The Power of God: A Personal Testimony

This post represents the reflections of a very good friend of mine, who just recently returned from a mission trip to Europe and the refugee camps.  She is a young Millennial and has such a heart for Jesus, vowing to go wherever He sends her in order to share Him with the world.  She began her journey in Brussels, went on to Moscow, and as God would have it, received an opportunity, at the last minute, to alter her itinerary before heading back home to the U.S.  It was here, the last five days that she spent in the refugee camps in northern Greece, that she says changed her life.  Considering my post from yesterday ... if you want to know how we Christians can be the salt of the earth, just read what she has to say:

     While standing barefoot on the gravel in between tents in a refugee camp in northern Greece, two little girls, Afghani sisters, walked up to me, gave me hugs, and eventually I had to say goodbye to them. Thinking about that moment [now], I am in tears because it is so hard to leave a place where so many people are living in devastation and so little is being done to help them.
     After spending six weeks overseas, five of those days in Greece, my perspective on life has shifted. Millions of people just like you and me are having to flee their homes (which likely have been leveled). These people are engineers, business men, and students who may never finish school; hardworking people who used to live normal lives, and now live in tents, lucky to have a bed.

     It's almost 100 degrees there, no air conditioning in the camps, the toilets and showers are filthy (for many the conditions are worse in the camps than they were in their home countries), they have limited clothes, and most are in the middle of Ramadan, fasting all day.  The borders are closed now, so these people are beginning to have to accept that they may never leave Greece. The thought of landing back in the States while these people are stuck in a situation that is not only uncomfortable, but deadly for many, is heartbreaking.
     I wish the world could understand that there are many people suffering on earth right now while the rest of us go on with normal everyday life without even a thought of those people. The refugee crisis is being called the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II, but somehow it still surprises people when I tell them why I was in Europe. It's my prayer that our eyes be opened and see people the way Jesus sees people.
     (One major takeaway from my time in Greece is that God is moving in the refugee camps. This shouldn't be a surprise since God shows us over and over again in the Bible that He is present and near to comfort those who mourn, and provide for those in need.)
      I had the privilege of being invited into the tent of a sweet Syrian family on my first day in the camps. The cultures that the refugees come from are some of the most hospitable I've ever seen. This family offered us coffee, water, tea, and fruit, when really they were the ones who needed it! One of the daughters, Zeinah, interpreted for us so we got to ask them questions about their lives, pray healing over her because she was sick, and then share with them a little bit about Jesus as we know Him.
     Near [the time] when we had to leave, with their blessing, we prayed for them all to encounter God (their hands in an open position to receive).  It was so cool that they let us do that because they knew we were Christians! As we were leaving, I asked Zeinah if she could ask the family if any of them had had a dream of a man in white before.  One of the other daughters, Rima, who is 22 years old responded that she had. She described the man as dressed in a white robe to his feet, standing on green grass, and handing her water. She could not see his face because it was too bright.
     I opened my Bible to Revelation, Chapter 1, and read to Zeinah the description of Jesus there ("like a son of man", dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.)  Zeinah translated it for Rima, and then looked at me with a smile and said, yes, that is who was in her dream! I excitedly told her that the man in her dream was Jesus, and that she must tell Rima that in the Bible Jesus calls himself the Living Water ...  and just how we need water to live, we need Jesus all the more. I had to leave then, but Zeinah assured me that she would tell Rima that her dream was about Jesus. My prayer is that Rima and her family would continue to have dreams of Jesus and come to know the Man who is pursuing them in their dreams.

     This is not only happening to this family, but Muslims everywhere are reporting having dreams of this "man in white".  Jesus is pursuing the Muslim people in their sleep, and entire families are getting saved across Europe because of it. The power of God is the only way that someone will have [such] an encounter with God, but He is using His people to convey the message of the Gospel ... the Good News of Jesus.
      I also got the chance to sit in a tent with seven Muslim-background men, six of which were Afghani, and one was a Syrian Kurdish man. One of the men was interpreting for us and we were just chatting with them. We found out that the Syrian man in the room had been baptized in the name of Jesus the week before, along with four other men and has been reading his Bible ever since! Another man in the room was holding a Farsi New Testament that he was going to start reading later that day. These people who have never had the opportunity to hear about Jesus as their Savior are hearing about Him for the first time.  And because there is nothing else for them to do with their time, they love listening to our stories about Jesus and are happy to read the Bible!
      As I've been reflecting on my time in Greece, and what God is doing there, and in all of Europe with the refugees, what I feel like God is calling me to do now is to pray for the refugees and the workers who are there, and to educate people here about the crisis through my direct experience.

     This is the testimony of my faithful young friend, who is able to set aside her differences with people of different faiths and nationalities to see people as Jesus sees them ... people that He created; people who desperately need to know Him as the world deteriorates into chaos and lawlessness.  
     She approached her calling from Jesus with no fear; only excitement, and as she wrote me, "an expectancy for what God is going to do in us and through us as we interact with the refugees."  Note that she didn't say she was "hoping" that God would work in her and through her, but she was "expecting" it!  That is more than youthful optimism.  That is faith in the power of God, and comes from a trust and confidence rooted in her spirit; a spirit that is supernaturally connected to her Creator.
     So, now we have to come to terms with the spiritual aspects of this world.  Can you see that the Enemy wants us to concentrate on the very real danger of Muslim extremists, who are used as instruments of wickedness and perhaps, judgment?  But at the same time, can you see that Jesus is still moving and ministering in the world; even in the midst of refugee camps that very likely contain men intent on carrying out more evil? The recent attacks on a restaurant in Bangladesh remind us that Evil is ever present. 
     And the Bible tells us that, along with this wickedness, mankind will not escape the humanitarian crises that my young friend witnessed.  Earth has become the battleground for the war in the spiritual realm.  And my friend is absolutely correct ... we must pray for the innocent refugees, and the workers who are ministering to them.  We must tell the world about the very real human suffering that is going on.  And, most importantly, we must praise God, who draws people unto Himself through the teaching of the gospel. Thank you, Lord, that people like my young friend answer your call.   It is exciting to hear, first-hand, of the drawing power of your Word to save! And we ask for continuous strength and revelation to do what You need us to do, in the Name of Jesus.  Amen!

Colossians 1:6    "In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace."
       

Closing The Gaps: Our Spiritual Hypocrisy

     Everyday I receive an email with an inspirational message from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a Christian sports ministry to see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.  Frankly, although I am not an athlete, I still enjoy the sports analogies that accompany the emails, and I also enjoy receiving a message each day about how to honor God.
     One particular email really spoke to me, and I think it pertains to the Christian community's difficulty in embracing the spiritual realm and spiritual warfare.  Dan Britton, who played professional indoor lacrosse for four years for the Baltimore Thunder wrote that day's message.  Dan serves as FCA's Executive Vice President of International Ministry.  He chose to speak about spiritual integrity.  Here is his testimony:  "As a lacrosse player, I knew some of my teammates to be big partiers. Despite their lifestyle, I learned that they had nothing to hide. Actually, I came to find out that they lived with more integrity than me! As a Christian who had a "testimony" to protect, I tried to hide my gaps. What they said and did, however, were the same things. No gaps. Just the basic "what you see is what you get" lifestyle. They were partiers, but not hypocrites. It all lined up with them. Unfortunately, we as Christians often will say one thing and do another."
     What Dan refers to as his "gaps", I prefer to think of as our deviation from our true self, or our imbalance.  The true identity of our spirit often doesn't match what we project to the world.  Our Inside doesn't match up with our Outside.  Integrity is the state of being whole and undivided; the condition of being unified, unimpaired, or sound in construction.  That means we are consistent in our character, conformed in both body and spirit, just like Jesus was ... we are the same, whether it is according to the spirit inside of us, or the physical image that the world sees.
     In the aspect of spiritual warfare, can you see how the Enemy can take advantage of us when there's an imbalance between our inside and outside?  Too many Western Christians care more about the image they project to each other than who they project to the world.  At the same time, they are desperate to keep the spiritual side under wraps because it is so dissimilar to the physical side they promote.  And the Enemy swoops in and begins to whisper his destroying lies:  you're a fraud ... you profess trust and confidence in your Savior, but inside you are full of doubt and unbelief ... if they knew the dark things in your past, your fellow Christians would denounce and reject you ... keep it hidden; hide your fear/anger/bitterness/unforgiveness, and keep on pretending ... The lies go on and on and on.  And millions of Christians live their lives in defeat and ineffectiveness.  Oh, they put on a good show, but as Dan Britton's message says, when they look in the mirror, there are gaps between the spiritual and the physical that don't line up.  They see the holes where satan has taken up residence in order to oppress them.
     And they're too afraid to look at spiritual warfare as a way to transform their lives, get free from satan's bondage, and to become the whole person -- inside and out -- that God desires them to be.  They can't get beyond their suspicions that working in the spirit realm with Jesus and the Holy Spirit is somehow ... I don't know ... maybe too mystical, or speaks of unnatural and unbiblical practices.  But why are Christians unable to understand the truth that Jesus Christ is living in us, through the presence of the Holy Spirit?!?  Why would we choose to ignore His presence and His help when satan begins to attack us with his lies?  Why would we choose to remain powerless, impotent, and unfruitful?
     An image was just given to me by the Holy Spirit ... in the context of Dan Britton's "gaps", when we do not allow Jesus to transform us to wholeness -- when we do not call on His presence that is right there, within us! -- those gaps become spaces and holes through which the Living Water seeps out of our lives, and it's impossible for us to be nourished.  We do not bear fruit for the Kingdom of God.  It is not enough to live a moral, ethical life on the outside. We are called to produce fruit for the kingdom, and we can't do it through the activities of our Outside self; we can only do that through partnering our spirits with the power of the Holy Spirit.
     Once Christians experience the power of Jesus working with them and through them to deliver themselves or another out of the crippling bondage of satan's lies, they will close those gaps and become their true, authentic self -- everything in alignment with God and His purpose ... to glorify and exalt Jesus as our Savior.
     If you haven't experienced a spiritual attack, you will.  If you are growing spiritually; if you are exposing the Enemy; if you are invading his territory; if you are trying to break away from the world and its temptations and distractions; if God is preparing you for a great work for His kingdom ... get ready, you will be spiritually attacked.  But there is no need to be fearful!  We have Jesus living in us, and at our invitation, He and the Holy Spirit will be your armor as you go into battle.  Remember, He's as close as the mention of His Name.  Just call, and He will come.

Proverbs 18:10    "The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."

How Do We Love Our Enemies?

     Today I need to get a little personal ... in the sense that I need to discuss an issue that I know is troubling many of my fellow Christians.  I know this because I have received a heartfelt email from a reader whom I know is sincere in her faith.  And I know that I need to try to write about this because it is something each of us needs to come to terms with in our own spirits and hearts -- and that includes me!

     I believe I can write about this without betraying her confidence because it was an email that millions of Christians across America could have written.  In short, this reader wrote to ask me for suggestions on how she can walk out her faith and learn to love the unsaved Muslims in our country.  Now, I want each of you to be honest ... haven't you at one time or another struggled with what you know are unChrist-like emotions?  We wouldn't be human if we didn't battle feelings of anger towards the radical Muslims who are filled with so much hate for our nation and way of life that their goal is to take innocent lives in some perverted sense of obedience to what we know is a false god and evil ideology.
     And I believe we would be unwise if we didn't acknowledge the Islamic doctrine of Taqiyya (taqiya, taqiyah, taqiyyah), which is a form of Islamic deception. The Quran (16:106 and 3:28) allows Muslims to lie in order to protect themselves or to protect the Muslim community.   And I think we would be foolish to not feel disappointment in our government's lackluster efforts to defend us, and their denial that there is anything to worry about.  Furthermore, I suspect that many of us are confused over how -- as law-abiding citizens concerned about our rights -- we have become a threat (in our own country) to the liberty of refugees and foreigners!  Finally, if you are like me, you are perhaps worried over how easily our youth are tempted to adopt the false religions of the world.  My husband and I encountered a young employee at Home Depot, and as he often does, my husband asked the young man about his tattoos (he is always interested to know why they have chosen the symbols they have).  This young man had a tattoo which he said "symbolizes the moon god because that culture interests me".  All I could think was, "Father, forgive him for he knows not what he does".
     So all that addresses our human emotions and thoughts.  But what about our spiritual struggle with these issues?  If we are to be honest and faithful Christians, then we know that we are to "love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us".  Jesus made that very clear in Matthew 5:44.  I will be the first one to admit that this seems like an impossible commandment ... and one that our ultimate Enemy, satan, will use against us in order to convict us of a powerless and faithless life.  Loving an enemy that hates my faith and wants to kill and destroy me and my family is a difficult thing to do, but anything less does not follow in the footsteps of Jesus.  Remember that He willingly laid down his life and asked His Father to forgive those who killed Him.  And He did not hate them.
     I can hear the disagreements now ... Jesus would not want us to bow to political correctness, or not defend our families or faith.  The Bible tells us that we "must hold firm to the trustworthy Word as taught, so that we may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it."  But loving our enemies?  What does that look like in the wake of events like Orlando?
     Perhaps we can start by determining what it does not look like.  Yes, Jesus tells us to love them unconditionally -- no matter what they do to us -- but it doesn't mean that we agree with what they do, or make excuses for it.  My reader commented on how difficult it was becoming to see Muslims begin to dominate in our culture, and to see unvetted refugees streaming into the country in the wake of atrocities that have been committed in their home nations.  She knows it is God's desire that none should perish, but in the face of what appears to be unreconcilable differences, and blatant and obvious hatred towards us, she is finding it difficult to imitate Christ.
     I'm afraid that I have no quick fix or easy solution.  For myself, I have decided to try to discern what God has told us throughout the Bible when it comes to living among people who are enemies.  God never changes, and what He commanded His people to do in the Old and New Testaments, remains the standard by which we should live our lives.
     First of all, as I told the reader, God did not ask His people to accommodate new religions or politically correct viewpoints.  In fact, He commanded them to resist compromising with corrupt nations; to never adopt false religions or gods; and to keep His statues forever.  Of course, one of those statues is to pray for, and to love our enemies.  As evidenced by the growing number of jihadist murders in our country, the enemy is no longer at the gate, but firmly embedded within our culture, with more likely inserted among the thousands of refugees admitted to our shores.  So how do we live our faith and be imitators of Jesus?
     I can tell you that I can't do it through my human will.  I have to pray in my spirit, bowing down before the throne of God in heaven, and asking Him to protect our nation from this enemy -- that the scales be removed from their eyes, and that they meet Jesus.  That is what I do in the spiritual realm.  In this physical realm, we do everything we can to stop the invasion against our laws and our culture. And when given the opportunity, you meet their hate with the love of Jesus.  Like Jesus, we do not return their hate with malice.  Jesus held no grudges; He never added insult or injury to those who injured Him; He was kind in the face of vitriol, criticism and anger; He was forgiving of those who hated Him; and He never counseled revenge.

     I know that this attitude and these reactions seem contrary to everything our minds and emotions tell us.  But remember, we are not to act according to our flesh, but in agreement with our spirit, which is seated in the heavenly realm with Christ.  Hence, through our gift of salvation, we are to show the unsaved what it is like to be in relationship with Jesus Christ ... as difficult as that might be in the face of murderous hatred.  And each time we show love to our enemies, it is one more strike of the Sword of the Spirit in the spiritual realm.
     I am in no way intending for this to sound as if it is simple and everyone should be able to do it easily.  We are no longer viewing a long-distance enemy, but one who is literally in our backyard.  But we need to see this as the spiritual battle it is.  Fighting the enemy with human effort will never completely banish him.  The physical battle we see today is an extension of centuries of the same physical war.  In order to defeat the enemy, we must do it spiritually, and with Divine help.
     Jesus never asks us to do something He did not do as a man, Himself.  As simple as it appears, He gave us a good example of how to follow Him.  It is expressed in Luke 6:27:  Do good to those who hate you.  Doing good to those who hate us displays [to them] the love of God. And maybe, maybe, if we show them the love of God, they will experience something they have never experienced before, and will want more of it. That is what I am hearing from a young friend who is part of a missionary team of college-aged Americans who are on a summer trip to the heart of Europe and the refugee camps to share the good news of Jesus Christ and His love.
     She has shared such amazing testimonies among the people she has met; people from Germany, Romania, Italy, Morocco, Turkey, Syria, India, UK, France, Algeria, Bulgaria, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Cameroon, Rwanda, New Zealand, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Indonesia, Tunisia, Afghanistan, and the Congo.  She believes that God is touching the lives of Muslim refugees, the rest of Europe, and in turn the rest of the world.
     Keep in mind that Europe has suffered horrific jihadist attacks in the last year.  Yet she tells of one of her teammates who was sharing the gospel with a Muslim refugee, and the man kept saying "don't stop, please keep going, I need to hear this."  And there are many more stories like this one among the Muslim populations of the world.  And to quote a sermon I read on the website, Redeeming God, "[In order to stop] the cycle of hate and the cycle of revenge, the cycle of retaliation [must] stop with us. You can be angry at a person for what they do, and yet still love them. Jesus was upset at the people of Jerusalem for how they abused and murdered the prophets, and yet He still shed loving tears over the city. Jesus, as always, is our best example for how to live out such principles."
     If you still find yourself unable to do this, and the devil has gripped your heart in a vise of bitterness, hostile thoughts, and hateful emotions, then speak into the spiritual realm and declare the Word of God.  Find all the verses in Scripture where Jesus tells us that love conquers hate and proclaim to spirits [who actually hear you] that you belong to Him and you will not give in to satan's temptation to hate.
     There will be those who will be unable to go beyond their human capabilities.  And working in the spiritual realm with the Holy Spirit is a learned skill.  But you have to try in order to be able to do it; and you have to do it to become confident in your power and authority [in Jesus and the Holy Spirit] in order to conquer the spirit of hate that comes from the Evil One.  As I've said repeatedly ... it's not easy.  That is evident by the history of war through the ages.  But it should also be evident that humans cannot replace hate with love by their own volition.  We must appeal to Jesus and fight this battle in the spiritual realm as well as the physical.  After all, that is exactly how Jesus did it!

Luke 6:27-28       "But I say to you who hear [Me and pay attention to My words]: Love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, [make it a practice to] do good to those who hate you, bless and show kindness to those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
   

Freemasonry Part 3: How It Has Infiltrated the Church

     This is perhaps the most difficult segment of my three-part exposition on Freemasonry.  It is in this post that we must examine the existence of Freemasonry in our Church bodies and how it effects not only the salvation of those involved, but the work of the saved Christian for the Kingdom of God.
     I am writing from the supposition that Freemasons are members of our Churches, and I assure you, they are.  I know that there are many who will argue that they (or  their beloved fathers or grandfathers) do not share the same understanding of Masons that I have alleged; that for them, their membership in the Masonic Order has been for business contacts, or social purposes, or because it is a family heritage.  And they may even be ignorant of the underlying religious teachings of Freemasonry.  As I have stated in the previous posts, they may think that the oaths they took to the Creator, the Eternal God, or the Everlasting God referred to YHWH and Jesus.
     But do they know of the spirit of deception that controlled Albert Pike, the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Masonic Order, and the founder of much of modern Freemasonry's rituals?  Do they know that he wrote in his Morals and Dogma (p. 333), "The Book of the Law shall be an indispensable article of the lodge furniture. This book, however, need not necessarily be the Holy Bible; but according to the religious faith of the members of the lodge. It may be the Koran, the Zend Avesta, or the Vedas or Shasters."  The Koran, we know, but what of the others?  The Zend Avesta is the sacred book of Zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster.  The Vedas is the most ancient Hindu scriptures, written in early Sanskrit and containing hymns, philosophy, and guidance on ritual for the priests of Vedic religion.  Shasters, in Hindu, is any book of instructions, particularly containing Divine ordinances.  Wouldn't this present a problem for a Masonic Christian who professes his belief in Jehovah, the One True God?
     Furthermore, do these Christians who are members of a Masonic lodge know that on page 524 of his Morals and Dogma that Pike proclaims, "We do not undervalue the importance of any Truth. We utter no word that can be deemed irreverent by anyone of any faith ... And as little do we tell the sincere Christian that Jesus of Nazareth was but a man like us, or His history but the unreal revival of an older legend."  I can certainly see how Christians could be ignorant of the foundation of Freemasonry.  It is quite apparent that deceiving them into believing they are honoring their God is an acceptable practice ... and make darn sure you don't tell them that YHWH isn't the only god being worshipped!  In fact, multiple deities are being worshipped at the altar of Freemasonry!  And do you think that is acceptable to our God?!?  Is He agreeable to being lumped in with all the other foreign gods?  Does that sound like the same God of the Bible, who said, You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God?
     I admit that all I am saying would be very confusing and contradictory to a Christian who is also a Mason.  And all Christian Masons cannot be judged by the same standards.  In his fine article, Freemasonry and the Christian Church, Russ Wise points out that there are different categories of Christian Masons.  First, there are some who do not have a clear knowledge of Christianity. They believe that religion and Christianity are the same and that if someone uses the Scriptures, that person must be a Christian. Such people are sincere but untaught. Because they do not know what Christianity teaches, they see nothing wrong with Freemasonry.   A second category would be those who do not know what Masonry is and what it teaches. They are not only uninformed about Christianity but are equally uninformed about the teachings of Freemasonry. These individuals are without any theological foundation on which to discern truth from error. Likewise, they are often ignorant of the occult direction the Lodge has taken over the past few decades.
     A third group is made up of individuals who profess Christ, yet continue as Masons regardless of how much they know about Christianity and Freemasonry. They are indeed in a state of rebellion and have chosen not to follow the truth of Christ.  The final group are those who profess Christ and yet have abandoned the Christian faith. Those who have embraced this position are essentially Unitarian in their belief. They no longer hold to the absolute deity of Christ or His blood atonement.
     In any of these cases, and independent of the degree of ignorance of Freemasonry's foundations, I am reminded of the words of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 18:21.  In his confrontation with the occultic wickedness of Kind Ahab and Jezebel, Scriptures says Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing.  And so today, The Great Architect of the Universe in Freemasonry has become the modern Baal.  And the Bible is clear ... you cannot serve two masters! But the people said nothing...

     And here is where Satan is winning the battle.  You see, Masons are encouraged to be an active member in their local church, and therefore, you often find that the most influential members of a particular church are Masons.  They can be found on various Church boards, are deacons or elders, and often control the finances of a church.  And, of course, many are pastors.  While not advocating that Masons be denied membership in churches, I would be very careful about the positions they hold within your church body.
     It is also interesting to note the varied stances that different denominations have taken on this subject.  Dr. David R. Reagan of Lamb and Lion Ministries has written a concise blog on church denominations and their acceptance or rejection of Freemasonry.  It is his contention that a Christian who is a Mason can never grow to his full potential in Christ.  And isn't that what we all aspire to?
     There is another issue that I feel cannot be ignored when considering the infiltration of Freemasonry in the Church.  How does the presence of Masons in the congregation affect what is said from the pulpit?  That is where the inspiration of the Holy Spirit comes into play.  True Christians would recognize the false religion of Freemasonry if expressed in its fullness and truth.  But remember ... it is an organization based on SECRECY.
     And the Church must recognize the foundation of Freemasonry, as spoken by Albert Pike, once again in his Morals and Dogma:  "Religion ... must needs be alloyed [mixed] with an amount of error [lying] ... the religion of the many must necessarily be more incorrect than that of the refined and reflective few" (page 224).  And again on page 102 in his Teaching for the 3rd Degree:  "A spirit ... that loves wisdom and contemplates the Truth close at hand, is forced to disguise it, to induce the multitudes to accept it ... Fictions are necessary to the people ...".  There you have it!  Lying is not only encouraged, it is necessary to protect the false truth of "the refined and reflective few".
     So, I come to you, pleading in all earnestness --- Do your research on Freemasonry!  Can you really turn a blind eye to the implications of false religious doctrine, even if it means conflict within your Church?  Don't you want your Church to stand for God's unadulterated and pure Truth?  Or are you willing to compromise with the world to keep the peace and maintain unity within your Body?  Will you be able to stand before God and profess that you did all you could to remove false doctrine and influences from His Church?  Will Jesus remove your lampstand?
     But I warn you... it will cost you.   To stand against Satan and his false religious systems is not for the fainthearted.  I urge you to read the testimonies of Southern Baptist pastors Stewart Bedillion, Pierce Dodson and Stoney Shaw, as they provide classic examples of the response to any rejection of Freemasonry in the Church.  Funny thing is, I can identify with each of these scenarios... it is a lonely road.  But one that I cannot shy away from because my Lord has shown me the truth through the Holy Spirit.  And that is my prayer for you.  That you will search the Scriptures for God's Truth, and not blindly follow any human leader or organization.  Pray for your pastor that he will have the strength to stand for True Doctrine, and that he will be like Elijah, unwilling to compromise for the sake of glorifying The One True God.  Do not be tempted to fall for the lies, deception, and delusion that Satan so enticingly offers.  And most of all, put on your full armor of God to withstand the slings and arrows that will come from exposing the Enemy's false and blasphemous promises.  May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May He make His face shine upon you, and be gracious towards you. And may He lift up His countenance towards you, and give you peace.

When doing your research on Freemasonry, there are many knowledgeable articles from which to choose, and you will find many that speak the truth from a Biblical perspective.  Here are just a few:  Christians and Freemasonry; Freemasonry and the Christian Church; The Impact of Freemasonry Within The Church; and What Are the Ramifications of Freemasonry in Your Church?

Galatians 1:6-9     "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."
   
   

Freemasonry Part 2: Blending Christianity and Freemasonry

     If you are reading my blog today, then at least I know you have kept an open mind to what I have to say.  And I pray that you will take what I present and continue in your own diligent research... because I think it is that important!  So, today, I want to present the opinions of Freemasons, in their own words, as to the origin of Freemasonry and how it correlates to Christianity.
     First, a little history .... I would venture that few subjects are as enveloped in mystery and misunderstanding as Freemasonry.  For sure, no one can explain with certainty how or when the Masonic Fraternity was formed. A widely accepted theory among Masonic scholars is that it arose from the stonemasons' guilds during the Middle Ages. The language and symbols used in the fraternity's rituals come from this era.  Known under a variety of names (the Craft, the Brotherhood, the Order, the Fraternal Order, the Lodge, etc.), Masonry has been aligned with both the Christian church and the occult.  It can't be both, so which is it?
     If you go to the website for the Masonic Service Association of North America's website, you will note that the emphasis is put on "service to the community", and because of all the controversy, they even post a statement on Freemasonry and Religion.  And they actually do a pretty good job of explaining away all the criticisms and condemnations that have been lodged against the secret society.  If, as a Christian, one is willing to water down God's commandments as to how He wishes to be worshipped, I suppose you could rationalize becoming a Mason.
     That being said, there was a period in time in America where the Christian influence in Masonic lodges held sway.  In his book titled, The History of Freemasonry; It's Legendary Origins, Albert Mackey writes that in the 18th and 19th centuries, such leaders as Rev. James Anderson, William J. Hughan, William Hutchinson, Rev. George Oliver, and others had a Christian view of their Craft. Hutchinson, in particular, noted that Jesus Christ was the example for the Master Mason. He stated, "The Master Mason represents a man under the Christian doctrine saved from the grave of iniquity and raised to the faith of salvation. As the great testimonial that we are risen from the state of corruption, we bear the emblem of the Holy Trinity as the insignia of our vows and of the origin of the Master's order."
      But in the early 19th century, there were a series of incidents that cast a negative light on "the Brotherhood", most notably what would become known as "the Morgan affair".  This resulted in a mass exodus of Christians from Masonic lodges across the nation.  And is it really surprising that when Christian influence vacates a situation, that Satan is waiting in the wings to fill that void?  That's exactly what happened.  During this time Albert Pike seized the opportunity to spread and entrench his pagan interpretation of the Craft, and along with others, Pike began to reinterpret the symbols of the Craft.
     What I find interesting is that while Pike is paganizing Freemasonry in the mid-19th century, there is simultaneously a new influx of Christians into the Fraternal Order.  Can you see the cosmic chess match between YHWH and the devil?  However, the Christian influence wasn't enough to fight off the pagan domination.  Manly P. Hall, a 33rd degree Mason, was one of the early authors who claimed a pagan origin for Freemasonry. In his book entitled The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, he says that Freemasonry is not a material thing: it is a universal expression of the Divine Wisdom. "The Masonic order is not a mere social organization, but is composed of all those who have banded themselves together to learn and apply the principles of mysticism and the occult rites."  With book titles such as The Secret Teachings of all Ages, The Secret Destiny of America, and Freemasonry of the Ancient Egyptians, you should be getting a clearer picture of the occultic mysticism that surrounds this organization.
     The religious cornerstone for the Brotherhood became "universalism".  The primary standard for membership was, and continues to be, that the candidate believe in "God." This god could be Krishna, Buddha, Allah, or any other god, but Jesus Christ is not to be considered anything more than their equal.  This universalist, or inclusive, idea about God has opened the door for every false deity to have a place within the Lodge. Hall makes his universalist orientation unmistakable by stating, "The true disciple of Masonry has given up forever the worship of personalities. With his greater insight, he realizes that all forms . . . are of no importance to him compared to the life which is evolving within." (My emphasis).

     That statement alone tells me that the worship of the One True God and the reverence for His character (or "personality" to put it in Masonic lingo) is replaced by the worship of self, or becoming your own god.  Sounds like the same message that was delivered in the Garden, doesn't it?
     Hall adds to his belief in universalism by stating that "the true Mason is not creed-bound. He realizes with the divine illumination of his lodge that as a Mason his religion must be universal: Christ, Buddha, or Mohammed, the name means little, for he recognizes only the light and not the bearer." So, for the Mason, God is not a personal being, but an impersonal force, an energy that has no substance.  And if one only recognizes the light, and not the bearer, that bearer could be any false god or demonic spirit posing as the light.  So, I simply must ask the question that should be on everyone's mind .... how can a Christian remain a Mason?
     But believe me, the tradition and the subterfuge within Freemasonry is strong enough to delude many a Christian.  Here are a couple of testimonies from a website called Ex-Masons for Jesus.  I urge you to visit the site and read poignant declarations of men and women who came out of the darkness and into the real light, Jesus Christ.  Here are some snippets from their testimonies:
•  "The Grand Master informed me that one of my duties as a Worshipful Master of my Lodge was not to offend any brethren who were not Christians, even if this meant I had to refrain from using the name of Jesus Christ in my prayers. He advised me that as Grand Master he had the authority to disband my Lodge and remove its Charter as a Lodge, if I persisted in using the name of Jesus with members present who objected ... In the center of every Blue Lodge is an altar. Resting on top of the altar is what many Masons refer to as the Great Light of Masonry, the Bible. I later discovered that Freemasonry declares the sacred book of any and all religions in the world equivalent to the Bible. Any "sacred book" may rest on the altar in a Masonic Lodge, to oblige a Mason who does not accept the Bible as God's word ... After reading and studying various Masonic authors, I realized that Freemasonry considers Jesus Christ as no greater than Moses, Elijah, Mohammed, or Buddha"  (Jack Harris).
•  "I didn’t know anything about the Masons at that time. I knew I had been intrigued at one time, in younger years, by things of the supernatural and New Age, and had renounced that. I didn’t really know anything about the Masons except what I was hearing from my husband, which was very little. He took his oaths to the Lodge very seriously, and didn’t disclose any secrets. To him, that oath, I believe, was more sacred than the vows we had made.  He wanted me to join the Eastern Star. I still didn’t know anything about it; I didn’t feel right about it. I felt a check in my spirit. But, he felt that this would help us as a family, and help in our relationship, so I agreed to go ... As I entered that place, there was such a feeling of oppression. I felt that I could hardly breathe. The spirit of fear came over me so strongly, it was such a place of darkness, and I just prayed, “God, if You get me out of here, I promise You I’ll never be back.” After we left, I told Tom that I could not go back there." (Kay Hilton).
•  "I started each of the three degrees of Masonry with my eyes blindfolded. I discovered some time later that I had been spiritually blindfolded as well ... Every prayer offered in lodge, and even in open funeral services, is closed with the invocation, “So Mote It Be.”. I had never heard any such thing when prayers were offered in any other organization or setting. With the advantage now of Internet searches, it is easy to learn that beyond Masonic references, one can find the phrase in common usage in witchcraft and other similar secret bodies."  (Now you know the origin of that phrase that I used in yesterday's post) ... "A new Mason has to acknowledge before entering the lodge room – that he is “in darkness” and is seeking true light in Masonry."  What was that again?  "The true light" in Masonry?  Seems to me if you are a Christian, the True Light is Jesus!  So, once again, I ask... how can a true Christian remain a Mason? 
     I could continue with testimonies and evidence, but I hope by now I have provided enough to encourage you to become knowledgeable about Freemasonry; to pray about it and seek guidance and counsel from the Holy Spirit.  Sadly, it is not enough to seek counsel from your Church leaders, many of whom have not done their own due diligence.  Take for example this 1993 Report on Freemasonry, from the Southern Baptist Convention:

"In light of the fact that many tenets and teachings of Freemasonry are not compatible with Christianity and Southern Baptist doctrine, while others are compatible with Christianity and Southern Baptist doctrine, we therefore recommend that consistent with our denomination's deep convictions regarding the priesthood of the believer and the autonomy of the local church, membership in a Masonic Order be a matter of personal conscience. Therefore, we exhort Southern Baptists to prayerfully and carefully evaluate Freemasonry in the light of the Lordship of Christ, the teachings of the Scripture, and the findings of this report, as led by the Holy Spirit of God." 

     Think that fits the description of the "lukewarm" Church of Laodicea?  I do!  If any tenants and teachings are incompatible with Christ, why would you not denounce Freemasonry for Christians?  Once again compromise wins out, and Jesus is devalued.  But that's the way the devil works, isn't it?  He weasels his way into being accepted as "almost" like God and offers us the tempting titles of leadership and good standing in our community.  So, prideful Christians look the other way, and remain loyal to the Lodge.  In the next post, I will show you how Freemasonry has left the Lodge and entered the Church.  Stay tuned!

2 Corinthians 6:14   "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness?"
   

Worship or Self-Glorification?

     I was intrigued when I ran across two opposing articles on the subject of Worship in the Church.  One article called for a boycott of the "Worship Industry", while the other was concerned about those who made their living from leading worship; even noting that "the singers in Nehemiah made their living from worshipping God."  Actually, they received a portion of the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil that were brought to the storerooms of the Temple.
     But back to the controversy over contemporary worship ... There are definitely two sides to this argument.  The boycott subscribers point out that the focus of singing our reverence for God has turned from honoring Him with Biblically-based songs and hymns to satisfying our own cravings for entertainment.  Worship services have become a marketing tool to attract potential congregants.  A mega-church that I used to attend in a major Texas city actually advertises on its website's home page that the 2015 Grammy winner for Best Roots Gospel Album will be appearing soon.
     In addition, they announce that they have three varieties of worship services:  the "Contemporary, Choir & Professional Orchestra-led" version in their main auditorium; followed by the "Participatory, Modern, Band-led style of worship (also in the big sanctuary); and the "Traditional, Intimate, Hymn-based" version of worship service, which is relegated to the small chapel on the church campus.  It is quite clear, as my husband says, who their "customer" is.

     And then there is the question, "Are we creating idols of these worship leaders and performers?"  Are people coming to church to hear the Word of God and to revere and pay homage to Him?  Or are we more enamored with the celebrity and entertainment value of the worship portion of the service?  What has happened to the sacred atmosphere of being in the House of the Lord?  At times, it feels and looks like a Hollywood production!
     Then there is the fact that more emphasis is given to the "performance" of an individual or group, than the voices of the entire congregation lifted as one to praise the Holiness and Sovereignty of our God.  Does God really want us to sit there passively watching a talented personality, or does He want us engaged in celebrating Him?  Do we leave the service with our hearts full of God's instruction, or do we leave humming the words to the stellar performance of the day?
     Those who are speaking out against the Entertainment industry invading the church service simply want music to return to its proper place in corporate worship.  Their position can be summed up in the following statements:  "It’s time to stop mimicking pop culture.  It’s time for us to learn how to sing and make music again, instead of allowing others to do it for us."
    Now, the other side will protest and say that a God-gifted and talented singer or group should be compensated if they decide to use their talent to honor God.  After all, "we will pay top dollar for a doctor or an accountant, but we don't want to recognize or reward a gifted singer or musician who loves God."  They suggest that the Body of Christ should celebrate the Christian music industry; celebrate that there is an alternative to the secular and unholy music industry that is represented in the pop culture.  They suggest that rather than get angry about the music and worship leadership in churches today, people should "get upset about the lack of God's presence in your church, or the fact that the widows and orphans aren't being taken care of in your back yard. Get upset about the person with a disability who is being ignored or overlooked. Instead of wondering if light shows are from God, channel your anger by praying for an outpouring of the Spirit in the church."
     They also say that emotion derived from spectacular performances in church are a good thing; that God desires His people to express their passion for Him, much like David did when he danced before the Lord.  Here is their argument:  "Kansas City Chief fans paint their faces, spend hundreds of dollars, get off work to sit in a parking lot for hours, jump up and down and scream in their own form of worship and adoration. We cry at secular concerts. We raise our hands when our favorite team wins the game. Why would we divorce the very gift of emotions given by God to express ourselves to Him in an act of worship?"  They go on to say that "the fact worship has emerged as a commercially viable genre is a sign that people want God."  They cite the thousands of kids that are drawn to stadiums to hear superstar Christian groups and to worship with kids their own age.  That, they say, is a reason we should all celebrate and support the worship industry.
     But here is my two cents, for what it is worth... and remember, this is just my opinion, and reflects my personal preferences.  The latest trend of "contemplative" and repetitive verses, sung over and over is almost mind-numbing.  I find myself waiting for the 20-minute portion of "worship" to be over with, so that I can garner what the Holy Spirit wants me to get during the 20-minute portion of hearing the Word.  And, frankly, it bothers me a bit that hearing God's Word is treated, time-wise, as an equal to hearing/watching/singing contemporary "praise music".
     Secondly, did you notice that the arguments for celebrating the worship industry all compared them to what we do "in the world"?  Church performers should be compensated like a doctor or an attorney ... expressing emotions in church is no different than "worshipping or adoring" our favorite sports team.  But here's my question ... can you not see that they are comparing the Church to the world?  Doesn't it say in Romans 12:2, Do not conform to the patterns of this world?  And does it not say in 1 John 2:15, Do not love the world nor the things in the world? Why would we want to model the Church's standards after those of the world?
     And finally, I agree with this position's argument that we should be more concerned about the lack of assistance to the Church's widows, orphans, and disabled.  And we should be lamenting that the presence of the Holy Spirit is absent in many of our churches.  Yes, all that should be our priority!  But why isn't it?  And if all these things are missing, shouldn't we be asking ourselves, where is our attention being placed?  What are our priorities?
     In the end, shouldn't how God desires us to worship Him be our criterion?  He says in Amos 5, “I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.  Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; and I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.  Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps."  
     It is not the artificial means of our worship that pleases God.  It is the state of the heart that worships Him.  And our church services should be focused on helping to create worshipful hearts, rather than on entertaining the masses to fill seats.  In our Church worship, our emphasis should not be on the building, the rituals and the value of the performance, but on God’s Glory and the importance of encouraging His people to live righteous lives.  That does not mean that song and celebration has no place in His House.  I simply think that we must be careful to avoid following the world's model, and make sure that God is always the center of our worship.  Remember, as Jesus traveled among the churches in Revelation, Chapter 2, He made it quite clear that He is judging the fruit produced by each church and their commitment to Him.  How would He be evaluate your church?

John 4:23   "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him."

Part 2 - Defying ISIS: Knowing The History of Our Faith in the Middle East

   There is a statement in Johnnie Moore's enlightening book, Defying ISIS: Preserving Christianity In  The Place of Its Birth and in Your Own Backyard, that struck me to my core.  He states, "It has always been a mystery to me why so many Christians in the West struggle to live for what so many Christians in persecuted countries are willing to die for."  Please don't skip over that statement... think about it deliberately.

Christian Children Murdered
for Refusing Islamic Conversion: 'We Love Jesus'

     Why do so many people who call themselves Christian in this country have such a difficult time living their lives for Christ; living in obedience to God's commands and willing to sacrifice everything (home, family, material wealth) for a relationship with His Son?  And how is it that Christians who most likely live without the comfort and ease that we have; who are struggling to survive in this world, have a much easier time dedicating their lives to Him and following Him, even unto death?  After all, we are not beaten, imprisoned, and murdered for our faith... yet.  And still, we cannot find it within ourselves to make Him first in our lives!
      As Moore writes, "Sacrifice and martyrdom are deeply rooted in Christian identity and Christian theology.  They have been in place since the first century, and they are every bit as relevant today as they were back then.  Remember, all but one of Jesus's disciples was martyred, and the story of the early church is as triumphant as it is blood-laden."  I'm afraid that we Christians in the West assume that this kind of sacrifice is all a part of Christian history and we will get to heaven after a comfortable or natural death; while our brothers and sisters dying in the Middle East today know that they are no different than those who, centuries ago, were willing to affirm their love for Jesus in the midst of a horrifying death.
     Christians are giving their lives, affirming their love for Jesus... TODAY!  Once again they are being forced to pay for their faith with their lives, and once again -- as in so many times in history -- they are willing to do what is required of them in order to demonstrate to the world that hate is no match for the love of Jesus.  If we were willing to throw off our discomfort about this fact, we would see that Middle Eastern Christians are showing us that the brutality of ISIS (and Satan, himself) is only measured against the defiance of the faithful; the defiance which is exhibited in the very love of Jesus, Himself.
     Remember, Zena, from my post on Saturday?  She was the bright, educated, chemical engineering student who was forced to flee Mosul, and who expressed the devastation of losing the security of her church and Christian community.  Johnnie Moore asked her a difficult question:  "How has that experience affected your faith in Jesus Christ"?  He was surprised at the response he received, and describes it like this:  "The depression and hurt that had monopolized our conversation to this point went away almost entirely... A tender defiance filled her voice as she revealed to me her unwavering commitment to Jesus Christ.  She didn't say that she doubted God, or wondered why God allowed her and her fellow Christians to suffer so much, so often.  Instead she said, "We thank Jesus one thousand times for life... Our Lord Jesus saved us from death; maybe this is the beginning of our story."
     Is that how you or I would answer that question, if we suddenly lost our homes and possessions and were forced to flee from the onslaught of evil?  If we witnessed death and barbarity all around us because we professed faith in Jesus?  These Christians are actually living out the description that the Apostle Paul gives us in Romans, Chapter 8 of the persecuted church in Rome:  For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.  No, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For [we] are convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
     Here we are 2,000 years later, and evil men are still beheading Christians, and the love of Christ continues to  prevail over their hatred.  These Christians have a very real and full understanding of the historic significance of the persecution they are enduring.  Moore says he heard numerous times, "Now, Jesus is requiring us to carry our own crosses."  They know that they are just the latest in a long line of Christians who are willing to show their defiance and commitment to Jesus.  Like Ignatius of Antioch (which is in Syria), they are willing to become martyrs in order to attain Jesus.  And like Tertullian, the Christian author who lived in North Africa in the third century, they believe that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church," and that "the Christian, even when he is condemned, gives thanks."
     I know that all of this seems so foreign to our Christian experience in the West.  It is hard for us to understand that such bastions of the Christian faith exist in the heart of what we perceive as Muslim strongholds.  But we do not understand the history of our own faith; that our faith has deep roots in ancient Assyria, which was one of the Great Mesopotamian powers along with the Babylonians and the nearby Persians. The areas they occupied are roughly close to the borders of modern day Syria (Assyria), Iraq (Babylon) and Iran (Persia).   It was in this region that Adam and Eve were created.  It was from here that Abraham was sent, and it was here where prophets like Jonah and Nahum preached.  The northern kingdom of Israel was taken captive by the Assyrians (modern day Syria), and then 166 years later, the southern kingdom of Judah was marched into exile to Babylon (modern day Iraq).  

Monastery of Mar Mattai/Saint Matthew
on Mount Alfaf, northern Iraq

     As you can see God has always had a place for Iraq in His plan.  And tradition teaches that the Disciple, Thomas, was responsible for the church in Syria.  In fact, Nina Shea, director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, gives us some important information on the history of Christianity in this region and why the stories of our Christian brethren in the Middle East should affect us to our core:  "The Nineveh area (near modern-day Mosul, Iraq) is profoundly significant to Iraq's Christians.  From antiquity, it has been the homeland of the Assyrians, who accepted Christianity, according to tradition, from St. Thomas, the Apostle, himself.  It is studded with historic churches and monasteries, some dating from the 4th century (such as the monastery of Mar Mattai/Saint Matthew).  Christianity spread from this region by Syriac missionaries across Asia to Tibet, China, and Mongolia ... Western Christians owe an immense spiritual, theological, and cultural debt to this Church.  Iraq's Christians still pray in Aramaic, the language of Jesus."
     Moore's book also makes the following assertion, which I firmly believe, that one of the reasons we Western Christians fail to have the heart we should for our Eastern brethren is that we mistakenly think that Christianity was birthed in Jerusalem, grew westward to Greece, then Rome, and into the countries of Spain, France, England, and eventually, "the New World".  We have also been taught that by the Middle Ages, Christianity was mainly European, until it hopped the Atlantic and became American.  We have been taught that the heart of Christianity has always been westward.  What we fail to realize is that Christianity also moved east, as it moved west.
     If we were honest in our retelling of history, we would easily understand that Christianity originated in the Near East, and during the first few centuries, it had its greatest centers, monasteries, and churches in what was known as Syria, Palestine, and Mesopotamia.  In fact, Eastern Christians were at the heart of Christianity from the days of the apostles until at least the 1300s -- the first two-thirds of Christian history!  Furthermore, most of the modern Muslim world was once the Christian world, and so much of ancient history is built upon a Christian foundation.  And although Christianity has declined in prominence since the Arab conquests of the Middle East, in every one of these countries, until our modern era, there were Christian communities who could trace their lineage for a thousand years.
     And now ISIS is threatening to decimate every vestige of Christianity, and we in the West fail to both realize the threat, and to react to the historic significance.  Are we able to acknowledge that Christian genocide is a reality and that we are allowing the destruction of Christianity in the place of its birth?
     At the beginning of his book, Johnnie Moore makes the declarative statement, "The threat of ISIS is a threat to the livelihood of every sensible person on the planet, and in its crosshairs is the faith of the world's two billion Christians and nearly all of its Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists.  If they have their way, you won't live another day.  There's nothing in the world truer than that.  That's why you should read this book."  Note that it is not only Christians who will suffer genocide, but all those who oppose Satan's will in using ISIS for his purposes.
     At the end of the book, Moore quotes the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Donald Wuerhl, who spoke out on the issue of Christian genocide:  "Where are the voices?  Why a silence?  I think each one of us has at least the power to raise our voice.  In solidarity with these people distant from us, unknown to us ... atrocities happen because there are those who commit them, and those who simply remain silent."   Moore then concludes:  "As for me ... I am done being silent.  I will not have it on my conscience that I stood by while 2,000 years of Christianity was eliminated from the Middle East.  What about you?"
     But, perhaps it is more important for us to hear from representatives of the Church inside the Middle East; those who have first-hand knowledge of the persecution and oppression.  The Reverend Canon Andrew White is the Anglican Vicar of Baghdad, and he’s become famous for being one of the few sources of news about Christians from inside ISIS-influenced areas.  His stories are difficult to hear, but leave us with no doubt that we must stand with our fellow Christians, storm the throne room of God with our prayers -- and do it now! 
     Finally, I conclude with these thoughts ... Will we stand by and watch the march of Evil across the globe?  Not only should we be raising our voices in support of Christianity in the Middle East, but we should be lending our financial support to those organizations that can make a real difference in their lives.  I am sorry to say that I no longer put my trust in elected officials to do anything meaningful, or to follow through on empty promises.
     Johnnie Moore suggests supporting refugees from this genocidal crisis through an organization called World Help, by visiting www.worldhelp.net/Iraq.  He is also the founder of The Cradle Fund, which provides immediate humanitarian assistance, and is focused on developing a stable future for the entire region.  You can visit his website at www.cradlefund.org.
     It think it is important for us to see that, as Christians, it is our duty to show the love of Christ to not only those who share our faith in the Middle East, but to all peoples, of all faiths.  That is what Christ commissioned us to do.  It is the way the pagan world was transformed in antiquity, and it is the surest way to see dramatic change in the chaos we are witnessing today.  Those dying, this minute, for Jesus in the Middle East are leading the way ... love must be the answer to hate; and it is time we intercede on their behalf, take our stand, declare our commitment to our Lord, and prepare to bear our cross.  How will history tell our story?

 Ephesians 6:18     Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

Part 1 - Defying ISIS: The War On Christianity

    I recently read an important little book by Johnnie Moore, titled Defying ISIS.  Moore is a humanitarian who has written about his work with genocide victims in the Middle East, Bosnia and Rwanda and visited the world’s largest refugee camps.  Currently, he is sounding the alarm about Christian martyrs in Iraq and Syria who are faced with the barbarism of ISIS and the one option they have: convert or die.
     This little book impacted me like none other I've read in a long time.  In his own words, Moore says he "relates the stories of men, women, and children who have given everything for their faith, even their lives, and stories of those who, when facing inevitable death, lifted their eyes to their God in hope that good will eventually triumph over this evil."  He tells their stories "so that the world will have the opportunity to remember those who stared down the hell of ISIS with the love of Jesus."  Moore tells the stories of the deliberate eradication of Christians in the land where Christianity once dominated.
     There is the story of Mazen, a middle-aged man who lived in what was known as "Iraq's Christian capital", the city of Qaraqosh.  Moore relates that his once strong posture is now reduced to a humbled crouch as he recounts the horror of the morning ISIS arrived:  [It was] nine in the morning when a mortar landed on our house.  My son died.  My nephew was hit in the head.  My other son remains wounded, and our neighbor next door died... We fled, all of us ... My other son, Milad, died on the way.  I have another son who needs an operation; it costs $15,000.  Where would I get that?  We don't have a house or property or anything [anymore].
     Then there is the tragic story of Aida, a young mother of a beautiful three-year-old daughter, Christina.  They also lived in Quaraqosh, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.  It was four in the morning when ISIS arrived in their town, shooting their guns in the air, and shouting, "God is great!"  Then they began shouting something else ... "CHRISTIANS! Leave before we behead you!"  Aida tells us what happened next:  The situation deteriorated  day-by-day, and after ten days they told us to convert to Islam, or leave.  We were under house arrest.  They took our gold and money and even our extra clothing.  
     ISIS piled them on a bus and dropped them outside of town, to flee or die.  But before they did, they yanked Christina out of her mother's arms, and threatened to kill the hysterical mother on the spot.  Aida said, We don't know why they took our daughter; she was the only child left in Quaraqosh.  We don't know what happened to her.  I'm always thinking about her.  I can't eat or sleep... I keep seeing her in my dreams.  Can you imagine?  Why isn't the world screaming about this inhuman barbarity?  Why aren't we Christians in the West more aware this is happening and interceding on behalf of our Christian brothers and sisters?
     There are the stories of the kidnapping, selling, and trading of children.  As if that is not enough, there are the excruciating stories of the execution of children!  Moore says that "the most conservative estimates put the number of executed children in Syria alone at more than 10,000... [ISIS] revels in the chance to inflict a particular type of horror into the hearts of those they hate.  They sincerely believe they are doing a justice by ridding the world of another generation of Christians, and so they massacre them with pure joy."  What if this was a European child?  An American child?  Why is the world silent?
     It is also the goal of those who promote the Islamic Caliphate to enslave Christian wives and abuse Christian daughters.  I think you know what that means.  We, in the West, are aware of human and sex trafficking (although we are loathe to admit it or confront it openly).  But a smuggled price list from a slave market was recently published by Iraqi News.  The document states that Christian and Yazidi girls are particularly targeted and priced according to age:  ages 1-9 cost $172; ages 10-20 cost $130; ages 20-30 cost $86; ages 30-40 cost $75; and ages 40-50 are sold for $43.  Below the prices on the document, bearing the official seal of the Islamic State of Iraq, it reads, "Customers are allowed to purchase only three items [slaves] with the exception of customers from Turkey, Syria, and Gulf countries.  Obey and follow the rules and laws of the Islamic State or be killed."
     The website, Breaking Israel News, reports that theologians of the Islamic State (ISIS) have issued what can only be described as exceptionally detailed rulings on when “owners” can have sex with female slaves captured by the jihadist group.  The report also added that rather than hiding their practice of slavery, ISIS takes great pride and has even established a department of “war spoils” to manage their slavery trade.
     It is hard enough to read of this horrific abuse against women when it is written in general terms and statistics.  It is another to hear the personal story of Mayat, a 17-year-old Yazidi girl who had been kidnapped and told of "rooms of horror" where "women are raped, often by different men and throughout the day... Often I wish they would beat me so hard I will die.  But they are cowards even in this.  None of them have the courage to end our suffering... even if I survive, I don't think I'll be able to remove this horror from my mind.  They have already killed my body.  They are now killing my soul."
     Then there is the story of Zena, a 20-year-old chemical engineering student in Mosul.  When ISIS came to town she had three strikes against her:  First, she was a Christian; Second, she was a woman; and Third, she was a woman with ambition.  When Johnnie Moore met her, she was wearing the same pajamas she was wearing the night ISIS arrived.  Zena told him that her sense of hope was destroyed when ISIS decimated their church and Christian community; it was an assault "on their security in a deep and personal way."
    But Zena was one of the lucky ones.  In the Syrian city of Al-Mayadin, a female dentist was captured and beheaded because she dared to treat both men and women.  Many others have been stoned to death and buried in shallow graves, or kidnapped and forcibly married to ISIS fighters.  Needless to say, all women are being forced to comply with a strict dress code, and are threatened with death if they refuse.
     One elderly man, when questioned by Moore about why he fled his hometown, replied, "I will tell you why I left my district.  I left it because they stormed our house barbarically at 2 a.m., harassing us, pointing their flashlights toward our women.  We didn't come from another country.  We are from an eastern society.  We are Iraqis and we are jealous of our honor.  So we left to avoid them because they already threatened to arrest our women.  They told my mother that they would arrest her if they couldn't find us."  So, he left to protect his mother, his wife, and his daughters.
     There are more stories than these... thousands of stories, and many of them much more savage and cruel.  And I wanted to let the voices of Johnnie Moore (who has seen these atrocities first-hand) and the victims speak for themselves.  I wanted to shake us western Christians out of our comfort zones to face the existence of this very real war on Christianity.  It is a war that will not be confined to the Middle East, and is designed to be waged worldwide.  We must wake up and determine that we will  not only intercede in prayer on behalf of our fellow Christians, but turn our attention, time, and resources to supporting them in their hour of need.
     I want to leave you at this part of the story, if you will, with the words of Sister Rose, a young nun from Mosul, Iraq, who has poured her life into the lives of Christian refugees as they have fled from city to city, and she among them.  Sister Rose told Johnnie Moore, "I lived in America.  Americans are wonderful people.  It's shocking to me that they are so silent in the face of our genocide.  Please help us.  Raise your voice for us.  Our children are dying.  In America you care for your pets so well, can you care for your Christians brothers and sisters who are suffering?"
     Can we?  On Monday's post, I will finish my report on the work of Johnnie Moore and why he thinks these stories should matter to you; how he thinks we defeat ISIS; and his unique perspective on Christianity in the heart of a Muslim Middle East.  It's time that the world awakes from its slumber, and it is especially time for us Christians.  The very existence of our faith in its birthplace in the Middle East, and our lives, here in the West, depend on it.

1 John 5:19   "We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one."

Post-Christian America: "The Benedict Option" vs. "Flying Our Freak Flags"

     Let's face it.  Christianity in America is undergoing a change.  We cannot say that we are physically suffering as our fellow Christians in the rest of the world are ... yet.  Our form of "persecution" is mainly cultural at the moment, and the response of the Christian community is fluid and varied.  I recently read two very informative and well-written articles explaining the different ways in which organized Christianity is responding to the changes in this country's religious landscape.  I will now attempt to elucidate the two options, and show how each is not only a valid reaction to the attack on our faith, but a picture of how we might live out our faith in a post-Christian America.
    

     The first option is what is commonly called "The Benedict Option".  And in case, like me, you need to be schooled on exactly what this means, here is my understanding:  "The Benedict Option" is a catch-all name for an alternative lifestyle for Christians who wish to no longer support a culture (monetarily, philosophically, or socially) that they see as flying in the face of their faith.  They no longer wish to perpetrate the corrupt "Babylonian" culture of this country.  As author, Rod Dreher explains it, "The contemporary values of this nation no longer correspond to the values of our faith, and so we seek to construct alternative forms of community that enable us to withstand long-term chaos and the inevitable breakdown of the broader social and cultural order."
      What would that look like?  Again, from my limited understanding, it would encompass everything from choosing to detach ourselves from social media and entertainment forms such as TV and movies, to forming literal communities who share the same faith, traditions and social philosophies.  It doesn't mean that groups behave like monasteries, or communes, and deprive themselves of social interaction or community with the culture in general.  It simply means that people choose to surround themselves with like-minded people who share the goal of serving God as the Bible dictates; not as the culture demands, or as a prescribed brand of "American" Christianity.
     I can see many Christians naturally following this path.  As we are faced with the reality that Gay Marriage is now the law of the land; and as the leaders of our government have chosen to continue to use our tax dollars to fund an organization that promotes and profits from abortion, it is clear that our beliefs are in conflict with that of the nation.  If we are to be true to our faith and our calling as followers of Jesus Christ, it will be necessary that we strengthen ourselves against the infringement of the culture upon our lives.  I tend to liken it to living "in this world", but not being "of this world".
     On the other hand, I guess I would have to say that an all-encompassing term for the second option would be "Unconventional Evangelicalism"; a detaching of yourself from the un-Christian ways of the culture, while at the same time engaging the culture in active dialogue on the social and political issues, from a Gospel perspective.  One of the foremost proponents of this option is Pastor Russell Moore, who will preside over the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s 2015 national conference.  In his book, Onward: Engaging The Culture Without Losing The Gospel, Moore encourages Christians to embrace the new strangeness that Christianity now represents in a post-Christian America.

     Here's our new reality ... Christians are now seen as outside the "norm" of modern American values.  “Our message will be seen as increasingly freakish to American culture,” he writes. “Let’s embrace the freakishness, knowing that such freakishness is the power of God unto salvation.”
     In an interview with Emma Green, of The Atlantic, Moore said he is often approached by people after church, asking if Christianity is dying in America.  “Behind that question is an assumption that Christianity is a sub-culture of American life,” he told Green. “I think what is dying is cultural, nominal Christianity, and I don’t think we should panic about that. I think we should see that as an act of God’s grace.”
     Moore explains that the concept of "American Christianity" led to a false perception that Christianity was about God, Country and Tradition ... instead of the truth that its about sin, and Christ, and blood.  Jesus never gave us "a mission to promote ‘values’ in the first place, but to speak instead of sin and of righteousness and judgment; of Christ and His kingdom.”
     Moore believes that we need to start looking at ourselves as part of the broader reality of Christianity; not as white, Protestant, American believers, sitting each Sunday in our church pews; but as the Body of Christ in the world... outcasts, and ministering to the needs of those most in need.  How do we do that in our American culture without "losing the Gospel", as his book title proclaims?
      I believe that it means we have to represent Christ in a culture that doesn't resemble Him.  What does that look like?  I am often struck by the reluctance (if not outright disdain) that some Christians feel for, say, the homosexual community.  They do not understand how I can have gay friends that I care about, yet still not betray God's commandments against that lifestyle.  For me, it is simple ... Jesus showed compassion and love to the Samaritan woman at the well, and to the adulteress woman brought to the Temple -- while taking the opportunity to share His Message with both and telling the adulteress to sin no more.  How are we to affect the culture, if we do not engage the culture?  How can you share the Good News of Jesus Christ, if you are not willing to develop friendships with those who don't know Him?  Jesus didn't compromise on sin, and neither do I.  But if my goal is to tell someone of the saving power of Christ, how do I do that if I ignore them?
     In the end, I agree with both options, and contend that we need to combine these two approaches into a healthy means of living out our faith.  We need to recognize that the image we had of a "Christian America" is no longer applicable to the culture at large.
     Let's admit it, those of us who believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and live our lives accordingly, are most likely in the minority of Americans who call themselves "Christians".  That term is beginning to cover a lot of different belief systems -- from those who accept gay marriage and abortion; to those who believe in the political definition of Social Justice; to those who don't believe in Evil and Hell; to those who think the Bible is no longer relevant ... and they all call themselves "Christians"!
     But, that doesn't mean we Biblical Christians stop being who we are -- followers of the Son of God -- and living our lives as He commanded us.  It means that we must both detach ourselves from the un-Godly ways of society, as well as recommit ourselves to the strict spiritual doctrines of the Bible as we proudly and boldly engage with those in the culture who do not agree with us.
    To accomplish this goal, it will be much like walking a tightrope, but consider this:  Let's not yield to compromise or concessions in order to make ourselves appealing to the culture.  Instead, let's be proud of how different we appear to the culture, and glory in our "strangeness"; let's be separate, but inviting.  After all, that's how our Lord lived His life on this earth.  He marched to a different drummer within the culture to which He was born; yet, He never compromised His allegiance to our Father, while inviting everyone who "had an ear to hear" to accept the glorious promises of the Kingdom of God.  Sounds like a well-balanced plan to me!

For a more complete understanding of the differences between these two options, click here and here. 
     
Colossians 4:5-6   "Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."