Because I preach the Bible, I preach and teach a lot about the present political, social, cultural, academic, economic, moral and religious landscape of our country (as well as conditions globally), because these are the venues in which we as Christians live and in which we as Christians must manifest our salvation. Most parents who teach their children how to swim are not trying to produce Olympic champions but rather they equip them for safety and basic skills.
I am not trying to turn anyone into a politician, economist or expert in any of the other disciplines of life. I am hoping to equip my folks to live victoriously in spite of the dangers presented by these various environments, and I am hoping to sound the alarm, warning the lost, about the danger, into which they are headed.
My focus is to glorify God, which includes defeating the enemy and pulling down strongholds of darkness. I also want to build up Christians (as individuals and as a local body of believers), so that they will be more than conquerors in their personal lives and so that they will be actively rescuing the perishing.
Not only (personally and corporately, but as local churches), are we on a rescue mission, we are the salt God uses to protect society from the runaway corruption of evil (until the Rapture), and we are the light God sends into a world of spiritual darkness and moral chaos.
I don't just talk about the problems of this present evil world, I offer answers to the confusion and the pollution, and I offer actions to replace defeat with victory in Christ.
Christians should not lose their peace and perspective in times of perplexity, but neither should Christians pull their skirts up and slip into hiding from the call of God to stand against the Gates of Hell. Defeat starts with the individual, and it spreads to their family and encompasses the community, reaching into other communities. God directs us into and instructs us in personal holiness and requires that we teach the way of truth to our family and sends us into all the world to make disciples.
I am not saying that believers or churches will save America, but I am saying that God is not pleased with a gathering of self-satisfied, uninvolved spectators. We have the joy of Jesus in our lives in the midst of a world in turmoil. and we should not lose personal joy. But remember, we are at war with darkness and we are on a rescue mission, not pleasure cruise. We are called to be trained, equipped, deployed as soldiers of the cross. As Christ's followers (the army of God), we differ from the ranks of worldly kingdoms. We do not shed the blood of our enemies, instead we tell them about the shed blood of Jesus, and we go forth willing to have our own blood shed. We are witnesses for Christ. The word "Witness" in the New Testament is taken from the same root as the word "Martyr." To be a witness for Christ includes our willingness to be a martyr. This is New Testament Christianity, and our communities are waiting to see the warriors of Christ rise up, stand firm and set the prisoners of darkness free.
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