It is one thing to be a friend to sinners and quite another to be a friend to their sin. The Lord Jesus Christ was known as “the friend of sinners” and yet those sinners would have been the first to tell you that He did not condone their wickedness. Modern church goers have developed a convenient, comfortable Christianity that finds itself right at home among evil. Christ knew nothing of this when He was on earth and He still doesn’t today.

Why is there so little persecution? Where is the opposition that God promised would come to all who would live godly? It has been avoided in large part because there is so little difference between those who claim to be followers of Christ and those who are very obviously His enemies.

Joseph Lewis Preston, a member of the Free Thinkers of America, once told an Associated Press reporter, “Organized interest in atheism has lagged because the opposition isn’t as strong as it used to be. There has been considerable liberalizing of religion and the lines of conflict aren’t nearly as strong.” When we get close to the enemy we are far from our Captain!

The founder of the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism, Charles Smith, tragically observed,

We don’t have the old repressive religion that stimulates atheism, and they don’t preach hell-fire and Jonah in the whale anymore. They go in for this cheer-them-up religion. That’s not the old-time religion. It may be that this new sort is not so bad but they don’t let it interfere with their lives. They spent more time in the old days pleasing God. now they try to please their fellow-men.

Compliments from the enemy are the greatest indictment that could ever be given.

I am not suggesting we start a conflict. The war is already waging. The lines are already drawn. The enemy is already attacking. Soldiers of the cross must find their place and do their part.

Jesus is coming soon. When He comes no believer will care about status in the community or accolades from lost men. The only thing that will matter is our faithfulness to His cause.

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).