Are we conquering the world for Christ, or are we conquered by ungodly society?

Elijah means "My God is Yahweh" meaning “I serve the LORD, the God of Israel”

In chapters 16 and 17 of the Book of 1 Kings we see the universal scope of the struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, the kingdom of God and Christ and the dominion of wickedness. We see this already by looking at what the names of the main human characters in the story stand for throughout Scripture.   

In the Bible the name "Jezebel” is a symbol for what is evil, wicked, and opposed to God. The name "Jezebel" is reserved for those who try to destroy the church and the people of God through idolatry and godless living.

The name "Elijah," by contrast, is a symbol for those who wholeheartedly serve and worship the Lord.   The name "Elijah" means "My God is Yahweh."

Before the reign of King Ahab, Israel was already turning away from their LORD.  But Ahab and Jezebel made matters much worse.  Ahab's reign led Israel to worship Baal and abandon God, the LORD, the God of Israel, of Moses, of David, Solomon and all the other godly leaders of God’s people.

Israel's being radically different than the other nations who did not serve the LORD came to an end under Ahab.  His reign erased the boundaries which the Lord Himself established between his people and the pagan world.

God's election of Israel as heirs of his kingdom made Israel different. To prove this difference Israel was given the Old Testament sacrament of circumcision as the mark of God’s covenant with them. They were given the Ten Commandments as the law of this relationship with God. They were given the Sabbath to create a rhythm of work, rest and worship which no other nation knew or celebrated. These, and everything that was their way of life, clearly and visibly established Israel as being God's holy people: the people he loved, cared for, protected, defended and blessed.

King Ahab's sin of replacing the LORD with idols as Israel’s state religion finally broke down the wall of separation between Israel and the nations.  The walls were broken down because the world entered and conquered Israel with its wicked ways. As a consequence, Israel was no longer as a nation God's people that are radically different from the pagan world.

Like Israel, the church is called to be God's holy and different people. In baptism we have received the mark of God and in Christ and are called to be radically unlike unbelieving society.

But are we? Are the walls between the Church and non-Christian society broken down because we triumphantly enter the world with the message of the Gospel of Christ? Or, are they broken down because the world has entered the church and conquered us with its evil ways?

Are we conquering the world or is the world conquering us, when Christians make a habit of living in no different way than the unbelieving world? Are we conquering the world for Christ, or is the world conquering the Church?

As Christians we believe that Sunday is to be a day set aside, a day of worship. It is a sign of being part of the faith community rooted in the resurrection of Jesus our Lord. But these days any excuse is good enough to, like the world, claim the day of the Lord for our own plans, agenda’s and pleasure. 

Are we conquering the world or is the world conquering us?

Do our marriages, our families, the way we run our finances, the way we work and play and live still show clearly that we are of the Household of God, and of the people of the Lord, or do we look exactly the same as everyone else?

Are we of the Kingdom of Ahab, or of the Kingdom of the Messiah of the God of Israel, even Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Are the walls between us and the world broken down because we triumphantly enter the world with the message of the Gospel of Christ? Or, are they broken down because the world has entered us, trying to conquer the Church with its evil, ungodly ways?