1 John 5:19: ^19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

I read that verse in my morning devotion time the other day and remembered that the New Testament repeatedly affirms that this world in which we live is not a neutral place.  It is decidedly hostile territory for Christians.  It is under the control of the devil, the one who delights in chaos and in our suffering. 

This world is evil, and its evil is beyond the reforming power of any human being or human institution (whether government, non-profit, or even the visible church). 

Our response to this news is not to despair.  Christ is sovereign; he will return one day and make everything sad come untrue.  All things are working together for the good of those who love him.

However, in light of the pervasiveness of evil in this world, Christians should be very realistic about what they can, on their own, accomplish "for the kingdom."  I heard a minister quoted the other day.  This minister said he used to dream of all the wonderful things he'd do for God in his lifetime.  However, he'd recently seen several of his close friends in the ministry toppled by sexual sin.  Now, he said, he just wants to finish the race.  He just wants to keep from being disqualified for the prize.

I took encouragement from that, because that minister took a very realistic view of his own sinfulness.  The main battle we fight in this life will be the fight for our own hearts.  The devil delights in getting Christians to focus on "what they can do for God," while he creeps in the unguarded backdoor to the soul.  Many times, the more "successful" a Christian venture is (church, ministry, whatever), the more susceptible the leadership is to Satanic deception.

Likewise, I love what John MacArthur (a very "successful" pastor, by the way) said about this: "I've concerned myself with the depth of my ministry; God has handled the breadth."  That God would raise up more Christians concerned with the depth of their love for God than the breadth of their influence in the world.