Dire Straits is the name of an Australian rock band and it is also appears to be the condition of the world in which we live.

Enclave is a word that doesn’t get used in print very often. Meriam Webster defines enclave as, “a distinct territorial, cultural, or social unit enclosed within or as if within foreign territory.” It can also be described as a group of people who differ from those who surround them.

Entropy is another term not often used. It is a descriptive word that has a number of uses. The way it’s going to be used here is to convey the idea of decay and eventual collapse. This idea strongly suggests a decline, from order into disorder, and it describes the condition of mankind in relation to one’s choosing how to live, lacking a moral compass.

Atrophy is a medical term used to describe the condition of a part of the body. This condition occurs from a lack of use. The end result is a shriveled and useless organ or limb.

These three words, enclave; entropy; and atrophy, along with the band’s name, “Dire Straits,” will be useful descriptors that will hopefully provoke people into action. Believers are well aware of the fact that the Bible states mankind is lost. Believers need to understand and grasp what that lost condition entails, at the cultural level, in today’s world. As one will see later the Bible does tell us what to do about it.

Let’s begin with the word enclave. For our purposes, this word can be seen as synonymous with the Bible believing, Christ centered Christian church that understands and believes in being born again. An important fact that needs to be brought up, and will be returned to again later is the idea of what it means to be in the world, but not of the world. 

This body of believers, alive at any one time, is an enclave surrounded by a culture of non-believers with multiple ideologies. To an observant individual, the greatest differences between groups deal with human morality and where truth comes from. For the believer, the source for truth, knowledge, and appropriate behaviors come from God. To varying degrees, other groups either believe they make up the moral decisions about life “on the run.” Some groups may claim that God is the author of truth, knowledge, and morality but don’t live their lives that way. However, some may belong to a radicalized religious organization and culture. Those folks are simply sold a bill of goods and find it easier to follow the leader and not have to make any difficult moral decisions themselves.

This understanding brings us to the current predicament believers find themselves in. In the USA there has been a steady decline in morality and living a morally jurisprudent lifestyle. Since WWII, and possibly beginning during “the roaring twenties,” this decline, this entropy, began to manifest itself until today the decay is unmistakable. It is at a point where the entropy has dissolved all norms and a collapse is on the horizon. Truthfully, it may have already begun.

Atrophy becomes a part this discussion when one considers the question, “How did this happen?” Our current predicament occurred from a confluence of factors. The first was the slow but steady decline in the effectiveness of the church to stem the tide of moral decline. The other comes from scholarly institutes. This happened in the same way as the moral decline, slow and steady.

In the sciences, the belief of evolution took hold. This of course demonstrated to the people and to the government a new world where man could determine his own destiny. No need for God, man can do it himself. Many are now calling this the New World Order.

The other influence has occurred more behind the scenes. Here the academics’ first introduced the concept called Modernism. This was the idea that modern man is dissimilar from the past. Modernism mostly deals with the 20^th century and the context is referencing academia’s humanities. But it didn’t stop there.

A transformation then occurred where Modernism was replaced by Post-Modernism. Merriam Webster’s dictionary gives a short, but adequate definition here “of, relating to, or being a theory that involves a radical reappraisal of modern assumptions about culture, identity, history, or language.” However, it doesn’t bring up the most influential idea behind the concept of Post-Modernism. One where man necessarily must develop his/her own truth because to them there is no such thing as an objective truth.

Up until recently these changes have been incremental in nature. Now however, they make their moves at the speed of light and the computer connections. Metaphorically, they have jumped on their horse and are riding it for all it is worth. Are these ill-fated ideas going to burn-out indicative of their own malfeasance? Or are they going to succeed and complete the transformation to a world they control and where there won’t be any room for God or dissenters.

So, what can be done? There are two comments that need to be made. As part of the Christian enclave we need to remember, we’ve read the end of “The Book” (the Bible) and God (us included) wins. The other thing we need to remember is one very important job we have all been called to perform. It has been titled “The Great Commission.” Jesus stated in (NASB) Matthew 28: 19-20, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

There is another verse from which the name netcastblog.ambassadorships.net is derived. Paul in II Corinthians 5: 20 said, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” As a matter of fact, all of II Corinthians 5 gives a very good description of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This chapter is extremely useful as one goes out to reach the lost, because right now, at this very moment the world is in “dire straits.”

What is about to be written has been written many times before. But it appears quite likely that the time to bring others into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ is short. While one can’t be certain of the eminent return of Christ, it could happen at any time. This return is the final installment of the Gospel of Christ. Even if that time is not now, the dire straits of the lost are real. They need to hear the Good News. To be sure, netcastblog.ambassadorships.net has a large amount of relevant articles and information that can help with that.