Vitagliano writes that like in Acts 19, people are getting
healed, delivered and saved as everything is coming into the light. People are
responding in repentance, renouncing the darkness, a demonic masquerade in
which they once lived. A victory for God’s truth by “setting your mind and
heart to seek the Lord your God” (1 Chron, 22;19). Rev. Jared Wilson Stated in
a recent article that “all sin is idolatry because every sin is an exercise in
trust of something or someone other than the one true God to satisfy, fulfill,
or bless. It is not difficult to see how violations of commandments two through
ten are automatic violations of commandment one.” Idolatry is being exposed for the sham it is
and an entire worldview stronghold is being challenged. The result is a sudden
and spontaneous backlash as defenders of the God-rejecting world system are
stirred to rage against Christians. Because of the pattern of gospel
penetration into the culture, its progress in the declaration of God’s truth, there
is a demonic retaliation through human agents. When the gospel message is
proclaimed, unbelievers opposed to God begin contradicting the things spoken
because this is a battle between competing worldviews. They incite and
instigate a persecution against
believers to drive them out , stating “These men who have upset the world
have come here also” (Acts 17:60. They do not mean the actual foundations of
the earth, but what ungodly men had created upon it. Opponents of the truth of
God lash out at that which threatens the status quo. It really is their Godless
worldview that is being threatened.
Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who
put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for
bitter.”
It has been always been understood that the world is a
dichotomy: there are those who were right and those who were wrong. But
Christianity comes along and calls all men to repentance and faith in Jesus
Christ. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” American President Abraham Lincoln once stated; “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on
our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”
But that call could not be allowed to succeed for it threatens the
opponents of the truth of God. There is
no other way to fulfill the Great Commission than for Christians to take the
light of the gospel into every dark corner of the world, and into every
cultural battle once they get there. But there will be backlash and
retaliation. Idols are entrenched and the opponents of the truth of God do not
yield without a fight. Who will plunge into the breach, risking all, to save
those spiritual captives (Slaves to Sin/Prisoners of War) being led to death?
When Christians enter the darkness holding a lamp, they encounter tribulation,
distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and sword. Vitagliano closes
with this question: Still centuries of missionaries have left the warmth of
kith and kin and marched off into the spiritually pitch black of sin and
unbelief, filled with people held in demonic chains and opposed by idols and
false religions, can we, Christians, do anything less against the secular and
pagan ideologies springing up in our world, poisoning our culture and society.
We see and experience the chaos and hurt of a godless, unethical, immoral,
hedonistic, existentialist humanism today. Evangelism is simply telling others
about the “Good News” of Jesus Christ and how God has personally impacted our
life. We all can tell our personal story about our Christian journey and walk
with the Lord to someone who doesn’t know and needs to hear the saving gospel
truth. We have the light of God. Let’s brightly shine it in the darkest corners
of our culture. This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. God is good!
Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome
evil with good.”
Overcome evil with God.
In Christ, Brian
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