The below Pastors journal entry was made shortly after the events of October 7th 2023 in Israel.
I try to write and my mind goes silent. So many are the topics to speak to, so many are the events in the world that are of concern, so many are the people unaware of the sorrow to come, so often have I desired to be blind to them.
My heart indites a good matter, but I find the sorrow of watching the unfolding of the biblical events before me disturbing. Where do I begin? To what should I speak? Where is the solution and to what extent are we to pursue it?
Where is the solution? This is truly the first question. When this question is answered the questions concerning where to begin and to what extent we pursue the solution should come rapidly to mind. It is the right question that needs to be asked before the right answer is to be considered.
But solution to what? A search for a solution premises a problem to solve, but what is that problem? How do we begin to look for a solution for the world when there seems to be so many problems evident in the world?
The World sits on a series of blades, knife edges that have all the indicators of pressure in one direction only. The worlds sits on a global war footing; Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, China, Taiwan, the United States with all the opposing forces. Jesus stated that “wars and rumours of war” were to be but the beginning of sorrows (Matt 24:4-8). But to that Jesus adds “famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places”, and it is a certainty that these too are on the cusp of coming to pass.
Perhaps it is time to address the economic morass of the world before it sinks toward abyss. Perhaps the same may be said of the social morass, the moral, the judicial, the political. What is the question?
Are these truly the problems requiring a solution? If it were, are we practically able to solve these issues? Are the people of the world, whose minds have been steadily entertained to numbness and whose lives have been steadily impoverished, able to move beyond “Bread and Circuses”? Can we catch a falling star?
The geopolitical knife edge, the geoeconomic knife edge, the geosocial knife edge, the geomedical knife edge, the geoengineering knife edge, the geoinfrastructure knife edge, each of these testify to the world at a tipping point…or has it already tipped and all we search for are scattered survivors?
Civilisation is made up of civilians, you cannot have a civilization without them, if we are to change civilization we need to change the individual civilians that make it up. It certainly seems as if this was exactly the intent of the demonic forces that have made the people of the world “grope in the dark without light” (Jb 12:25).
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. (Ps 107:26–27)
It was through the education system first, then the entire social construct, now it comes through the global corporate structures manipulated by trillion dollar asset managers that are forcing change and obedience. So, one pressure is pressing up from childhood, the other is pressing down through our wants and needs.
It was however, a question posed to a general audience (at least so goes the story told), “What is wrong with the world?”. In the form of a competition in search for a winning answer, it was the shortest answer that took the prize, “I am” wrote the responder. Perhaps this identifies the problem better than any to date.
It was the late GK Chesterton to whom the anecdote is attributed, he wrote a book asking that very question, to which he he also responded, though not so briefly;
“In one sense, and that the eternal sense, the thing is plain. The answer to the question , ‘What is Wrong?’ is, or should be, I am wrong.’ Until a man can give that answer his idealism is only a hobby.”
-GKC, Letter to the “Daily News”, August 16, 1905, “What is Wrong”
Jesus came to save the world one sinner at a time. Jesus knew the pivotal problem of mankind is their sin against their creator, they are lost, “having no hope, and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12), and so he gave his life for those he made that they may be both forgiven, made free, granted eternal life and have life here even “more abundantly” (Jn 10:10). It is not however to the material he refers, but to fullness of joy and hope, contentment and peace, purpose and resolve, love and sacrifice. It is in these that the apostle to the gentiles wrote;
4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
2 Corinthians 6:4–10
The event that changed the world and opened the door to pure hope was the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. An event that shook the world and brought joy to all men, and all men were willing to die to share the light of the hope of Christ. Light indeed came into the world….but men loved darkness.
The Dark Ages came directly on the tail of the Gospel, those in authority kept the words of God hidden, until one thousand years had past and the reformation took The Book out of language darkness and exposed it to the light of all minds who would read it.
This re-presentation of that first event, also changed the world for several hundred years, to which we remained the beneficiaries.
But now that the Gospel is hidden again, this time however in a sea of obscurity. The English-speaking world which had been blessed with the pure words of God for almost 400 years, have now attacked the very foundation upon which it was built. Pastors charged to guard and protect it, have obfuscated their responsibility and remain to this day blinded by the simplicity of their folly.
Now, the world is again lost on a dark sea and being blown about by every wind of doctrine. No longer knowing its mooring post, it is set adrift without compass or rudder. But a dim light does appear in the starboard stern of the ship, it ducks under the turbulent waves time and again, but it is there for all who might turn about and keep it in sight as it comes near.
We are its bearers and need to daily draw near the sinking vessel of this world personally and individually, just as they did in the first century.
The real question is, Will we?
Pr Edi Giudetti
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