War Games

The past couple weeks, I've been asking the Lord to break my heart afresh for the lost world.  But I certainly didn't expect Him to use tonight's "fun" movie to bring me to tears.

After an intense day of programming and LightSys work, Greg and I curled up to relax and watch War Games - a 1983 movie release about a boy computer hacker who taps into a government defense computer.  Almost before he realizes what his meddling has done, the US and Russia are preparing for WW III.  With 9 hours (and counting) before the dreaded nuclear warheads launch, the boy ends up on a search to find the one programmer who can help correct the computer program and avert the crisis.

Eventually, with no one who believes him and with this knowledge weighing heavily on him, he exclaims to his girlfriend, "I wish I didn't know about any of this.  I wish I was like everyone else in the world."

Those statements struck me hard.  His knowledge of what was going to happen was not simple knowledge.  It brought with it responsibility.  He knew that time was short and that lives would be lost and he couldn't just go back to his regular life.  He had to do something!

I have the same problem as the boy.  And you likely have the problem too.  We know the truth.  We know the way of salvation.  And we know that people are perishing without Christ.  Every day, 80,000 people die and plunge into hell without ever hearing the name of Jesus.  Time is short.  We can't just live our lives like the world around us.  We have to be deliberate in reaching out to our towns and our country and the world with the message of Christ.

I sat there on the couch with Greg after the movie ended and I couldn't keep from crying.  Crying over the millions that have never heard our Savior's name.  Crying over the wars and famines and genocides that the enemy uses to claim lives.  Crying over the Church that has the knowledge of salvation, but seems to be lulled into forgetting the urgency of the moment.  Where is our heart, Church?  Where is our passion?  Where is our desperation?

We do know the truth.  And we aren't like everyone else in the world.

We have to do something.