There is a war going on that you may not have heard about!

I have many neighbors who suddenly, judging from the flag they fly, seem to be citizens of Ukraine. I conclude they're citizens of Ukraine because none of them fly a U.S. Flag. Everybody in this country must already know of a war between Russia and Ukraine regarding the independent sovereignty of the Donbas. It isn't unique that we've heard only one story relating to it. There IS more than one, though.
For instance: The Russian Federation has maintained they have legal standing for protecting their own borders from an encroaching NATO military presence – for recognizing the sovereignty of Russians separatists living on Ukraine’s border – Crimea voted overwhelmingly to be separate from Ukraine and align with Russia in 2014 – and for protecting ethnic minorities in disputed territories on the border of Georgia from a mafia-run government in 2008. (See: https://www.forerunner.com/blog/how-should-christians-view-russia-and-ukraine)
Likewise, the United States has made numerous incursions into Latin America throughout our history to protect our military and economic interests, and to liberate nations from oppressive governments. Since the 1950s, the United States has conducted covert operations in Guatemala , Cuba , Guyana, Chile, Nicaragua, as well as outright military invasions of the Dominican Republic (1965), Grenada (1983), and Panama (1989). Personally, I don't know of any reason to object to any of these invasions. They served to restore peace and sovereignty to legitimate governments.
The Monroe Doctrine tells us- and the world-- that the United States is responsible for order in the Americas. The Russians have a similar notion that they are the protectors of the Slavic people.
Certainly, no one writes of the fact that Ukraine massed over 250,000 troops on the border of Donbas in what appeared to be preparation to invade that region. At least that's what the Russians decided, which is why they came into the Donbas with only 160,000 troops hastily put together—a fact that seems to support their assertion that they were not there to take all of Ukraine or to occupy it. Rather, they say they chose to stand in the way of a larger slaughter of civilians than we see now. One we probably wouldn't have heard of because of certain links to certain politicoes.
War in any event is abominable and my purpose here is definitely not to justify it or “root” for any side. But the situation is more complicated than the news pundits make it out to be.
The awful thing is that there are 4 wars going on in the world right now that kill at least 10,000 people per year. The Mexican government's war on drug lords has cost at least 350,000 lives. The muslim Ethiopian government has carried on a war against black Christians for years. Where, according to the UN, 300,000 are in danger of starving within a month. . (Where are the peaceful protesters?) There are as many as 15 conflicts that go on at any given time that kill fewer than 10,000 humans annually.
I spend time telling you all this for 2 reasons: 1) As the kid of old-school journalists who'd tell the truth even if they didn't like it, I am offended that this information is not likely part of the story you heard; 2) There are wars, and facts about them you do not probably know.
Well, of course there are wars. There have always been wars for one reason or another. In Matthew 24:3 , when Jesus was asked by his disciples about His return, He said that there will always be wars & rumors of wars. Jesus was instructing us to not allow wars or rumors of wars to lead us to conclude that they're an indicator of His immediate return, because “the end is not yet,” This means that there is still time to share the Gospel. This is to be our primary concern in this life. And this brings me to the war we all must contend with-- the war against Christianity. Surely, Satan has been at war with Christianity since before there was Christianity, but we have to admit that there is a new twist to it. One article notes that “a post-Christian America is a more vicious America, and that the triumph of secularists is rendering America more polarized, not less. Remove from the public square biblical admonitions such as “love your enemies” and the hatred has more room to grow. When the fruits of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — wither, then the culture is far more coarse.” With even the suggestion that abortion law may change to actually protect human life, we witnessed a new and vicious outpouring of hate and violence aimed at Christianity in what used to be the example of actual tolerance to the world. Talking heads of major media have been aiming hate at Christians as the enemy. The truth is, Christianity is the enemy of totalitarian control and legalized forms of sin. Because Christians have allegiance only to one God, not the state & it recognizes what a hateful, harmful scam sin really is. In fact, Christianity is more dangerous than a military opponent to hedonistic control-freaks, and they know it even if the Christian does not.
We as Christians must know the battle and be prepared to stand our ground in love and explain Truth. Real Truth. I look forward to addressing some of the things to address and some classic suggestions of how to do so in the coming months.                   Pastor Geoff