We see all over the world, especially in the West, people being given over to their sin. The sacrilegious and blasphemous display in Paris is just one of millions of examples of this. But it will not go on for much longer. That is good news.

Several things that occurred this morning reminded me once again of the reality of the spiritual war that we are in. One of the biggest mistakes the Christian can make is to not be aware of this ubiquitous spiritual battle that we are all involved in. Living as if everything is just sweetness and light will just mean we keep losing to the other side.
The Paris Olympics
My first example of this was what took place at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics. When I opened my social media feed today I saw dozens of posts on this. Satan is alive and well in France it seems, and demonised hatred of Christianity seems to characterise those in charge of the Olympics. One news report describes it this way:
The 2024 Olympics opening ceremony in Paris has sparked international outrage with drag-queen themed imagery of religious and historical figures. In between listing all the countries participating in the Olympic Games, there have been several performances riffing on France’s history and culture, such as a headless Marie Antoinette, the last queen prior to being executed amid French Revolution, singing with her severed head in her hands sporting drag-style makeup. This was part of numerous drag queens that appeared to be a recurring theme throughout the ceremonies.
Three drag queens were among the 10,000 torchbearers who relayed the Olympic flame as it started in Greece, passed through French territories and made its way to Paris. One new display on Friday showed what appear to be numerous performers, including drag queens and a large woman in an aureole halo crown, parodying “The Last Supper,” a universally recognizable painting by renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci of Christ and his apostles. https://www.foxnews.com/media/olympics-opening-ceremony-sparks-outrage-drag-queens-parodying-last-supper-gone-completely-woke
Plenty of commentary has already been made on this sacrilegious and diabolical assault on Jesus Christ and the faith of so many. One friend of mine put it this way: “The French misfire in Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. There’s good art and there’s bad art. This was bad art. Good art inspires. Bad art mocks and disgusts. The Olympics are supposed to be a unifying event, not a place to insult the deepest beliefs of many.”
Another said this:
Drag queens mock Christianity during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics in Paris as they attempt to recreate da Vinci’s painting of Jesus’ Last Supper. Not only are Christians the only people that it is socially acceptable to mock… it’s actually celebrated and put front and center when it happens. Remember the words of Jesus: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you (John 15:18).” There will be a day that mocking turns into fear of the One true God. Hopefully, it happens before it’s too late.
I will speak to that coming day in a moment. And big names were also condemning this disgraceful assault on our faith. Elon Musk said this: “This was extremely disrespectful to Christians.” Sports people also weighed in on this. Riley Gaines put it this way: “Men in wigs front & center at the Olympic Games. No one ever tell me this group is ‘oppressed’ or ‘marginalized’ again.”
NFL footballer Harrison Butker said this: “Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting.’ Galatians 6:7-8.”
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If a pastor is not actively living his life “above reproach” and is allowed to continue in his role as an elder/pastor, there are potentially dangerous consequences for him. Paul warns that ministers can “fall into disgrace” and then “into the snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:7). Again, this is significant.  As brothers in Christ, we should never allow a friend or elder to continue to incur the displeasure of God’s judgment or will. We should aim to protect one another from these humbling realities. It is well-known that the families of pastors/elders can struggle. They often report feeling forgotten and neglected as their husband and/or father spends a notable amount of his time, energy, and emotions shepherding a church of God’s people. I suspect in most cases the lack of attention towards home isn’t intentional. Responding to a supernatural calling, these men are led to care for the flock God has placed under them. Yet, in their efforts to fulfill their calling, they forsake a primary obligation (and prerequisite) – even disqualifying themselves.
This issue has been heavy on my heart in recent weeks as I have watched a close friend walk through the challenging dynamic described above. His love for the church, work, and his flock distracted him from other, higher-ranking priorities. The result has been nothing short of tragic for him, his church, and his family. For others, not yet in such a devastating situation, I hope that this article will spur you to think seriously about your pastor, and his family, and how you can serve and love them. Even as a layperson, you can have a tremendous influence on your pastor. Gentle, loving reminders can go a long way in serving him and his family.
Through God’s tremendous kindness, He has given us His Word to help navigate such complicated issues. It is as the Westminster Confession of Faith says: “The Supreme Judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence, we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture” (Chapter 1, Section 10).
Consider then a few texts on the issue of elder/pastor qualification:
 “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach” (Titus 1:6-7a)
“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” (1 Timothy 3:1-7)
In the two texts quoted above on elder qualifications, we see the Apostle Paul repeat the phrase “above reproach” multiple times. Lending many commentators to argue that this phrase is the summarization and key qualifier of an elder/shepherd. Certainly, no one does this flawlessly; we are all fallen, sinful beings who are in all ways inadequate. 
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Every culture that has rejected God has turned violent and tyrannical, so one would think we would learn as well. Tragically, most will not. The Scriptures note that, “The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God,” (Pslam 9:17). It does appear that as America forgets God, it becomes more and more like Hell, doesn’t it? But it need not end with that! God’s grace and mercy are great and available to all who will come. 

The problem of disbelieving in God is not that a man ends up believing nothing.Alas, it is much worse. He ends up believing anything.  ~G.K Chesterton
I heard of a gentleman traveling to a third-world country where driving regulations were minimal and police virtually nonexistent. He noted that in terms of road etiquette it was a matter of “he who drives the biggest truck rules.” So it is where God has been rejected. Lawlessness ensues and the strong oppress the weak. It is no coincidence that in all countries of the 20th Century dominated by strident atheists, the citizens were brutally oppressed. However, removing accountability to God leads not only to lawlessness and tyranny, it also produces moral and spiritual blindness, foolish behavior, and hardened hearts.
For the first time in America’s history less than half of its citizens claim to be Christians, according to recent polls. There have always been scorners in America, but until recently they were largely on the fringe of society. Over the past several decades, however, they have gained a foothold both culturally and politically and have launched an assault against God and Christianity that those who are only superficially Christian are unwilling to bear. When Christ explained to His followers, in John chapter six, that there would be a cost in seeking righteousness, many deserted Him then as well. There is often a cost in following Christ, but there is a greater cost in deserting Him.  America, founded upon biblical truth and principles, cannot survive without them.
Atheism, contrary to all claims to the opposite, has neither an inherent morality nor a compulsion to create it. While atheists may develop an ethic, they must borrow it from elsewhere. Their own morality “document” is a blank page. Nations which have discarded God and religion to become atheistic or secular have only three possible sources for a common morality: cultural traditions derived from their religious heritage, a dominant government, or the will of the majority, should they manage to secure some form of democracy.
In any case, there is no reason to assume that the moral standards of that nation will be or will remain ethical. Atheism’s natural antipathy toward God and religion often leads its proponents to reject much of what is derived from them, creating cultures that do not value traditions or principles associated with religion. Therefore, it is not surprising that most nations dominated by atheists have eventually become hostile to human rights. The notion of humans having objective value and thus unalienable rights is sourced exclusively in Christianity. In the rare cases where kings or emperors were toppled and there was no alternative controlling authority, such as religion, anarchy flourished, as in the case of the French Revolution.
The strange notion, propounded by modern atheists, that the burden of proof for the existence of God lies with us, rather with them to prove His non-existence, reminds me of a person viewing a house and nonsensically declaring that it is easier to believe that the house just happened than that it was built by a contractor. Romans chapter one states that from creation we understand God’s “eternal power and godhead.”  The existence of a universe is as certain a proof of God’s existence as a house proves the existence of a builder! Denying God’s existence is not intellectually based. It is spiritual rebellion.
Romans one declares that there comes a time when God runs out of patience with recalcitrant people and turns them over to their own desires, therewith to be enslaved.  They become bound by sin, reckless of its cost, and unable to understand the causes for their suffering. They grow tolerant of any and all deviant and debauched behavior, living without moral restraint; and the only evil in their eyes is that of someone saying “no” to their evil. An example of this is the interaction of a police officer with a lawbreaker. The yelling that often ensues is not from the officer! Nowadays it is the officer who is considered the offender!
Once people reject God they have no objective standard of right and wrong.
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