Darrow Miller and Friends

A Remnant: 7 Defining Characteristics, part 2

  1. As Freedom Dies, Is It Time for a Remnant Movement?
  2. The Remnant of Israel: A Model for Today
  3. A Remnant: 7 Defining Characteristics
  4. A Remnant: 7 Defining Characteristics, part 2
  5. The Song of the Remnant
  6. Song of the Remnant, part 2

In part 1 we listed 7 characteristics of a remnant people. Here are a few more related thoughts about what defines a remnant.

The remnant bring light into the dark place. As Isaiah has prophesied (Isaiah 60:1-5):

Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples. But the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you. And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms. Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.

Jesus has fulfilled the prophecy of John 1:4-5: “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

And the remnant is to refract this light:

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” Matt. 5: 14-16.

Our friends at YWAM Publishing kindly asked to excerpt my book Emancipating the World for their 2017 Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner. We have received their permission to “pre-print” here this excerpt from their prayer page.

The Remnant Becomes the New Resistance

Lilian Calles Barger helps us understand how a remnant functionsHow does the Word become flesh in the midst of the culture war in the West, in which atheistic secularism seeks to eliminate God, religion, and morality from society? In her book Eve’s Revenge, Lilian Calles Barger suggests: “We do this by living little acts of resistance—everyday acts done in our bodies. . . . Our protest must be based on faith that an invisible kingdom is being made visible in the bodies of the men and women who actively follow the crucified and resurrected one.”[1] The church must not be a spectator of the decline of the West; it must proactively engage as the conscience of the nations, the inhibitor of that decline. The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. used a powerful metaphor: “The church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.”[2]

The church is to counter the modern and postmodern culture. It is to lead the resistance. God has hardwired human beings for freedom. At times, Christians must form the core of the resistance to political, social, and economic tyranny.

The points of resistance are grounded in the kingdom culture of truth, goodness, and beauty. First, we are to speak truth to power. This may be as simple as starting a blog or writing letters to the editor to challenge prevailing opinions. It may be homeschooling children or establishing charter schools that function from a biblical worldview and principles. Or it may be to serve on a school board or introduce a supplemental curriculum into a public school setting. Second, we are to confront corruption, injustice, and evil with goodness, justice, and wholesomeness. The civil rights and pro-life movements are examples of this. We might choose to have a larger family (being fruitful and multiplying) in the face of the anti-family movement. Third, we are to habitually bring beauty into the “small places” of home, work, school, and recreation. We are to model excellent work in the marketplace.

In carrying out the Great Commission, we are to live the Word so that it becomes flesh to the world around us.

  • Darrow Miller

 

 

[1] Eve’s Revenge: Women and a Spirituality of the Body, by Lilian Calles Barger, page 186

[2] “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr.

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About 
Darrow is co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance and a featured author and teacher. For over 30 years, Darrow has been a popular conference speaker on topics that include Christianity and culture, apologetics, worldview, poverty, and the dignity of women. From 1981 to 2007 Darrow served with Food for the Hungry International (now FH association), and from 1994 as Vice President. Before joining FH, Darrow spent three years on staff at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland where he was discipled by Francis Schaeffer. He also served as a student pastor at Northern Arizona University and two years as a pastor of Sherman Street Fellowship in urban Denver, CO. In addition to earning his Master’s degree in Adult Education from Arizona State University, Darrow pursued graduate studies in philosophy, theology, Christian apologetics, biblical studies, and missions in the United States, Israel, and Switzerland. Darrow has authored numerous studies, articles, Bible studies and books, including Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Culture (YWAM Publishing, 1998), Nurturing the Nations: Reclaiming the Dignity of Women for Building Healthy Cultures (InterVarsity Press, 2008), LifeWork: A Biblical Theology for What You Do Every Day (YWAM, 2009), Rethinking Social Justice: Restoring Biblical Compassion (YWAM, 2015), and more. These resources along with links to free e-books, podcasts, online training programs and more can be found at Disciple Nations Alliance (https://disciplenations.org).
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