Leadership - The Opposite of Indifference
How would you define the opposite of indifference? Intensity. Passion. Commitment. Enthusiasm. Resolve. Fight. Faith. I'm honestly not thinking of a great word for it. It's more of a you know it when you see it kinda thing. I heard that last night in the speech from Erika Kirk - that was the opposite of indifference.
I think we get a good picture of what Jesus wants from His people in the Book of Revelation. He definitely wants us to trust in Him alone. Not the world, not government, not our clan or tribe or political party. God alone.
The Bible reveals the wicked side of human nature. It also shows that people, made in the image of God, are capable of loving and serving Him and each other, but that is not our natural tendency. We are sinners saved by faith in Jesus Christ.
God does not do evil, nor does He condone it. Yet, He allows humans to choose their actions freely. This is one of the most perplexing questions of all time: Why does God permit someone as evil as Abimelech, who murdered 70 of his half-brothers, to become king? Why, when there are better options, paths, and plans, do wicked rulers oppress nations like Venezuela, North Korea, China, etc?
The recent assassination of Charlie Kirk, shot in the neck while speaking to students at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, reflects the depravity of human nature. Sin. Evil. Hate in action. It’s a chilling echo of the treachery seen in Abimelech’s time, where power and rebellion against God fuel evil acts of destruction. And it's a sobering realization that good men must oppose bad. We are commissioned to be like Christ and to make disciples of Him.
God’s people ought to long for a just society, a good society, and a righteous one. Just ask the people of El Salvador how much better it is now that good men decided to stand against evil.
Most people, Christian or not, desire health, happiness, opportunity, and security. Yet, history has many examples of societies plagued by rulers who oppress. The devil has no power over the Holy Spirit, but his demons continue to wreak havoc.
Why does God allow this? Why do those who claim to know the good God permit it? I think we get the first answer in Mathew 13:24-30 - don't blame God. The evil one does the wicked planting.
The second part of the answer is that Jesus' men and women must not be lukewarm, double-minded, as James calls it (James 1:8). We can't have faith in God alone if we serve the world. If you want to know the spiritual health of an organization, look to whether what it does matches what it says its values are. Here's how the Apostle John puts it, "So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:6-7).
I'm 54 and I've wrestled with obedience to Christ since I signed the back of that Gideon's Bible and asked God for forgiveness and trusted Jesus as my Savior in the fall of 1990. God is patient with us, but He demands that our actions meet His requirements (Revelation 3:2).
Christian integrity means acting as Jesus says we ought to act. Faith in action. Caring, helping, loving, teaching, eschewing anything to do with evil. Jesus teaches that we are to serve, not to lord over others or seek a ruling class. True leadership seeks to serve, not to be served (Mark 10:35-45).
The issue lies in our human nature. Society (nay, our churches!) is filled with “little kings” who crave control—whether it’s the janitor scheming for more authority over her crew or the head surgeon doing the same. We yearn for power and mislabel it as all sorts of things. More, more, more. Jesus Christ offers freedom from this condition, freedom from slavery to sin, and the promise of true peace, contentment, and joy. We are horrified to see evil in action like we have this last week in spades, but it's the truth, there are people inspired by evil who hate God, and the victorious life God offers all people.
Tragically, too often the church doesn't look as Jesus requires (love, faith, service, and patient endurance), but rather chases the false gospels of legalism, selfish ambition, and those who permit and promote sin, and lovers of money.
Hypocrites teach false gospels while they hide their multiple homes and fly on their private jets. They lord their positions over others, lacking accountability in their own homes and setting a culture of enslavement in their workplaces. They proclaim an empty gospel, having not tasted freedom from sin. Or, even worse, having tasted it (Galatians 1:6), they return to earthly scraps instead of feasting on the abundant life offered through Jesus.
In Judges 9, Jotham challenges the people of Shechem to examine whether they acted honorably and in good faith toward Gideon and his descendants. The answer is a resounding no. This is the human experience: we know God’s standards of honor, fairness, and decency, yet we trade them for self-dealing, favoring “our clan” and what benefits us.
God sees it all, yet He allows these terrible decisions, for He governs the day of Harvest. People cheat in elections, judges bend the law, and executives falsify records when they believe they can escape accountability. Codes of conduct are meaningless without a desire for consistent compliance and consequences. Without good men, bad men are not held accountable.
We need good, godly men and women who care about justice and righteousness. God calls us to be alive, to repent of sin, and to hold tightly to faith in Christ.
The story of Jotham warns that dishonor and bad faith bring consequences: no joy for the people or their wicked rulers, and even calamity for the nation. Does this explain the state of nations like Venezuela, North Korea, or even Canada under Trudeau? I don't know, but I suspect so.
We see in Scripture that God punished Abimelech for his treachery. God is just. Jotham’s curse was fulfilled. Evil rulers, as history shows, will face their just rewards, as will the people who enable them. Don’t be men of Shechem. Don’t be an Abimelech. Think of Jesus' standards (John 8:11) and how Jesus expects his Church to act. Jesus says, "I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference" (Revelation 3:19).
Amid the brutal reality shown in Scripture, God always points to the right way and offers hope. We see that in Judges 13 with the story of Manoah and his wife. They, too, lived in a time of oppression under the Philistines, yet they remained faithful. When the Angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife, announcing the birth of Samson, they responded with trust and obedience. Their story reminds us that even in dark times, God is at work, raising up those who will fight for His purposes. You are not alone. Find a good church this weekend. Commit to no more indifference. Commit to grow in Christ and constantly improve (Revelation 2:19) as Jesus expects of us.
Charlie Kirk’s assassination is a call to action. Like Manoah and his wife, we must remain steadfast, trusting God’s plan and fighting for what is good and just. Let’s honor their example by standing firm, serving others in love, and contending for righteousness in a broken world.
It sounds Hawaiian, but it’s not, Manoah. That’s Samson’s dad’s name. In a time when people were doing great evil, God handed them over to their own desires and the consequences of those choices. For God has nothing to do with evil.
But Manoah’s wife had a relationship with God. She trusted God. Like Mary (and Joseph), Sarah (and Abraham), and Elizabeth (and Zechariah), Manoah’s wife was visited by the Angel of the Lord. God hears our prayers, men. He hears us! He loves us, and He loves our wives and families. This is now Erika Kirk's time to be strong. But she needs our love and prayer, and support. Let's not underestimate our foes.
Don’t give up on God and the good plans He has for us. Pray for Charlie's wife, Erika. I trust she will never give up on God and that He will give her holy comfort today.
Like Manoah’s earnest and faithful prayer for clarity (Judges 13:8-9), God will answer our prayers. Keep praying. And trusting! God will do amazing things. As He did in the past, so too He will do again (Judges 13:19).
Lord Jesus, thank you for our wives and our lives. Thank you for those who know time is short. I pray for America today, and for Canada and everywhere your people live, that we will trust you and work hard to serve and love others. Amen.
Churchill was a Lion indeed, but certainly not the last one. Thank God!
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