JESUS ASKED HIS DISCIPLESOVER AND OVER AGAIN,"why did you doubt?" He asked them in such a way as if to say, "O, you people of little faith, why did you keep your eyes upon circumstances instead of upon me?" That is the same question he might be asking you and me. "Why do you doubt?"
In this day and age, we find Christian values having little effect on the political system. In the U.S., we have abandoned what little remains of our Christian heritage. The culture has adopted moral relativism, secularism, and self-seeking as a substitute for Biblical ethics. Christ is not allowed out in public, and if he does show up, someone is likely to get sued. Not only do the laws of the land stand against Christianity, but even worse, the media and the intellectuals consider religion a relic of the past which interferes with their vision for the future.
Yet in spite of all this, we should be excited about Jesus and what he is going to do. Though we are no longer a Christian nation, we are in exactly the same situation as the New Testament Church was in ancient Rome. Rome was pluralistic; they had many religions and no single one was accepted by the majority of the people. Everyone was free to do what he wanted and believe how he wished, with the notable exception of Christians, who were persecuted for their non-pluralistic beliefs. Yet God used the persecution to cause the Church to grow.  
Christianity, at that time, was considered a strange and irrelevant little cult. Its moral values stood in sharp contrast to the morals of the day. Infanticide was practiced and the stadiums were filled with people who loved bloody sports. Yet in this environment, the Church prospered. The people of that declining society became desperate for something that made sense and for a God who gave meaning to life.
Even persecution was a part of God's plan! The Christians had been told to go out into all the world and make disciples, but the Apostles remained localized in Judea. They did not have a vision for evangelizing the Gentiles. They did not have a vision for reaching Rome. But God had a different plan and a purpose that would not be denied by his people's narrow vision.
The persecution described in Acts 8 caused the Christians, who had stayed in Jerusalem, to flee to other cities. It must have looked to the people of God as if the devil had the upper hand and that God was losing control. But it was all part of God's plan! Like picking up a white dandelion weed and blowing on it, the winds of persecution caused the seeds of the Gospel to spread throughout the Roman Empire. The persecution was part of God's plan to get the message out of Jerusalem and into the earth!
Why should we fear a post-Christian America? Is not our Lord still in control? Can he not use this chaos to his glory? Or do you believe the devil is stronger and
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