This Is Not Right!

There are some things in this world that just are not right. One such thing is the picture to the right. Do not get me wrong, I totally respect this woman for being willing to fight for her home, her family, her country, and her way of life. However, an elderly woman should not have to fight for her country. She should not be put in a position to have to do so. And yet, this woman, and many like her are having to do just that. It simply is not right!

This is what socialism does. Socialism/Communism is a Godless ideology that destroys everything it touches. Anyone who says otherwise does not understand socialism. They do not understand the teachings of Karl Marx. Socialism is a cancer that can be lived with for long periods of time, but all the while it is killing the organism in which it lives.

Karl Marx hated God. So, his philosophies were meant to not only exclude religion, but to kill it. He specifically hated Christianity and Judaism. He blamed religion for all that is wrong in the world. So, when men like Hitler, Lenin, Castro, and Chavez brought socialism to their countries, it destroyed the economy. It also brought religious persecution to those countries. Any semblance of freedom they had was stripped away. Only through a constant propaganda campaign and military control do they keep their citizens under their thumb. Freedom does not exist.

Yet, as Christians, we cannot allow ourselves to be consumed by hate for the people on the other side. We can hate socialism, but do not hate the socialists. We must remember that people are our mission field; no matter what bad ideas they hold. One person may believe in many gods, while another does not believe in any god. One may feel they have the right to kill whoever they wish, while another believes that all lives is sacred. All of these beliefs I just listed are held by pagan groups. All of these groups are filled with people that Jesus died for. The Apostle Paul said, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (I Corinthians 6:11 ESV).

Paul went on to say, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV). Our battle is against evil ideas and demonic powers. Yes, those ideas manifest themselves in people and their actions, but we have to keep focus. This would be like killing anyone who tests positive for COVID, rather than simply trying to kill the virus that infects the person. Yes, the person may be spreading the virus, but they are not the enemy; the virus is. Such is the case with the evil people of this world, they are not the enemy; the evil powers that are infecting them are.

The only hope for evil people is the Gospel. The only real hope for Ukraine is the Gospel. They need the Gospel in Ukraine, and they need the Gospel to reach into Russia. When the Gospel changes hearts, then the actions of people change. We need to "pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:38 ESV).