Christian Confidence
The day will come when abortion will be abolished. Killing babies in the womb will be utterly illegal and unthinkable. The sanctity of all life will be respected. Abortionists will face justice; The Law of God will be honoured and obeyed. It is inevitable. His Kingdom will come. God’s Will must be done. There is no power on earth that will be able to resist the coming Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. If God can change you, then God can use you to change some part of this world. A World in Crisis That our fallen world needs changing is beyond question. When our newspapers and films glamourise immorality, undermine the family and encourage entitlement, selfishness, greed and lust; when criminals escape justice by legal technicalities; when half of the world suffers under totalitarian dictatorships and persecution; when pornography, perversion and abortions are increasing, then we know that this world needs to be changed! Abandoning Children to Godless Baby Sitters Most Christians have abandoned their moral responsibility to bring the light of the Gospel into heathen darkness. Many Christians are allowing their own children to be brought up by godless humanism in secular humanist state schools and entertained by occultism and pagan magic through Hollywood films and television.
The Foundations are Being Undermined
There are many anti-Christian forces seeking to undermine and destroy the Christian Faith, including: persecution by Muslim and communist governments; secular humanist domination of state indoctrination GULAG institutions, the entertainment industry and news media; and false gospels and unbiblical heresies within many theological semitaries and all too many churches. Guilt Manipulation We have also allowed ourselves to become misinformed, brainwashed and intimidated into feeling guilty for the great achievements of Christian missionaries and reformers over past centuries. Christians who are ignorant of real history have ended up apologising for those faithful Christians who converted cannibals, ended inter-tribal genocide, abolished child sacrifices, defeated witchcraft and won whole nations to Christ. Compromise and Cowardice Many Christians have surrendered to the forces of darkness, entered into negotiations and co-operation with idolaters, demythologized the Bible, removed “offensive” Bible passages from their preaching and lowered standards to allow the unconverted easy access to the church and to all too many pulpits. Judas’s Have Betrayed Christ’s Church In the past, the Church went out to conquer the world for Christ. Today, in too many churches, Christ is being sold for 30 pieces of silver, or less. Instead of the church changing the world, the world has been changing the church. For a century now, many Christians in the West have been turning away from the God-orientated, Bible-based, Christ-centered foundation of the Reformation. Instead, many Christians have been turning to man-centered humanism, which has always inevitably led to the extremes of permissiveness or totalitarianism, as seen in the French Revolution and the Bolshevik Revolution. The Fruit of Apostasy The results of this apostasy are plain to see in the abortion holocaust, the pornography industry and the political protection of perversions, as seen in CSE (Comprehensive Sexuality Education) by which the ANC plans to indoctrinate the young in pornography and perversion. Catastrophic Failure The results of abandoning God's eternal standards, as revealed in the Bible, are: families that fail to nurture; governments that fail to punish the guilty; governments that fail to provide security for the law-abiding; schools that fail to educate and churches that fail to be houses of prayer for all nations, making disciples, teaching obedience to all things the Lord has commanded. Revolutions Promise Heaven but Deliver Hell We are living in an age of guilt manipulation where all too many Christians are being prepared for slavery by the abuse of Scripture and by the manipulation of our emotions. Some of the key phrases in this campaign are: love, unity, equality, tolerance and reconciliation. Nice words. Noble sentiments. However, the slogan of the French Revolution was: “Liberty! Equality! Fraternity,” (or Brotherhood!) (Actually the full, original slogan of the French Revolution was: “Liberty! Equality! Fraternity! Or Death!”). Yet, despite the apparent good intentions of their slogan, 40,000 heads rolled as the guillotine went into overtime, 300,000 were executed by firing squads and other means and Europe was plunged into 25 years of French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, with millions killed. Manipulation of Emotions by the Perversion of Language In the same way, we must beware of the politics of guilt and pity, which seek to manipulate our emotions and make us the willing tools of evil men who know how to disguise their intentions. By observation, we can note that some of the clichés used in this moral revolution have hidden meanings. For example, love, can mean the passive acceptance of evil; by unity is usually meant conformity; equality you can find in the concentration camps in Red China; by tolerance is normally meant tolerance of evil, blasphemy and perversion; and by reconciliation is normally meant surrender (“Why should we disagree, argue or fight? Be reasonable. Give in to my way!” say the abortionists, pornographers and perverts).
Firm Foundations
What is the solution? What can we do? Firstly, we need to study the Scriptures to learn the objective Truth. The Word of God must be the judge and the solid Foundation of all our actions. This is where the Reformation started. Until we know the Word of God, we can be easily misled. Forewarned is Forearmed Secondly, we must warn our people about the dangers of secular humanism, existentialism, hedonism, immorality, false religions and Marxist hijacking of history. We must wake up to what is happening around us and expose the tactics of anti-Christian forces. Be Biblically Correct Not Politically Correct Thirdly, we must realise that truth is not determined by majority opinion, but by the Word of God. We must not confuse change with advance. Neither must we allow ourselves to become guilt manipulated. Refuse to apologise for the alleged sins of Christians of another age and place. Without a Vision a People Perish Fourthly, we need to encourage our people and direct them to positive Christian action. “Without a vision, a people perish.” We need to instil courage, hope for the future and build faith in God's Word. People overcome by fear and guilt are unable to resist evil. We must turn to God and find forgiveness, freedom and strength through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Choose This Day Whom You Shall Serve Elijah dared to stand alone against the 450 false prophets of Baal and the 400 false prophets of Asherah. Elijah challenged their heresy and idolatry. Elijah's faith in God made him strong and bold enough to oppose the majority who were wrong. Elijah changed history that day on Mount Carmel by exposing falsehood and turning the people of Israel back to God (1 Kings 18). Back to the Bible Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Tyndale and Knox changed the course of human history by daring to study the Bible and by boldly speaking out against the unbiblical teachings and corrupt abuses of the medieval Roman Catholic church. Making an Impact through Obedience to Scripture Missionaries like William Carey changed history by taking the Gospel to India, translating the Bible into numerous local languages and by ending the Hindu practices of infanticide, child prostitution and the burning alive of widows on the funeral pyres of their deceased husbands. William Wilberforce launched a life-long campaign to end the slave trade and set the captives free. The Destructiveness of a Victim Mentality Eastern and tribal thought have a cyclical view of history. Repetition and “the inevitability of history” is so engrained in Animist and Eastern thought that they see themselves as suffering history rather than affecting or making history. Eastern religions see themselves as caught up in the process of history and at the mercy of the forces of nature, the spirits, or the ancestors (all external forces). The Biblical Worldview Leads to a Christian Work Ethic This is in contrast to the Christian worldview, which sees a linear development of history that starts at Creation, goes through the Flood, the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, the Incarnation of Christ, His Crucifixion and Resurrection, His Ascension, the Day of Pentecost and will culminate in the Return of Christ and the Day of Judgement. Hence, Christians can say: “Only one life, it will soon be past, only what is done for Christ will last.” Redeeming the Time Every day is unique, every opportunity must be used. Time is limited in the Christian worldview. The Christian sees himself, or herself, as significant because he, or she, is an individual created by God with a purpose. This emphasis on the individual is unique to Christianity among the major world religions. We must each individually stand before God on the Day of Judgement and give an account of our faith and conduct. Each of us must repent for our own sins and exercise personal faith in Christ for forgiveness for our sins and freedom from the power of sin. The Creation Mandate In Christian thought, nature is subject to us, able to be developed and used for God's glory. We are able to change the course of history, because our Sovereign God is Almighty, His Word is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe and He answers the humble prayers of His people. Refuse to Accept that Which is in Rebellion to God The Bible teaches us to have a holy dissatisfaction with second best, a bold faith to trust God for great things, to step out and to change what is wrong and to establish what is right in God's eyes. We must not underestimate the power of praying according to God's Word and stepping out in faith and obedience to His commands. It is this faith that enabled Christians to end polygamy, slavery, child sacrifices, cannibalism, widow burning and other atrocities of heathen religions. It is this Faith which will persevere until abortion is abolished and babies are protected from the violence of abortion.
You Cannot Have Victory without a Battle
Remember, you cannot have victory without a battle. Sacrifice and risk are essential. We can never win if we keep avoiding problems; we must solve problems by facing them and dealing with them. The future belongs to the brave and the bold. Christian courage sometimes requires confrontation of evil. Stand Up for Jesus Are you such a Christian who can claim: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 Called to Action Christianity calls us to action. Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, on the other hand, produced stagnant, backward, non-productive societies obsessed with selfish meditation and fatalism. However, as the West accepts more and more Eastern religions and the pagan presuppositions of false religions, much of the West is decaying on the inside through secularisation, permissiveness and materialism. By neglecting God's Word, by forgetting those Christian principles, which made the West productive, prosperous and free, our people are dying on the inside. There is a practical unbelief, having a form of Christianity but rejecting its real power (2 Timothy 3:5). Many times one can hardly tell the difference between the standards of the Christian and of the heathen. All too many are obsessed with “me, myself and I”, this existentialism (self-centred personal experience obsession) and humanism. All this has bred selfishness, pride and rebellion against God. Selfishness One of the results of this “me generation” obsessed with self-gratification is that the cohesive unity of our families, congregations and communities has vanished. In this age of mobility and prosperity, loyalty is being rejected. Loyalty to family, wife, church, denomination, work and nation is evaporating. This is an age of rebellion and self-assertion, doing your own thing. Long-term commitments seem to be no longer acceptable to most of this self-seeking, self-obsessed, entitlement generation. Christ’s Great Commission is Our Supreme Ambition It is the responsibility of God's people in His Church to offer our confused and searching young people an exciting challenge, a worthwhile cause, a demanding mission and opportunities for action. We must again teach our people, by word and example, of the need for long-term commitment and uncompromising standards of loyalty to God and country, to church and mission, to duty and honour, to life and liberty, to family and friends. Personal, wholehearted commitment to Christ and His cause is at the heart of the Gospel. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. What Are You Doing for Christ? We have to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength. Are you committed to Christ? Are you wholeheartedly committed to His standards of duty, honour and loyalty, no matter what the cost? Who is On the Lord’s Side? By faith and obedience, we can turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones, crisis situations into opportunities for ministry, battles into victory. We are “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37) and “overcomers” (1 John 5:4) through Christ Jesus our Lord. A Biblical Vision of Victory “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the Kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over the nations.” Psalm 22:27-28 “In His days the righteous shall flourish… He shall have dominion also from sea to sea… to the ends of the earth… His enemies will lick the dust… Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him.” Psalm 72:7-11 “And in the days of these kings the God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever.” Daniel 2:44 “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14 “The Lord will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; people shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations.” Zephaniah 2:11 “…The kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever!” Revelation 11:15 This is what the Great Commission calls us to do: “…All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” Matthew 28:18-20 This is what it means to pray the Lord’s Prayer: “…Your Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Matthew 6:10 Dr. Peter Hammond Livingstone Fellowship P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725 Cape Town South Africa Tel: 021-689-4480 [email protected] www.livingstonefellowship.co.za www.christianaction.org.za Dr. Peter Hammond is the author of Putting Feet to Your Faith and The Greatest Century of Missions.
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