How's That Working Out by Rocky Fleming

“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”  1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)

The people who I’ve observed that are the angriest, the most self-centered, and unhappiest are the ones who do not know God’s love for them.  They think it is up to them to create in their own life the closest thing they will ever realize like heaven, for they don’t believe in heaven.  To them, life is the dash between born and deceased, and what they do with it for that is all the time they have.  These people could be called existentialist.  What do they believe?  Here’s what one said about himself:

“Existentialism is the philosophical belief we are each responsible for creating purpose or meaning in our own lives. Our individual purpose and meaning is not given to us by gods, governments, teachers or other authorities.”

A famous existentialist was Carl Marx, the founder of Marxism, which, in turn, founded Communism.  Marx stated, "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." Man, did he have it wrong.  But he couldn’t know the truth, for he didn’t have the Spirit of God in him to teach him.  So, he put together a counter theory that God doesn’t exist and it’s up to the person or government to be that god.  It is that core belief against God that has led an attempt with abolishing religion wherever Marxism has influence.  I hope that you can connect the dots why religions, and especially Christianity is being attacked by Marxists who are in our government today.  It is their core belief that their agenda cannot progress if it is interfered with by people who believe that God gives people purpose and meaning to their lives.  The core belief of followers of Christ is that God is sovereign over our life and governments.  He is involved with those who seek Him, and He loves mankind so much that Jesus, His Son, died to set us free.  Jesus leads us to freedom, if we will follow His leadership.  Marxism and any other form of Existentialism leads us to being corralled, controlled, and corrupted.  It is another kind of slavery.  It promises a better life.  But tell me where life is better in any place it has been, except for a few elite leaders who have their hands on the controls. 

So, what is the problem with the philosophy of Marxism and Communism that keeps it from working?  I heard a Communist in the Soviet Union say that looking back, the biggest thing that they failed in, and would become the greatest reason for its downfall, was that they attempted to take God away from the people.  They removed the heart of the country and made them criminals to worship God.  But they could not stop worshippers from worshiping the Living, Sovereign God, Jesus Christ, and He prevailed, not Marxism.

So here we go again.  The same old lines about how good Marxism is, and they say it is the future.  They call it the best way.  But is it?  Is it really about helping people, or is it about controlling them?  Why are the attacks on school prayer, the support of offensive practices against Christian, Muslim and most religions so highly orchestrated and staged?  Do they think we cannot see their efforts to remove God and His values from the American mindset?   Isn’t it obvious that God, and everything He values, is what they hate?  Where do you think this hate comes from?  It is the one who has hated Him from the beginning, and who has created the value system that we see being promoted.

I don’t want to be political.  I steer away from that.  This is not about me persuading you to vote one way of another.  It is more about wanting you to see the influence on the systems that corrupts it, not the system itself.  Let me point out that I believe that either point of view will fail if God and His precepts is not the foundation of that point of view, and the political structure that comes from it.

It seems nowadays that one party promotes itself as holding social high ground over the other, and the other party holding moral high ground.  I’ll let you decide which is which.  One likely seems obvious.  But don’t think for a moment that capitalism holds moral high ground if God is not in it, nor does Marxism hold social high ground if God is not in it.  Some of the greediest, most selfish human beings on this earth come from both systems.  Businesses that put profits before their employees is an example of greed and pride taking over that business.  These owners or mangers see their company and its profits as their god, and people are simply necessary to accomplish it.  These workers are not valued otherwise.  But I’ve also seen some very successful businessmen and women who are generous, kind and nurturing of their employees.  These are business leaders that I know, and I know that Jesus is Lord over their life.  They are a reflection of Him, and their company is as well.

Now here’s my point.  Whether it is Capitalism or Marxism or points in between, they are only economic and governing ideas or theories.  The USA has been a capitalist country, and the economic idea of capitalism has served this country, and most of its people well.  Marxism has never worked in any of the countries it influences, for God and His precepts are seen as detriments to the Marxist agenda.  I believe that is the main reason they fail.  They try to turn hearts away from our Creator. 

I believe that a government, no matter what it is, if undergirded by a deep reverence for God and His statutes and the treatment of people that comes from it, that government will work better.  Has a capitalist government been corrupted in times past?  Yes, just as all other forms of governments have.  However, if you will look closely there was corruption that always tracked back to a violation of ethics, integrity and the laws of a nation that are inspired from the statutes of God.  If we take a deeper dive into that corruption, we can see that God’s precepts and the love of Jesus was not there.  Is it happening now in greater measure?  I believe so, and I also believe that the efforts to take our eyes and hearts off God is the main reason. 

A while back we saw a near tragedy when a football player was hit so hard that he went into cardiac arrest.  We immediately saw teammates, an opposing team, fans of both teams and a TV commentator go to prayer.  The following week in every NFL game we saw an emphasis on prayer for that injured player.  I was astounded, for I saw a nation realizing how much we need help from Almighty God, and we went to Him seeking it.  To me I saw in this event the beginning of an awakening of this conscious need for Almighty God in this country.  I think we went there quickly, for Jesus is still the heart of this nation, and our hearts spoke that night and the man walked out of the hospital not long after our prayers were given. 

Don’t you think that is the answer for those who don’t know Him and who don’t want us to know Him?  We don’t allow them to lead us into the slavery to sin and death that they face, for they don’t know what they are missing.  Let us embrace what Jesus wants to give us, for all other ways lead to destruction.  He is the way, the truth and the life.  He is the One who will lead us to a better life and future than any false promises that this world and its government leaders can promise us.  Jesus is the answer.  Pray that our government leaders will discover this, no matter their political point of view.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  Matthew 6:33 (ESV)