didn’t worship at the idols’ temples; they didn’t involve themselves with prostitutes, or engage in other lewd and perverse practices; and they treated their wives and other women with dignity and respect. No one had to wonder why they were different. 

Not Welcome Everywhere ~
We saw recently how the world reacts to Christianity that doesn’t yield to cultural pressure when it cost Charlie Kirk his life. But as so many have said repeatedly, his life on this earth may have ended, but its impact lives on. Jesus made it clear that countercultural, world-changing behavior wouldn’t always be welcomed. He said: 

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:18–19 NKJV)

But this promise was included, as well:

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 NKJV)

And Peter adds this word of encouragement:

If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. (1 Peter 4:14 NKJV)

May each of us resolve to defy the fear of making ourselves a target and mobilizing opposition against us and commit to living in ways that make Jesus’ values visible and demonstrate that deliverance and redemption are available … here and now. The devil won’t like it, but the Spirit that empowers us can handle whatever gets thrown our way. 

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • • Unless FOMO happens to be focused on the consequences of missing out on all that Jesus offers, it’s a debilitating and worthless drain on our lives. But, obviously, the fear of missing out isn’t the only fear-related weapon in the devil’s arsenal. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
    • Fear has always been one of the enemy’s favorite mechanisms to attack the Body of Christ. Though they may be packaged differently, the objective is the same – to isolate and paralyze Jesus’ followers and prevent them from carrying out their mission. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
    • An unspoken misconception is that living in ways that openly and distinctively display our Christian values and principles is basically optional. Practical personal holiness isn’t really required. Grace covers everything so it doesn’t really matter. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
    • Proclaiming that message as Jesus taught His followers to do demands the courage to live radical, countercultural lives. But living like that and dealing w/the opposition it creates is precisely how a handful of His followers changed the world. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 

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