IF we be fit for service to our King, we must go outside the camp.
"Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach." Hebrews 13:13
By: Charles H. Spurgeon
JESUS, BEARING HIS cross, went forth to suffer outside the gate. The Christian’s reason for leaving the camp of the world’s sin and religion is not because he loves to be singular, but because Jesus did so; and the disciple must follow his Master.
Jesus the Christ was “not of the world.” His life and His testimony were a constant protest against conformity with the world. Never was such overflowing affection for men as you find in Him; but still He was separate from sinners.
In like manner His people must “go out to Him.” They must take their position “outside the camp,” as witness-bearers for the truth. They must be prepared to tread the straight and narrow path. They must have bold, unflinching, lion-like hearts, loving HIM first, HIS truth next, and both Jesus the Christ and His truth beyond all the world.
Jesus would have His people “go forth outside the camp” for their own sanctification.
You cannot grow in grace to any high degree while you are conformed to the world. The life of separation may be a path of sorrow, but it is the highway of safety; and though the separated life may cost you many pangs, and make every day a battle, yet it is a happy life after all.
No joy can excel that of the soldier of the LORD: Jesus reveals Himself so graciously, and gives such sweet refreshment, that the warrior feels more calm and peace in his daily strife than others in their hours of rest. The highway of holiness is the highway of communion. It is thus we shall hope to win the crown if we are enabled by divine grace faithfully to follow Jesus the Christ “outside the camp.”
The crown of glory will albeit must follow the cross of separation. A moment’s shame will be well recompensed by eternal honor; a little while of witness-bearing will seem nothing when we are “forever with the LORD."
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross..." Hebrews 12:1-2
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
But Now...
By: Berit Kjos
"They are foolish; for they do not know the way of the Lord, The judgment of their God.
I will go to the great men and speak to them, For they have known the way of the Lord, the judgment of their God.' But these have altogether broken the yoke and burst the bonds. Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them, A wolf of the deserts shall destroy them; A leopard will watch over their cities." Jeremiah 5:4-6
America has been blessed with unusual freedom for more than two centuries. But now -- as multitudes reject God's Word, justify immorality, laugh at evil, and embrace depravity -- the protective walls of justice and integrity are fast eroding. In their place, we see a rising tower of global tyranny.
Americans are no longer safe from the persecution that has tested the faith of Christians through the centuries. In fact, God warns us that the global battle against Biblical Truth will surely intensify. While we don't know His timing, He tells us to be alert -- always ready to follow His way, trust His grace, and demonstrate His strength -- no matter how fierce the foe.
"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. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Ephesians 6:12-18
By: Berit Kjos
"They are foolish; for they do not know the way of the Lord, The judgment of their God.
I will go to the great men and speak to them, For they have known the way of the Lord, the judgment of their God.' But these have altogether broken the yoke and burst the bonds. Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them, A wolf of the deserts shall destroy them; A leopard will watch over their cities." Jeremiah 5:4-6
America has been blessed with unusual freedom for more than two centuries. But now -- as multitudes reject God's Word, justify immorality, laugh at evil, and embrace depravity -- the protective walls of justice and integrity are fast eroding. In their place, we see a rising tower of global tyranny.
Americans are no longer safe from the persecution that has tested the faith of Christians through the centuries. In fact, God warns us that the global battle against Biblical Truth will surely intensify. While we don't know His timing, He tells us to be alert -- always ready to follow His way, trust His grace, and demonstrate His strength -- no matter how fierce the foe.
"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. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Ephesians 6:12-18
Friday, August 14, 2009
An American Exodus
By: Jean McNeal
Exodus 1:8 Now there arose up a new president over America, which knew not Jesus.
Exodus 1:9 And he said unto his followers, Behold, the children of the Book are more and mightier than we:
Exodus 1:10 Come on, let us deal with them; let us pass legislation that will take away their rights, that will oppress them, that will deny them health care, that will control their activities, their food source, and let us tax them into poverty.
Exodus 1:11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens.
Exodus 1:12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of the Book
Exodus 1:13 And the Obamaites made the children of the Book to serve with rigour:
Exodus 1:14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.
According to Voice of the Martyrs, the more the persecution the larger becomes the underground church and the more the people turn to Jesus.
So as I look at verse 12, I wonder if the persecution and oppression that this President will bring upon America will result in this nation turning to the Lord?
By: Jean McNeal
Exodus 1:8 Now there arose up a new president over America, which knew not Jesus.
Exodus 1:9 And he said unto his followers, Behold, the children of the Book are more and mightier than we:
Exodus 1:10 Come on, let us deal with them; let us pass legislation that will take away their rights, that will oppress them, that will deny them health care, that will control their activities, their food source, and let us tax them into poverty.
Exodus 1:11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens.
Exodus 1:12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of the Book
Exodus 1:13 And the Obamaites made the children of the Book to serve with rigour:
Exodus 1:14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.
According to Voice of the Martyrs, the more the persecution the larger becomes the underground church and the more the people turn to Jesus.
So as I look at verse 12, I wonder if the persecution and oppression that this President will bring upon America will result in this nation turning to the Lord?
Great Quotes By Great Men
Compiled by M.E. Townsend -
with information gather from
Brannon Howse'
WorldView Weekend Digest
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…. Romans 1:20-22
George Washington wrote:
“We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.”
Abraham Lincoln said:
“I know that the LORD is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the LORD’ side.”
George Mason, father of the Bill of Rights, declared:
“As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, so they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sin by national calamities.”
And finally –
Engraved on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. –
“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country, when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
Compiled by M.E. Townsend -
with information gather from
Brannon Howse'
WorldView Weekend Digest
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…. Romans 1:20-22
George Washington wrote:
“We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.”
Abraham Lincoln said:
“I know that the LORD is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the LORD’ side.”
George Mason, father of the Bill of Rights, declared:
“As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, so they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sin by national calamities.”
And finally –
Engraved on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. –
“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country, when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
Sunday, August 9, 2009
History and Obama!!!
Dr. David Kaiser
Professor in the Strategy and Police
Department of the U.S. Naval War College
Having studied history all my life, I have come to think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is simply a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes, these exist, but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus. Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it.
Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about ten to fifteen years.
The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two. We demand and then codify into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people we know can never pay back? Why? We learned that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700 billion we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "we the people," who loaned our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not. We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why?
We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, and school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why?
We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it simply wants marriage to remain defined as between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?)
We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose? Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, and social security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government.
Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and I know precisely what I am talking about) - the list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x ten. And we are at war with an enemy we cannot even name for fear of offending people of the same religion, who, in turn, cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so. And finally, we have elected a man that no one really knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla, Alaska. All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary. (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe are more important.)
Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why? I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now. This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again. And that is only the beginning. As a serious student of history, I thought I would never come to experience what the ordinary, moral German must have felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the "savior" was a smooth-talking former rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they should have known was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory. Conservative "losers" read it right now. And there were the promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and frowned and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully and beat them into submission. Which they did - regularly. And then, he was duly elected to office, while a full-throttled economic crisis bloomed at hand - the Great Depression. Slowly, but surely he seized the controls of government power, person by person, department by department, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The children of German citizens were at first, encouraged to join a Youth Movement in his name, where they were taught exactly what to think. Later, they were required to do so. No Jews of course. How did he get people on his side? He did it by promising jobs to the jobless, money to the money-less, and rewards for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe, and across the world. He did it with a compliant media - did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and change. And the people surely got what they voted for.
If you think I am exaggerating, look it up. It's all there in the history books. So read your history books. Many people of conscience objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and ridiculed. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though. And the world came to regret that he was not listened to. Do not forget that Germany was the most educated the most cultured country in Europe. It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. Yet, in less than six years (a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency), it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.
As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice to make. I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope and pray I am wrong by closing my eyes, having another latte, and ignoring what is transpiring around me. I choose to believe the evidence.
No doubt, some people will scoff at me; others laugh, or think I am foolish, naive, or both. To some degree, perhaps I am. However, I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe and why I believe it.
I pray I am wrong. I do not think I am. Perhaps the only hope, outside of ALL-MIGHTY God, is our vote in the next elections.
Dr. David Kaiser
Professor in the Strategy and Police
Department of the U.S. Naval War College
Having studied history all my life, I have come to think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is simply a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes, these exist, but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus. Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it.
Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about ten to fifteen years.
The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two. We demand and then codify into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people we know can never pay back? Why? We learned that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700 billion we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "we the people," who loaned our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not. We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why?
We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, and school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why?
We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it simply wants marriage to remain defined as between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?)
We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose? Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, and social security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government.
Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and I know precisely what I am talking about) - the list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x ten. And we are at war with an enemy we cannot even name for fear of offending people of the same religion, who, in turn, cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so. And finally, we have elected a man that no one really knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla, Alaska. All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary. (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe are more important.)
Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why? I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now. This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again. And that is only the beginning. As a serious student of history, I thought I would never come to experience what the ordinary, moral German must have felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the "savior" was a smooth-talking former rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they should have known was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory. Conservative "losers" read it right now. And there were the promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and frowned and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully and beat them into submission. Which they did - regularly. And then, he was duly elected to office, while a full-throttled economic crisis bloomed at hand - the Great Depression. Slowly, but surely he seized the controls of government power, person by person, department by department, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The children of German citizens were at first, encouraged to join a Youth Movement in his name, where they were taught exactly what to think. Later, they were required to do so. No Jews of course. How did he get people on his side? He did it by promising jobs to the jobless, money to the money-less, and rewards for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe, and across the world. He did it with a compliant media - did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and change. And the people surely got what they voted for.
If you think I am exaggerating, look it up. It's all there in the history books. So read your history books. Many people of conscience objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and ridiculed. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though. And the world came to regret that he was not listened to. Do not forget that Germany was the most educated the most cultured country in Europe. It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. Yet, in less than six years (a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency), it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.
As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice to make. I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope and pray I am wrong by closing my eyes, having another latte, and ignoring what is transpiring around me. I choose to believe the evidence.
No doubt, some people will scoff at me; others laugh, or think I am foolish, naive, or both. To some degree, perhaps I am. However, I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe and why I believe it.
I pray I am wrong. I do not think I am. Perhaps the only hope, outside of ALL-MIGHTY God, is our vote in the next elections.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
CONTEMPORARY CHURCHES
By: Chuck Baldwin
For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the LORD; Who say to the seers, "You must not see visions"; And to the prophets, "You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. "Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 30:9-11
We often hear pastors, radio preachers, and televangelists refer to the great prophets and Apostles of the Bible. Rightly, these Bible characters are lauded as examples for today's Christians. The problem is, hardly any of those giants of history would be welcome in America's churches today!
On the whole, America's Christians today do not want to hear the truth. They want a place where they can be made to feel good, where they can be entertained, where they can socialize and make business contacts, and where their children can have a place to play and be with their friends. Comparing the preaching and philosophy of most churches today to that of Bible characters will quickly reveal how unbiblical our churches have become.
Can you imagine how the average church in America today would react to the decisions of Daniel and the three Hebrew children? All four of them were unashamed and unhesitant to practice civil disobedience. All four of them were charged with capital crimes by their government and sentenced to death. In Daniel's case, all he had to do was not pray out loud to God for thirty days. Thirty days! I can just hear today's Christian pragmatists screaming, "It's only for thirty days. You can still pray in your heart. We must obey the government." Can you imagine Daniel being asked to preach a message on "How And When To Defy Your Government" to the vast majority of churches in America today? Forget it!
Moreover, take a look at practically every single Old Testament prophet. Ninety percent of their preaching was negative. They seldom had anything positive to say, especially about the way their nation's leaders were behaving. They were often jailed, beaten, starved, or even killed. They were as familiar with prisons as they were with pulpits. They were despised by political leaders, rejected by religious leaders, and shunned by business leaders.
It wasn't much better for the Apostles and disciples in the New Testament. John the Baptizer was beheaded for "meddling in politics." The Apostles were beaten, stoned, and jailed. The Apostle Paul was especially hated. He was hated by Jews; he was hated by Romans; he was hated by businessmen; he was hated by politicians; he was even hated by fellow ministers.
Can you imagine the Apostle Paul preaching a message on "Conquering Low Self-Esteem"? Give Paul an opportunity today to preach to a church of one thousand members one Sunday morning, and by Sunday night (if they even had a Sunday night service), there might be hand-full back to hear him.
It is difficult for this generation of Christians to even comprehend that this fearless, uncompromising, "like it or lump it" kind of preaching was the kind of preaching that America cut its teeth on. The colonies and frontier of this nation were filled with prophet-like clergymen. And it didn't really matter which denomination one attended, the message was the same.
Whether it was the Baptist Joab Houghton, or Presbyterian James Caldwell, or Lutheran John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, or Episcopalian Samuel Provost, or the German Reformed Nicholas Herkimer, they were all plucky, pugnacious preachers of repentance and righteousness!
In America, once voices rang loud and clear proclaiming the message of truth - old fashioned 'hell-fire and damnation, tell it like it is messages' - now those voices have been silenced by the hardness of the people.
No wonder our people today have become self-centered, sensitive, easily offended and shallow.
They seldom, if ever, hear honest, straight-forward, fearless (telling-it like-it-is) preaching.
Therefore, the next time you hear someone refer to the great men of the Bible, ask yourself, "Would that prophet be welcome in my church today?" In most instances, the answer would be a resounding no!
And now you know why America is in the shape it's in today: the nation always takes the form of its preachers and churches.
Judgment begins in the house of God.
By: Chuck Baldwin
For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the LORD; Who say to the seers, "You must not see visions"; And to the prophets, "You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. "Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 30:9-11
We often hear pastors, radio preachers, and televangelists refer to the great prophets and Apostles of the Bible. Rightly, these Bible characters are lauded as examples for today's Christians. The problem is, hardly any of those giants of history would be welcome in America's churches today!
On the whole, America's Christians today do not want to hear the truth. They want a place where they can be made to feel good, where they can be entertained, where they can socialize and make business contacts, and where their children can have a place to play and be with their friends. Comparing the preaching and philosophy of most churches today to that of Bible characters will quickly reveal how unbiblical our churches have become.
Can you imagine how the average church in America today would react to the decisions of Daniel and the three Hebrew children? All four of them were unashamed and unhesitant to practice civil disobedience. All four of them were charged with capital crimes by their government and sentenced to death. In Daniel's case, all he had to do was not pray out loud to God for thirty days. Thirty days! I can just hear today's Christian pragmatists screaming, "It's only for thirty days. You can still pray in your heart. We must obey the government." Can you imagine Daniel being asked to preach a message on "How And When To Defy Your Government" to the vast majority of churches in America today? Forget it!
Moreover, take a look at practically every single Old Testament prophet. Ninety percent of their preaching was negative. They seldom had anything positive to say, especially about the way their nation's leaders were behaving. They were often jailed, beaten, starved, or even killed. They were as familiar with prisons as they were with pulpits. They were despised by political leaders, rejected by religious leaders, and shunned by business leaders.
It wasn't much better for the Apostles and disciples in the New Testament. John the Baptizer was beheaded for "meddling in politics." The Apostles were beaten, stoned, and jailed. The Apostle Paul was especially hated. He was hated by Jews; he was hated by Romans; he was hated by businessmen; he was hated by politicians; he was even hated by fellow ministers.
Can you imagine the Apostle Paul preaching a message on "Conquering Low Self-Esteem"? Give Paul an opportunity today to preach to a church of one thousand members one Sunday morning, and by Sunday night (if they even had a Sunday night service), there might be hand-full back to hear him.
It is difficult for this generation of Christians to even comprehend that this fearless, uncompromising, "like it or lump it" kind of preaching was the kind of preaching that America cut its teeth on. The colonies and frontier of this nation were filled with prophet-like clergymen. And it didn't really matter which denomination one attended, the message was the same.
Whether it was the Baptist Joab Houghton, or Presbyterian James Caldwell, or Lutheran John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, or Episcopalian Samuel Provost, or the German Reformed Nicholas Herkimer, they were all plucky, pugnacious preachers of repentance and righteousness!
In America, once voices rang loud and clear proclaiming the message of truth - old fashioned 'hell-fire and damnation, tell it like it is messages' - now those voices have been silenced by the hardness of the people.
No wonder our people today have become self-centered, sensitive, easily offended and shallow.
They seldom, if ever, hear honest, straight-forward, fearless (telling-it like-it-is) preaching.
Therefore, the next time you hear someone refer to the great men of the Bible, ask yourself, "Would that prophet be welcome in my church today?" In most instances, the answer would be a resounding no!
And now you know why America is in the shape it's in today: the nation always takes the form of its preachers and churches.
Judgment begins in the house of God.
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