Fleeing a city or state because of increasing manifestations of evil has become a popular choice among those who disagree with the negative policies represented by a city or state government. While that reaction is motivated many times by a concern for family, personal safety, and livelihood, it can be a mistake if fear is doing the leading, not the redemptive heart of God.

We have seen a lot of evil transpiring in the cities of America. While that evil is upfront and personal, it would amaze us at the depth of evil present and hidden in the quaint little towns some have chosen to run to for refuge. As an undercover cop working in the gutters of the inner city, I saw the evidence of evil that was present in the quaintness of our assumptions. It is primarily the isolated events of evil and rebellion that catch our attention and garner the next news cycle of the day. We forget that the masses of people living under such an influence agree that something is amiss. They just need to be born again to assume their Kingdom role in the process of cultural reformation that will facilitate the change required to bring stability and peace to their neighborhood. The Church holds the final destiny of a city, not its government.

Those telling us to flee a city, or a state because of the presence of evil have a confused understanding of our role in this covenant.  The Church has been embedded in all cultures to speak the truth in love and to influence the negative manifestations they see taking place with the opposing presence of good. If we heed the blanket warnings to flee a city or state we will end up fleeing to places of an assumed better life. Over time, our cities or states of refuge will be influenced by the very evil we ran away from.

A running Church is not a powerful Church. This happens when we listen to national news outlets and our favorite bloggers’ messages to flee and allow a city or a state to go to hell without intervention. 

Jesus reminded us of an aspect of God’s Kingdom in a parable in Matthew 13. He used an agricultural parable of wheat and tares (weeds). Jesus began the parable by stating, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not” (vs. 11).

Jesus defined the nature of His Kingdom, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew” (vs. 25-26). In the cities and states where we see evil working openly and without restraint, we are seeing the growth of tares.

As the parable continued, Jesus referred to a farmer who cried out, “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’” (vs. 28-30). 

Until the end of the age, the Church will dwell in the presence of tares. At the time of the final harvest, it will be the wheat, ripe for harvest, that will bow down in worship under the weight of God’s presence. The tares will remain erect in the self-confidence of their evil. We who continue to worship the Lord in the midst of evil will manifest a defining moment of clarity in our culture. It will be the Lord of the Harvest who will then separate the wheat from the self-righteous tares.

The Lord may cause some of you to relocate for redemptive purposes, but it should never be done because of fear. Kingdom relocation is not motivated by the presence of evil in our midst. If that becomes our motivation, that choice would cause us to run away from the very people and institutions that need a bold representation of God’s Kingdom presence in their lives.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).