The World We Live In
Pastor Charles Cooley
6/1/09

Much of the modern media clamors for secularism, trying to muzzle the Christian voice by ridicule, silence, and in some cases, encouraging active resistance to it. Government, education, and media all wave the banner of "separation of church and state" like a battle flag. They want to set the parameters of how Christianity can function. For example, its ok to say an inauguration prayer but not to mention the name of Jesus in it, as Franklin Graham did at President Bush's inauguration. Public education has found it easier to just eliminate the outward expression of the Christian faith rather than fight the ACLU - of course, this same standard is not used for Islam or the occult. The rule of thumb in government is don't do or say anything that is 'politically incorrect' and of course the liberals control what that means! For example, the 'Obama' types can speak in churches during campaigns, but conservative Christian candidates engender a media fire-storm when they do the same thing - and the sponsoring church receives a threatening letter from the IRS.

What must be our response to this? We must do as Scripture demands -

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;  - 2Cor 4:13

We do not gain our authority to share our faith from our government, our schools, or any other person. We are granted authority directly from Jesus Himself -

All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. - Matthew 28:18, 19

Making disciples is part of Biblical Christianity and that involves the need to speak and share the message where the people are - not just in a church where some city counsel has given us permission to do so!

WorldNetDaily just reported a case in CA where a home Bible study is being fined for holding meetings in their home¹ but we cannot obey such rules as these. We have a higher authority to share the Gospel and to make disciples! The U.S. Army now reports that it confiscated Bibles sent to soldiers in Afghanistan to be passed out to the people there², even though the soldiers were within their rights to pass them out on their off-duty hours. This was done at President Obama's direct order. These and hundreds of other infringements on our rights as Christian Americans are happening right now, but the American church sleeps on more worried about their 'pocket book' than they are about their faith.

Our government has embraced a national suicide policy in several ways:

1) Instead of encouraging large families, its laws and practices discourage family growth by embracing the feminist agenda of demonizing marriage, encouraging homosexual and lesbian marriage, progressively taxing families more, even by raising gasoline taxes and emission controls and seat belt laws, all of which discourage larger vehicles, which are needed to carry larger families. Education and the media have also worked to portray the ideal family as having only one child. However, demographic experts show that it takes a birth rate of 2.11 children per family to maintain a culture³. Any rate under 1.9 is not only deadly to a culture, it is also irreversible! The United States now has a birthrate of 1.6, so we have been augmenting that by immigration, mostly Hispanic and Islamic. However, both have a significantly higher birthrate, meaning we will have 50 million Muslims in the country in 30 years, and we will probably all be speaking Spanish by then! Europe is further along this path than we are and some European countries are looking at a Muslim majority in as little as 15 years.

2) For the sake of votes, our government leaders have caved in to the homosexual lobby, even making it a crime to speak against this lifestyle. Several states have now codified homosexual marriage which was the 'last straw' before God judged Sodom and Gomorrah. This legalization openly mocks God's most sacred institution - the family, upon which all the rest of society is based. When this foundation is discarded, there is no redemption left for a society.

3) Finally, our government is openly standing against God in regards to Israel and Jerusalem. Repeatedly throughout Scripture God calls Israel 'My land' and 'the place where I have set My name' . It does not even belong to the Jews, they are but tenants in the land.

The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. - Leviticus 25:23 (NIV)

All of the earth was given to man, but God reserved this one place for Himself and His purposes. And He takes a dim view of anyone who tries to divide it, or change God's plans for it!

In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning My inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up My land. - Joel 3:1,2

Our government is joining much of the world in moving against Israel. We have told Israel's leaders that we will not help protect them against Iran's nuclear threat if they don't do as we say. And what are we saying? Give up the land that is yours by God's will and give up Jerusalem, the place where God has chosen to enthrone His name. Our leaders are bringing judgment upon America.

During WWII Germans could not claim ignorance or innocence of the atrocities committed by the Nazis. They all fell into just two classes: 1) Those who admitted it and tried to stand against it, and 2) Those knew about it but ignored it. American Christians are likewise falling into the same two classes concerning what is happening now  in our country.

As the well known preacher, David Wilkerson, once said - America is Babylon! I don't know about that but, I do know that the same evil spirit that drove Babylon is here in America and the nation is succumbing to its influence. The Book of Revelation not only speaks of her judgment but also has a poignant warning to the people of God in her -

Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. - Revelation 18:4, 5

How do we come out of her? By repenting of our idolatry with the worldly system of Babylon; by remembering who we are as Christians and unashamedly declaring it, and by taking the armor of God and standing.⁴ Standing against every thing we know is wrong according to God's word and by standing for everything we know is right according to God's word.

God help us all. Amen.
 

1. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=98895
2. Memorial Day SHOCKER - Pentagon burns our troops' Bibles (email received from GOPUSA 5/23/2009)
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU
4. See Revelation 12:11 and Ephesians 6:10-18