Appeasement
With The World
In 1938
Europe stood on the brink of war. The resurgence of Germany under the
leadership of Adolf Hitler had led to the annexation of Austria and the threat
of war with Czechoslovakia. Such a move would have a dramatic effect on the
entire continent. In late November the British Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlin traveeled to Germany for a face to face meeting with the
German chancellor. During the summit Chamberlin made significant concessions to
Hitler’s demands. On his return to Great Britain Chamberlin stated that his
appeasement to Hitler was a “prelude for peace.” History, of course, reveals a
very different story as the flames of war ingulfed the world.
I often
wonder if Christians believe we can appease Satan by conforming with culture
and accepting the changing moral standards of the world. When Jesus prayed for
His disciples in John 17:14-16 He noted that they were “in the world but not of
the world.” In verse 16 Jesus said, “They are not of the world, even as I am
not of the world.” Jesus understood that His followers were “in the world.”
However, He expressly stated that they were not to be “of the world.”
These words of Jesus made a strong imprssion on the apostle John. Later, in his first letter he would instruct his readers, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 1:15-17). The aim of the Christian (and of the church) should not be to see how much we can be like the world around us while still confessing faith in Christ but to recognize those qualities that are distinctive to our spiritual identity.
The
story is told of a man crossing the Sahara desert with his camel. On a cold
desert night the man was sleeping warmly in his tent when he felt something
cold against his cheek. His camel had his nose in the tent. “It’s cold out
here,” said the camel. “Please let me put my head in the tent to get warm.” The
man agreed.. Later, he woke up with the camel’s front legs inside the tent.
“I’m still cold,” the camel murmured., “Please let me keep my front quarters in
the tent.” Again, the man agreed. Later, the man woke up shivering from the
cold. He had been pushed out of the tent by the camel who was now bedded down
inside it. Such is usueally the case
when Christians try to appease and adapt to the culture of the world.
Be wary of appeasing the world. The results may be far different than you expected,.
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