02/19/21 BEING CHRISTIAN IN A VIOLENT WORLD

02/19/21 BEING CHRISTIAN IN A VIOLENT WORLD

Our nation and society are on the verge of national insanity and complete moral breakdown. Professing "Christians" have bought into Humanistic, Socialistic, Liberal teaching and bowed before the gods of Statism, Materialism, Naturalism for so long that the Western Christianity is nothing more than paganism. This is not an accident. This has been the developing plan of Darkness for over a century.

We have watched as wicked oppression has tightened around the throats of Christians around the world. Now we may be are on the verge of Satan's last big push to envelope the USA in damning deception.

We hope and pray for the young and clueless who are strangers to God (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit), His word, His salvation, His Church. This may be the final generation of Christian influence in our land, either because Jesus catches us away in the rapture or because America has rejected God for the last time.

In any case, Christians need to know what God says and expects from His children during these extreme days ahead. It is not a surprise that Americans are lost and hardening their hearts. Now is the acceptable time and today is the day of salvation.

Among the many great truths that "Christians" have resisted and rejected over the years is the glorious truth of following Christ, the Prince of Peace, in becoming "peacemakers" and willing martyrs for the glory of God. It is time to learn what God says, and do what God commands, concerning our relationship with the enemies of morality, salvation, freedom and Christ Himself. Very few western Christians have been taught the New Testament view of Christian non-violence (not to be confused with pacifism). If you want to be a victorious and Christlike Christian in the insane and vicious days ahead, then it is essential to come back to a Biblical understanding of faith, love and Christ-likeness.

Here is an article I shared just a month ago, but changes (social, political, religious, academic, economic) are happening so quickly that we better make major changes in our Biblical knowledge and our life of grace. I am re-posting my article for those who see the signs of the times and want to respond in a Biblical fashion. Take the couple of minutes to read this article. I hope it causes folks to seek God's will concerning true Christian warfare.

BEING CHRISTIAN IN A VIOLENT WORLD.

01/15/21 BEING BIBLICAL IN A VIOLENT WORLD

THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING BIBLICAL POINTS.

The New Testament view of Christian response to violence as a peacemaker is little known, seldom understood, widely rejected.

God ordained human government, to protect the righteous, punish wicked.

God entrusts societal and national law and order into the hands of legitimate law enforcement and military.

God commands Christians to pay taxes for legitimate law enforcement and military.

God directs Christ followers to be personally non-violent, peacemakers.

The State is obliged to wield the sword of steel in worldly government, to ensure law and order and national safety.

The Church is obliged to wield the Sword of the Spirit in spiritual warfare.

The State must take life, sometimes.

The Church (Christians) must not take life, but rather spend our lives in proclaiming salvation and be willing to give up own lives.

God uses the nations of the world and their swords of steel to accomplish His will in an unredeemed world.

God uses His people (the Church) and the Sword of the Spirit to wage spiritual warfare for the souls of the unredeemed.

There is not one place in the New Testament that Christians are COMMANDED to take up arms against an enemy.

There is not one place in the New Testament that a Christian is COMMENDED for taking up arms against an enemy.

There is not one place in the New Testament that a Christian is EXCUSED for taking up arms against an enemy.

There is not one place in the New Testament that a Christian is ALLOWED to take up arms against an enemy.

The New Testament does COMMAND Christians to NOT TAKE UP ARMS against an enemy.

The New Testament does CONDEMN Christians taking up arms against an enemy.

The New Testament does INSTRUCT Christians to love, feed, care for, pray for, and do good to an enemy.

The New Testament does DIRECT Christians to suffer persecution, imprisonment, injury and even death without hating or retaliating against an enemy.

Other than Peter pulling a sword against Malchus (for which he was reproved by Christ) there is no New Testament evidence of Christians taking up arms against an enemy.

There are passages in the New Testament where believers were persecuted, mistreated and even killed by an enemy, YET THE BELIEVERS NEVER REACTED IN VIOLENCE.

My argument is concerned with Christian faith and practice during this present age of grace and New Testament revelation.

Though the book of Revelation was given during the early days of the New Testament, the prophecies are addressing a period of time after the Church Age, or the Age of Grace or The Dispensation of Grace or The Dispensation of the The Church.

The Church Age (from the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 until the Rapture of the Church) is not to be confused with the Tribulation period or the Millennial Reign of Christ. The directives to the Church in this period of time refrain Christians from taking up arms against our enemies.

by Pastor David L. Gould