Christians at War
From the
heart of the pastor:
“In each and every province, and in each
and every city wherever the king’s
commandment and his decree arrived, there
was gladness and joy for the Jews, a feast
and a holiday. And many among the peoples
of the land became Jews, for the dread of
the Jews had fallen on them” (Esther 8:17).
The Persian government issued a law that removed
its racial discrimination against the Jews. One
of the results of the Jews being treated fairly
was that many of the people wanted to become
Jews. What happens when a government begins to
pass laws that reverse the unrighteousness of
pervious statutes and promotes the righteousness
of God? People are drawn to the people-group
that initiated the righteous legislation.
What people-group in your nation fosters
righteous laws? What people-group battles
legislation that promotes unrighteousness? What
people-group is willing to place its resources
and reputation in the public square in order to
lift high the cause of rightness instead of
wrongness?
God said through the prophet Amos, “See good and
not evil…. Hate evil, love good, and establish
justice in the gate!” (Am. 5:14). Are you
aligned with a people-group that seeks good and
not evil? Does your lifestyle and stewardship
of your personal resources provide evidence of a
person committed to establishing justice in the
gates of his city and nation?
If the response of the Persians is any
indication, many of the peoples of your nation
would want to take upon themselves the faith you
practice if the laws of your nation would
exhibit the righteousness of God that alone
exalts a nation. Would it not appear most
biblical (and therefore most logical!) that a
people-group desiring the salvation of those
perishing would avail themselves of every means
to make their faith attractive to those outside
their faith?
Scores of churchmen are sitting idly by as they
glance upon the closing struggles of a once
Christian nation. They are refusing the most
obvious of engagements. You must not join the
legion of Pilate who delivered over truth to be
crucified and yet perceive yourself innocent of
its blood (Mt. 27:24). You must go public with
your Christianity (Neh. 5:7; Mt. 23; Acts 17).
Numerous righteous God-fearing Americans are
surrendering too much attention to the cry of
the more vocal unrighteous who bellow for the
crucifixion of truth. Bowing to the philosophy
and pleasure of an unholy mob is not God’s way.
The sin of quietness in the deployment of one’s
public energy (when the energy to influence
policy has been purchased by the sacrificial
blood of those who have gone before) is
shameful. When will you refuse to be merely
Nicodemus at night?
Make Christianity fashionable by representing
Christ in the public square in the same manner
as the prophets and apostles represented
Christ. Take on the likeness of Esther and
Mordecai. Your Christian community will join
you in the battle, but you must become the prime
mover by both casting the vision and sacrificing
for the vision. Make public your garment of
Ephesians 4:17-24.
Your culture has a fixation upon sensuality,
moral perversion, pleasure, comfort and the
pride of power. Nonetheless, you know a man
“who gave Himself for our sins, that He might
deliver us out of this present evil age,
according to the will of our God and Father”
(Gal. 1:4). Jesus came to deliver you from the
western way of life to the biblical way of life.
Men with Christian character can change the
course of nations. Never have so many been
enabled and ennobled by so great a salvation to
accomplish so much is no brief a time with such
lasting effects. God commands you to make a
culture that is Christian (Mt. 28:18-20). This
western mindset of overthrowing the Reformation
address to life that birthed this nation is a
sham. Why pursue the darkness when you can have
the light? In Christ you have been raised from
the dead, brought out of the tom and the stone
has been rolled away, so you must not continue
living as though the grave clothes are your only
clothing!
Your society is defined by its laws, movies,
music, electronic and print media, families and
schools. You must address these primary
influencers of your society. Your society is
the manifestation of what its people believe.
They will believe the least challenging and most
immediately gratifying unless you unveil the
true way of righteousness.
Your Christianity is tried, proven, historic and
relevant. It is the most powerful force for
good this universe has ever known. It holds
fast to the coming of the Ancient of Days.
Modern society actually dehumanizes humanity by
making your more like man and animals than like
Christ. Christians are responsible for
rehumanizing humanity.
You live in the morass of a moral and civil
Armageddon. The pillars of righteousness are
being rapidly removed. Though your societal
educators declare their abhorrence for the “Dark
Ages,” their policies are advancing another age
just as dark.
The silence of Christ’s lambs is thunderous.
Your Christianity was birthed in a conflict that
required the prophets and apostles to go into
harm’s way. They had to personally stand in the
societal gap and trust God to perform the work
that only He could perform.
This is a holy war tolerating no bystanders, no
neutrality. Determine your operational
resources and exercise them. You must view
yourself as a Christian more than an American or
a Baptist or a professional in the marketplace.
You will be most secure, successful and
significant to the extent of your yieldedness to
Christ.
God-appointed watchmen must not quail – you
cannot afford to blink. Remain unflinchingly
biblical in the face of unrighteous men and
unholy demons. The Christian life is lived in
the milieu of war, so commit to remove all
obstructions and distractions to the cause of
Christ. Eliminate competitors to Christian
living and ignore criticism of your
single-minded pursuit of righteousness.
Everything that is non-Christian dissipates your
Christianity. Purpose a societal transformation
via intentional sacrifice in strategic areas.
Your life must be noticeable and compellingly
different from non-Christians’ lives. The
philosophies and policies that have been
accessed to navigate your nation in its present
unholy direction must be aborted. The land that
you love needs a quantum change. You are
obliged to offer a revolutionary sacrifice.
Those willing to sacrifice quickly and deeply
accomplish major transformations. Refuse mere
crumbs from the societal table. You are an heir
to the King! True Christians are positive,
increasing in likeness to Christ and confident
in Christ that He will accomplish what He has
begun. They should be aggressive in their
advance. They introduce new verbiage and
attitudes in their marketplaces, social halls
and homes. This world should be becoming better
because your God has gifted you with your first
and second births.
Will you enter into the public fray so that you
might be God’s tutor to a commonwealth that owes
Him so much? Will you take into every conflict
a prayer-filled mind, knowledge of God’s Bible
and a commitment to refuse every entreaty to
retreat? Will you refuse to bow your knee to
the Baal of fallen public opinion, financial
advancement and social acceptability?
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