When the foundations are being destroyed, what shall the righteous do? (Psalm 11)

The reason I have chosen to speak on this verse is lest we forget or overlook the way our faith is being marginalised, restricted, and attempts being made to drive it out of public life. To remind you that traditional teaching and principles of Christianity are being stealthily abandoned that will threaten our way of life.

When this Psalm 11 was written, David was passing through a bad time, when all he believed in seemed to be falling apart. David faced total disorder all around and saw only corruption and disorder. Something similar one might say to what is happening here now.

We are facing exactly the same situation that David was facing. We are witnessing an all-out assault to remove the foundations on which this country was founded.

Christianity has been the faith of this country for over 1500 years and its influence has kept the country as a stable nation, offering moral and social guidelines. We now face a systematic attack on this faith by ideologues in political circles to remove Christianity from public life; people who betray and dislike the culture which nurtured them and are placing restriction on Christian expression. Those foundations are being destroyed, for in this age of religious tolerance and pluralism we are told that no one religion should be considered to be of more influence. In effect, other faiths are shown more consideration.

A foundation of this country was a morality based upon the word of God, but since we have rejected the word of God, one person’s concept of what is right and wrong depends on what they wish to be. When such a situation exists, there is no consensus for determining what is right or wrong other than what is decided upon by a majority, or by those who wield the most political power.

The bedrock foundation of any society is a strong family, but our families are being destroyed because the Biblical concepts of children being raised by one biological father and mother, are no longer followed. On the whim of a Prime Minister obsessed with personal popularity, the traditional and biblical definition of marriage has been destroyed, and been replaced by a definition which is totally offensive to the biblical concept of a family.
Those who believe they cannot in religious conscience accept this legal change have even been denied the right to do so.

Religious assemblies (in State Schools) have been largely abolished; in some education establishments the Bible is seen as hate literature.
no longer is the Cross respected and permitted to be freely worn in public places as a symbol of faith, yet other faiths can wear and display what they will.
laws have been enacted in order to placate 1% of the population and prevent even Scriptural quotation from the other 99%.

A street preacher visiting from the United States was arrested in London and held in a police cell for seven hours for preaching from the New Testament. It seems that the influence of the minorities has become so powerful that criticism is forbidden, although criticism of Christianity is completely acceptable.

Another street preacher was answering (in private) a question a lady asked him; he was heard by a man listening in who reported him to the police, the preacher was arrested.

When such foundations are destroyed, it becomes hard for many people, and they fall apart. They feel the world has come to an end. They fall into deep despair and depression. What then do the followers of Jesus Christ do?

This is a very important question, because Christians are the only people who have the answer. In our politically correct society, it appears the power of evil is so great that people are afraid, even in danger, if they voice criticism; the righteous are not expected to speak, and if they do they are accused of some kind of phobia or bigotry.

Just because the world is crumbling and the social order is deteriorating, that does not absolve us of our responsibility to do all that we can to right the wrongs, to stand for the standards men and women fought and died for, and rebuild the foundations.

It is tempting in these days to give up on the world and everyone in it. Nevertheless, we must continue to teach and spread the word of God in a world that is hostile to it. We must live in such a way as to show others how right it is to live according to God’s word. Even if the judicial system becomes corrupt, and we have seen that Christians have little chance when it comes to claiming the right to express our beliefs, we have a responsibility to try to live according to the law of God. The world may follow the devil, but we still have the responsibility to keep ourselves unspotted from the world.

The Church is the only answer to this secular assault. The Lord stated he would build the Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. At times it seems as though some within the Church are saying and we will pull it down. The Lord still controls and works through it.

The Church is a wonderful organisation which has many members around the world, without distinction between rich/poor, young/old, race, colour or sex. Never minimize the power of the Church, it may be in decline in Britain and the West, but in Africa, South America and the East, it is immensely strong because they have not been dismantling the Bible. We can draw inspiration from them.

The Church however needs to get its act in order; to wake up and speak up and to do so with one voice. The faith and belief of the Church are built on two essential doctrines; salvation by grace through faith, and the full authority of Scripture. They may not be important to some, but they are fundamental to real Christians.

We are saved by the grace of God when we place our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus paid it all for us on the Cross, we owe everything to Him. He is the only means of salvation; no one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ.

The religious fashion now is multi-faith. Whilst all peoples must have the right to follow their own religion, we cannot join in worship with those who deny the uniqueness of Christ, and His being the Son of God.

God chose 40 men to write His Word,all except one being Jews of different occupations and with different personalities which God used and inspired to communicate His thoughts and commands. It is a divinely inspired Word and members of the Church should stop taking it apart to fit in with modern ideas and morality.

Such were the themes to Charles and John Wesley. Listen to the words of John Wesley. ‘I want to know one thing, the way to heaven, how to land on that happy shore. God has condescended to teach the way, He was written it down I a book. Give me that book at any price give me that book’. I fear both Wesleys would find a lot of preaching these days not to their liking.

Many Churches do not have Bible available for people to follow the readings, or sermon. In one Church I visited to take the service there wasn’t even a Bible to read the Lessons. All Christians need to read regularly so as to be able to discern false teaching.

You will never hear a Muslim saying the Koran must be re-interpreted to please society, or that it is in any part in error. When people turn away from what is written they lose their spiritual moorings and just drift ashore into the secular wilderness.

All Christians should be concerned at the way events are going. If Christianity is pushed out, the spiritual vacuum is likely to be filled with something far worse. The Bible states that Jesus is the only way to God, the only means of salvation because of His death on the Cross. We should not be fearful of saying this, otherwise people will not fully appreciate what we are here for, and to make this proclamation is the only reason for our existence; we must stand and say boldly, and not be afraid to do so even if it upsets some false teachers. Sadly, there are too many within the Church more anxious to promote their own ambitions and desires than to promote the gospel.

The Lord calls on each one of us to be steadfast in the faith, to remain true to His teaching and promises to Him; this applies to every Christian. Nowhere in the Bible do we find a particular standard for some Christians and a different one for others. Some may find the negative influences around us make it hard to live consistently for the Lord, but we are called to be steadfast and contend for the faith. Christianity is not just a philosophy you hear on Sundays, it has to be lived out daily. I fear some members have not just given up; they have given in and are following society’s ways rather than God’s. Society has developed a standard of morality which we cannot share.

Charles Wesley once stated that the manner of living as well as attending Church was important. I held a service in honour of this great man and the research I made caused me to realise how far the Church (in general) has moved from the ideals of Methodism, which once had such a profound effect on the spiritual health of the nation.

If there was ever a day when Christians need to know what they believe it is now. Unless we are sure as to what we believe and why we must live that way, we will not be able to defeat the spreads of secularism and the cultural trends which challenge our faith and the foundations on which this nation was built.

The great Methodist preacher of the last century, W E Sangster once said, ‘ preaching is in the darkness, the world doesn’t believe in it’ and this is more true now than when it was first said. The Church itself does not value preaching, it is not seen as important although it can be a source of learning. How can we get the gospel out if it is not taught?

When a new bishop was introduced recently, he stated his priority would be to tackle poverty, which is an amazing statement but so typical of to-day’s Church thinking, where bishops are acting like unelected politicians. Priority of all clergy should be Church growth.

Christians have often found themselves in those places where there is much hostility but they have not given up. They continue to struggle, to fight, to overcome in the name of Christ, and are still doing so bravely against immense provocation in non Christian lands where they find their Churches burned down, their homes attacked and themselves persecuted, beaten and even murdered.

What can the righteous do? They can do what that little band of Christians in the upper room did 2,000 years ago. They can turn the world upside down. There is hope if all members realise the time has passed when we sit back and say ‘God will provide’; we must remember He needs a little help from His friends. Let us proclaim the truth, however inconvenient it may prove to some people.