Before Jesus ascended back to the Father, He charged His disciples, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, immersing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and remember I will be with you always, even to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20). The influence of the Gospel has permeated much of the world, so much so that Paul could say of his day, it “was preached in the whole creation under heaven” (Colossians 1:23).
It would now seem many are wanting to leave the light of the Gospel for the darkness of sin again. A news report in The Telegraph relates, “Icelanders will soon be able to publicly worship at a shrine to Thor, Odin and Frigg with construction starting this month on the island’s first major temple to the Norse gods since the Viking age. Worship of the gods in Scandinavia gave way to Christianity around 1,000 years ago, but a modern version of Norse paganism has been gaining popularity in Iceland.” Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, high priest of Asatruarfelagid (a group that promotes faith in the Norse gods), said, “We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology.” Out of a total population of 330,000, membership in Asatruarfelagid runs about 2,400. Iceland’s neo-pagans still celebrate the ancient sacrificial ritual with music, reading, eating and drinking, but leave out animal sacrifice (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/iceland/11385603/Iceland-to-build-first-temple-to-Norse-gods-in-1000-years.html).
Living in what has been called a post-modern or post-Christian era, such tendencies shouldn’t surprise us. Paul reminds us when we forsake God, the desire to worship and seek something beyond human experience doesn’t vanish. “Even though they knew God, they neither honored him as God, nor were they thankful. They were given to worthless speculations, and their senseless hearts were darkened. While they claimed to be wise, they were foolish, and exchanged the splendor of the imperishable God for images of the likeness of perishable man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:21-23). Without the light of the Gospel, paganism returns, and the inventions of man’s heart replaces the revealed will of God.
No wonder Jesus exhorted us, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden; neither do men light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand, and it gives light for all in the house. Therefore let your light shine before people that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14-16). Paul added:
The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that the light of the gospel of the glorious Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine upon them. We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ the Lord, and ourselves your slaves for Jesus’ sake. The God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts with the light of the knowledge of the glorious God in the person of Jesus Christ. We have this treasure in clay vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, not of us. (2 Corinthians 4:4-7).
How well does the light of Christ shine in your life? Can others see a reflection of Christ in you, or instead, do they see the world? To be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God (James 4:4). A godly life can open doors to discuss the beauty of the Gospel and the joy of life in Christ. Making a difference in others, and in our world, begins with each of us allowing the light of life to shine in us, and to allow the power of the Gospel message proclaimed for salvation (Romans 1:16) to accomplish its work. How about in you? “Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, even as Christ loved us, and gave himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Ephesians 5:1-2).
