A Case For Marriage

Common Grace and Evangelism (4): A Gracious God and Evangelism

In the previous posts in this series we’ve spent some time thinking about what God’s common grace is. In this final post, I shall explore how understanding common grace can help us in one particular area: In the area of evangelism. I want to apply what we've previously seen about common grace, to how we speak with our non-Christian family members and friends.

Recognising that God is gracious to all will give us confidence in speaking the gospel to non-Christians. There are two main ways that common grace gives us confidence in evangelism:

1) The non-Christian has a constant testimony to God’s grace

We live in a world where God restrains sin and enables good. This means that the non-Christian is constantly experiencing God’s grace. They are surrounded by pointers to the fact that God is a gracious God. They cannot escape the

Think about it. Without realising it, the non-Christian is completely dependent upon God’s common grace. All that is good and beautiful in this world, all that they enjoy, all their favoirite hobbies and activities, they would never experience without God’s common grace. Further, without his grace restraining their sin, the non-Christian would completely destroy themselves and others. What is more, if God had not held back the day of judgement, they would be in hell right now. However, in His grace He is holding back that day, so that people have opportunity to repent and turn to Jesus before it is too late.

The non-Christian, even though he refuses to submit to God's rule and wants to live life without Him, it completely dependent upon Him for life, and everything they enjoy (This is why one writer has described the non-Christian as being like a child sitting in his fathers lap and slapping him in the face!). They daily experience God's common grace. They live in a universe that is constantly testifying to the grace of God.

All of this means that no conversation is ever far from the gospel. This is because no conversation is never far from a gracious God. This world is constantly testifying to God's grace.

2) The non-Christian will be inconsistent at some point

This is because God is restraining their sinful nature from being worked out to the full in their life. If they were completely consistent with who they are they would be as wicked as they could be. But they are not. God restrains sin in them, which makes them inconsistent (as we saw in our previous post).

Because the non-Christian is inconsistent it is possible to have conversations with them. It means that we are able to talk with non-Christians about the gospel. Their opposition to God is not fully worked out in this life, making gospel conversations possible.

More than this, when we do speak with our non-Christian friends or family members, their inconsistency makes it possible for us to challenge them to repent and turn to Jesus. Because God graciously makes them inconsistent there will be things that they do, beliefs they hold or desires that they have that they will not be able to explain without the God of the Bible.

Let me give an example: Suppose you have an work collegue who is a strong atheist, they constantly remind you that they believe in the survival of the fittest. Well, there will be some things that they will not be able to explain. An atheist cannot explain hospitals without God. They will never be able to give a reason why they think medical care is a good idea, unless they believe in God. It would be a very rare thing to find an atheist who does not think medical care is a good thing. Almost any atheist you speak to will agree that hospitals are good. However, he cannot hold this view and be consistent with his view of the world. Why should they care about something that provides for and cares for the weak? Huge amounts of money that is spent to care for babies who are born with defects and for those who are chronically ill. Why should your atheist friend care about this if he believes in the survival of the fittest? This provides an opening for us to challenge their view of the world, and to call them to look at the gospel, which alone makes sense of reality.

The fact that the non-Christian is inconsistent at some point gives us opportunities to challenge them on where they stand, and to share the gospel of grace with them.

Now, you don’t need to be super-clever to be able to discover these inconsistencies. All you need to do is to take a genuine interest in people, and ask them questions about what they believe. The more you do this the more obvious their inconsistencies will become.

It is in this way that God’s common grace serves his special grace. Because God, in his common grace holds back people’s sinfulness,making them inconsistent, people will be able to hear the gospel, which gives life.

God is a gracious God. He is good to all that he has made. He is gracious to both the Christian and the non-Christian, and shows this common grace by restraining sin and enabling people to do good.

The more we recognise this,the more confidence we will have in evangelism. The more we recognise that God is a gracious God, the more bold we will be in challenging false ideas of the world, and calling people to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus.

Previous posts in this series

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

Unhindered

Gone are the days when Christianity was a central part of the fabric of society. We now live in a society that is increasingly opposed to Christian values and practices. Christians face legal action for holding to Bible truth. Prayers are banned in public meetings. It may not be long until Christian ministers are being locked up for speaking about Jesus.

If that day comes, will it not be a tragedy? Will it not greatly hinder our efforts to see our neighbourhood and our nation reached with the gospel?

The book of Acts closes with a man in chains. In chapters 27-28 Paul arrives in Rome as a prisoner. We might expect the book to end on a high note with Paul boldly standing before Caesar and being acquitted before all the watching crowds in this magnificent city. But this does not happen. The book closes and Paul is still in chains. It is not quite the triumphant ending we were hoping for…or is it?

Before we’re tempted to despair, let us recognise that these final two chapters of Acts tell us some very important things:

Heaven is in Control

None of the events that have brought Paul to Rome are an accident. Paul has known the plan since 19:21, and Jesus has reminded him of this in 23:11. Behind all these events is the risen and reigning Lord Jesus. This does not change in the midst of the raging sea. In the midst of the storm of chapter 27, God reminds Paul that “you must stand before Caesar.” (27:24). He will arrive in Rome.

 God delivers Paul, and his fellow passengers, from the storm (27:44), and delivers Paul from a deadly snakebite. Both of these are God’s demonstration that Paul is an innocent man. Therefore, the message he proclaims ought to be listened to.

Paul’s chains and his journey to Rome are not tragic, but are in the hands of an all-powerful God who will ensure that his salvation is sent to the nations (28:28).

The Gospel is Unstoppable

The book closes with Paul still in chains. However, this is not a problem for Paul’s gospel witness. No, it is exactly the opposite! Paul’s chains create even more gospel opportunities. He has opportunity to speak to the Jews, and the final image of the book is of Paul preaching the gospel “with all boldness and without hindrance.” (28:31).

Paul’s message has been rejected by the Jews (28:25-28), and he has still not been released. Yet this is not a tragedy. No, it is a triumph. In the face of all this opposition, the gospel continues to go out unhindered.

The book of Acts closes in triumph. The gospel of the risen and reigning Lord Jesus continues to advance unhindered. Is this not a great encouragement to us in our times? Heaven is in control and the gospel is unstoppable. No power can stop the advance of the unhindered gospel. Neither the Roman empire, nor Bideford town council.

Memories

What's the point of memory? Is it really all that important?

Of the many things that new technologies do for us is that they remember things for us. No longer do we need to memorise a friend's phone number (or even your own!), with a couple of button presses it comes up on the screen of our mobile phone. No longer do we need to remember directions when we are driving, TomTom the sat-nav will tell us step by step where to go. Our technologies do our remembering for us!

Immediately we can see the many benefits of this. In many ways these memory-boosting technologies can make life much easier. We can be more organised, accurate and speedy. However, for all the benefits that this brings to us, there are many serious implications that relying on technology to remember things do for us. One of the things that these new technologies do is to seek to make our memories redundant. The more we 'outsource' our memories to technology, the less use we make of our faculties of memory and the more flabby it becomes. This has serious implications for our lives. Implications which we may not be aware of.

Tim Challies has written a helpful and thought-provoking post on the implications of 'outsourcing' our memories. He argues that empty minds lead to empty hearts which lead to empty lives. Towards the end of his post he says:

“Those who celebrate the ‘outsourcing’ of memory to the web have been misled by a metaphor. They overlook the fundamentally organic nature of biological memory. What gives real memory its richness and its character, not to mention its mystery and fragility, is its contingency. It exists in time, changing as the body changes.” Where a computer takes in information and immediately stores it as data, the human brain continues to process that information and turn it into a form of knowledge. Biological memory is a living memory; computer memory is not.

What is committed to memory, what is installed there through the labor of memorization, is of special significance. We commit Scripture to memory, not as a functional habit, but because the discipline of memorizing it forces us to meditate on it and allows us to call it to mind at any time. Putting it into our brains aids us as we seek to put it into our hearts, understand it in a more holistic sense than mere data, and then live it out through our lives. We commit favorite poems to memory because we can then recall them at opportune times as we revel in their beauty. We stare at our loved ones, memorizing their features, noticing the little details, building a picture of them in our minds and in our memories.

But as we outsource our brains to digital media, we threaten our ability to make information into knowledge and knowledge into wisdom. We train ourselves, not to remember, but to forget. Empty minds will beget empty hearts and empty lives.

You can read the whole of his article by clicking here.

What is Apologetics?

What is apologetics, and why does it matter? Dan Strange explains:

Technology and Your Brain

Recently I read Tim Challies' excellent book The Next Story. Tim helpfully navigates us through the impact technology is having on us and the world around us, and helps us to think about how we live faithfully in a world that has been shaped by the digital explosion. It has greatly helped me think biblically about the technology that is increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives, and has challenged me to be more discerning and deliberate about how I use technology and guard against 'being owned' by technology.

Mike Wittmer has written a short post on what technology is doing to us, how it is affecting and changing us. If we are not careful, technology could have a serious effect on our Christian lives without us realising it. Mike's article is worth reading as a spur to getting down to some serious thinking about technology and the Christian life. You can read his article by clicking here. He lists five big things he's learnt from the reading and thinking he's done on what technology is doing to us:

1) It does not connect us as much as we think

2) The internet is giving us Attention Deficit Disorder

3) Google encourages distraction rather than reflection

4) The internet is destroying our memories

5) The internet never forgets

Immediately we can see that this has major implications for our Christian lives. Think about it. If the internet affetcs our attention, distractedness and memories, then surely this will have serious problems for as as we try to seriously and thoughtfully meditate on and memorise Scripture. If technology does not connect us as much as we think, but disconnects us, shurely this will have serious implications for building Christian community in our local churches.

What's the Difference?

The following video is a discussion between John Piper and Darrin Patrick on what the Bible teaches about manhood and womanhood. That is, what it means to be a man, and not a woman; and what it means to be a woman, and not a man. This is a very helpful short video and well worth the 15 minutes it will take to watch this.

Which Gospel Will Shape Your Christmas?

You know it's December when the TV shedules are once again brimming with Christmas movies. Recently I watched the film Elf. The climax of the movie sees some of the main characters 'spreading Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear' outside Central Park in New York. The song they choose let rip with their vocal chords on is Santa Claus is Coming to Town. It is at this point that the uplifting music begins to swell and the audience is left with that warm joyful Christmas feeling.

Yet, as I think about it, I can't help but be reminded that the message of Santa Claus is Coming to Town does not leave us with Christmas cheer. In fact if we take the message of the song seriously we are only left with despair.

Now before I'm berated for being a scrooge, let me explain. The gospel according to Santa Claus is not good news. The message of Santa Claus is essentially this: if you are good you shall be rewarded, if you are not you won't, you will be punished. Therefore, what you need to do is to work hard at being good to recieve your reward, it is all up to you.The gifts that he gives need to be earned. The problem is that we are incapable of being "good for goodness sake!", which means that all we're left with is the prospect of punishment. This is not a message that spreads Christmas cheer.

However, there is a huge contrast with the gospel of Jesus. The biblical gospel gives great hope to those who know that they can never be good enough. The God of the Bible is one who justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5). That is, He declares sinful men and women, who have fallen short of His glory and deserve His punishment, to be in right standing before Him. In the words of Santa Claus is Coming to Town, He declares those who are naughty to be nice. He no longer counts their sins against them (Romans 4:7-8), and thus they can look forward to a future, not of punishment, but of enjoying the glorious blessing of being in His prescence for all eternity in a completely renewed world. This is good news!

The question is: Which gospel will shape our Christmas this year? The two are very different, and will produce very different people.

Now, this post may sound quite familiar. That's probably because it's a summary of one I posted this time last year entitled The Santichrist. You can read the fuller version by clicking here.

Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011)

Christopher Hitchens, the well-known and outspoken atheist, died on Thursday night at the aged 62,  having battled for 18 months with esophageal cancer. In his final months he publicly said that he would not have a 'death-bed conversion' and if anyone should hear such a report they ought not to believe it. Hitchens suspected that rumors would circulate of a deathbed conversion, and even feared that he might actually call out to God. Therefore, he said that if anyone heard of such a thing, it would not be the real Christopher Hitchens. As far as we know, Hitchens died without turning to Christ.

A couple of Christians have written thoughtful obituaries of Hitchens. You can read them by clicking the links below:

• Justin Taylor's Obituary
• Doug Wilson's Obituary

Particularly striking is this paragraph from Wilson's obituary:

Christopher knew that faithful Christians believe that it is appointed to man once to die, and after that the Judgment. He knew that we believe what Jesus taught about the reality of damnation. He also knew that we believe—for I told him—that in this life, the door of repentance is always open. A wise Puritan once noted what we learn from the last-minute conversion of the thief on the cross—one, that no one might despair, but only one, that no one might presume. We have no indication that Christopher ever called on the Lord before he died, and if he did not, then Scriptures plainly teach that he is lost forever. But we do have every indication that Christ died for sinners, men and women just like Christopher. We know that the Lord has more than once hired workers for his vineyard when the sun was almost down (Matt. 20:6).

Justice and the Death of Muammar Gaddafi

Since the death of Muammar Gaddafi last Thursday there have been varying reactions to the events that led to his death. On the one hand some have rejoiced that justice has been done, and that his reign of terror has come to an end. On the other hand others have questioned the justice of how he came to his end, ought he not to have been tried in court first before being executed?

Mike Ovey, principal of Oak Hill theological college, has written a very helpful piece looking at these reactions to Gaddafi's death and how we, as Christians, ought to be thinking about and responding to these events. You can read the article by clicking here.

Steve Jobs

Media all across the world has been abuzz with tributes to Steve Jobs, the former head of Apple, who died on Wednesday. Jobs' work has significantly shaped the technology that many use, and the way we use it.

A number of helpful Christian articles have been written in light of this about Jobs, his legacy and the implicit message behind his life and work with Apple. Here's a roundup of just a few such articles for your thinking and reading pleasure:

• Steve Jobs, the Allure of Technology, and The Image of God - John Dyer
• Dear Steve - Mike Anderson
• The Gospel According to Steve Jobs - Andy Crouch (via Justin Taylor)

Council Estate Christianity

Looters: them or us?

Many have watched the unfolding events in London, and across the UK, over the past week with astonishment. News stations and media coverage have been utterly astounded by the violent rioting and looting taking place across the UK in the last few days. How ought we to think about these events as Christians?

 Mike Ovey, the principal of Oak Hill College, London has written a perceptive and thought provoking comment on the recent riots and looting in London.

He makes four observations about the responses to the looters, that are quite revealing:

• There is a sense that the looters are profoundly "other".
• the vehemence of the responses and the strength of the blame game often seem to speak of real anger.
• The responses are not just anger, but also bewilderment and incredulity.
• Christians are not being looked to for answers.

He then goes on to show four themes that a Christian response needs to address:

• Wealth
• Envy
• Civil Disobedience
• Sin Doesn't Work

 The article is a very helpful response to all that has been happening in London over the past week and is well worth reading. You can read the full article by clicking here.

Adrian Warnock, who is a member of a church in Enfield (one of the areas in London hit by riots and looting), has also written some thoughts on what's been happening in London. Read this here.

Norway's Tragedy and Christian Fundamentalism

In the past week Norway has faced perhaps its most tragic hour. On Friday afternoon Anders Behring Breivik set off a bomb outside government offices in Oslo. He then made his way to Utoya Island, where a youth camp was being run by a political party. Dressed in a police uniform, he opened fire on those present. He killed at least 76 people. What sort of person could be capable of such horriffic actions?

As news channels, websites and newspapers announced this breaking news, many proclaimed that this was the work of a Christian fundamentalist. This media coverage has once again fed the belief of many that Christianity (along with 'religion' in general) only causes violence and hatred in the world. But is this the case? Is a Christian capable of such atrocity? Is this terror consistent with genuine Christianity? Many seem to be saying that it is.

A couple of helpful posts have been written on this issue:

• Tim Challies has written an article entitled Pondering Norway's Darkest Hour on his blog.
• Michael Horton has also written a piece on this issue over at the White Horse Inn blog. You can view it here.

These are worth reading, and the question of the relationship of Christianity to such terrors is worth grappling with, because these are issues that will no doubt be raised by many non-Christian friends.

Desperately seeking Superman

On Monday I met a stranger for coffee. He had been in touch because he knew it was my birthday, so we agreed to meet. Neither of us knew what to expect, after all, we didn't know one another.

I arrived at our agreed coffee shop, (If I was going to have an alien encounter I was going to do it round one of my favourite things, a kind of caffeine infused safety net). As I scanned the people an ageing man rose from is chair and called me over. I looked at the strange man, he looked familiar, like looking into a leathery mirror; "Hi dad", I said. He went to shake my hand but pulled me close, 'one hug in ten years wasn't gonna hurt' I thought...

We chatted about my life in London, what I was learning and about my hopes for the future, he seemed genuinely interested if not a little shell shocked that the spotty sixteen year old had moved on so much! I asked him about his life, not too much to tell, quite lonely I thought... But that's the path he chose a long time ago. After about 90 mins I began to wind things up, there was going to be no recriminations, no anger... not this time. I can't go on hating him I thought, those 90 mins were about an unspoken forgiveness (maybe one day I'll say it).

A very dear friend calls his dad 'superman'... I used to resent that, but now I love it! My dad isn't 'superman', he's not even 'sufficiently adequate man' and sometimes that's hard to come to terms with, but I'm slowly learning two very important lessons!

First, that God is the ultimate standard of Fatherhood. He loves his children with a passionate, unending, Calvary-saturated love. He is the father to the fatherless and the one who will in the end rejoice and sing over all his children (what a sound that will be)!

Secondly, I find that this experience kindles a desire in me that while I never had 'Superman' maybe one day, by God's grace, a child of my own will see the 'S' on my chest and I will have the privilege of pointing them to the one after whom all Fatherhood derives it's name!

The Death of the Mushy Middle

The Japanese Earthquake and God's Sovereignty

I'm sure none of us can be unaware that we live in a world that is filled with suffering and calamity. Earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan, and turmoil and violence in the Middle East have filled the headlines over the last few weeks. The issue of suffering is inescapable.

One of the questions that no doubt many will be asking is how a good and sovereign God could allow such devastation. Some of us may have asked questions like this ourselves, others may be surrounded with others asking such questions. It is vital that we think through and grapple with these questions. It is also vital that we do so in a way that is honouring to God, and therefore founded on the truth of His word. The Bible is clear that God is both utterly sovereign, in control of all things (Job 42:2 -from the mouth of suffering Job), and utterly good (Psalm 119:68 - from the mouth of the suffering Psalmist). How then do these devastating events fit with these two glorious truths? What are God's sovereign and good purposes in these things?

In order to help us do this let me suggest a few resources that will help us. There are many more resources out there than I've mentioned here, but the following are a good place to start:

• Don Carson's book How Long, O Lord? grapples with the issues of evil and suffering. He spends time especially looking at how we hold together the truth of God's utter sovereignty with suffering and human evil in the world. This is an invaluable book for giving us a robust biblical framework to understand suffering both on a personal and a global scale.
• John Piper was interviewed by a radio station after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. He gives a warm, clear, and bold response to many of the questions that non-Christians ask after such events. Piper gives a great model on how to respond in a way that is loving and pastorally sensitive, yet unashamed to boldly proclaim the truth of Scripture. It is well worth a listen to, both in seeking answers to our own questions, and in helping us as we seek to answer the questions of others.
• John Piper has also given a three-part series of talks from the book of Job entitled When the Righteous Suffer. This is a very helpful series of talks that I have heard on the issue of suffering. The book of Job is one of the most important parts of Scripture to grapple with for understanding suffering and God's sovereignty, and Piper does a great job of opening up the magnificent themes of the book of Job, and applying them to the suffering believer.
• Christopher Ash's book Out of the Storm is a study of the book of Job and is a gem of a book. I have personally sat under Christopher as he taught through the book of Job on the Cornhill Training Course and have found it invaluable. This is a great book for getting a clear picture of the book of Job.
• Suffering and The Sovereignty of God is a book written by various authors based on talks given at a "Desiring God" conference. A very helpful look at how God's sovereignty relates to the issue of suffering. Almost all of the authors are those who've known devastating suffering for themselves.
• If You Could Ask God One Question is aimed at a non-Christian audience. Williams and Cooper, through Christianity Explored courses they've run, have spent years asking people "If you could ask God one question, and you knew it would be answered, what would it be?" This book gives their answers to the most frequently asked questions. They have one chapter which looks at the question "Why do you allow suffering?" It is a book well worth having on the shelf as we seek to answer those questions that come up in conversations with non-Christian friends.

Praying for Japan After the Earthquake

In light of the earthquake and tsunami that have devastated Japan, we ought to be praying for that nation. At times like this we can often find ourselves at a loss as to what to pray. We know we ought to pray, but, in light of the great shock and sorrow, we can find it a struggle to find the words.

Over at Desiring God John Piper has thought carefully in light of Scripture about how we might best pray for Japan in a way that is both glorifying to God and for the good of the people of Japan. He recently posted on his blog how he is praying for Japan. What he has written is both Bible-saturated and a great starting point for us as we seek to pray for Japan in light of the devastation of last week's earthquake. Here is Piper's prayer for Japan:

Father in heaven, you are the absolute Sovereign over the shaking of the earth, the rising of the sea, and the raging of the waves. We tremble at your power and bow before your unsearchable judgments and inscrutable ways. We cover our faces and kiss your omnipotent hand. We fall helpless to the floor in prayer and feel how fragile the very ground is beneath our knees.

O God, we humble ourselves under your holy majesty and repent. In a moment—in the twinkling of an eye—we too could be swept away. We are not more deserving of firm ground than our fellowmen in Japan. We too are flesh. We have bodies and homes and cars and family and precious places. We know that if we were treated according to our sins, who could stand? All of it would be gone in a moment. So in this dark hour we turn against our sins, not against you.

And we cry for mercy for Japan. Mercy, Father. Not for what they or we deserve. But mercy.

Have you not encouraged us in this? Have we not heard a hundred times in your Word the riches of your kindness, forbearance, and patience? Do you not a thousand times withhold your judgments, leading your rebellious world toward repentance? Yes, Lord. For your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our thoughts.

Grant, O God, that the wicked will forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Grant us, your sinful creatures, to return to you, that you may have compassion. For surely you will abundantly pardon. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus, your beloved Son, will be saved.

May every heart-breaking loss—millions upon millions of losses—be healed by the wounded hands of the risen Christ. You are not unacquainted with your creatures' pain. You did not spare your own Son, but gave him up for us all.

In Jesus you tasted loss. In Jesus you shared the overwhelming flood of our sorrows and suffering. In Jesus you are a sympathetic Priest in the midst of our pain.

Deal tenderly now, Father, with this fragile people. Woo them. Win them. Save them.

And may the floods they so much dread make blessings break upon their head.

O let them not judge you with feeble sense, but trust you for your grace. And so behind this providence, soon find a smiling face.

In Jesus’ merciful name, Amen.

There are a number of mission agencies with workers in Japan. In order to pray more informedly for Japan, its needs, and the work of the gospel there why not visit their websites. Both IFES and OMF have posted updates about the situation in Japan, news on their missionaries, and how to pray for Japan.

Japan, Tsunamis and God's Sovereign Mercy

The devastating earthquake, and the following tsunami, that has just struck Japan will no doubt leave many asking the question: "What is God up to? Where is He in all of this?"

Similar questions were asked of the Indian Ocean tsunami back in 2004. After that disaster John Piper wrote a helpful article about how we think Christianly about such calamities. It is well worth reading as we think through, both for ourselves and for the questions others will be asking us, how we respond biblically to this catastrophe. You can read Piper's article Tsunami, Sovereignty, and Mercy by clicking here.

Living in a Shaky World

We live in a shaky world. It is a world that is filled with turmoil and uncertainties. Over the last few weeks the headlines have been dominated by 'shakiness'. The middle east has been shaken by poltical unrest and upheaval, with recent uprisings in Egypt and Libya. New Zealand has been shaken by a devastating earthquake in Christchurch. All of these events make us realise how uncertain and insecure this world really is, and makes us long for security. We live in a shaky world.

Where then should we look as Christians living in the midst of this shaky world? Over recent days Psalm 46 has been brought to my mind. It gives us both a vivid picture of the reality of this shaky world, and gives us as God's people great certainty in the midst of such 'shakiness'. Listen to what the first seven verses tell us:

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

This Psalm reminds us, as God's people in Christ, that though all things should be falling down around us we have no reason to fear. Why? Because God is our refuge and ever present help (verse 1), He is with us (verse 7). In the midst of a world that seems to be falling down around us we have one who is an unfailing refuge.

In verses 4-7 the Psalm points us to an unshakeable city. This is a city where God is present among His people (verse 4-5), and which "shall not be moved" (verse 5). In the Old Testament this is referring to Jerusalem, but the Psalm  points far beyond a small plot of land in the Middle East. This unshakeable city finds its fulfillment in the New Jerusalem which Revelation 21-22 speaks of, which shall be seen and enjoyed in all its fullness when Jesus returns. It is a place where God is fully present with His people (Revelation 21:3), and a place of utter security for His people (hence the gates will never be shut 21:25).

In the midst of a shaky world Christ's people have an unshakeable kingdom (Hebrews 12:28), and we look forward to the hope of an unshakeable city (Revelation 21-22). We have a city that no amount of miliatary force can overthrow, and no earthquake can topple. This is because we have a king who reigns with all power over all nations (Psalm 2:7-9), and who shall reign for all eternity (Luke 1:32-33), the Lord Jesus.

Therefore, as we find the world around us being shaken, let us remind ourselves that in Christ we have an unshakeable kingdom, and ever look to Him for refuge in a shaky world. When everything is falling down around us, if we are in Christ we have ultimate security and we shall not be shaken.