The Present Era And Our Daily Life

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The Present Era And Our Daily Life
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Introduction

• The World has changed dramatically around us.
• Life is more complex, more stressful, more
  demanding.
• We have transitioned from the Industrial Age into
  the Information/Knowledge Worker Age with all its
  profound consequences.
• We face challenges and problems in our personal
  lives, our families, and our services unimagined
  even one and two decades ago.

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Introduction

• These challenges are not only of a new order of
  magnitude, they are altogether different in kind.
• Let us try to illustrate a few of the most common
  human challenges we face in our life and let us
  see what does the Holy Bible teach about these
  challenges.

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The Abundance Of Sin

• Sin become more available and more desirable
  because of
• The contemporary ideologies and philosophies
• The communication and technology
• Media
• Consequences of sin
• Fear and insecurity
• Guilt
• Shame

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The Abundance Of Sin

• Then many false prophets will rise up and
  deceive many. And because lawlessness will
  abound, the love of many will grow cold (Mt
  2411, 12)
• The result is the church is full of non repentant
  servants and believers with no love or cold love.
• Lets see how does God feel about that! (Jeremiah
  72-16).

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Distractions

• Life in our cell phone society is increasingly
  complex, demanding, stressful, and absolutely
  exhausting.
• For all our efforts to manage our time, do more,
  be more, and achieve greater efficiency through
  the wonders of modern technology, why is it we
  increasingly find ourselves in the thick of thin
  things subordinating spirituality, service,
  health, family, integrity, and many of the things
  that matter most to our busy life?

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Distractions

• The problem is that our modern culture says, go
  in earlier, stay later, be more efficient, live
  with the sacrifice for nowetc
• But the truth is that balance and peace of mind
  are not produced by these they follow the person
  who develops a clear sense of his highest
  priorites and who lives with focus and integrity
  toward them.

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Distractions

• The Lord warned us from the busyness of life
• The story of Martha and Mary (Luke 1038-42).
• The parable of the great supper (Luke 1416-24).
• Days of Noah and Lot (Luke 1726-29).

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Distractions

• Luke 814 "Now the ones that fell among thorns
  are those who, when they have heard, go out and
  are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of
  life, and bring no fruit to maturity
• The seed (the word of God) will be chocked also
  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he
  who hears the word, and the cares of this world
  and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word,
  and he becomes unfruitful (Matthew 1322).

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Distractions

• Fear and insecurity So many people today are
  gripped with a sense of fear. They fear for the
  future. They feel vulnerable in the workplace.
  They are afraid of losing their jobs and their
  ability to provide for their families.
• I want it now people want things and want them
  now. I want money. I want a nice big house, a
  nice car, the biggest and best entertainment
  center. I want it all and I deserve it.

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Distractions

• Though todays credit card society makes it
  easy to get now and pay later, economic
  realities eventually set in, and we are reminded
  , sometimes painfully, that our purchases cannot
  outstrip our ongoing ability to produce.
• Pretending otherwise is unsustainable.
• The demands of interest are unrelenting and
  unforgiving. Even working hard is not enough.

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Distractions

• Competition With the dizzying rate of change in
  technology and increasing competition driven by
  the globalization of markets and technology, we
  must not only be educated, we must constantly
  re-educate and reinvent ourselves.
• We must develop our minds and continually sharpen
  and invest in the development of our competencies
  to avoid becoming obsolete.

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Distractions

• The need to produce today is todays reality and
  represents the demands of capital BUT the real
  mantra of success is sustainability and growth.
• The real question is, are you making the
  necessary investment that will sustain and
  increase that success one, five, and ten years
  from now.

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Distractions

• And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to
  a deserted place and rest a while." For there
  were many coming and going, and they did not even
  have time to eat (Mark 631).
• Now in the morning, having risen a long while
  before daylight, He went out and departed to a
  solitary place and there He prayed. And Simon
  and those who were with Him searched for Him.
  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone
  is looking for You. But He said to them, "Let us
  go into the next towns, that I may preach there
  also, because for this purpose I have come
  forth." (Mark 135-38).

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Distractions

• So that Jesus could no longer openly enter the
  city, but was outside in deserted places and
  they came to Him from every direction (Mark
  145).
• Now when it was day, He departed and went into a
  deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came
  to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them
  but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom
  of God to the other cities also, because for this
  purpose I have been sent. (Luke 442-43).

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Distractions

• However, the report went around concerning Him
  all the more and great multitudes came together
  to hear, and to be healed by Him of their
  infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into
  the wilderness and prayed (Luke 5 15-16).
• The principle of balancing the need to meet
  todays demands with the need to invest in the
  capabilities that will produce tomorrows success
  is unavoidable.
• The same is true of your service, health,
  marriage, family, relationships, and community
  needs.

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Sufferings

• The life is not a question of whether we suffer
  but how we deal with sufferings.
• Whenever you find a problem, you will usually
  find the finger-pointing of blame (Adam and Eve).
• Society is addicted to playing the victim if
  only my boss wasnt such a controlling personif
  only I lived in a better placeif only I hadnt
  inherited such a temper from my dadif only my
  kids werent so rebelliousif only my wife was
  more understandingif only our church was
  evangelisticif only God did not allow this to
  happenif onlyif only.

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Sufferings

• Blaming everyone and everything else including
  God for our problems and sufferings may be the
  norm and may provide temporary relief from the
  pain, but it also chains us to these very
  problems.
• The Holy Scriptures teach us to be humble enough
  to accept and take responsibility for our
  circumstances and courageous enough to take
  whatever initiative is necessary to creatively
  work our way through or around these sufferings.

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Sufferings

• My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into
  various trials, knowing that the testing of your
  faith produces patience. But let patience have
  its perfect work, that you may be perfect and
  complete, lacking nothing. Blessed is the man who
  endures temptation for when he has been
  approved, he will receive the crown of life which
  the Lord has promised to those who love Him
  (James 1 2-4, 12).

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Sufferings

• Hopelessness The children of blame are cynicism
  and hopelessness.
• When we yield to believing that we are victims of
  our circumstances and yield to the dilemma of
  determinism, we lose hope, we lose drive, and we
  settle into resignation and stagnation.
• Many bright and talented people feel this and
  suffer the broad range of discouragement and
  depression that follows.

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Sufferings

• The survival response of popular cultur is
  cynicism just lower your expectations of life to
  the point that you arent disappointed by anyone
  or anything.
• The contrasting biblical principle of growth and
  hope is the discovery that And He said to me,
  "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength
  is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most
  gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities,
  that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in
  reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in
  distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am
  weak, then I am strong (2Cor 12 9-10).

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Rituality and Spirituality

• With all the distractions, sufferings, and the
  abundance of lawlessness our spirituality has
  been gone and we reclined to rituality instead of
  spirituality.
• Rituality is the hypocritical worship that
  focuses only on the rituals neglecting completely
  the spirituality of worship.
• Rituality without spirituality is idolatry.

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Rituality and Spirituality

• A servant asking about his student
• Why didnt you attend Sunday School last week?
• Did you attend the liturgy?
• Did you take communion?
• When was the last time you confessed?
• Do you read the Bible?
• The Great Fast will soon, I want you to fast.

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Rituality and Spirituality

• Compare this with the teaching of the Lord about
  fasting, prayers, and charity in the sermon on
  the mountain!
• Even when we do visitations, there is no quality
  time (we need to finish it because I am busy).
• Sunday morning I will check the internet to read
  my lesson in Sunday School today.
• Do you see how our youth and children are so
  disconnected from God in their lives?

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Rituality and Spirituality

• Where is the relationship with God? Where is the
  relationship with the ones we serve?
• Rituals are not the goals, they are the means to
  our goal (God).
• Rituals only will lead to a church full of leaves
  with NO fruits.
• The Lord rebuked the scribes and the Pharisees
  and cursed the fig tree for this reason.

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Conclusion

• The traits of the present era has impacted our
  daily life greatly through
• Abundance of sin
• Distractions
• Sufferings and blame
• Rituality only type of worship
• Without returning to God, Scriptures, and Holy
  Fathers of the Church, it is impossible to cope.