Ok- I think I need to say this. I have posted a few things about the Syrian Refugee crisis here and on Facebook, and I think I may have been misunderstood (or have not written clearly). Please do not get me wrong, I am not in any way saying that we should not take any refugees or help people from other countries anymore. As a Christian if I were to make a blanket statement like that then you can and should call BS on me. I do think that anytime we can we should help others. I do have a problem with many of the METHODS that are being used to "help" not only refugees, but ALL public welfare as it exists today.
I have a problem with the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT running these programs because:
#1 I do not have faith in the federal government's ability to run programs like these (pretty poor track record)
#2 I do not believe it is in the SCOPE of the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S responsibility to manage social welfare programs (based on the Constitution)
Just because there are people out there that need help both locally and abroad does not give the federal government or anyone, for that matter, the right to tell ME how to help them. That is up to me and God will ultimately judge me for my actions on this earth. You may think that everyone should help everyone, and that I make more than you and so therefore I should give more than you, and that we should open up our borders to everyone because we are only here because of our immigrant ancestors and whatever else you want to think and that is fine. You can think all those things. That STILL doesn't give the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT the right to make those decisions for me (and you either). Most of the money they collect for these programs doesn't even make it to the people it is intended for anyway. We have increased our spending on welfare, social programs, etc. every year for DECADES and the problems keep getting worse. Why is that? Could it be that these programs are being mismanaged somehow? Could it be that asking a huge bureaucracy such as the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT to manage this is simply bad practice?
At the end of the day I want to help people who are suffering, but I want to choose. If I want to give my money away to people in my own city or my own state or another country, that should be MY CHOICE. Right now, I am not given any choice in the matter. I have less to give to help others in my community because our Federal Government has decided it knows better than me (note I have said FEDERAL government here.... there may be a place for some of this in state government, but that is a different topic).
Furthermore- I want the time, talent and resources I spend to go toward actually helping people. I do not believe it is very Christian to blindly WASTE all of those things on people who are not actually being helped, either because they refuse to actually be helped or because some bureaucracy mismanages these things. With Trillions in debt, thousands of homeless, civil unrest, etc. I question whether bringing more people who need help here is a very loving thing to do. So we will add more people to an already stressed system (not to mention the cultural implications)? Look at it this way- if you opened up your home to me because I was downtrodden and needed help, but then you told me that you could not feed me because you already had enough mouths to feed and actually, I needed to sleep outside because you didn't really have any room for me because you had taken in too many others already, I would question how charitable you really are and probably be a little upset. How did you actually help me? OR maybe you put all that assistance you gave me on credit cards and then filed for bankruptcy....placing your mismanagement of resources on the backs of others (trillions in debt anyone? )
This is what I meant in an earlier post when I said that we are reacting far too much on EMOTION and not enough on LOGIC. We all have finite resources. The government has NO RESOURCES without us. If we do not start to become discerning about what is happening with those resources (be it money, time, housing, jobs, or anything else), they will be gone and then no one will be helped.
Let's PAUSE and ASSESS people.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Selfish or Smart- Closing our borders as an act of love?
I've been struggling with the topic of immigration and more recently the
Syrian Refugee crisis for a while now. I am a very emotional person and my
first response to almost anything is emotional. Logic and reason are
things I have had to work very hard to develop. Early on in my marriage
one of the biggest challenges Chad and I faced was how differently we reacted
to everything. He is all about logic and data, and I am all about emotion and
how something makes me feel. We butted heads A LOT because of this! I've
learned over the years to find some balance; to consider the facts as well as
how I feel, always considering how my walk with Christ directs me to respond in
light of those things.
I'll be honest. Our government's response to immigration and refugees and their lack of attention to our national security OR our our own financial, homeless and racial crisis has me extremely worried. The emotional part of me wants desperately to help everyone who is afraid and hurting. Pictures of children and families who are desperately trying to escape war and violence tug at my heart. Knowing that the United States began as a country of immigrants confuses the issue in my head as well. When I stop to really think reasonably and logically, though, I believe there is something very, very wrong with the direction we are going in this country when we don't place a primary importance on taking care of our own citizens and our own problems.
I believe that there is a huge imbalance in this country between the emotional thinkers and the logical thinkers, with the emotional thinkers taking over virtually all decision/policy making in this country. Because of this I believe we are being taken advantage of and lied to when it comes to the Syrian Refugee situation.
In the best case scenario, if these really are innocent women, children and families who are trying to escape war and violence, how in the world can we afford to keep doing this as a country? We are already drowning in debt, and have so many people already on some type of government assistance that we are about to collapse under the weight of it all. Sure we want to help the needy, but at what point have we used up our ability to do so?
In the worst case scenario these are not really innocent women, children and families but rather they are people bent on destroying others who don’t subscribe to their way of life (especially Americans and Christians). As emotional people who want everyone to love one another I know we don’t want to believe that, but are you really willing to risk the safety of your family by completely ignoring some fairly compelling evidence that this describes at least some of them?
This is more than just a security issue, though, it is also an issue of available resources and a financial issue for this country.
What is wrong with taking a PAUSE in order to truly assess this situation? In my job (Human Resources) that is often my response to a potentially risky situation. Instead of pressing to make a hasty quick decision, sometimes we have to pause and figure out what is going on and what all our options are BEFORE we act. Sometimes the action we end up taking isn’t what we WISH we had to do, but it is what we MUST do based on the evidence. I have been involved in many employee terminations over the years. I’ll be honest, there have been some that were pretty easy for me. There have been some, though, that were difficult and that wish I didn’t have to do, but based on the evidence it was the right thing to do. That is the way the world works, sometimes we like what we have to do, and sometimes we don’t, but we have to find a balance between our heads and our hearts.
I want to challenge all Christians especially to stop for a second and think about how we are truly called to behave. When Hebrews 13:16 says "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God”… you can’t ignore the words “what you have”…. God calls us to share what we have to share, not what we don’t have. Bringing more people to America who need assistance when we don’t have it to give is wrong. We are TRILLIONS in debt already, where are all these resources coming from? Ecclesiastes 5:5 says “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay” and Psalm 37:21 says: “The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.” Clearly God says that borrowing more than you can repay is wrong. How are we going to pay what we owe already? Promising more assistance to people who need it when we have to borrow that assistance is wrong- regardless of their situation. Haven’t you ever heard the saying “robbing Peter to pay Paul”? That is just ONE problem I have with all of this.
As a Christian I know we are called to help others. For those Christians out there that are touting the love one another route over all else, I have a question for you. When was the last time you brought a homeless person (or family) home with you to have a hot meal and a warm place to sleep? How much of your personal time and resources do you give to the homeless, refugee, foster, elderly communities in your own city/state/country? If you are one of the very few who spend a lot of time doing these things and HAVE brought people into your own home then you can talk about showing love and giving everything to others as much as you want. The rest of us need to check out own behavior before calling out others (ME included).
Anyway- that is a long winded lead up to sharing the below article. It covers a lot of the questions and concerns I have, written in a thoughtful way. Hopefully you’ll take a look and then raise your voice based on actual facts rather than simple emotion.
As We Allow Syrian Refugees in the U.S., There's Something Many Have Overlooked
I'll be honest. Our government's response to immigration and refugees and their lack of attention to our national security OR our our own financial, homeless and racial crisis has me extremely worried. The emotional part of me wants desperately to help everyone who is afraid and hurting. Pictures of children and families who are desperately trying to escape war and violence tug at my heart. Knowing that the United States began as a country of immigrants confuses the issue in my head as well. When I stop to really think reasonably and logically, though, I believe there is something very, very wrong with the direction we are going in this country when we don't place a primary importance on taking care of our own citizens and our own problems.
I believe that there is a huge imbalance in this country between the emotional thinkers and the logical thinkers, with the emotional thinkers taking over virtually all decision/policy making in this country. Because of this I believe we are being taken advantage of and lied to when it comes to the Syrian Refugee situation.
In the best case scenario, if these really are innocent women, children and families who are trying to escape war and violence, how in the world can we afford to keep doing this as a country? We are already drowning in debt, and have so many people already on some type of government assistance that we are about to collapse under the weight of it all. Sure we want to help the needy, but at what point have we used up our ability to do so?
In the worst case scenario these are not really innocent women, children and families but rather they are people bent on destroying others who don’t subscribe to their way of life (especially Americans and Christians). As emotional people who want everyone to love one another I know we don’t want to believe that, but are you really willing to risk the safety of your family by completely ignoring some fairly compelling evidence that this describes at least some of them?
This is more than just a security issue, though, it is also an issue of available resources and a financial issue for this country.
What is wrong with taking a PAUSE in order to truly assess this situation? In my job (Human Resources) that is often my response to a potentially risky situation. Instead of pressing to make a hasty quick decision, sometimes we have to pause and figure out what is going on and what all our options are BEFORE we act. Sometimes the action we end up taking isn’t what we WISH we had to do, but it is what we MUST do based on the evidence. I have been involved in many employee terminations over the years. I’ll be honest, there have been some that were pretty easy for me. There have been some, though, that were difficult and that wish I didn’t have to do, but based on the evidence it was the right thing to do. That is the way the world works, sometimes we like what we have to do, and sometimes we don’t, but we have to find a balance between our heads and our hearts.
I want to challenge all Christians especially to stop for a second and think about how we are truly called to behave. When Hebrews 13:16 says "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God”… you can’t ignore the words “what you have”…. God calls us to share what we have to share, not what we don’t have. Bringing more people to America who need assistance when we don’t have it to give is wrong. We are TRILLIONS in debt already, where are all these resources coming from? Ecclesiastes 5:5 says “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay” and Psalm 37:21 says: “The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.” Clearly God says that borrowing more than you can repay is wrong. How are we going to pay what we owe already? Promising more assistance to people who need it when we have to borrow that assistance is wrong- regardless of their situation. Haven’t you ever heard the saying “robbing Peter to pay Paul”? That is just ONE problem I have with all of this.
As a Christian I know we are called to help others. For those Christians out there that are touting the love one another route over all else, I have a question for you. When was the last time you brought a homeless person (or family) home with you to have a hot meal and a warm place to sleep? How much of your personal time and resources do you give to the homeless, refugee, foster, elderly communities in your own city/state/country? If you are one of the very few who spend a lot of time doing these things and HAVE brought people into your own home then you can talk about showing love and giving everything to others as much as you want. The rest of us need to check out own behavior before calling out others (ME included).
Anyway- that is a long winded lead up to sharing the below article. It covers a lot of the questions and concerns I have, written in a thoughtful way. Hopefully you’ll take a look and then raise your voice based on actual facts rather than simple emotion.
As We Allow Syrian Refugees in the U.S., There's Something Many Have Overlooked
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
A Christian gun owner- oxymoron or legit?
It's been a few years now since I shot my first firearm. Thanks to my husband, I've gotten more and more proficient with this form of protection, and continue to hone my skill should I ever, God forbid, need to use one to protect myself or a member of my family.
Prior to taking my concealed carry class or purchasing my first gun, I had a good long talk with God and many sessions with my Bible. Being new to true Christianity I am cautious of being tripped up when it comes to God's will for me as a believer. I wanted to be sure if I went down this path that it would be with Biblical support and not against it.
As you can imagine, I was able to find lots of information and "facts" about what God says regarding the use of weapons for self-defense on both sides of the argument. I'd like to take a minute to talk about what I found in my research and what led me to conclude that God calls us to protect ourselves and others. This is not meant to be an expository about fighting gun control, laws restricting who should have guns and what type, what our founding fathers meant by the 2nd ammendment, or any arguments such as these. I'm sure I will get into that at some point as I do feel VERY VERY strongly about these things and think they are important to talk about. For now, though, I'd like to discuss the very simple matter of whether or not the Bible supports Christians arming themselves with weapons and then using them in self-defense or the defense of others.
First Point: anti-gun anti/violence proponents often claim that the 6th commandment denounces all killing.
Those who believe guns are evil and go against Christian values often cite the 6th commandment as proof of this. Depending on where you look this commandment can read either "you shall not kill" or "you shall not murder". Whether the word is kill or murder is not simply a matter of semantics, but actually changes the meaning of this commandment and therefore is of primary importance.
So which one is correct? It appears that this commandment is one of the most commonly mistranslated of them all. The Hebrew version of this commandment is Lo tirtzach which, translated, means "Do not murder". I found example after example that this is indeed the correct translation of the Hebrew and therefore will go with "Thou Shall Not Murder" as the correct translation of the 6th commandment.
Now- what exactly is the difference between murder and killing? Don't these words mean the same thing? The Hebrew word for “murder” literally means “the intentional, premeditated killing of another person with malice.” So, intentionality is really what we are looking at when determining whether someone has killed vs. murdered. Even under common law (law originating from custom and court decisions rather than statutes), murder was an intentional killing that was unlawful (in other words, not legally justified), and committed with "malice aforethought."
So, those who would argue that God prohibits killing in all circumstances would not be able to cite the 6th commandment as proof of that statement. God says you may not MURDER... but there is a such thing as justified killing.
Second Point: God calls us to turn the other cheek
Anti-gun/Anti-Violence people have often quoted passages in the Bible that advocate turning the other cheek, suffering instead of causing suffering, and loving your enemies. Once again, anytime the Bible is quoted and interpreted for meaning, CONTEXT is critical.
Turning the other cheek as quoted in Matthew 5:39 and Luke 6:29 is not referring to mortal harm, but rather insult. The Bible is very clear that you are not to retaliate against insult or other personal offenses that do not put your physical life in danger. Back in the day being slapped via a backhand was a common way to describe an insult. The Sermon on the Mount, where many people go to cite examples that Jesus calls us to be pacifists, really had nothing whatsoever to do with that. Jesus was actually clearing up confusion about personal conduct around revenge or taking the law into your own hands. God is very clear throughout the Bible that individual retaliation toward others is not OK, but rather, rests in the hands of the government or "the law". Killing as a form of retaliation is very different than killing in self-defense, and the Bible makes that very clear in both the New and the Old Testament. Killing in retaliation becomes murder because of the pre-meditation and malicious intent involved.
Third Point: God calls us to protect ourselves and others from mortal harm
There are very clear directives and examples given in both the New and the Old Testament about our freedom AND obligation to protect ourselves and loved ones from those who would seek to do us physical harm, both individually and as groups. Exodus 22: 2-3 says that if someone breaks into a home at night when their intent can't be easily determined (it's dark, you have been awoken from sleep and are disoriented), the homeowner has a right to kill in self-defense with no repercussion. It goes on to say if the same person were to break in during daylight where it was obvious they were there only to steal, then killing would not be justified. Why? Because, again, killing another must be used as a last resort to protect yourself or another from being killed. Killing to protect your stuff; not on the same level. Of course, you have to know FOR SURE that you are not in mortal harm, and I would argue that if someone breaks into your house while you are there, there isn't a lot of opportunity to discern intent and to err on the side of caution and protection is always wise. God knows what you know, so if you are truly fearful for your life, God says you may take the bad guy out.
I'd like to take this a step further, though, and point out that there are many passages that show that not only does God condone using lethal force in self-defense, but that He actually commands us to protect ourselves and others.
"Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:4
"... But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman's hand." Ezekiel 33Another example from the Old Testament. When Lot and his people were captured, Abram had no problem rescuing them with force (Genesis 14:13-16). How about Nehemiah?
"Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows." Nehemiah 4:13
God calls us to fight for His kingdom. If Nehemiah did not have his men arm themselves while they worked to rebuild the walls, they would have been killed and failed. The same thing happened when David fought the Philistines and when Moses and the Israelites fought the Amalekites and many other examples in the Bible where deadly weapons were used to defeat God's enemies who were bent on killing them. With God's direction and support men were led to arm themselves over and over again. "A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring and a polluted well" Proverbs 25:26.... we have no right to hand over our life, which is a gift from God, to the unrighteous.
What about the New Testament? Didn't Jesus scold Peter for using a sword to fight off the guards that were taking Him away (John 18:10-11)? Doesn't that show that Jesus was against using a weapon in defense? Again, context is critical. Jesus condemned Peter's action not because of his intent to defend Christ, but because Peter was getting in the way of God's plan for the guards to take Jesus. Note that He didn't rebuke him for having the sword (a gun in today's world), but rather only for using it at that time. Later on in Luke 22:36 Jesus advises his Apostles not only to arm themselves, but to sell their coats if necessary to do so. That's a pretty strong recommendation considering that the Apostles were going to be traveling and spending a lot of time sleeping outside where a coat would have been pretty important.
To sum up:
- The 6th Commandment states that you should not murder, and the definition of murder is intentionality, along with premeditation or malice- Exodus 20:13...
- Some 50 verses later God calls us to protect ourselves from physical harm using lethal force if necessary- 22:2-3 supporting the fact that killing is different from murder
- Multiple examples of God commanding His people to arm themselves in both the Old and New Testament to protect from physical harm and to protect others from deadly intentions as well
- Multiple examples of God commanding us NOT to retaliate with physical harm to insults and character attacks- further distinguishing how serious the situation must be to justify using deadly force against another
Killing becomes murder when (and only when) it is not properly justified. Scripture is clear regarding the justification: you can use whatever force necessary to protect your own life from a hostile aggressor, or to save the life of an innocent from such imminent, life-threatening danger. Do not take the responsibility of arming yourself lightly. We will all stand before God and answer for our actions in this life. If you neglect your responsibility to yourself and others, there will be consequences just the same as if you neglect to follow God's commands and use the right to self-defense foolishly and without justification.
"Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight" Psalm 144:1
Saturday, October 31, 2015
The Bible? Naw, there's a video for that...
My husband and I attended a Marriage seminar a few weekends ago, and the first speaker of the day was Alistair Begg. This was the first time I had ever heard him speak, and I was so enthralled by his message and his speaking style that I decided I had to seek out more by him. That is when I came across the Truth for Life Bible teaching ministry. You can check this out online, and they also have both an Android App and a iPhone App, making it really easy to find and engage with this incredible ministry.
A few days ago I wrote a post called What is a Christian and How Can I Recognize One Out In The Wild? If you read that post you would know what my take is on the definition of a Christian. As indicated in the above post, I believe we have to get serious about God's truth and God's word if we are going to confess to being a Christian. It is one thing to SAY you are a Christian, it is another thing entirely to actually BE a Christian. Being a Christian is not a passive activity, and that post explains why.
Back to Alistair.... I was checking out his Truth for Life ministry when I stumbled upon a sermon that blew me away. I found it to be so compelling and CONVICTING that I actually listened to it twice in two days and then listened to it again as I wrote this post. It is called The Apostles' Teachings and when you have about 40 minutes you really should listen to it. It gets really good at about the 18 minute mark and forward (the first two times I listened it was in the Android app and I didn't realize I was listening to part 2 which is the last 20-25 minutes or so of the audio linked above and is really the best part of the whole thing).
Essentially, this sermon teaches about how important Biblical doctrine is to the Christian heart. Without a solid and continually deepening knowledge of Scripture we are in big trouble trying to live a Christ-centered life. Getting this right and spending time in The Word is the precursor to getting everything else in life right.... because how we live our lives in ALL aspects of our lives comes from God in Scripture. We have to get serious about God's word if we are to be truly Christian.
This is not something I understood at all until very recently, but it makes total sense if you think about it. There is so much sin and temptation in the world. In our culture what is classified as sinful behavior in the Bible is actually glorified and looked at as a normal part of life (sex before marriage, abortions, living a gay lifestyle, selfishness and pride). Besides all that, there are so many BAD preachers out there; people who teach false doctrine, who turn scripture around to fit a non-Christian narrative, who share only a part of God's word out of context and then skew it some more. It's no wonder we can become easily confused and tripped up.
An example of this are those who try to say that all lifestyles should be welcomed and embraced because Jesus was inclusive and embraced everyone (cue examples like the 'woman at the well' which you can find in John 4). There are even entire churches and church leading pastors who are preaching "inclusiveness" and saying that Jesus only stood for loving everyone and nothing more. Without a solid knowledge of Biblical doctrine you would be at risk of believing these things because this teaching is EVERYWHERE, including in some of our churches. If you simply trusted man to tell you what God says, then you would be at the mercy of lady luck that you get the right man teaching the right stuff. Spending your own time in the Bible and learning what God actually says is your only defense against calling yourself a Christian but not actually being one because you are following the wrong christ.
My point is this: I lived 40 years of my life apart from Jesus. I went to Catholic school from K-12 and yet somehow knew nothing whatsoever about God's word and lived like I didn't. I "knew" how I should behave from years of going to church and Catholic school- but that never translated into changed behavior on my part. I was very susceptible to others' opinions on what God says we should do and made a lot of mistakes as a result. Now, as a saved child of God and a truly born again Christian, I have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to understanding God's word- and this catching up involves a lot of reading and studying the Bible. Without doing that myself I would still be susceptible to false teaching.
The examples I have given above are not meant to call you to judge others who are living contrary to God's word. They are merely meant to be real life examples of how we can get confused. I'm sure you have good friends and close family who cause you to question or doubt what is true. I know I do. I have friends and family who fall on the sword over the "love" debate. The problem is, God's word is not that shallow or narrow. Yes, Jesus did love everyone, including sinners. I do not believe this is up for debate by anyone. His hope, though, is that all sinners will open their hearts to Him and repent, turn away from sin, and be saved. He loves them, but there are still standards to meet and laws to obey.
The path we are called to take is not necessarily the popular path and definitely not the common path. But.... God does not call us to take the popular or common path. He calls us to take His path, and we can only know what that path truly is by reading about it in the Bible. We must fact check what others tell us by going to the only place we can trust to be the true and authoritative source on the matter. Scripture.
As Christians we can live our lives as examples of what being filled with the Holy Spirit really looks like. Through the truth of Scripture, and a love for others rooted in Biblical honesty, we can help more sinners get into the Kingdom with us. We can do this ONLY through intentional study of the Word so we are leading others down the right path to salvation.
A few days ago I wrote a post called What is a Christian and How Can I Recognize One Out In The Wild? If you read that post you would know what my take is on the definition of a Christian. As indicated in the above post, I believe we have to get serious about God's truth and God's word if we are going to confess to being a Christian. It is one thing to SAY you are a Christian, it is another thing entirely to actually BE a Christian. Being a Christian is not a passive activity, and that post explains why.
Back to Alistair.... I was checking out his Truth for Life ministry when I stumbled upon a sermon that blew me away. I found it to be so compelling and CONVICTING that I actually listened to it twice in two days and then listened to it again as I wrote this post. It is called The Apostles' Teachings and when you have about 40 minutes you really should listen to it. It gets really good at about the 18 minute mark and forward (the first two times I listened it was in the Android app and I didn't realize I was listening to part 2 which is the last 20-25 minutes or so of the audio linked above and is really the best part of the whole thing).
Essentially, this sermon teaches about how important Biblical doctrine is to the Christian heart. Without a solid and continually deepening knowledge of Scripture we are in big trouble trying to live a Christ-centered life. Getting this right and spending time in The Word is the precursor to getting everything else in life right.... because how we live our lives in ALL aspects of our lives comes from God in Scripture. We have to get serious about God's word if we are to be truly Christian.
This is not something I understood at all until very recently, but it makes total sense if you think about it. There is so much sin and temptation in the world. In our culture what is classified as sinful behavior in the Bible is actually glorified and looked at as a normal part of life (sex before marriage, abortions, living a gay lifestyle, selfishness and pride). Besides all that, there are so many BAD preachers out there; people who teach false doctrine, who turn scripture around to fit a non-Christian narrative, who share only a part of God's word out of context and then skew it some more. It's no wonder we can become easily confused and tripped up.
An example of this are those who try to say that all lifestyles should be welcomed and embraced because Jesus was inclusive and embraced everyone (cue examples like the 'woman at the well' which you can find in John 4). There are even entire churches and church leading pastors who are preaching "inclusiveness" and saying that Jesus only stood for loving everyone and nothing more. Without a solid knowledge of Biblical doctrine you would be at risk of believing these things because this teaching is EVERYWHERE, including in some of our churches. If you simply trusted man to tell you what God says, then you would be at the mercy of lady luck that you get the right man teaching the right stuff. Spending your own time in the Bible and learning what God actually says is your only defense against calling yourself a Christian but not actually being one because you are following the wrong christ.
My point is this: I lived 40 years of my life apart from Jesus. I went to Catholic school from K-12 and yet somehow knew nothing whatsoever about God's word and lived like I didn't. I "knew" how I should behave from years of going to church and Catholic school- but that never translated into changed behavior on my part. I was very susceptible to others' opinions on what God says we should do and made a lot of mistakes as a result. Now, as a saved child of God and a truly born again Christian, I have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to understanding God's word- and this catching up involves a lot of reading and studying the Bible. Without doing that myself I would still be susceptible to false teaching.
The examples I have given above are not meant to call you to judge others who are living contrary to God's word. They are merely meant to be real life examples of how we can get confused. I'm sure you have good friends and close family who cause you to question or doubt what is true. I know I do. I have friends and family who fall on the sword over the "love" debate. The problem is, God's word is not that shallow or narrow. Yes, Jesus did love everyone, including sinners. I do not believe this is up for debate by anyone. His hope, though, is that all sinners will open their hearts to Him and repent, turn away from sin, and be saved. He loves them, but there are still standards to meet and laws to obey.
The path we are called to take is not necessarily the popular path and definitely not the common path. But.... God does not call us to take the popular or common path. He calls us to take His path, and we can only know what that path truly is by reading about it in the Bible. We must fact check what others tell us by going to the only place we can trust to be the true and authoritative source on the matter. Scripture.
As Christians we can live our lives as examples of what being filled with the Holy Spirit really looks like. Through the truth of Scripture, and a love for others rooted in Biblical honesty, we can help more sinners get into the Kingdom with us. We can do this ONLY through intentional study of the Word so we are leading others down the right path to salvation.
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many that enter through it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:13-14
Saturday, October 24, 2015
What is a Christian and how can I recognize one out in the wild?
My main inspiration to tackle the definition of Christian was this blog post by Matt Walsh. My favorite quote from his post: "it’s the only real difference between Christians and “progressive Christians.” Both groups are sinful, both groups are weak, both groups need Christ desperately, but one wants — though they may so often fail — to go Christ’s way, and the other wants Christ to go theirs."
He is right- there seems to be different types of Christians running around promoting different agendas. Some promote God's agenda as detailed in the Bible, and others seem to be promoting different versions and interpretations of God's Word; some so far away from what is in the Bible that it is incredible anyone is even listening to them.
First of all, how do you become a Christian? You can't EARN your way into Heaven. You can't just try to live a good life and do some good deeds and think that at the end God will say, " great job, come on in!". Why not? Because no matter how hard we try, and some of us try REALLY hard, we are all sinners and will always be sinners as long as we are on this earth. Many many Bible passages state this, but for the sake of brevity, and because there is a lot more to say in this post, I will quote Romans 3:23 "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard."
God hates sin, and because we can't help but sin, he sent his son Jesus Christ to take all our sin and make a way for us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. John 14:6 "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." So, to become a Christian we have to accept that we are sinners and turn to Jesus as our Savior and our one and only key to Heaven.
If you understand that you are a sinner, and you sincerely desire to repent from your sins and obey ALL the commands given by God in order to sin no more; If you truly believe that Jesus Christ paid the full penalty for all your sins by dying on the cross; And, as stated in John 14:6, if you truly believe that Jesus Christ was, is and forever will be fully God and the only way through which you can enter Heaven, then, and only then are you saved. That is how you become a Christian.
So, how do you know if someone truly is a Christian? I mean, it is one thing to know YOU are a Christian because you know your heart and know if you have accepted all of the above. What about everyone else? How can you tell?
In Philippians 3:3 Paul says: "For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh".
So, Paul gives us 3 characteristics of a Christian that might be visible to others:
Essentially, this passage is saying, anyone can talk a great game. Jesus is saying that He is more concerned about our WALK, something others should also be able to see. What matters here MORE than the words we say, is that we have a personal saving relationship with Christ. There are many people out there who claim to be Christian and proclaim what the Bible tells us to do and how to live, but not all of them truly have accepted Jesus as their Savior nor have they committed their will and obedience to Him. Just claiming something is from God does not make it so. If someone is full of words, but you can't see it through their actions, you should question it. A note on the last sentence. Some translations say this sentence as: "continue to practice engaging in teaching spiritual deception as though it is truth but isn't!" Enough said. When you read something claiming to be based on God's authority, fact check it for yourself and go to your Bible.
Yet another Apostle weighs in on this topic... James 1:22 says "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves". In fact, over and over again in Scripture Christians are called to be doers, which again are things that we can all see:
He is right- there seems to be different types of Christians running around promoting different agendas. Some promote God's agenda as detailed in the Bible, and others seem to be promoting different versions and interpretations of God's Word; some so far away from what is in the Bible that it is incredible anyone is even listening to them.
2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,"Why is this important? I think it is extremely important because there are a lot of "false Christians" out there promoting a non-Godly agenda but clothing it in Christianity. For someone new to Christianity, or who is considering Christianity, this can be DEADLY. You could easily go down the wrong path and miss out on salvation if you do not discern the source of the information and understand if it is from a true Christian and thus from God or not. ETERNITY rides on this- that's why it is important.
First of all, how do you become a Christian? You can't EARN your way into Heaven. You can't just try to live a good life and do some good deeds and think that at the end God will say, " great job, come on in!". Why not? Because no matter how hard we try, and some of us try REALLY hard, we are all sinners and will always be sinners as long as we are on this earth. Many many Bible passages state this, but for the sake of brevity, and because there is a lot more to say in this post, I will quote Romans 3:23 "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard."
God hates sin, and because we can't help but sin, he sent his son Jesus Christ to take all our sin and make a way for us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. John 14:6 "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." So, to become a Christian we have to accept that we are sinners and turn to Jesus as our Savior and our one and only key to Heaven.
If you understand that you are a sinner, and you sincerely desire to repent from your sins and obey ALL the commands given by God in order to sin no more; If you truly believe that Jesus Christ paid the full penalty for all your sins by dying on the cross; And, as stated in John 14:6, if you truly believe that Jesus Christ was, is and forever will be fully God and the only way through which you can enter Heaven, then, and only then are you saved. That is how you become a Christian.
So, how do you know if someone truly is a Christian? I mean, it is one thing to know YOU are a Christian because you know your heart and know if you have accepted all of the above. What about everyone else? How can you tell?
In Philippians 3:3 Paul says: "For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh".
So, Paul gives us 3 characteristics of a Christian that might be visible to others:
- Worships the Spirit of God
- Glories in Christ
- Puts no confidence in the flesh (does not go to man alone for all the answers or validation)
Essentially, this passage is saying, anyone can talk a great game. Jesus is saying that He is more concerned about our WALK, something others should also be able to see. What matters here MORE than the words we say, is that we have a personal saving relationship with Christ. There are many people out there who claim to be Christian and proclaim what the Bible tells us to do and how to live, but not all of them truly have accepted Jesus as their Savior nor have they committed their will and obedience to Him. Just claiming something is from God does not make it so. If someone is full of words, but you can't see it through their actions, you should question it. A note on the last sentence. Some translations say this sentence as: "continue to practice engaging in teaching spiritual deception as though it is truth but isn't!" Enough said. When you read something claiming to be based on God's authority, fact check it for yourself and go to your Bible.
Yet another Apostle weighs in on this topic... James 1:22 says "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves". In fact, over and over again in Scripture Christians are called to be doers, which again are things that we can all see:
- to love one another (John 13:34)
- to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20)
- that our faith should be accompanied by action (James 2:17, 26)
- to declare his praises (1 Peter 2:9)
- to do the Father's will (Romans 8:9)
- to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8)
1 Corinthians 11:1-2 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you."
Sunday, October 4, 2015
An American Babylon?
What would our lives be like if we ceased to care what humans thought of us and instead sought to glorify God in all we do and say? What if we stood up against people and governments that create rules and laws that blatantly go against God's word? What if we stopped being afraid of what others might say or do to us and stood up for TRUTH and MORALITY and JESUS CHRIST instead?
I've been thinking a lot about the story of Babylon lately. I can't help but wonder if we are living in a modern day Babylon right now. Do you know the story? The city of Babylon was the capital of the ancient land of Babylonia in southern Mesopotamia. It was situated on the Euphrates River about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad, just north of what is now the modern Iraqi town of al-Hillah. It was thought to be Biblical myth until its foundations were unearthed and its riches substantiated during the 19th century.
How we are to live our lives as Believers is very clear. God's word in the Bible is there for all to read. He has given us a manual for living, all you have to do is study and follow it. Sound easy? Not so fast. Our culture and non-believers will try to trip you up at every turn.
There are those out there that will try to use the Bible against you. They will quote Romans 13:1 "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities..." and claim that even the Bible tells us to obey the government.
Don't be fooled- there is important CONTEXT needed here. Acts 5:29 goes on to say: "We must obey God rather than men." Contradiction? No way- God is telling us that we are to follow the law of the land UNLESS or UNTIL it violates scripture.
Can't quite get there? Then let's talk about something that may make this a little clearer. In Exodus we are given the 10 commandments. Commandment #5 says "honor your father and mother. Commandment #6 says "thou shall not murder". So, if you are following commandment #5 by honoring your father and mother and they tell you to commit murder, should you follow their command? The answer, of course, is NO! Why? Because obedience to your parents is only appropriate unless doing so would go against scripture. Man is fallen which means that man is subject to weakness and sin. We are never to follow man, but to follow God. Therefore, following governmental systems is only appropriate when it is consistent with scripture.
How about a real life present example? Consider Kim Davis- the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage. For those who say that she should either do her job or quit I ask you- when did we stray from providing religious accommodation to Christians? We provide accommodation to others following their religious beliefs, why not here? How about students who cannot even say the words "Merry Christmas" in public schools anymore? Or Seniors being prohibited from praying before meals in a Senior Center? Or college students being docked on a grade because the paper was religious in nature? When did Christianity cease to be eligible for religious accommodation?
What does Babylon have to do with any of this? Well, Babylon is mentioned 260 times in Scripture, and is a city second in importance only to Jerusalem. I believe that God speaks about it so often as a warning and example to us of what is going to happen to selfish, greedy, unbelieving countries when He returns. Reading about and understanding Babylon's story will help us open our eyes to what is around us and avoid falling into the trap, which is a very real risk for Christians living in such a culture.
What about our culture is in line with Babylonian culture? Well, to name a few examples:
You must not try to do this on your own though, and you must not rely solely on your fellow Christian to help you through, either (even the most Godly person in the world is still a flawed human in need of the Holy Spirit).
I've been thinking a lot about the story of Babylon lately. I can't help but wonder if we are living in a modern day Babylon right now. Do you know the story? The city of Babylon was the capital of the ancient land of Babylonia in southern Mesopotamia. It was situated on the Euphrates River about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad, just north of what is now the modern Iraqi town of al-Hillah. It was thought to be Biblical myth until its foundations were unearthed and its riches substantiated during the 19th century.
The Bible reveals that all false systems of religion began in the land of Babylon. The influence of Babylon on Israel and world history is profound. King Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon's king, was a very prideful man, and after having his pride hurt, conquered Judah and thousands of Jewish people were taken from their homes and forced to live in Babylon. There, the Jews were indoctrinated into Babylonian culture in order to transform them into loyal servants of their new king.
Most Jewish exiles fell in line with this indoctrination. Why? Well, King Nebuchadnezzar was one of the most powerful tyrants that had ever lived. No one had ever been equal in authority, and there were no restraints whatsoever on anything he wanted to do. He was an expert on torture, and everyone knew what he was capable of. He also promised great things and made it seem like a benefit to follow his ways. How do you stand up against that? They had every reason in the world to fall in line and not stand up for their faith, and that's what almost all of them did. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", right?
But- there was one TEENAGER and three of his friends who were able to stand strong against all the temptation that was in Babylon: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. Daniel was a faithful servant of God. He never waivered in his faith or commitment to the Lord. He stayed faithful, even in the midst of a culture that despised such faith. He stayed faithful without having to quit his job or hide out to do it. He and his friends felt the pressure; you know they did. But because of their faithfulness God honored them and gave them the grace to stand strong despite the pressure. The story of this pressure goes on throughout the book, it wasn't over quickly or early. For 70 years Daniel served in one of the highest roles in the Babylonian government, and he did so without EVER compromising his relationship with and commitment to God. When he was expected to eat the food and drink provided by the king, food and drink that was against God's law, he devised a way to have other food brought to him and did not submit. When he was forced to worship the statue of the king- he did not. When he was commanded not to pray for 30 days, he got down on his knees each day and prayed in full view of his window. I'm sure his three friends did the same. I'm sure they weren't popular with the other Babylonians. I'm sure they were probably excluded from many of the the social groups and even ridiculed. It could not have always been easy. For these things and others they faced the fiery furnace, the lions den, and who knows what else over the course of that 70 years, but they never waiver in their commitment to the Lord and the Lord never failed them, saving them from death each time it was ordered upon them.
How is any of this this different from today- at least fundamentally?
How we are to live our lives as Believers is very clear. God's word in the Bible is there for all to read. He has given us a manual for living, all you have to do is study and follow it. Sound easy? Not so fast. Our culture and non-believers will try to trip you up at every turn.
There are those out there that will try to use the Bible against you. They will quote Romans 13:1 "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities..." and claim that even the Bible tells us to obey the government.
Don't be fooled- there is important CONTEXT needed here. Acts 5:29 goes on to say: "We must obey God rather than men." Contradiction? No way- God is telling us that we are to follow the law of the land UNLESS or UNTIL it violates scripture.
Can't quite get there? Then let's talk about something that may make this a little clearer. In Exodus we are given the 10 commandments. Commandment #5 says "honor your father and mother. Commandment #6 says "thou shall not murder". So, if you are following commandment #5 by honoring your father and mother and they tell you to commit murder, should you follow their command? The answer, of course, is NO! Why? Because obedience to your parents is only appropriate unless doing so would go against scripture. Man is fallen which means that man is subject to weakness and sin. We are never to follow man, but to follow God. Therefore, following governmental systems is only appropriate when it is consistent with scripture.
How about a real life present example? Consider Kim Davis- the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage. For those who say that she should either do her job or quit I ask you- when did we stray from providing religious accommodation to Christians? We provide accommodation to others following their religious beliefs, why not here? How about students who cannot even say the words "Merry Christmas" in public schools anymore? Or Seniors being prohibited from praying before meals in a Senior Center? Or college students being docked on a grade because the paper was religious in nature? When did Christianity cease to be eligible for religious accommodation?
What does Babylon have to do with any of this? Well, Babylon is mentioned 260 times in Scripture, and is a city second in importance only to Jerusalem. I believe that God speaks about it so often as a warning and example to us of what is going to happen to selfish, greedy, unbelieving countries when He returns. Reading about and understanding Babylon's story will help us open our eyes to what is around us and avoid falling into the trap, which is a very real risk for Christians living in such a culture.
What about our culture is in line with Babylonian culture? Well, to name a few examples:
- Glorifying sex outside of wedlock (the sexual revolution) in movies, music, and through the prevalence of birth control available to everyone INCLUDING to teenagers without their parents' consent (thus eliminating sexual responsibility and the need for abstinence)
- Abortion glorification (it is touted as a VICTORY for women)- example: even in the face of evidence that Planned Parenthood has tricked many into them AND is selling aborted fetuses for profit, even sometimes being harvested from live babies, people are still standing by them and taxpayers' money is funding them. Christians are often vilified for being against this.
- The definition of marriage as created by God has been rewritten to include marriage by same sex couples which is against God's law- and Christians are called intolerant or worse for speaking out against this
- There is no longer only the two genders created by God: man and woman.... there are now "other" genders, and God's perfect creation in Adam and Eve has been perverted by man.
- We glorify physical beauty above all else- who can trust ANY of the pictures we see on TV or in magazines or in front of clothing stores in the mall these days? They have been photo-shopped beyond recognition to enhance only the physical beauty that has somehow been deemed desirable
- Do I spend time reading about and/or am I even a little bit infatuated with the wealth and power of movie stars, sports celebrities, political figures or other powerful people (be honest, do you grab that People magazine or the Enquirer or US or any of the dozens of other magazines as you stand in the checkout line just to check out the story on the cover or read the latest gossip)?
- Do I ever covet or crave wealth, power, prestige or connections that would enhance my comfort, popularity or influence (even just a little)?
- Do I take steps to protect myself from exposure to the things of this world that would tempt me away from the life God wants me to live? Do these steps involve avoiding any or all of the above? Do these steps involve praying to God for his help?
You must not try to do this on your own though, and you must not rely solely on your fellow Christian to help you through, either (even the most Godly person in the world is still a flawed human in need of the Holy Spirit).
Stand up for God and His word. Even now that there is real risk to doing so don't back down, but call on the power of the Holy Spirit to help you stand strong. God will never forsake you. He will always forgive you. He sent His son Jesus to die for you so that the doors of Heaven will be open to you no matter how many times you fall down. All you have to do is repent and accept this gift of salvation, and God will do the rest in you! With a God like this on your side you don't need to worry what the crowd is doing. Our God is able to carry you through and to work the situation out no matter how impossible it looks.
God is ruler over all. The outcome of this war against Satan (which is really what this is all about) is already known. God is in charge, and you are either on His side or on Satan's side. There is no neutral ground here, and the Babylonian culture, the American culture of today, is NOT on the right side. Where do you stand?
"Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever, for wisdom and might are his. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and secret things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him." (Daniel 2:20-22)
God is ruler over all. The outcome of this war against Satan (which is really what this is all about) is already known. God is in charge, and you are either on His side or on Satan's side. There is no neutral ground here, and the Babylonian culture, the American culture of today, is NOT on the right side. Where do you stand?
"Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever, for wisdom and might are his. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and secret things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him." (Daniel 2:20-22)
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Put on the FULL armor of God and STAND UP!
If you read the news today, all you see are examples of how much our secular culture has started to take over and blot out or even crush those who would follow their Christian beliefs. It is sickening to see how much followers of Jesus Christ are starting to suffer for their beliefs here in the United States, all in the name of what? Freedom? For whom? Fairness? To whom?
What exactly am I referring to?
How about Kim Davis, the Kentucky Clerk who has refused to issue marriage licenses since the Supreme Court saw fit to change the definition of marriage? For following her sincerely held beliefs in God and His word she is now facing fines and jail time. She didn't just stop offering marriage licenses to gay people but to everyone, making sure to NOT discriminate against any one group. Instead of just losing her job, she is being prosecuted, or should I say PERSECUTED? Instead of giving freedom and fairness to her based on her beliefs, she is being attacked and sued. Her past mistakes are being dredged up for all to see and judge and she is being called a hypocrite for not always following the Bible. Hmmmm, I recall a few Bible passes that address that... how about "He that is without sin among you let him cast the first stone" John 8:7 or how about "as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one" Romans 3:10. Even Christians are sinners, but that doesn't diminish the truth of the Bible or our attempts to follow it, even in our weakened human state.
How about Villa Rica High School in Georgia? Just recently the Villa Rica First Baptist Church conducted a mass baptism before football practice. Video shows some football players and a coach being baptised on school grounds before practice, prompting the group Freedom from Religion Foundation to demand an investigation. What about the Freedom FOR religion? This story is too new to have much more detail than that, but for me this situation coupled with the slew of others that are coming forward each week begs the question: how did it come to be that when someone's right to BELIEVE clashes with another's right NOT to believe, it is the person who chooses NOT to believe that comes out on top with the law? Over the course of time Believers have lost more and more rights and opportunities to profess their faith publicly and now, even LIVE IT OUT publicly. So I ask again... freedom for whom?
Enough is enough.
Christians- do not bury your head in the sand any longer thinking that this is not your fight. This IS your fight! This is OUR fight. Stand up for faith and what is right, even though it may cost you greatly. Don't listen to those who will tell you that faith and God belong only behind closed doors. Don't listen when the world seems to think that God is optional at best or non-existent at worst. Don't listen to this secular culture that continues to work toward quashing your right to live your Christian beliefs through the passage of laws that require you to choose between those closely held beliefs and what non-believers say is right. Stand Up! Fight! Do not compromise. Jesus did NOT compromise for you- Jesus sacrificed ALL for you, against the worst torture and pain and injustice. He did this all for you without any guarantee that you would ever care. What will you do now to show our God that you do care, and that you will not turn your back on Him even now when it is becoming harder and harder to follow?
The Lord says: "And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved"
Matthew 10:22-24
ALSO:
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints"
Ephesians 6:10-18
Friends, now is our time. God has called us to be His. He has worked in your life for such a time as this. Don't be weak and afraid, but put on the full armor of God and stand up. We were not put here to live for man, but to live for our God who loves us and has a place for us in Heaven, our true home. "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man then I would not be a servant of Christ". Galatians 1:10
What exactly am I referring to?
How about Kim Davis, the Kentucky Clerk who has refused to issue marriage licenses since the Supreme Court saw fit to change the definition of marriage? For following her sincerely held beliefs in God and His word she is now facing fines and jail time. She didn't just stop offering marriage licenses to gay people but to everyone, making sure to NOT discriminate against any one group. Instead of just losing her job, she is being prosecuted, or should I say PERSECUTED? Instead of giving freedom and fairness to her based on her beliefs, she is being attacked and sued. Her past mistakes are being dredged up for all to see and judge and she is being called a hypocrite for not always following the Bible. Hmmmm, I recall a few Bible passes that address that... how about "He that is without sin among you let him cast the first stone" John 8:7 or how about "as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one" Romans 3:10. Even Christians are sinners, but that doesn't diminish the truth of the Bible or our attempts to follow it, even in our weakened human state.
How about Villa Rica High School in Georgia? Just recently the Villa Rica First Baptist Church conducted a mass baptism before football practice. Video shows some football players and a coach being baptised on school grounds before practice, prompting the group Freedom from Religion Foundation to demand an investigation. What about the Freedom FOR religion? This story is too new to have much more detail than that, but for me this situation coupled with the slew of others that are coming forward each week begs the question: how did it come to be that when someone's right to BELIEVE clashes with another's right NOT to believe, it is the person who chooses NOT to believe that comes out on top with the law? Over the course of time Believers have lost more and more rights and opportunities to profess their faith publicly and now, even LIVE IT OUT publicly. So I ask again... freedom for whom?
Enough is enough.
Christians- do not bury your head in the sand any longer thinking that this is not your fight. This IS your fight! This is OUR fight. Stand up for faith and what is right, even though it may cost you greatly. Don't listen to those who will tell you that faith and God belong only behind closed doors. Don't listen when the world seems to think that God is optional at best or non-existent at worst. Don't listen to this secular culture that continues to work toward quashing your right to live your Christian beliefs through the passage of laws that require you to choose between those closely held beliefs and what non-believers say is right. Stand Up! Fight! Do not compromise. Jesus did NOT compromise for you- Jesus sacrificed ALL for you, against the worst torture and pain and injustice. He did this all for you without any guarantee that you would ever care. What will you do now to show our God that you do care, and that you will not turn your back on Him even now when it is becoming harder and harder to follow?
The Lord says: "And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved"
Matthew 10:22-24
ALSO:
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints"
Ephesians 6:10-18
Friends, now is our time. God has called us to be His. He has worked in your life for such a time as this. Don't be weak and afraid, but put on the full armor of God and stand up. We were not put here to live for man, but to live for our God who loves us and has a place for us in Heaven, our true home. "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man then I would not be a servant of Christ". Galatians 1:10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)