MORAL DECAY

 

     We live in a world that is rapidly changing.  The introduction of the internet and social media has made information, knowledge, and opinion readily available to anyone with access to it.  You can get information on health, business, society, culture, do it yourself projects and almost anything you can dream of.  The internet is called amoral this means that it can used for good and bad.  The problem we face is information overload.  It takes real discernment to know what to believe and why. 

     There is one-time tested place one can go for truth, information, and common sense and that is the Bible.  It has been an anchor in the storms of life.  It is a compass, guidebook, and instruction manual that has stood the test of time.  The Bible is mighty in its influence, has the power to reform society and change the course of history.

     John Wesley lived in England when society was quickly falling apart.  Crime and alcohol were commonplace.  People were living in the streets, privation and starvation were realities for many people.  Social unrest was the fashion of the day.  The clergy and nobility cared little for others but themselves.  John Wesley saw the moral decay of the land and decided something had to be done.  He read in Proverbs 14:34, that righteousness exalts a nation but sin a reproach to the land.  He chose two avenues of attack.  He first spent time in prayer to get an answer.  Secondly, he went to the Bible for his plan of attack.  When he was convinced of his course of action he went to the Church of England where he was ordained minister and asked to preach and called people back to faith.  To his surprise he was asked to leave every church he preached at.  The audiences did not want to hear a message of repentance.  Wesley went to the streets.  He became a street preacher.  At first, he had little results, but his persistence and God’s blessing led eventually to a revival and a reformation in England.  Some of those he influenced was John Newton the writer of the hymn Amazing Grace and William Wilberforce who abolished slavery in the British Empire. 

     Wesley subscribed to two important factors in his personal reformation and the reformation of his society.  He knew that personal time of prayer and reading of God’s word daily was essential to changing his heart.  Secondly, he knew that loyalty and attendance to the House of God or church weekly was important. 

     His absolute belief in the bible and his practice of prayer were essential in him changing his world.  The Apostle Paul stated that we are to study the scriptures to show ourselves approved of God a workman who rightly divides the Word of truth.  These days cultural, educational, political, and special interest groups are pushing an agenda of evil upon Canadian society.  The church has a responsibility to act as a restraining and enlightening force.  We have a message of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.  We have the truth that sets people free.  The church must proclaim truth which is never popular among those who have fallen into error and lies.  We must do this mission which love, wisdom, and discernment.  We must however not sacrifice truth for popularity, acceptance, or cultural relevance if we do then the moral and ethical decay of society will continue.