Is Everything Going to be All Right?

Is everything going to be all right?

You must have faith to know this.  Faith can’t be stationary.  You can’t stop growing your faith when you are young because you know you believe.  The truth is, when you get older, you need more faith.  The stakes for everything are higher.  There is more to lose and no time to recover from a terrible mistake.  You are responsible for so much more, so every decision affects a lot more people.  Fear works so very hard to seep into every crack.  Only a faith that grows steadily will help you be able to sail confidently through those trials and temptations.

Is my faith growing today?  Do I have a faith journal to remind myself of the many, many times God has directly and purposefully answered prayers? 

Am I confident in God’s provision, come what may?  Sure, I am aware that bad things could and do happen to people with faith.  In fact, my faith may be why those things could happen to me.  No one wants to go through bad things, but that is fear.

So, is everything going to be all right?  Today?  Tomorrow?  Is it?  Do you or I have rest in our souls that everything is going to be all right because God lives today and forever and He has a place for us?

Until this faith is assured deep in our hearts and settled as a part of our soul, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to find and live with hope, joy, and peace.

This great, old church hymn sums it up nicely.

It is Well With my Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

1. Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
   It is well, it is well with my soul.
   
   
   Refrain:
   It is well with my soul,
   It is well, it is well with my soul.
   
   
   Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
   Let this blest assurance control,
   That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
   And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
   
   
   My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
   My sin, not in part but the whole,
   Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
   Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
   
   
   For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
   If Jordan above me shall roll,
   No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
   Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
   
   
   But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
   The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
   Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
   Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
   
   
   And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
   The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
   The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
   Even so, it is well with my soul.

Criminal Record vs Bad Credit Score

In a recent economic article entitled, Get Your Act Together, by Jared Dillian, he comments:

“There are two types of people with bad credit. People who are genuinely dirtbags who don’t pay back loans, and people who are just slobs. If you have a bad credit score, it is because you are a dirtbag or a slob. Generally speaking. …

“A credit score is a measure of your character. I’ll go further. A credit score says more about your character than, in many cases, a criminal record. A criminal record is a snapshot of your behavior at a brief moment in time. Sometimes good people break laws now and then.

“But a credit score isn’t a snapshot of your behavior at a moment in time. It establishes a pattern of behavior over years and years. There is a lot of data that goes into a credit score.

“I would rather date someone with a criminal record than a bad credit score.”

Now, I’m sure that statement has some qualifications based on what the criminal record actually was.  I doubt he would rather date an ax-murderer than a financial slob.

However, his point is incredibly valid.  In relationships, it is easier to be friends with someone who has failed and sincerely repented than be friends with someone who has a sloppy character and constantly has small failures but doesn’t get a handle on it. 

This comparison strikes so directly at the class conscious better-than-you church going Christian.  For me, that person so often compares directly to the financial slob described above.  They are full of what they consider small sins and they have no intention of pursuing a purer sanctification because what they do is so much better than others.  My experience is that this person is quick to complain when something isn’t done their way (or the way its always been done) and there personal witness is very weak.  So weak that I’ve often wanted to ask “Is that it?  You’ve been a Christian for decades and that’s all you’ve got?”  God should not seem a small thing when a Christian provides a testimony.

Then there is the sinner who did a most awful sin, became completely broken at the foot of Jesus, repented and has a changed character because of it.  This person carries a powerful witness and testimony.  They know Jesus can change a person and are willing, even eager, to share their story hoping that it will stop someone who may be on the wrongful path they took or lead someone to repentance.  They know they are a sinner like everyone else and can’t be pretentious.

Which one would you want to have as a friend?  Which Christian are you?

The Lord is My Need

Is the Lord your need?  Is the Lord all you need for fulfillment, purpose, and life?

²² Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
²³ They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
²⁴ “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!” – Lamentations 3:22-24

Is your only hope in God because He alone fills your soul?  Are you satisfied with God and nothing else?  Do you have hope for today?  It is found in the Lord when He is your fulfillment.

The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want. – Psalms 23:1

Where does your heart lie?  In the cares of this world or satisfied in communion with the one true living God?

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord. – Jeremiah 17:7

Do you want to live a blessed life?  Let go of yourself and stop being your own god!  Sacrifice all that you hold onto for security and embrace the Savior who reaches for you.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. – James 4:8

Deliberately move to the God who created you, mercifully saves you, and never stops loving you. 

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  – Jeremiah 29:13

There are no wrong steps in moving closer to God. 

Is God your need?

The Lord has suffered so much for me.

It is reported that the last words of Girolamo Savonarola, one of the first open reformers of the corrupt Catholic church, upon being executed in 1498 by the order of Pope Alexander VI were, “The Lord has suffered so much for me.”  He was hung and then burned.  His greatest crime was working for a reformation of the Church.  He opposed the severe declining of Biblical morality in society and saw the same societal morality in the Church.  Martin Luther considered Girolamo to be a martyr. 

Regardless of anything else that happened in his life, the last words are profound and we can apply them to our own life.

We live in a society that preaches “Me, me, me, it’s all about me.  What should I do to make me happy?”  This doesn’t seem to be different than any society of any other time.  It is the condition of man who has wanted to be god from the beginning.  The questions today are: 

• Who is it that preaches sin and repentance?  
• Who is willing to accept God’s leading and be willing to follow obedience to God’s authority? 
• Where is the conviction of sin in men and women today?

Is our generation so gutless that they are unwilling to suffer rejection or discomfort for the sake of standing on the written Word of God?  The only answer is a resounding YES!  Most who claim to follow Christ (calling themselves Christian) reject His Word for their own pleasures, to do what they want to do so they can be “happy” according to their terms.  Where is the one who will stand unapologetically on faith in the one true living God and His Word?  Where is the one who is wiling to suffer in taking such a stand?

Compared to the man who was about to be hung and burned and said, “The Lord has suffered so much for me”, in great humility and thankfulness, we are the softest bunch of pansy Christians that must have ever been gifted with life.

Psalms 7:7-9

⁷ Let the assembled peoples gather around you,

    while you sit enthroned over them on high.

The Lord sits on high above all on His throne in heaven.

Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar. – Psalm 138:6

The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. – Psalm 11:4

Hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. – 1 Kings 22:19

David is calling for God to sit on His throne of judgment in front of the heavenly hosts.

⁸     Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,
    according to my integrity, O Most High.
⁹ Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
    who probes minds and hearts.

How could David say that he is righteous?  David himself tells us that no person is good.

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;

    there is none who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,

    to see if there are any who understand,

    who seek after God.

They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;

    there is none who does good,

    not even one.  – Psalm 14:1-3

The only thing that would make David’s righteous is the Spirit of God within him.  David knew the Spirit of God was with him and within him.  He testifies of it in Psalm 51:11 when he prays to God, “Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

David is praying here for God to vindicate him based on the actions he has taken and on the integrity of his heart which has followed the Lord’s command through His Spirit.  Otherwise he can’t make that prayer because he himself knows there is no good in man. 

O LORD, judge the people, condemn the wicked and free the righteous!  Only He can do this as only He knows the mind and heart of every man.

Psalms 7:6

⁶ Arise, Lord, in Your anger;

    rise up against the rage of my enemies.
    Awake, my God; decree justice.

This is such a powerful statement from David.  Especially if you’ve been subject to the deeds of evil people or an evil person.  Yes!!  Oh Lord Yes!!  Rise up in Your anger against them!! 

This is also a very Old Testament mindset, but we should be reminded that the Lord is the same God and He does not change.  David prayed for God to rise up in His anger, not David’s, against the rage of his enemies that were dealing with him unjustly.  David wisely knows that when God rises up to oppose his enemies, his enemies are doomed.  God’s justice is perfect.  God’s opposition to them will be perfect and there is no escape.

To say this, David is confident that he has not wronged his enemies.  If he has, he has just prayed for God to allow him to be trampled and overtaken by them.  David knows he sits on the side of God’s righteousness and his enemies oppose God’s righteousness or God Himself.

Jesus taught for us to Love our enemies and Pray for those who persecute you (Mt 5:44).  The spirit of the text being to pray for their salvation.  To pray that they will turn on one of the chances they get to choose to believe in God since God doesn’t will that as single person would perish in to the eternal flames of a very real Hell.

Is David praying differently than Jesus teaches?  David who had the Spirit of God within him is praying for God’s anger to rise up against the rage of his enemies. 

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. – Romans 12:17-19

Notice that David isn’t praying that he be allowed to destroy his enemies.  He is asking God to take His anger against them.  He is praying for God’s wrath upon them.  Paul teaches in Romans that the ungodly live at enmity against God (Rm 8:7-8).  That is, they are enemies of God.  David knows this and is praying for God to repay them.  David knows that God will deal with them perfectly.

²² Let their supper be bait in a trap that snaps shut;
May their best friends be trappers who’ll skin them alive.

²³ Make them become blind as bats,
Give them the shakes from morning to night.

²⁴ Let them know what you think of them,
Blast them with your red-hot anger. – Psalms 69:22-24

Do we want any less?  If people have hardened their heart against God and are intent on opposing Him everywhere they can to include intruding and demanding me to change my lifestyle – to take away my freedom to worship and live as well as I can according to the Word of God, then yes I want God’s anger to rise up against their rage, so they will meet Him face-to-face.  Perhaps then, they can decide if they want to oppose the living Lord forever or realize that that powerful God is reaching out to them even while He stands against them.

Either way, I want those who don’t know God to be presented with God.  I pray they will act justly and stop battling me, but if they won’t, I pray that the one true living God will rise up and stand against them, so they will know there is a God that is everywhere and who is all life and who loves His children.

It is important however to remind myself that God’s timeline isn’t mine.  I must rest in peace knowing God will save His children and confront their enemies.  He will deal justly with them perfectly.

Psalms 7:3-5

³ O Lord my God, if I have done this:

If there is iniquity in my hands,
⁴ If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or have plundered my enemy without cause,
⁵ Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
And lay my honor in the dust.  (NIV)

How many people do I know that are willing to sacrifice their worth, their pride, thein “honor”, their life, so willingly so that righteousness will be done?  How many people do I know that believe righteousness is so important that it must go forward as a priority over even their own cause?  Am I willing to believe in righteousness so vigorously?

An interesting thing to note here about David is he was very close to God in these extreme trials.  In battles with enemies or his king, he turned to God with complete abandonment of himself, as we all should.  In 1 Samuel 13:14 we read Samuel telling the king Saul, “the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler of his people”.  And in Acts 13:22, “God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’”  David was a man whose internal desire was pursuit of the purpose and character of God.  This he did, especially when in confrontations, battles, and trials. 

I have often thought that David’s fall came when he relaxed as a deserving king that didn’t need to be in those battles, leading and inspiring the men, but resting in the palace comforts while they fought.  I recently heard someone say that “happiness is the enemy”.  The point was that once they rested in comfort of accomplishments in life, they would stop achieving – they would lose their drive and their ability to take risk.  They would be unwilling to lose everything to achieve great things.  I wonder if David had lost some drive as king during his dark days of sin and had relaxed his pursuit of God’s righteousness.  (The response to this quote was, “if you can never let yourself achieve happiness, then you have already lost.”  I don’t know what the answer is to these opposing thoughts.) 

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

David has the most noble of thoughts here from his heart.  He considers that he is capable and may have done wrong to these people unknowingly.  Maybe they are justified.  If he’s actually done wrong to these people, then the just answer is for him to be dealt with properly.  That is honest repentance and putting God then others first.  We should strive to be so noble.

Light of Life

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12 

Today, I certainly don’t feel like I have the light of life.  I wonder if God has left me.  I assume this means that I am not following Him, if I interpret the verse above correctly.  How can you follow when you can’t hear or there are no words for you?  Where is the life from the Spirit?

Perhaps God has judged me and He has left me to myself as a judgment.  I certainly deserve this.  What then? 

I know that life is precious and everyday should be lived and not taken for granted.  Yet, life seems hollow.  Every aspect of life seems to hurt and I make everyone around me miserable.  I try to hide it, but those closest to me know something is wrong.  Perhaps I am just really tired from the fight.  Everything is a fight.  I am criticized on all sides.  The light of hope fades and I fight to keep it alive.

As I write I notice that there are way too many “I”s in the above paragraphs.  “I” should not be so important to my own landscape. 

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  - Psalms 51:10-12

God did not speak to Israel for 400 years.  No prophets came during that time.  That is 12 to 15 generations of families.  That is longer than the United States has been a nation.  Even so, some in the culture kept the Word of God and the society was a theocracy based on the writings from God through men of previous generations. 

Then, Jesus came as a child and died as a sinless man.  He was resurrected and through Him life was created and can be recreated.  The dead society following words could choose God and receive His Spirit and walk in life.  Long before, David knew how important that Spirit was within him and pleaded with God to not take it from him.  Now, the Spirit is available to any who choose to believe that Jesus is the Son of the one true living God.

Today I plead as David did, for a new pure heart, to not be cast from the presence of God, that the Spirit would remain in me and my own spirit be renewed, that my joy of His salvation would be restored, and my own spirit would be willing to persevere.  May it be so.

Psalms 7:1-2

O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;

Save me from all those who persecute me; (v1, NIV)

God! God! I am running to you for dear life;
    the chase is wild. If they catch me, I’m finished:
    ripped to shreds by foes fierce as lions,
    dragged into the forest and left
    unlooked for, unremembered. (v1-2, Message)

While it is often said we should not reserve our prayers to God to only be 911 prayers, it does say something, at least to me, that we do turn to God in such times.  It is a sign of faith.  It says, like the Message Bible interprets, that we trust God and Him alone to save us.  The old saying, “There is no such thing as an Atheist in a foxhole” rings true.  If there is nothing else beyond this life and no god, then what must the despair be for those who have no help and are hopeless?  I can only imagine it is internally sheer panic or it is a willingness to do anything that makes the person happy or helps them. 

If there is no god, then each person is their own god.  They have to be.  If they live in a limited time arena, then it is complete foolishness to not get what you can and live how you want to live for as long as you can.  It must appear as complete hypocrisy to see people living within moral boundaries or purposely giving, often sacrificing, of themselves for the benefit of others.  It must also be completely offensive to them when another person creates limits on their ability to live however they want to live since the only thing they’ll ever have is what is inside this limited time.

Every sad moment is offensive to them and has to be the result of someone else causing it because they are living to be happy in every moment.  If they don’t have something they want it now so they can be happy now before the limited time ends.  Every tested rule of life that were learned by previous generations of Americans are being thrown out (that is, until they return like a boomerang and hit them in the head).  Brett & Kate McKay list the following lessons learned after reading Tom Brokaw’s book The Greatest Generation: 1) Take personal responsibility for your life; 2) Be frugal; 3) Be humble; 4) Love loyally; 5) Work hard; 6) Embrace challenge; 7) Don’t make life so damn complicated (just get up and go).  None of these reflect the ideology of I have to be happy and it’s the world’s job to make me happy.

The problem in the world today is the absence of God in the life of people.  Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”  They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! (Ps 14:1)  Life is much more than this limited time.  In fact, the Bible tells us that once a person accepts that Jesus is the Son of the one true living God and His sacrifice was made for their sins, the Spirit of God descends into their heart, their internal person.  The Spirit of God is eternal.  How can the eternal reside with something not eternal?  Every person is eternal, only their destination is in question and they get to choose their destination.  In today’s society it would seem the question is whether to worship oneself or worship the holy God who is, was, and will be forevermore.  The separation among people today is not whether they are Democrat or Republican.  It is whether they don’t believe in God or they do.

Worship on Saturday or Sunday?

I have a lot of relatives who are Seventh-day Adventists.  I think a lot of what they do and say about living in faith is very correct.  However, I’ve never been able to absorb why it is so important to go to church on Saturday.  How could a whole body of believers set their religion seemingly around that one thing.  

According to Wikipedia and a religion article on BBC, Seventh-day Adventists (SDA) are “distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in Christian and Jewish calendars, as the Sabbath” and they “keep the Sabbath from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday, because God set apart the seventh day of creation week to be a day of rest and a memorial of creation.” 

I believe that is a respectable observance.  In fact, one of the ten commandments (the fourth one) is “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord your God. … For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.” (Exodus 20:8-10a,11)  Considering this, it is easy to believe they are not wrong.  In fact, I am willing to commend anyone, in this age of demonstrating little obedience to God’s Word, that obeys out of conviction.  So, it is not my intention here to do so, but to try to understand my own thoughts on the matter.

If the Bible says, keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it and the traditional week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday, then why oh why do I go to church on Sunday?  Am I just going with tradition and being disobedient now that the truth has been revealed to me?  This is the question that must be answered.

Traditionally, we commemorate the death of Jesus as being on Friday.  This has for as long as I’ve been alive been recognized as Good Friday.  It is called “good” as a translation of an Old English expression meaning holy.  It could have just as easily be named Holy Friday and not be a misinterpretation.  I’m sure it was an easier sell as a holiday to the public named as Good Friday.  Many churches have a Maundy Thursday service as well.  Maundy is a shortened version of the Latin word mandatum which means command (mandate).  This service recognizes the Last Supper and the command that Jesus gave at that time to love one another and serve one another.

Truth is, the whole dying on Friday and resurrecting on Sunday has never made sense to me because the numbers didn’t add up.  You want me to believe that Jesus, who didn’t lie because He didn’t sin, said He would be in the earth for three days and three nights as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish (Mt 12:40), but was resurrected after only two nights and two days (Mary went before daybreak to find Him already gone (Jn 20:1))?  It is only after understanding that the following week was the Sabbath week and every day can be referred to as a Sabbath that you can see that Mary likely didn’t go to the grave until a full three days and three nights had passed.  We just celebrate Easter on a Sunday for convenience and honestly, I’m okay with that once I understand the number confusion.

Getting back on topic, when Jesus was resurrected, it was a new day.  The world changed for man.  People were no longer doomed to their sins, but can be rescued eternally.  Jesus is the only hope for this world.  God’s plan is salvation for the world, but people must choose.  Even so, there is this event called the Eighth Day.  ( A good study research project that can be done regarding the Eight Day and the Eighth person.  Noah was rescued for his righteousness as the eighth person.  Moses said to give the firstborn of your sons on the eighth day.)  But here in our topic, the fulfillment of the Eighth Day is when God’s Kingdom will be eternal.  It will begin and never end. 

In essence, the Eighth Day is a day that symbolizes complete submission to God, fulfillment of righteousness and the day that God accepts the offerings for our sin.  Since our sins can only be accepted through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we must realize that we are living in the time of the Eighth Day.  For me, worshipping on Sunday, instead of Saturday, means that we are acknowledging God’s acceptance of us through Jesus.  It is worship to Jesus for His sacrifice and praise that we live in Him and Him alone.

I doubt the modern church intended this, but arranged itself to the week society presented.  However, I am willing to accept it as I believe it is acceptable.  As far as the SDA church goes, while I commend their strict observance in obedience and am always encouraged by believers following Jesus, studying His Word, and worshipping together, I have to hope they are willing to accept an alternate view.  Like everyone, I’m sure some will just be happy I know Jesus personally as I am towards them and others will think I am misled. 

Be Strengthened in the Lord Your God

Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. – 1 Samuel 30:6

David and his men came back to their city and it was burned, all their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken.  David and his men were very burdened by this.  In verse 4, there is very strong language that probably isn’t stated strong enough.  The NRSV says that “David and the people with him raised their voices and wept, until they had no more strength to weep.”  The Message says that the men were “exhausted with weeping”.  Obviously, they all considered their families to have been hurt, abused, or dead.

Once they stopped grieving, they got angry.  Their anger turned on David.

We read that David was “greatly distressed” for two reasons.  One, he had lost the confidence of the people.  Two, the soul of all the people were terribly grieved for their families.  David cares deeply for the people.  I also believe that as their leader he was hurt that he had led them to such pain.  He knew he was God’s appointed and as such, it would have been greatly discerning that the people might turn away from God.

Yet, in the midst of this pain, exhaustion, grief, and personal attack, David does what we must learn to do, strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God.  He drew closer to God.  Notice that we are told clearly here that the Lord is David’s personal God, “the Lord his God”.  Is the Lord your God?  Do you have a close personal relationship with Him?  Can you turn to Him at any time and know the presence of the Lord is with you?

David is recorded in Psalms 18:

I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

The pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. (vs 1-6)

He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. (vs 16-19)

David’s testimony and witness is that the Lord rescued him.  The Lord was there when David was drowning.  The Lord in His high place (“even to His ears”) heard a humble David’s plee.  The perfect Father “delivered me because He delighted in me”.  The Lord delights in His children and has His Hand in all things in our life so we may grow if we are willing in our knowledge and faith of Him.

Draw close to God today in whatever trials beset you.  Trust in the Lord and the Lord alone and know He does not leave you to yourself.

Will America Persecute Christians?

In the book The Insanity of Obedience by Nik Ripken, he list three types of persecution against Christians that he witnessed in his many travels to visit oppressed and persecuted Christians around the world.  These types of persecution are not just in the history books, but are alive and well today.  There is too much evidence in America that persecution of Christians, apart from other religions, is growing very fast.

Here is a good article dated July 5, 2017, named Christian Persecution is Coming to America, provided by truthandfire.com.  The article can be found at: http://www.truthandfire.com/news-bedford/2017/7/1/christian-persecution-is-coming-to-america

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION IS COMING TO AMERICA

Yesterday, we celebrated the 241st "birthday" of our nation's Declaration of Independence.  But for the past few weeks, I've actually been contemplating matters relating to our Constitution. I'm aware that the U.S. Constitution wouldn't become the law of the land for another decade, two months and 13 days after we declared our independence from British rule.  And I can respect the amount of painstaking time, energy and thought our Forefathers put into creating our "more perfect Union" and the "supreme law" that would rule it. Yet, with all that is going on in our nation and the world, I've been considering lately how desperately fragile this document, and the rights granted therein, actually are. 

Truth is, I'm of the mind that Christian persecution will become a widespread norm in the United States - probably in my lifetime.  I don’t mean persecution of the "Starbucks-removed-the-Christmas-tree-from-their- red- cups” variety (which, by the way, isn’t persecution at all given that Christmas is a man-made holiday rooted in pagan practices AND one that Jesus never told us to celebrate in the first place. But that’s another post). I’m talking about the type of persecution the early Church endured. 

I’m speaking of actual laws being passed that limit or prohibit the speech and religious expression of those who share God’s Word and support the teachings of Jesus Christ. I’m speaking of Christians being fined, arrested, jailed, losing jobs, and even our very lives for the sake of the Gospel.

Yes. Right here. In America. 

I know it sounds far-fetched given that the Constitution (currently) protects our freedom of speech and religion. But I’m telling you guys – it’s coming. Not only does the Lord make it clear that widespread Christian persecution will take place in the last days before His return (Mark 13:9-13), but current events are shaping up to prove that such is on the rise at a dizzying rate.

FOUNDING (THE LOSS OF) FREEDOMS

When most of us think of Christian persecution, we often think of isolated cases in the Middle East and countries in Africa and Asia.  Yet, Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world.  And Canada has been proof that persecution is not only possible in North America, but it is most certainly growing ever more hostile here. Ontario recently passed Bill 89, which, under its Human Rights Code, “protects” a child’s professed homosexual orientation or transgender expression and, thus, allows the government to remove children from the homes of parents who oppose gender ideology (aka: the LGBT agenda). Bill C-16 makes it illegal to use the “wrong” pronouns when referring to a transgender individual. In other words, if a man wishes to live as a woman and be called “she” but you say “he”, you can be fined or jailed.  Moreover, an Ontario Christian school has been banned from teaching parts of the Bible that may be offensive to certain individuals, namely those whose sexual and/or gender expression contradict the Bible. Note that this is just a sampling of Canada's developments in the past TWO WEEKS [article originally written on July 5, 2017]! They've certainly has much more going on in the past two years.  The devil has been ridiculously busy!

“Oh! But that’s Canada,” you say, eh?

Well, consider that in the U.S., there is a growing movement to suggest that Christians are unfit for public office. LGBT groups recently made that declaration and Bernie Sanders went so far as to suggest that a Christian’s belief in the Gospel makes us hateful and incapable of fairly serving all people -  including those who don’t share our faith - specifically, Muslims. According to Sanders, the Gospel is “indefensible, it is hateful, it is Islamophobic, and it is an insult to over a billion Muslims throughout the world.” And just the other day, Tim Gill was quoted by the Rolling Stone as saying it is his plan to use state and local governments to "punish the wicked", referring to Christians who are opposed to the LGBT agenda. Gill, a major donor to LGBT causes, was instrumental in helping advance the argument for marriage equality in Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court case that made same-sex marriage legal in the U.S.

Not only are Christians and the Gospel being increasingly criticized and threatened, the full counsel of God (aka the Bible) was recently said to have "no place in modern American society". According to Keith Burton, Director of the Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations at Oakwood University, the Word of God is an “obstacle to American freedom”.  Burton's sentiments were the craziest and most foolish thing I’d ever read so, of course, I had to respond.

RELIGIOUS CIVIL WAR

It seems other Christians are also responding to these sly attacks, and most are doing so through our civil government. The state of Kentucky, for instance, was pretty bold in passing the “Bible Literacy Bill” (H.B. 128), which went into effect last week. The Bill supports an elective Bible literacy course which will teach American history through a Biblical context. Kentucky Governor, Matt Bevin, argues that Biblical principles and themes shaped much of America’s laws and culture, thus he doesn’t understand why more states wouldn’t have such a course in place. Of course, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is all over this legislation. And, if I am honest, there was a time I might have squinted at what the state is doing. But knowing what I now know and after seeing what I’ve seen, I can’t say that I blame Kentucky. In fact, I fully support them!

I can recall when our nation first became extremely adamant about religious neutrality. In my ignorance, I supported the concept, thinking that by keeping everything neutral we’d maintain peace and avoid offense. BUT what I was too naive to understand was that the push for "neutrality" was truthfully a strategy to NEUTER Christians. While they were removing our Bibles and scripture verses from our desks, e-mail signatures and cubicles, EVERYONE ELSE was pushing their false religion, lies and deceptions into the mainstream under the guise of "equality" "inclusion" and "freedoms of speech and religion". Rather than keep or include Christianity in the mix in the name of "diversity" and “inclusion”, we were systematically muzzled. When I began to see how atheists, Muslims and the LGBT community were celebrated and encouraged to bring their ideologies to the forefront for diversity's sake, BUT the Biblical Christian voice was chastised, I finally put the pieces together: America wants us to shut up by any means necessary!

I perceive that, in truth, this generation doesn't REALLY care about free speech or freedom of religion for all. It doesn't really even care about "diversity". At its core, it cares about shutting down the truth of Jesus Christ and all who believe it and share it. Anything a Christian does in the name of our faith in the public (AND private) square is offensive and must be snuffed out.

There were complaints about police cars with decals which read "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 9:5), but there were celebrations for rainbow decals on "pride patrol" police cars. 

After complaints from an atheist group, a U.S. town recently removed an historic park bench because “God” appearing in a quote inscribed on the bench was deemed “offensive”. But atheist groups make it an annual tradition to erect across the country billboards that mock Christians.

A Christian baker (whose bakery was privately owned, by the way) was told that he is REQUIRED to render services that contradict his sincerely-held, faith-based convictions. Churches are being pushed to provide transgender restroom accommodations. Pastors’ sermons are being demanded by the government to ensure they're not offensive to the LGBT community.

A Christian student is told wearing a cross on her necklace is “disrespectful”, while a Muslim student’s hijab must be respected as a source of pride. A high school football coach, who is Christian, is fired for praying with his team of willing students before and after games.  Yet, the ACLU was mum when a public high school created a prayer room for Muslim students. And no one was fired after a Massachusetts school took Christian students on a field trip to a mosque, where students were taught about Muhammad and some participated in midday prayer (though the school was kind enough to send an apology letter home to their parents).

Again, a Canadian Christian School was banned from teaching certain parts of the Bible to avoid offense, meanwhile in Australia, students are demanding tax-payer funded "safe spaces" for Muslims to freely vent radical and offensive rhetoric from their faith.

U.S. schools are pushing for mandated curriculum in LGBT history and the tenets of Islam without parental consent. Satanists are implementing after school programs in the name of freedom of religion while at the SAME TIME pressuring schools to drop their (Christian-based) Good News clubs in the name of "freedom from religion".

Yet, the ACLU is crying foul now that Kentucky schools will be hosting an ELECTIVE Biblical literacy course? It doesn't make any sense. 

I SAID ALL OF THIS TO SAY...

It’s getting crazy out here. But it may be easy to miss or dismiss these incremental attacks, changes and charges if we aren’t paying attention and using discernment. And while I agree with exercising our existing Constitutional rights to challenge attacks on our First Amendment rights, I would caution all to keep in mind that the weapons of our warfare are NOT carnal but mighty through God (2 Corinthians 10:4-6). We must remember that we do not war against flesh and blood, but that we are in a spiritual battle and must thusly equip ourselves in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Christian persecution IS coming to the United States. Again, I understand that we have the Constitution. But, at some point, we WILL lose our Constitutional rights. (Yes. I just said that). If you have carefully read this piece or have been otherwise alerted, you would easily see the trajectory we are on. We are in a nation that often boasts it was founded on Christian principles, yet the Constitution once condoned slavery, and in less than a generation’s time, the Supreme Court has found a way to use the Constitution to legalize abortion AND same-sex marriage. Our citizenry is growing increasingly tolerant by the day of even the most vile of sins, and hostile toward the things of God - though 80%+ profess to be 'Christians'. We are brazenly breaking and re-interpreting God’s laws and definitions as if the Bible isn’t God’s holy word. The Holy Bible has existed for thousands of years; the Constitution hasn't even existed a quarter of a century. If America is bold enough to reinterpret God's laws, what's a man-made Constitution?  We cannot continue to assume the Constitution truly protects us. They will find a creative way around the First Amendment. They will find a way to reinterpret our freedoms of religion and speech.

Therefore, we must turn to our God and one another in these last days. Paul and Silas weren’t freed from unjust imprisonment because they took their jailers to court. They were freed because they had Jesus Christ and His Body on their side (Acts 16:16-40). The early Church prayed. They fasted. They visited one another. They fed one another. They provided refuge for one another. They clothed one another. They loved one another as Christ commanded, and they trusted in the Lord with their whole hearts. Please keep that in mind.  

Please (continue to) watch and pray. Please know that we are to obey God rather than man when man’s laws might cause us to break God’s commands. Please know that God is with us in all these things and will be in the things to come. Please keep your eyes on things above and meditate on all that is good and noble in Christ Jesus. And, finally, PLEASE pray for boldness! We are all going to need it.