The Evil of Evil

If you spend enough time with the right people you will come to see that evil is not just a little something. I was raised in a middle class family with two parents who were trying to do a good job raising my siblings and me. They taught us some basics about how to live well and to get along with others. That is not the experience of so many others. The evil that they have experienced is, at times, more than what one can fathom. 

Now, I'm saying this to make a point about the Gospel. We cannot just blithely say that the Gospel will change the world. To say that honestly, one needs to appreciate what it actually is that opposes the Gospel. Evil is not just some little bump in the road. It is a powerful force that ruins people's lives. Change for them will require more than an altar call and an exhortation to pray and read the Bible. Evil does not relinquish is prey so very easily. It will take something with more power than hell contains. It will take more than touting Gospel words like a simple jingle. The fact of the matter is that the Gospel of Jesus really does have more power than evil. But those who will be able to apply that Gospel in a way that will actually change lives will need to understand what they are up against.