(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)
I am noticing instances of people quoting Scripture to the secular world or praying publicly and then, when confronted about it, apologizing. This is happening very frequently today and at an accelerating rate.
My dear sisters and brothers, I would ask you to stop and consider the possible ramifications for engaging in a public witness before you do it.
By no means am I saying not to do it. In fact, I encourage it. What I am saying is, if you elect to do it, you should be prepared for the opposition that is almost certain to follow and grow more confrontational as we near the end of the age. That opposition can be in the form of violence in some cases.
If you decide to go forward, be prepared to accept the consequences without compromising or apologizing for your standing up for the Word of God. In many cases, you (we) will pay a personal price for doing so.
If you are not prepared to stand firm, perhaps you should remain silent. Power-hungry bullies and professional “offendees” only grow worse when they are enabled by subservient responses to their aggressive behavior.
Perhaps, as Christians, we should consider this verse before we publicly quote any other verse or verses:
“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).
When we quote Scripture anywhere, we are confessing Christ, as He and the Father and the Holy Spirit are one, and there is only one source of Scripture.
Christ is the Living Word, and so it follows that Scripture is His very voice in us when we quote it verbally or take a Scriptural position out in this collapsing world.
The above verse has very serious ramifications that must be considered.
In the case of the suspension of the Texas Tech coach, Mark Adams, a while back who quoted Scripture to a player on his team, it should be clear that the ungodly are never satisfied with just a forced apology. No, they also won’t rest until they force compliance and humiliate their victim (and, in their mind, by association, the Word of God).
And what does this have to do with race? The short and truthful answer is: Nothing.
But in today’s world, the word “race” and its derivatives are a catalyst for some to create something out of nothing.
This response to the quoting of the Word of God is really about hatred of God, and it is not difficult to see its origins if we possess situational awareness.
I am, by no means, singling out Coach Adams. He is a brother-in-Christ, and I applaud his witness but lament his weakness. That he had a weak moment is not a surprise, as it happens to us all.
I don’t believe that what Coach Adams did by apologizing for his witness rises to the level that Jesus indicated in the above verse (Matthew 10:32-33), as he did not deny Christ.
But the apology for quoting God’s Word did result in weakening the perception of the power of God in His Christian witness. It also enabled the Godless to continue and even increase their behavior beyond any logic or reason. The viciousness of what was done to Coach Adams was intentional.
This occasion just happens to be one of the more recent examples of the ongoing battle that we are engaged in every day.
I have had my moments where I failed to speak up and have had to apologize to the Lord and ask for forgiveness and strength to continue the fight. He has always done so.
“Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name” (Psalm 119:132).
If we, in a weak moment, are intimidated or threatened into capitulating under the pressure, we still have a merciful Savior who will forgive our weakness and restore us to fellowship with Him.
Peter denied our Savior three times, just as Jesus told him he would. And after His resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, “Peter, do you love Me?”
Why three times?
I believe that Jesus was letting Peter know (and us as well) that all was not lost and that he was forgiven for all three denials.
When convicted, Peter repented and confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior. This he did while still alive (obviously).
The point is, Peter was able to make that confession under the same conditions that we all must. Once he did, well, we all know what a machine Peter became.
While still drawing breath in this life, while we are in our living years, we must receive and confess Jesus Christ and Him alone, according to God’s own Word.
“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
This profession would cause Peter to be restored to fellowship with his Lord, and it then became the basis for the founding of the Church about which Jesus said:
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
Was Peter the rock upon which the church would be built? No
It was his obedience and confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, upon which He built His Church.
Now to the crux of this article.
- Consider carefully before you speak or act publicly in upholding the Word of God.
- If you do speak or act and you are confronted, hold your ground and expect that the consequences may be very uncomfortable. Pray without ceasing.
- If you fail, repent and ask for forgiveness, and you, like Peter, will be restored and strengthened to continue the fight. You will be made stronger than you were before.
“Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter” (Mark 3:28).
When we surrender to the backlash, it only invites more of the same but in increasing virulence and violence.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
These principalities, rulers of darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness, are pure evil. They will lose this fight for the souls of those who will receive Jesus as Savior, and they know it, hence the virulence and even violence in some cases.
If we elect to stand up for the Word of God and then succumb to the attacks of the human enemies of God, we inadvertently enable them.
To Coach Adams and all my sisters and brothers all over this crumbling world.
Remember the One Whom we serve.
Count the cost and determine if you are willing to pay it.
If you are, and you do witness for the Word of God and are challenged, attacked verbally, or persecuted, stand in the breach and make no apologies for holding up His Word.
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Hang tough, sisters and brothers; we’re almost Home.
The special message I promised you:
For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life.
You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.
It requires that you come before God on His terms.
And, what are His terms according to His Word?
- Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
- Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
- That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
- To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
- Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
- To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.
God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.
- No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
- No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
- Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.
If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.
“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).
There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.
The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Pro Salvator Vigilans
To contact me: [email protected]
The post Consider The Cost, Then Hold To The Truth :: By Dave Hubley appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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