I am writing this letter as a wake-up call. Christians need to open their eyes to the world that is around them. We have been lulled into a false sense of safety and the world is using that to slowly chip away at everything that we stand for. I can’t think of any other time in recent history when Christian beliefs and values were being attacked as fervently as they are today. We are being attacked from every direction at all times. They attack our beliefs, our morals, our redemption, our God, our intelligence and even our character. What is even more disconcerting is there are wolves within the Christian community that are using their platform to attack Christianity from within and so many people are falling right into the trap without ever realizing they are being led astray.
The world is absolutely divided in so many ways. The tension is everywhere and it seems like we are constantly fighting and bickering about some difference of opinion. However, Christians need to stop focusing on all the distractions and start focusing on the divide that is threatening us all; the ever growing divide between Christians and the rest of the world. It seems like in recent years that divide has grown from a line in the sand in to a huge canyon as Satan continues to disrupt the bedrock in an attempt to exile us to the middle of the sea. We are being driven out of the school, the government, the workplace, and in some cases even the church. We are being told to remain silent and bite our tongues. Students are openly mocked and at times even failed based on the fact that they stood up for their Christian beliefs. Anytime a government official places his Christian beliefs in the forefront of his political stance he is shunned by the majority and called a bigot. In the workplace, we face termination if our beliefs offend the people around us. We are told to be careful who we talk to and be mindful of who is around, because even an offended eavesdropper can cause some serious disciplinary issues. Even in the church, we have certain pastors, like Rob Bell, teaching a message that contradicts scripture. In these churches, true Christians and their biblical theology are not welcome. Yet, somehow we still try to claim that we live in a Christian nation. I’m sorry to inform you, we are no longer a Christian nation. We once were and I wish we still were, but the simple truth is we stopped being a Christian nation quite some time ago. We need to find our way back, but in order to do that we have to stop the delusion! Christianity has been swept aside not only in our country, but across the world. Are we going to let that continue or are we going to do something about it?
I don’t believe it is any longer a question of if you will be persecuted, but rather when and how often you will be persecuted.
We are at a time where we have to make a stand. We either make a decision to stand with Christ or we decide to stand with the world. More and more each day, it is becoming clear that there is no middle ground. I am not going to say that standing with Christ will be easy; in fact, even Jesus said it would be hard. We are at a time that if you are standing firm in your faith in Jesus Christ, I don’t believe it is any longer a question of if you will be persecuted, but rather when and how often you will be persecuted. We have to be ready for it. We have to be prepared. Standing with Christ, you will no longer stand with the majority and may at times feel as if you are fighting a battle alone, but you are not alone. The Holy Spirit is always with you.
I understand the enticing nature of standing with the world. We don’t like to be outcast. We want to have friends, we want to be well-liked and we are often taught our entire lives to never rock the boat. If you choose to stand with the world, you will no doubt have the force of the majority on your side. You will have friends, you won’t have to worry about being alone and you will rarely find yourself forced into an uncomfortable silence, but at what cost? In standing with the world, you will be standing against God. “You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: if you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). Ask yourself, is really where you want to be?
You will never be able to lead somebody to the truth if you are falling for the lies.
Brothers and sisters, we have to know what we believe and we need to know why we believe it. The lies that are being cast out into the world are clever and well worded. They mix some truth in with the lie and if we aren’t prepared with knowledge, these false teachings can easily lead us astray. We have to know scripture. We have to be in our Bibles. We can’t get by just knowing the basic gist of what the Bible has to say. We need to know the word of God. The lies we encounter in the world are not the inventions of man, they are the very tools being used by Satan to deceive the world and pull us away from God. He is the great deceiver. He knows how to form a lie and make it seem like the truth. He knows how to bend the word of God just enough to cause us to question everything we ever believed. Satan attempted to do this to Jesus, but Jesus was able to resist. Do you remember how? It wasn’t by saying, “the scripture says something along these lines”. If Jesus had said that, Satan would have simply twisted it or taken it out of context to mean something completely different, which we constantly see being done today. No, Jesus quoted the scripture word for word; He knew what it said and He knew what it meant, which allowed Him to stand firm in front of Satan and resist every temptation thrown at Him. We need to know the scripture so we can stand firm when Satan tempts us. So we can recognize the lie and call it out for what it really is. So, when somebody questions our beliefs we can give them an answer instead of being led astray by their false statements. You will never be able to lead somebody to the truth if you are falling for the lies.
Evaluate yourself using the Bible and its standards, not the standards of a fallen world.
The world will try to call you stupid, ignorant, hateful, bigoted, racist and a myriad of other insults if you stand against the world and instead stand for God. You are going to have to learn to be ok with that. You are going to have to learn who you really are in Christ and stop worrying about the labels the world tries to put on you. Make sure you are walking with Christ, showing others the same love He shows you, and that you are professing the Truth of the cross and not some twisted version of it. As long as you are doing that, none of those labels apply to you. They are being cast on you by a world that chooses to deny the truth. They have ears but they don’t hear and eyes but they don’t see. They are unknowingly being used as pawns in a war they choose to deny and ignore. All that we can do is move forward in our love for them, attempting to open their eyes to the truth. However, you can’t let their insults and hatred cause you to question what you are doing for Christ. Evaluate yourself using the Bible and its standards, not the standards of a fallen world.
Understand what I am saying: if you are never under attack; you aren’t really serving Jesus Christ.
If I haven’t already stepped on some toes, I no doubt will with what I am about to say next. We can’t be complacent to just know scripture and not be willing to step out and speak it to the world. Satan and his demonic forces are moving in this world and they are attempting to stop Christians from reaching others. We have to step out into the warzone and save whoever we can. Yes, you will be attacked. Yes, it will be hard and it will cause you to struggle at times. However, we have been equipped to fight it. We have been given the power to not only resist Satan but also to cast him out of our presence. Satan and his forces will always attack the people that are threatening their grip on this world. If you aren’t being attacked you may feel safe and secure, but that also means that you aren’t a threat to the evil overtaking the world. Understand what I am saying: if you are never under attack; you aren’t really serving Jesus Christ. There is no way you can be serving the light and be ok with the darkness. You can’t stand for truth but accept the lies. Stand up and fight. You will be attacked, but that is ok because you have already achieved victory through Jesus Christ. You don’t have to be afraid. You don’t have to worry. You have already won the fight. Satan knows you have already won, that is why he spends so much time trying to make you doubt it and keep you on the sidelines.
Profess with your mouth that you are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ and tell Satan that he isn’t welcome here. Don’t just think it: Say it! Mean it! Proclaim it!
As you go out and fight and face these dark forces, remember you have been covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. You are assured of who you are through Christ. Take up the Armor of God as you enter battle (Ephesians 6:10-18). Be prepared with scripture. If you find yourself feeling uneasy, pick a couple of verses and just start repeating them over and over again. Also, never forget God knows our most inner thoughts. He can read our mind, but Satan can’t. You can’t just repeat the verses in your head; you can’t cast Satan out by saying it to yourself. You have to speak up. Say it out loud. Profess with your mouth that you are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ and tell Satan that he isn’t welcome here. Don’t just think it: Say it! Mean it! Proclaim it!
We won’t be able to reach them all. We won’t be able to bring them all to Christ, but shame on us if we sit in silence and don’t even try.
Prepare yourself, stand up, suit up and fight. We are called to make disciples of all nations and as a whole, we haven’t even done a good job of that in our country lately, much less abroad. We have to step out of our comfort zone. We have to rock the boat. It is ok to stand up for what you believe. It’s ok to let your voice be heard. Actually, we need to hear a lot more Christian voices in the world. I hear a lot of nonsense, but not much truth in the world today. What happened? Where’s the passion? Where is the drive to bring people to the loving arms of their savior? Don’t let the absurd notion of political correctness stop you from being what God has called you to be. Political correctness spends too much time telling people what they want to hear and never once thinking about what they need to hear. Jesus is all about what we need to hear, and we all need the truth. I’m not saying to do it in a hateful way. We, as Christians, should always love, but you can tell someone the truth and do it in a loving way. The world around us grows more foolish every day. They speak absurdities, twist logic to make preposterous claims and never see that their folly will lead to tragedy. We have to be the voice of reason. We won’t be able to reach them all. We won’t be able to bring them all to Christ, but shame on us if we sit in silence and don’t even try. Far too many Christians talk and complain about the darkness in the world, but do nothing about it. If the world you are living in is too dark: you are the light of the world, brighten it up!
