why christians need to engage in society...

June, 2005

"Why bother trying to change our society? The Bible says that things will get worse in the last days. So we should just let it!"

can we possibly hope to win the world for Christ?

If we are to have any hope of winning the world to Christ we must increasingly live consistent, transparent and influential lives. There is perhaps no greater example of such a life as that of Daniel. The impact of his life has only been surpassed by a few. But few of these people had to endure the threat of furnaces and lions!

So what made Daniel great, and what makes his life one of greatest sources of inspiration for Christians seeking to influence culture and win our world? A short overview of the book Daniel might be divided into Daniel's resolution, revelation, refining, respect, responsibility, response, and rest.

1.
In Daniel chapter 1 we learn that the young Daniel had made some strong resolutions about his personal integrity. He was resolute about what he would eat, drink, and submit his life to.

We need to make bold resolutions about our conduct. For too long many Christians have hidden behind the bumper sticker- Christians Aren't Perfect, Just Forgiven! Too few have been able to say with Paul "Copy my life!" (1Corinthians 11:1). Yet this is precisely what the world needs from us. We should be able to invite the world to scrutinise our lives. We all feel the pain when the media points out yet another fallen Christian who did not practice what they preached.

Daniel's resolution to live a pure life formed the foundation for his credibility to speak to the nation and its leaders.

2.
In the May 26th edition of the Business Review Weekly, Adele Ferguson's article- "Prophet-Minded" implied that several Australian Christian leaders were either con-men or deluded since they claimed to be directed by God through revelations and "visions". The reporter's cynical analysis of why Spirit-filled churches were now outgrowing the more stayed traditional churches centred around the charisma of their leaders and their ability to raise money. This was done through their pronouncements of various revelations and visions from God.

The journalist was not very covert in her attempt to equate the claim that people receiving revelations from God was nothing more than chicanery. Yet genuine Christianity is characterised by genuine revelations from God. Of course no revelation ever contradicts the highest revelation (Scripture), but even a cursory reading of the New Testament shows that Christ, the original apostles, and ordinary Christians received various revelations from God. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that they could expect to receive "revelations" from God (1Cor. 14:26).

So why would a journalist think it strange that Christians claim to hear from God and be directed by Him? Daniel chapter 2 reveals that Daniel was not just a very godly and resolute man, but a very spiritual man as well. In chapter 2 he seeks God for a revelation into the Emperor's dream. He receives this revelation and reveals it directly to the King (and thereby surpasses the feat of Joseph with Pharaoh).

We need to be people who are genuinely spiritual and can be led by God and not be intimidated by the accusations of being insane or fraudulent. Daniel's genuine spirituality gave him the currency to speak into the leadership of his nation.

3.
In Daniel 3 we read that the Emperor ordered all people to worship his golden image. Daniel and his three friends refused. The penalty for not doing so was death by furnace. Daniel's three friends were the first to be punished. Presumably Daniel had to endure the thought that his three best friends were about to die a cruel death and that he would soon follow. It was therefore not just the refining fire which tried Daniel and his friends, but the test of their faith.

As Christians we serve God not just when it suits us, but even when it doesn't. There will be times when our faith is tried in a very public way. May we be able to say with the three friends of Daniel-

"If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us out of your hand, O King. But if not, be it known to you, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
Daniel 3:17-18

4.
When Daniel arrived in Babylon he was a young man. By Daniel 5, he was an elder statesman. He had served God consistently for decades. Many people start out with a passion to serve God but fail to make the distance. Daniel had won the respect of his contemporaries by his life of consistent devotion to God. When he accurately interpreted the mysterious hand-writing on the wall for the Grand-son of Nebuchadnezzar he was offered wealth, prestige and a place of honour in the Kingdom. All of which he rejected and caused him to grow further in respect.

Today we need to live lives worthy of respect which are hallmarked by contentment. It will be these kinds of lives which will give us the credibility to share the message of Christ's love with our society, just as Daniel had.

5.
"When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before God, as he had done previously."
Daniel 6:10

Toward the end of Daniel's life he was targetted yet again by his opponents who were threatened by his stand-out life. They convinced the new Emperor to decree that he alone was to be worshiped. The penalty for disobedience would be one night's stay in the lion's den. Knowing of the plot to bring him down and the attack against his religious practices, Daniel was unswerving in his devotion to God. Daniel took his responsibility of serving God seriously even in the face of massive opposition. We need to follow God and His ways with the same sense of responsibility as that of Daniel.

6.
We read in Daniel 9 that he was a student of God's Word. But he was more than just a reader of God's Word, he was a heeder of God's Word. When he read the writings of the prophet Jeremiah for the reasons why Judah had been sent into Babylonian captivity, he was moved to tearful prayer and repentance. How many of us read God's Word and take the next step of heeding God's Word?

For us to have the level of influence with our society we have to do more than just be readers of God's Word, we have to be heeders (obeyers) of His Word.

7.
At the end of Daniel's life God gave him a glimpse of the future and by implication it was a future which Daniel had helped to shape. His godly influence had preserved the people of God while in captivity and his prayerfulness had secured their future role in the arrival of the Messiah. God then invited Daniel to rest.

"But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
Daniel 12:13

Daniel was told to seal up his revelations of the future since they were for the 'distant future' or 'end' (Dan. 12:9,13). The "end" Daniel saw was the end of the Old Covenant which was accurately fulfilled in the time from the abomination of desolation in 66AD when General Cestius set up the Roman Ensignia in the Temple until the Fall of Jerusalem in 70AD (around 1290 days- Dan. 12:11) when the Temple, sacrifices, and priesthood were finally done away with.

We too have Biblical forecasts of a future in which God's glory will fill the earth (Numbers 14:21) and the knowledge of Him will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14).

If we can be a "Daniel Generation" we will likewise be positioning ourselves to speak not just to our generation but to generations for centuries to come!

Andrew Corbett, June 2005

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