I am not afraid!

Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. (Acts of the Apostles 8:1 NLT)

It has to stop! This country was founded on Christian principles of free speech, freedom of government influence in religion, and multiple other freedoms. Those freedoms are under attack. The very fabric of our faith is under attack. I believe in the Bible as Gods holy word. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and was raised from the dead. No government or ANY group of people will change that.

I fear for our country. But, I fear for American Christians the most. The tide of American society is against Christ and his followers. Our ability to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit is being restricted by laws and regulations. 

It won't work. I will follow Jesus! I am not afraid for myself! Kilł me! persecute me! Beat me! Jail me! I don't care! I answer to God and God alone! 

Victory against Persecution!

What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other. (Romans 14:6-9 MSG)

          People have some strange beliefs. With social media you see it all from strange diets to alien abductions, to conspiracy theories, to people preparing for a zombie apocalypse, to politics of all shapes and forms. I am amazed by the posts, you just can't make that stuff up. I know there are people who believe Christianity is one of those fads. If it is, it has some wonderful staying power. Trust me it's real and in all reality, I don't care what you think! Ok, I really do care, because I want you to be with me in eternity. But, just because you feel strongly against my faith in Christ, doesn't mean I'm going to change. I answer to God! My ENTIRE life has one purpose, serve God. He knows me, watches over me and leads me through darkness and even persecution. 

          Persecution is growing. Our own country is moving to a "Godless" society. Europe has been there for years. Our government, and in many ways the general public, are a growing force against my faith. I need to be strong in my faith in Jesus Christ. I need to study and prepare for days of persecution. I need to be prepared to fight with my life if necessary. 

          Yesterday was a good day for religious liberty. Hobby Lobby a public business run by good strong Christians was given permission to run their business as God would lead. My faith is interwoven in everything I do. The owners of Hobby Lobby believe the same. For now, the Supreme Court agrees that a family business can be run with God as the center. I am thankful and would love to see this trend continue. I am fearful it won't. In either case, I will be prepared to fight for my Jesus. Are you prepared for the battle?

My inner voice!

keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (1 Peter 3:16 NIV)

How could anybody speak against someone's good behavior, let alone speak maliciously? But, when it does happen I need to battle the urges to get even. It is confidence in yourself, but more importantly confidence in Christ, that allows our heads to be held high even through verbal harassment. I have found if I listen to my inner voice, my conscience, the voice of the Holy Spirit, I can come out on top when dealing with my critics.

My actions under duress speaks more to my faith than any thing I do. My response to tense relations will make even the strongest enemy take note. I'm not sure I've ever gotten to the point where my response "shamed" an enemy, but I will always be cautious of my words and actions with those that choose to persecute me. I will think be for I act.

It just affirms how much we are on display as followers of Christ. We are placed under a microscope and our lives critiqued by those who are not brothers and sisters. Do I live up to their standards? Can anyone? The goods news is we have only one standard to uphold. That is the standard of Jesus Christ. God has gifted us with a conscience to help us follow those standards. We may choose to ignore the message of that inner voice from God, but it is placed there for our benefit. 

Thank you Lord for your love and the protections you give me. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit and  the help it provides. I want to follow your plan, even in my weakness. Thank you for your love through persecutions in all forms. Guide my actions and my words through this wondeful life. May I be a blessing to those around me! Amen!

Have you ever been persecuted for Christ?

However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. (1 Peter 4:16 NIV)

When have you come the closest to being persecuted as a Christian? I have lived a pretty sheltered life. Sure I've heard coworkers poke light hearted fun at Christians. I really never heard anything very offensive. I certainly have heard reports through the media and on the news that were hurtful and downright abusive toward Christs followers. I'm not really talking about those things. 

I'm asking if you have ever felt threatened or worse because you were a Christian?

I can't say I have ever felt like my life was being threatened. I've attended some pretty rough biker events where alcohol, drugs, and sex were rampant. I met a young man this summer who said his mom brought him. He didn't want to be there. His mom thought he should experience the "party". He told me that his mom hated it that we were there. He, even though he was not a believer, defended us to his own mom. He was persecuted more than I was for wanting to hangout with those Christians. This non Christian "seeker" was more bold than most Christians.

I'm sad to say that most Christians shelter themselves from persecution. It is so much easier to witness in "safe" places. Christ didn't confine his ministry to church like environments. He went to the sick, the outcast, the enemy, the sinner, the possessed. He did not fear for his life. He feared more of losing the eternal life of others. 

I praise God he has protected me when I attend biker events in ministry. I ask all followers of Christ to be bold. Go to areas where it makes you feel uncomfortable. Go to places where you are a minority and share God's love. Put pressure on your Church to serve as missionaries, not just across the globe, but in dark places right here in our own country. We must penetrate the darkness with his love and when necessary suffer persecution to save the lives of others. We are the hands and feet of Christ in all the world!

The Enemy

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:10 NIV)

By definition an enemy is someone who is actively opposed or hostile to someone.

Are you an enemy of God? 

My guess if you're a regular reader of these posts you don't consider yourself as hostile or opposing God. Yet, this world and even our own country has become more and more hostile to Christianity. It has become popular to actively oppose God and it is being done so in a more aggressive way everyday.

 God isn't phased by it. I would say he has come to expect it. This verse is testimony that being an enemy of God is not new. It is exactly that type of hatred that brought the creator of the universe to down to Earth. He sent his son to die for the enemy in hopes of reconciliation. He doesn't  care how vehemently he is opposed. He doesn't care how extreme the hatred, he came to die for the enemy so that the enemy might reconcile and enjoy eternal life. I would say that's amazing.

I pray that Christians around the world and my own brothers and sisters will not turn from the enemy. I pray we will face them with the love and the strength of our savior Jesus Christ. I pray we will serve those that hate us and keep on serving, even unto death. We can not be intimidated by those that oppose us. We can not compromise and we can not back down. We can not give up sharing. We may never know our impact. We may never see the fruits, but we can not be denied the right to spread the message of Jesus love. In some ways our own "inaction" is as damaging to the kingdom of God as actively opposing it. To sit passively on the sidelines while the lost perish could make us just as much an enemy as any nonbeliever. We should know better. Help save a life through the love of Christ.

Tebow: Be strong in love!

1 Corinthians 16

 ¹³ Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. ¹⁴ Do everything in love.

Tim Tebow has taken the NFL by storm. He has been phenomenal on the field for the Denver Broncos. But, he is known more for his faith than his come from behind victories. Regardless of his skills at Quarterback, he is a great leader on his team and he wears his faith on the outside so all can witness. For this reason, he has become the target for taunting and ridicule. Here is a clip of a Detroit Lion player mocking his prayer.

Paul has something to say to Tim Tebow. 1 Corinthians 16:13,14. ¹³ Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. ¹⁴ Do everything in love.

When someone mocks God like this, I just want to see God's wrath come down and justice done. I don't really expect it. God uses these situations to help us endure this sinful world. Tim Tebow is reaching more people today than I might ever reach in a lifetime. He is the focus of Christians and non-Christians across our country. For the rest of his life he will be under a magnifying glass. Can he hold up to the scrutiny? I can tell you for sure, Tim Tebow is a sinner, just like you and I. He is not perfect. When you and I sin, it's private, between us and God. When Tim Tebow sins, it will be on the national news.  I pray that Mr. Tebow will be on guard. He needs to be deeper in faith today than ever before in his life. He needs to continue to be courageous and strong against the forces of evil that pursue him.  But, the most important advice he will get is "Do everything in love." Even playing football. 

That's advice we can all take to heart. If we are persecuted at work, at school, or in play, we need to do everything with Love. We need to be strong in faith. We need to be courageous in the presence of ridicule and mockery. God is with us, he is our strength. He will be the victor in the end.