TROUBLESOME TIMES ARE HERE

October 28, 2016

     For Christians, our times of sailing with the wind at our backs is over.  Difficult times lie ahead.  While we enjoyed decades of being culturally venerated, then accepted, then tolerated, those days are over.  War has been declared against us, and there is no sense in hiding our heads in the sand or making happy talk about how things aren’t as bad as they seem.  Yes, they are.  And they’re only going to grow worse.  The enemy has spent decades getting us to this point.  The control of the media, the judiciary, the educational system, did not happen overnight.  Nor, did it happen accidentally.  It came about because of the systematic efforts of true believers whose belief system is pretty much the opposite of Christians.  The enemy has now achieved the power and positioning to make life miserable for those who oppose their agenda (us).  Many of them make no bones about how it is time for “payback” to Christians who, rightly or wrongly, they see as having persecuted and held them back.  They are out for revenge.  They want their pound of flesh.  And we better prepare for what’s coming.

     The government is not going to protect us.  Our federal, and many state, governments have made it clear that their agenda is now owned by the moral progressives in this country.  That means that governments will continue to do everything they can to eliminate God and his influence.  They will persecute and prosecute His people at every opportunity.  From federal mandates seeking to enforce “rights” for the sexually deviant, to states prosecuting those who are seen as discriminating on the basis of moral values, to cities seeking to silence churches and preachers who would oppose their leadership’s immoral agenda, government has become our enemy, not our friend.

     All forms of media are actively striving on a daily basis to make our belief system not just unacceptable socially, but viewed as vile and obscene.  It’s not just that we’re increasingly becoming the butt of jokes on nightly television, consistently portrayed as narrow-minded bigots who are determined to make life miserable for everyone else, but we’re being portrayed as harmful, cruel, heartless fanatics who enjoy destroying the lives of others whose values don’t match ours.  A “fair and balanced” view of Christianity is out the window.  Honestly.  Check out Google, Yahoo, MSN and other websites and tell me they are anything other than blatantly, openly, hostilely, anti-Christian.  Watch a few of the “family” shows on cable and then argue that the traditional family is not under full blown attack and the object of absolute ridicule. Understand that as Christians we now wear the black hats.  We’re the villains, the bad guys, the enemy. 

     The courts are now among the most active persecuters of God’s people.  After years of effort on the part of the left, judges with an agenda are the rule, not the exception.  And that agenda is anti-God and anti-Christian.  Increasingly the courts are legislating from the bench against Bible believers.  And if a case comes before the court in which opposing moral values play a role, as in matters sexual, just look at the consistency of the decisions that are being handed down.  They are consistently on the side of the immoral.

     The upcoming presidential election does have huge implications for the future.  And I am going to hold my nose and vote for Donald Trump for president.  But regardless of who is elected, please understand that does not change a system that has become deeply and thoroughly corrupted.  As Christians, we are facing an enemy who now holds the reins of power and will not hesitate to ruthlessly apply that power.  One man, or woman, cannot change a judiciary, an educational system, a media, that is now clearly in the hands of those who would erase our God, our message, us…

     However, now please allow me to share what lets me sleep at night and gives me hope for tomorrow.  While I am arguing strenuously we should not ignore the reality of the challenge we face, as formidable as that is, that does not mean the battle is over.  In fact, I believe in many ways it has only begun.  Let me share a couple of observations I believe are apropos that come from the dark days of Israel.

     In 1 Kings 19, after Elijah’s great victory on Mount Carmel, he is chased into the wilderness by Jezebel.  Exhausted, he is ready to thrown in the towel, to give up.  He believes he is the only one left who is faithful.  What does God tell him?  That there are seven thousand in Israel who have not bowed the knee to Baal.  The remnant is faithful.  The unsung heroes like Obadiah, who is sheltering and caring for a hundred prophets at great risk to himself (see 1 Kings 18:4), are still there, still faithful.  He is not alone.

     There are still tens of millions of people in this country who believe in God and seek to follow His inspired word.  They have not given up.  They are not going to quit.  I believe we can look forward to a time when people of faith will unite in ways they have never before to take a stand for God and following His will.  There is still, in this country, a powerful force and voice for what is good and what is right.  I do not believe that voice will remain silent. 

     Above all, our God is an awesome God.  He rules and he reigns even as the Ahabs and Jezebels that pollute this earth arrogantly sit on their thrones and disdain Him and persecute His people.  God’s mighty hand guided an arrow to the chink in Ahab’s armor and turned Jezebel into dog food.  When judgment time came it was swift and absolute.  Those who blaspheme and oppose our God have no idea of the calamitous mistake they have made.  As with the arrogant Nebuchadnezzar (see Daniel 4), they will be brought low. 

     As with Elijah, we are called simply to be faithful.  Through thick and thin, victory and defeat, good times and bad, we must be faithful.  God’s victory over the prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth came because Elijah was willing to put himself on that altar.  He risked it all because of His trust in God.  We are called to do exactly the same (Romans 12:1,2). If we, like Elijah, are willing to present ourselves as living sacrifices, we shall see amazing things in the days to come.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9,10).

MARANATHA!!!

ARE YOU AS EMBARRASSED AS I AM?

October 18, 2016

            Are you as embarrassed as I am?  Is the best the greatest country on earth can put forward for selection to the highest office in the land a couple of narcissistic misfits? Really?  A potty-mouthed self-obsessed billionaire and a coldly calculating Jezebel are the cream of the candidate crop?

            I don’t find it difficult to believe at all that the U.S. is increasingly a laughingstock among the nations of the world.  When the focus of the presidential campaign centers around the two candidates tossing around terms like “crook” and “misogynist,” when the spotlight falls on either candidate and what is revealed is essentially a moral leper, when you have two camps arguing, not over incredibly relevant issues like crippling national debt, runaway illegal immigration, and frightening foreign policy challenges, but instead over who groped or raped whom, we reveal just how morally bankrupt this country has become.   

            As a nation, we used to command the high moral ground.  We were admired as a beacon of liberty and freedom.  Increasingly, and deservingly, we are seen as a selfish, neurotic, unpredictable mess.  We’re spending money like a drunken sailor even though for all practical purposes we’re bankrupt.  We make promises and commitments to foreign countries that we apparently have no intention of keeping.  We treat our long term allies with disdain and go out of our way to honor our sworn enemies.  It appears one of the few things we’re still successfully manufacturing in this country is pornography.

            I don’t know how it is in your neighborhood, but I’ve observed something very telling in mine.  In the past couple of presidential elections, there have been lots of yard signs in front of houses advocating for candidates.  Not this year.  There is not a single sign for either Trump or Clinton.  Not one.  I’m also a bumper sticker reader.  Once again, I don’t know how it is in your area, but in mine I’m struck by the lack of stickers for either candidate.  I’ve noticed very few this year, by far the least I’ve ever observed during a presidential campaign. 

Why is this?  I believe it is because it is difficult to be enthusiastic when you have to hold your nose to vote for the candidate of your choice.   When the best reason you can come up with for voting for a candidate is something along the lines of the analogy of “Well, would you rather select the candidate with the gun that you know will shoot you or the candidate with the knife that may stab you but might just let you live?” 

More than ever, I am grateful to be a part of a holy nation (1 Pet 2:9) whose guiding light is agape (John 13:34,35).  I am thankful to serve a leader of absolute purity of whom I am rightly proud, the lord Jesus Christ.   It is with heartfelt appreciation that I am privileged to associate with brothers and sisters in Christ whose moral and spiritual foundations are solid and sure.

 I am incredibly blessed to be a part of a kingdom of which I am not ashamed.

May God continue to bless His people, and may He show mercy toward the United States of America.                  

Extorted Into Silence

October 7, 2016

As I have watched the federal government in recent years becoming more and more anti-Christian in its laws and regulations, like many other Christians the specter of what the future holds has weighed heavily on me.  As the father of four and grandfather of six, I am extremely concerned about the cultural and spiritual atmosphere in which my children and grandchildren will live.  I ache to think of their freedoms of religion and free speech being stripped from them.  And that effort is undeniably already underway.  I am frightened by the thought of the day coming when they could be thrown into prison because of their “hateful” Christian convictions.  But who would deny that such a possibility is increasingly real?

            As Christians, what can we do?  An obvious answer is to insert ourselves loudly and forcefully into the political process.  Our elected officials are going to be the ones who legislate in a way that is either going to protect or attempt to destroy Christianity.  That is an undeniable fact.

            So why is it that most Christians have chosen to remove themselves from the political process?  Why is it that church’s voices are muted to the point of silence?  These elections are literally determining the future for our children.  So why are we wringing our hands and basically doing nothing to influence who will be elected?

            I believe we are allowing ourselves to be bullied and extorted into silence.  “Conventional wisdom” in regard to Christians abstaining from politics is playing right into the hands of the progressive extremists who would love to legislate us out of existence.

            Most Americans have bought into the idea that non-profits should stay out of politics.  If any organization is given tax exempt status as a religion or charity, they should not be able to express support for specific candidates or, increasingly, specific moral stances.  Their charitable status has, effectively, muzzled them.  To retain their charitable status, they must sacrifice their right to speak out on political and moral issues.

            Has anyone stopped to question the logic and validity of this stance?  Why is it okay for a for profit company to spend incredible amounts of money to support candidates and legislation that would be favorable to them, but non-profits have to keep their mouths shut and purses closed?  What’s the difference between a for-profit corporation furthering legislation or regulations that would provide them tax breaks, and a non-profit pursuing legislation aiding them in furthering their aims or values?

            Why is it all right for the government to take moral stances on various issues, i.e. gay marriage and drug use, but not the citizens who pay the taxes supporting that government?  Of course, the argument immediately made is that the non-profits are receiving a preferred status from the government and thus should not be allowed a voice in the government.  Why not?  If I was to argue that people who pay no taxes because they are retired or out of work or whatever should not be allowed to vote, there would be screams of moral outrage.  But if they are the beneficiaries of a preferred status courtesy of government largesse, and they are, why is it okay for them to have a voice but not okay for a charitable organization?

            I believe the progressives in this country who want to do away with Christian influence in government, period, are very aware of the power of the Christian voice in this country.  They know how much influence churches could wield should they be given an opportunity to speak out in the public market place.  Thousands of churches representing millions of Christians seeking to influence elections in a way that would protect and advocate their values has to frighten the left big time.  There is no question that it is to the advantage of anti-Christian forces to do all they can to muzzle the voice of pro-Christian forces.

            So, political and moral progressives have extorted the silence of churches and charitable non-profits by threatening to take away their tax exempt status should they speak out.  It is a strategy that has been undeniably effective in recent years.  This, even as they relentlessly inflict their immoral and amoral values on a hapless public.  Is it any wonder that the anti-Christian voices seem to be prevailing?

            I absolutely believe our God is King of kings and Lord of lords.  I believe he sets up and takes down rulers.  I also believe in the power of prayer.  There is not a day that goes by I do not bring before the Father my concerns about this country and its future.  However, I am increasingly convicted that we have been sold a bill of goods when it comes to the influence that we, as Christians, can have on the future direction of this country.  Why should we collectively allow ourselves to be bullied or extorted into silence?

            I am absolutely willing to give up a charitable tax deduction for my church contributions if it means the collective voice of millions of Christians can be heard.  I’m sure that’s true of the vast majority of God honoring, Bible believing people in this country.  If I have to pay more tax to have a voice in the future welfare of this country and, in particular, of my children and grandchildren, I will gladly do so.

            Maybe I’m wrong, in fact I hope I am, but if things don’t change dramatically, the course I see this country taking will lead to one of two ends:  overt physical and financial persecution of all those who do not sign on to the progressive, anti-Christian, agenda, or a civil war.  Both those possibilities nauseate me.  But if we just buy into the progressive agenda and allow them to dictate when and where we may speak out, I see little hope for any other future.

            May God grant us wisdom, courage, and faith in dealing with what is to come.