One can only imagine Satan smiling right now.  In the last few days our nation, and the world for that matter, has observed some extreme responses to murder – the taking of a life.  Needless to say, the murder rate in the USA has been high for many years.  In 2024, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), there were “around 14,000” homicides – so many they do not even know the exact number.  Chicago alone had over 573 murders.  The good news (there is always good news) is that the murder rate for the USA is down 14.9% from 2023 and according to statistical information that rate continues to come down in the current calendar year.  Apparently, something is happening in a positive manner to help lower the number of homicides we experience in the USA.  More on that in a later Witness.

What we are seeing however are responses to the taking of a particular life simply because of what this person believed in or had said in some conversation or other statement.  There is nothing new here.  People have been being murdered because of their beliefs, words or actions for a very long time.  As we have mentioned previously it all started with Cain and Abel.  But something new is now taking place and unfortunately our Social Media and News Media are not just helping this new phenomenon; they are actually perpetrating it.  It has come into vogue to celebrate murder and in particular the murder of someone who is disliked by different groupings of society – be they identified by political means, racial means or geographical means.  Granted, there were people who were perhaps “celebrating” the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865 and the vast majority of those celebrating were found in the Southern States.  Fortunately, Social and News Media such as we have today were non-existent.  Responses were slow to be revealed and they were more localized.  Now however, when something happens today in California it is not just the rest of the USA that instantly knows but the whole world.  And, we can now see just how pervasive our world is experiencing two very destructive and divisive emotions – fear and hate . 

The New Testament deals with this in very direct ways.  Can we say that both fear and hate motivated the Jewish Leaders of the first century to demand and then celebrate the murder of Jesus Christ.  We must think of his death on the cross as a sacrifice but it was also a murder.  He himself died an innocent man.  Prior to his death a prisoner who had actually been convicted of murder was released and celebrated for his release – Barrabas.  So, again we can see that there is nothing new here for humanity except that we now have the means to spread the celebration of fear and hatred much more quickly leading to a much higher volume of responses – even by people who may not really know why they are celebrating initially.

To what can we witness about all this?  Our thoughts range from wanting to blame something or someone to wanting swift justice in an effort to deter more violence and senseless killings.  We may be missing one very important factor.  Listen to what Paul wrote as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit – which leads me to believe that God would want us to ponder deeply what this may mean for us on a personal as well as a national level:

Ephesians 6:10-12

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to STAND AGAINST THE SCHEMES OF THE DEVIL.  FOR WE DO NOT WRESTLE AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

We therefore are encouraged to “stand firm” in our beliefs.  A time is coming – alas it is here – when what we believe and say will be met with violence.  If you are a person of faith in the risen Lord and know that Jesus gave his life that you may have the hope of eternal life, then you have nothing to fear and no reason for hatred toward anyone.

Pastor David