A Christian May Play Hide And Seek, But What Happens When There Are No Longer Any Hiding Places?

Before we get to today’s article, I just want to mention that am writing from the perspective of a man that has experienced many of the challenges of which I write…. and those spiritual battles continue daily. The articles are implications of what it means to obey the commandment to raise your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. They require some reflection and are particularly for Christians who, as Peter would say, are diligently seeking to confirm their calling and are making every effort to supplement their faith. Said more succinctly, serious Christians. If you know other believers who desire to walk more faithfully with the Lord, please forward an article to them and tell them to sign up for future articles. Thanks so much!

The ongoing changes in the culture are creating a world in which the hiding places that were easily sought by the Christian are being dismantled day by day. Anti-Christian policies and thinking are washing over every area of society, and we will soon arrive at the “no place to hide era.” What do I mean by when I say “hide?” I mean that prior generations of American Christians have been able to go about their daily business of sending their kids to school and going off to work without mentioning a word about their faith. They were able to blend in with the culture, possessing a chameleon like ability and have their faith go undetected. But that time has passed.

Welcome to the age of ultimate decisions. With the advent of all manners of perversion being introduced into the workplace, schools, and even the places we shop, Christians will have to decide and make known through our actions where we stand. Not that we were ever supposed to be blending into the culture. In fact, the mandate given to us from the Lord always demanded that we speak out boldly for Him and all that He taught. We are not to be the same as the world at all! Spurgeon helps us to think rightly in his 9/11/23 devotion updated by Truth For Life, and he cites 2 Corinthians 6:17: Therefore, go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you.

Spurgeon says, “In your spirit, as well as in your aim, you should differ from the world. Waiting humbly before God, always conscious of His presence, delighting in fellowship with Him, and seeking to know His will, you will prove that you are a citizen of heaven. And you should be separate from the world in your actions. If a thing is right, though you lose by doing it, it must be done; if it is wrong, though you would gain from it, you must reject the sin for your Master’s sake. You must have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them.”

My friend is facing this dilemma in his workplace. The organization that he works for has created a department for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.). Now, I don’t write about politics and will resist the temptation to do so here, but we must be aware of the implications of a political agenda that affects our Christian lives and the lives of our children. On the surface, D.E.I. seems to be a thing that every Christian would support. I mean, who would be against having more diversity in the workplace, or making sure that everyone was being treated equitably, or that everyone was included? Well, ironically, a system that is based on setting the goal to increase the number or contractual agreements for a specific group of people inevitably results in those groups being favored over others. Unfortunately, when awarding jobs or other types of contracts are not based solely on the merits of the applicant, injustice occurs. In other words, you may get diversity, but your D.E.I. policy winds up treating some inequitably and excluding them as you favor your target groups over the non-targeted groups.

How is this being sold to the public?

1. Because the targeted and favored groups get more power and money.
2. Because those making the policies are loved by those favored- think votes.
3. Because the Christian worldview is diminishing in our country and in the absence of it, the ability of the culture to think and discern properly is diminished, and in its place comes perversion.

So as my friend began to think more about his job in D.E.I., he verbalized several key points:

1. He said he was OK with some parts of D.E.I., but not with others. His conscience was disturbed and his early training in the scriptures were informing his conscience.
2. He was honest about his own weaknesses and admitted that his thinking on the matter would eventually be affected if he stayed in this particular job. I believe that this would be so for most everyone in his position because promotions and job approval would depend on hitting those numbers, thereby creating pressure to suppress the violation of his conscience. In addition, we all want to be liked and approved by others and that would mean agreement with what others believed.
3. He thought about the cultural trends and what it would mean for Christians in the future. He wondered if we were arriving at a time when it would reveal the false Christians from the true Christians. Would false Christians capitulate while the true Christians stood?
4. He began to wonder what he should do.

I believe that we have been witnessing the time of false Christians revealing themselves for the last 20 years. We are not only seeing fewer people come to Christ in salvation, but seeing more people turn their back on what they said they believed and absorb the false ideologies of the culture. However, we must be careful to not throw all of those who compromise under the bus. I am thinking of Peter, that prideful and boneheaded man (no, I am not talking about myself!), who responded to Jesus’ words in Matthew 26 with, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Yet, within hours, he answered those who were questioning his alliance with Jesus with, “Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.”

Fast forward to John 21 and we see Jesus restoring Peter to the great leadership role he was to have in the church. God had purpose in allowing Peter’s fall and subsequent restoration. God used that situation to hammer Peter’s pride, force him to see the weakness of his own heart, recognize his unworthiness of salvation, and see Jesus’ incredible love for him. All of this was needed to prepare him for leadership, and this later became evident in his humility, gentleness, and patience. His failures enabled him to sympathize with the Christians he was leading. Once again, God brought good out of bad for Peter and the church.

What about you? Are you being sifted as Peter was? Are you in a similar situation as my friend and if not, how much longer before you are?

What should you do? First, you must be honest about your heart’s motivations. The reason most people stay in jobs that are compromising their conscience is for money and benefits. They believe that they are doing well where they are, and they don’t want to disturb their feeling of security and accomplishment. However, that is a false security. The truth is people actually have no more security in a job that pays a salary than any other because the Lord sovereignly dictates what happens. Your job status is completely dependent on the Lord’s will. So, what are your choices?

1. You can speak up and share your concerns. This is not just a matter of going to your boss and dropping a verbal hand grenade. No, a great model for us is Queen Esther in the book of Esther. Read chapter 5 and see that she had something to say to the king that was volatile enough to get herself killed. She was committed to say what was needed, but she waited and created the circumstances that produced the best chance the king would receive the message without becoming enraged. She approached the king with great humility and carefully crafted words, and the king responded well. However, the most delicate and thoughtful approach is no guarantee that you will get the same result so prepare your heart for a very negative reaction. This may take its form in you being passed over for promotions and pay increases, verbal barbs, and shunning from your fellow workers. Should you choose this path, know that your heart will not be safe from the steady drone of temptation to change your Christian worldview and go along with the crowd. It is imperative that you are faithful to feed your soul with God’s word and other Christian disciplines needed to bolster your defenses.
2. You can look for a new position in the same company- a position that does not require you support things that God would not approve.
3. You can change your job now. You would do this for the sake of your conscience and to protect your heart from eventual compromise and further justification for not dealing with the situation.

You may be thinking that I am a little too extreme. Am I actually saying that a person should quit their job and deal with the possibility of a loss of pay or maybe even derail a career? Yes, and by asking the question, you may be revealing that you are more concerned about worldly things than obedience to the Lord. Let’s take one more look at the passage that I started the article with and expand it to 4 verses so you can see just how strong the Lord is on this point:  

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore, go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

And finally, how does this play out in our obedience to Ephesians 6:4, to raise our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord? How do we model this kind of thinking and actions to our children?

Well, you must share your challenging experiences with your children. You tell them that you desire to obey God. And you suffer the consequences and by doing so, you prove to them that you believe the things of this world don’t compare to what God has for us. For consistency, this may also transfer down into their immediate world where they have to leave a friend group or a sports team that they want to be part of. This is where forming a courageous and obedient Christian life starts for our children. This is where we say that for our family, we choose to obey the Lord and put away all worldly idols. May God give us the strength to do so.

By the way, just another encouragement to read or listen to the wonderful book by Thomas Watson called, All Things For Good.

Apple Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-things-for-good-by-thomas-watson-and-read-by-michael-lee/id1703108941)

Or, YouTube (https://youtu.be/cCMPuNsv6dE).

Or, read it online at www.ModernPuritans.com

Thanks for checking in. See you next time.

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Last modified: September 15, 2023