In Perilous Times, Fear Not

Undoubtedly, these are dangerous days. There are dangers of bombings and explosions. There are dangers brought in by evil men who destroy the earth’s food, air, and water. There are dangers to our children imposed by the education system, the “health” system, etc.  There are dangers of heresies, false gospels, a false Jesus, and false churches that stumble souls rather than help them. There are dangers due to wicked governments all over the earth.

Then you have the “truthers,” who claim to expose all the truth for us. But there is a subtle danger here too.  So often they do not really expose all the truth, but only part of it. They expose only the negative and they fill us with fear. They have proof and they have daily videos and caustic diatribes that get us worked up and agitated.  They make a living peddling fear and leading us to trust in them and their foresight. They exalt in guns and off-grid living (which are not inherently evil but offer no real refuge).

What they fail to show us is the armies of God in the heavens poised and ready to fight for God’s people. They don’t show this because they do not see it. They only see “the enemy” (whichever one they are currently focused on), and think the cure is a fight in the flesh to save our flesh, or a valiant stand on a man-made constitution. They have only half the story and pitiful cures. They will teach you to save bottled water and freeze-dried food, but they seldom teach you about the Word of God that keeps alive the man who trusts in it. They can serve to awaken us to danger but they can’t provide any real help. They are often angry and bitter, and disobedient to God’s commands to trust in Him and pray for our leaders. The powerful gospel which alone changes men is shelved and forgotten, while vitriolic remarks against “the enemy” are taken up.

They–and those who trust in them–think they are saving us all by pointing out the “real terrorists,” whether these real terrorists be Muslims, government officials, Jews, Illuminati, bankers, the catholic church, or the KKK.   And while people expend great efforts to expose “the truth,” the whole truth is that EVERY PERSON AT WAR WITH GOD IS A TERRORIST. Some are fighting for Allah, some are fighting for a false Jesus, some are fighting for physical freedom and the pride of a nation, some are fighting for racial elevation, some are fighting for global power or financial gains. But all are deceived and fighting God and trampling His people. All are headed for destruction no matter how heavily armed or well-fed they may be.

In the meantime, the one who has found refuge in the mercy of Jesus knows that a thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand may fall at our right hand, but it shall not come near us. What shall not come near us? Shall our bodies be kept from the perils of this perishing world? Not necessarily. Paul was shipwrecked, suffered hunger, and was beaten and stoned. He was chained in prison, and his mortal life was cut short by violent men. But–if we look through spiritual eyes–he fought the good fight and won, he finished his course triumphantly, he kept the faith, and he won the imperishable crown of righteousness. To live was Christ and to die was gain. He knew that whether he lived or died, he was the Lord’s. His eye was single and he recognized that his battle was not against flesh and blood, and his weapons were spiritual weapons.

Disciple of Jesus, even the sparrows do not fall to the ground unnoticed. You are worth more than many sparrows. Do you believe this?

Be not afraid of them that kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?  But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.  Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. (Jesus in Luke 12:4-9)

The greatest danger may not be what we think it is. The greatest danger is denying our Lord Jesus by refusing to live a life focused on confessing Him before men, come what may.

We are not constitutionalists, but soldiers of Jesus, ambassadors of His Kingdom, and carriers of His precious Word. We are not saviors of the physical body, but bearers of good news that saves every soul that believes. We are not proud Americans (or some other nationality) who need to rise up & preach the glories of our nation; we are bold witnesses who will suffer all things gladly for His sake.  We are not saved to preserve whatever culture we were born in; we are  saved to advance an eternal righteous kingdom that is not of this world. We do not teach the fear of men, but the fear of God who is coming to judge the world!

 

Our homes may burn, our jobs may be lost, our health may deteriorate, and our bodies may be locked in a steel and concrete cell away from the light and fresh air. If our faith is real, we will not wilt under these conditions! Because of the Word of our God, we will live and flourish and have light in the darkness. We will be like trees planted by the rivers of water that continue to bring forth fruit in season, and all the devils in hell will not prevent our fruit-bearing. The Word of God cannot be chained, WILL NOT be chained, and WILL NOT return void.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, who raises up all those who are bowed down. His meek shall inherit the earth. They SHALL inherit the earth.  No weapon formed against Him or His sheep shall prosper. The gates of hell cannot prevail against the church. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. We do not judge by sight alone. We do not judge by our feelings or by circumstances and current events. We judge by the mind of Jesus Christ, who has already overcome the world.

We do not turn aside from our great commission to lesser goals.

And though we are a “little flock” sent out into the very midst of wolves, we will obey the command of Jesus to FEAR NOT.

“Do Christians Love Guns?” by Andrew Strom

I just read this piece, and it seems Andrew Strom and I are hearing from the same Spirit on this issue. Please read and consider carefully. ~Israeliteindeed

Do CHRISTIANS LOVE GUNS??
by Andrew Strom

I am writing this because I continue to believe that US Christians
are being “driven” toward something very ugly. There is a lot of
nasty rhetoric flying around that is the very opposite of Christ-like.
Some in America are trying to get the Christians all riled up about
not being allowed to own “assault rifles” and the like. But what is
so “Christian” about owning guns anyway?

Personally, I neither love nor hate guns. I used to go hunting and
I owned a .22 and a 6.5 Mauser (which kicked like a mule). But
they are long gone. I also have US friends with Glocks and M-16s
and things – fun to do some target shooting with – but I wouldn’t
want to own one. Guns to me are neither to be loved nor hated.
And certainly they are nothing to do with “Christian rights” or
anything of the kind.

Which is why it alarms me to see high-profile believers seemingly
making it a “Christian” issue that everyone should be allowed to
own semi-automatic weapons. Reminds me of the facetious
remark, “Who would Jesus kill?”

We have spoken before about the dangers of mixing Christianity
with “nationalism” – of wrapping the Bible in the flag – and calling
it ‘orthodox’ Christianity. This stuff is not just dangerous – it is
deadly. There have been countless wars and countless millions
killed down the centuries by this very thing. Mixing “patriotism”
with Christianity and using that to motivate people – to get them
riled up and mad enough to go “fight” somebody or riot in the
streets, or whatever. Hitler used just this kind of patriotism to get
himself elected. And I see this very same anger rising amongst
some Christian conservatives in America. You are being “driven”
toward something – and it is very ugly.

Every Christian should know that our home is in heaven – not in
any particular “nation”. Our alliegance is towards GOD’S kingdom,
not any kingdom on this earth. So let me very clearly spell it out-

-Saluting the flag is not a “Christian” activity.
-Singing the national anthem REAL LOUD is not a Christian activity.
-Being armed to the teeth is not a “Christian” activity.
-War-mongering is not a “Christian” activity.
-“Supporting the troops” is not a particularly ‘Christian’ activity.
-Angrily fighting for your taxes is not a “Christian” activity.
-Shouting and getting ‘nasty’ over Politics is not a Christian activity.
-Constantly bad-mouthing the president is not a Christian activity –
whether you agree with him or not.

-In fact a lot of this involves behavior that is totally “anti” Christian.
-And despite being a great political document, the US Constitution
is not a “Christian” document, and therefore fighting and screaming
and name-calling over that document is not a “Christian” activity
either. True Christians do not stand or fall by the US Constitution.
They stand or fall by the actual word of God. And that is the only
piece of writing that they should ever get so stirred up about.

Friends – we have a great mixing of Nationalism and Religion
going on. And it is getting uglier and uglier.

Now, let me ask you some honest questions here. Have you been
guilty of fighting or agitating over these things in the “flesh”? I say,
“REPENT”. And are you guilty of slandering or bad-mouthing the
president of your country in a way that is totally un-Christlike?
Again I say, “REPENT!” There is no excuse for a follower of Jesus
behaving that way.

We are not supposed to be in a “war” over all this stuff. We are
supposed to be focused on ETERNAL things – the only things
worth fighting about. So let us forget these earthly “distractions”
and concentrate on the things that really matter.

As I have said before, it is time to change the channel and turn
OFF the voices of the “agitators” before they get you all riled up
about the next ‘issue’. And it is time to go out and fight for the
gospel and the souls of men – the things that can REALLY make
a difference in the nation. Politics can never bring about the ‘heart’
change that is so desperately needed. Revival is what America
truly needs! So let us fight for that – and leave the ungodly to fight
for their “guns” and their “rights”. We are of a different kingdom.
My friends, let us not forget it.

Proudly Armed Christians or Humble, Cross-Carrying Disciples

***The following is a note I published on Facebook, after being grieved by the warmongering, gun-praising,  civil-war promoting, and president & party-bashing that is happening among professing Christians.***

I recognize that guns are not responsible for the murders we are seeing, and confiscation of guns cannot prevent them.

I recognize that our constitution has made provision for self-defense and the rights of human beings (except unborn children, of course, who continue to die while we post on Facebook and YouTube about our rights.)

However, I also believe that guns will not be responsible for saving us all from the brokenness in our government and nation. Whether the current surge of murders is caused by lone lunatics strung out on psychotropic drugs,  or the government itself sacrificing people to disarm us (as some say), I do not know for sure.  The brokenness is pervasive. The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint, from the leadership to the unknowns in the streets.

What I do know is that I am a follower of Christ–not a tea-partier, gun advocate, or Republican (or Democrat). I do not follow Alex Jones;  I follow Jesus Christ.  God has not given me the spirit of fear that Alex Jones exudes, but love, power and a sound mind.  The “revelations” of Alex Jones may very well be true to some extent, but the revelations of Jesus Christ are TRUER.

Not a hair of my head will perish even if I perish. I am not to fear those who can kill the body.  I am to give my witness boldly and with confidence, and if I die doing so, my life will be bettered by far.

I do not want the raging attitude of Alex Jones;  I want the attitude of Jesus, who “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and…humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Phil. 2:7-8)

I am armed with only one cure for my God-hating nation–the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And my duty is to take up my cross, deny myself–and my rights–and follow Jesus.  My duty is to take this message into all the world, beginning with those close to me, and teach others to obey Jesus. I know this–those who do obey the gospel will not become mass-murderers or plot to take away the rights of others.

If this stance makes me “weak” in the eyes of some, then I will glory in my weakness, choosing it rather than to appear strong in their eyes.

Jesus is not telling me to buy more guns, post pictures of our president with horns on his head, or encourage my children to kill those people who infringe on their rights. I cannot do what He is not telling me to do, nor can I approve of those things.

Yes, satan is the god of this world, and a nation that hates God will have plenty of puppets doing his will.  This is understood, yet Scripture does not command us to rail against our governments or prepare for civil war.

What Jesus is telling me in secret, I will declare here on this “rooftop,” knowing in advance that some will not receive it, yet hoping my testimony will make a difference–Get your personal house in order, keep oil in your lamp, share the truth of true freedom from sin & death with as many as will listen, and endure to the end in faithfulness to the King.

His kingdom is not of this world. His kingdom is not America, Great Britain, your neighborhood, or your personal property fortified with stores of bullets and dehydrated food that will last a hundred years.

The Hebrews 11 saints who lived in caves were too good for this world, according to God. Some of us are too in love with this world to be any good for it.  This is a snare set for our souls.  Many saints have had their goods confiscated for Christ, or have watched their children die before their very eyes. These are blessed and their good works have followed them, and they will not lose their reward.

What has changed in the hearts of Christians over the centuries?–Whatever it is, it needs to be crucified. Crusaders in the past never advanced true Christianity, and they cannot advance it today.

Christians are called to die. We speak of the cross in such poetic terms and then we declare proudly that we will kill others to protect our homes and our stuff. Are we so easily drawn away from the One we profess to follow?  Do we really follow the Lamb wherever He goes, or have we put qualifications on our obedience?  Are we letting patriotism and self-love lead us off the true path onto a path that seems right but ends in death?–For those who live by the sword will die by the sword.

The church of Jesus Christ is not American, British, or any other nationality. It consists of remnants of many nations made into one Body, one holy nation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people who love one another and choose to love their enemies. If you cannot love your enemies, then you are not so peculiar, for even sinners love those who love them (Luke 6:32.)

These peculiar people do not learn war anymore, but have turned their instruments of death into plowshares, and are busy trying to bring forth lasting fruit for the kingdom of God.  They are eager to turn their enemies into followers of Jesus.  They are too busy interceding for their enemies’ souls to study how to kill them.

They know that this nation cannot last, just as the beautiful stones in Herod’s temple–so admired by the misled disciples–would all be cast down.  For there is only one Kingdom that lasts forever, and it shall break in pieces and consume all other kingdoms (Daniel 2:44). Nations that forget God shall be turned into hell (Psalm 9:17).

The peculiar people of God know that war is inspired by lust, and self-defense is not a Kingdom-of-God principle.  They believe that in order to produce fruit that will last, a seed must enter the ground and die. They are willing to die if need be, not to protect things that moths eat and rust destroys, but to glorify the Truth in Christ that is incorruptible.

They recognize that the slave who is in Christ is the Lord’s freed man, and the Lord’s free man is also a slave.

They understand that this nation is falling–as all nations that hate God fall–but it cannot be resuscitated  by the fleshly arms of patriotism and militarism.

They see through the vanities of this life, and pursue the things that cannot be destroyed.

I know some will read this who have arguments for “just war” and self-defense. I know the arguments. All I am asking is that we examine ourselves and see if we are really walking in the Spirit of Christ in this world. It is heartbreaking to watch our nation crumble and become so literally insane. It is hard to see the just punished for what the wicked do, especially if the government itself is deceiving us (a possibility, in my opinion.)

But what should be our response if we are to remain blameless before God?

I have said this before, but it bears repeating. Some of us are fighting the wrong enemies in the wrong war with the wrong weapons. We need to make sure that our efforts are being spent in a way that pleases God.

The Word declares that we do not fight against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers, and our weapons are not carnal–guns, bullets, raging words–but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds. Is our focus on setting flesh and blood free from lying strongholds with the powerful Word of God, or is our focus on storing up carnal weapons to fight flesh and blood for rights and belongings we think we deserve?

Are we sidetracked by the subtle enemy who says, “Do things my way and I will give you all this?”–I say that many of us are, and we need to be very careful.

What was the response of Christ to tyranny, and what was the response of His disciples to wicked governments and unjust laws? Where did they submit, and where did they refuse to surrender?  Did they defend the truth of the gospel to their own deaths, or did they defend their personal rights and their personal stuff with carnal weapons?

In our search for answers, let us not draw from the “founding fathers of America,” but let us draw from the Scriptures and the examples given us by the great cloud of witnesses. For we are not called to make Americans and patriots, but converts to the eternal Kingdom of God.