Jesus, quoting Isaiah, said:

…their hearts are far from me… (Isaiah 29:13; Mt 15:8; Mk 7:6)

That adequately describes the vast majority of people in the UK (and the West!). More than this, it is a recognition of why people do the things they do since the Fall, their hearts are evil and far from God (Prov 4:23; Mk 7:20-2). Is it any wonder godlessness runs rampant?

Any God fearing and loving Christian has reason to lament: the erosion of Biblical values; the aggressive assault on marriage and gender; pornography; human trafficking; family breakdown; children disrespecting parents (and parents provoking children); social injustice and deprivation; the idolatry of materialism; the rise of cults and false religions; the embrace of the godless theory of evolution instead of faith in a Creator; people, generally, calling evil good and good evil (Isa 5:20).

Hanker for the ole’ days we might, this behaviour cannot be reversed unless there is first a heart change wrought by the Gospel. The evangelical Anglican and abolitionist, William Wilberforce, noted this in Real Christianity (1797). He said:

Fruitless will be all attempts to sustain, much more to revive, the fainting cause of morals unless you can in some degree restore the prevalence of Evangelical Christianity. It is in morals as in physics; unless a source of [good morals be caused], it will be vain to attempt to make them [improve] in their future course…By all, therefore, who [desire] their country’s welfare…every effort should be used to revive the Christianity of our better days.

The God who can do the impossible, did this in Wilberforce’s day by a moving of His Spirit and He could do it again today (Lk 18:17). May we therefore pray, and preach the Good News.

The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,

Pastor Chris