“The Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience
seared with a hot iron.” 1 Tim 4:1-2
If you've caught the mass media over the
past few weeks, you would've heard an economist from the U.S. Department of
Labor state that defenders of religious freedom are “Nazis”; consider that statement
for a moment and let it sink in. Sample
that with the hate which has been spewed at the State of Indiana over the past
month, as Christians have been attacked and labeled as “bigots” and “haters.” History has taught us that mass vilification
towards doctrinal truth has often reared its ugly head. The Jacobins in the 1790’s slaughtered
Christians by the hundreds of thousands, The Turks, The Bolsheviks’ with their “anti-God”
starvation camps and firing squads of the 1920’s. Chicago’s cardinal, Francis George, made a
startling and yet accurate statement; “I
expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will
die a martyr in the public square.” Joining
him would be many Christians who affirm the integrity of the Gospel. Consider this quote while acknowledging the
watered down, neutered gospel being preached today; denominations are blessing
same-sex marriages, denominational university like Marquette, who fired a
professor for defending the scriptures on this subject. It’s stunning how quickly the demands went
from libertarian (don’t arrest me for
my actions), to totalitarian (take
part in our wedding or we will ruin you). If Indiana caves and guts its “Religious
Freedom Law”, it will be just one of many examples proving the triumph of those
who have departed from the faith and its doctrinal truths, and in doing so
contribute to the persecution of Christian beliefs. The church (Christians) has become silent, a
co-pastor described it perfectly, “last week we observed an empty tomb, and
today we observe an empty pew.” Departure is a by-product from lack of devotion,
if one is unwilling to devote themselves to truth; it’s only a matter of time
until they depart it. Tolerance of sin
does not define love by faith; would a doctor who refused to tell you of your diagnosis
and cancer, and instead encourage you to continue your life style, be more
loving and caring than a doctor who was honest with you and warned you your
situation and offered an answer? The
water is boiling; it’s time for the frog to jump. There is nothing new under
the sun; the early Christians faced death in the Colosseum of Rome forcing families
to flee from Rome, but not truth. Even
in China today, as they try to levy persecution upon the Christian church, they
cannot stop the explosion taking place.
While it was stated earlier, some may die a martyr for truth, but if
someone will pick up the truth and continue to be a voice in the wilderness of
a ruined society, as the church has done in history, we will win the good
fight.
“If
we stand for eternity, truth and history are on our side.”
HSAY…Todd
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