Friday, November 1, 2019

Do the Right Thing – Part 2

Millaa Millaa Falls, Queensland, Australia:


Continuing Michael’s message from the last post, he writes that today's culture encourages and celebrates narcissism (excessive interest in or admiration of oneself).  The original lie that the devil told Eve still holds true: "Go ahead, doubt and disobey God. Eat of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and you will be like God knowing good and evil." The lie is that you can worship yourself: that God is not God, you are. The devil repeats this lie by indoctrinating our culture through the God-rejecting world's systems. Satan bombards our minds through immoral entertainment and the unbalanced secular news medias, our godless educational system, the materialistic workplace, and false religions.

In years gone by, as documented by popular consensus, most Americans thought that the United States was a Christian nation following biblical principles. After all, In God We Trust is inscribed on every US coin and piece of currency. In a long standing Disneyland exhibition is called "Great moments with Mr. Lincoln. President Abraham Lincoln's audio-animatronic figure says, "If America shall fall, it shall not be from a great power from overseas. No foreign giant could step across the ocean and drink from the Mississippi in a trial of a thousand years. If destruction be her lot, America will die by her own hand. She will destroy herself from within." 

In the Bible, Ephesians 6:12 tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh) but spiritual to the pulling down of spiritual strongholds. In some God-hating circles, if you quote scripture, you are guilty of "hate speech" and of committing a “hate crime”. However, the Holy Scripture says, men call evil good and good evil. As Joshua said when he entered the Promised Land, "Choose you this day whom you shall serve, as for me and my house we shall serve the Lord." What's happening today in America?

2 Timothy 2:24 says, the man and woman of God must not strive, but be gentle unto all people, apt to teach, patient. After Peter was arrested and thrown into prison by the religious leaders for speaking the Word of God, he said, "whether it's right to listen to you or to God, you yourselves judge.  But we cannot but speak the things that we've seen and heard."  It's not what we're against that's important, but rather what we stand for. Therefore, stand up, stand up for Jesus. Stand in His strength alone. The arm of flesh will fail you. You dare not trust your own. As the Apostle Paul said, I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that (spiritual deposit) which I've committed to him against that day (of righteous judgment.)

God has made us able ministers of the New Testament. Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."  Jesus said, "the works that I do shall they do also, and greater works shall they do because I go unto my father." The greater works is to lead others to salvation. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation. By the Christian life, we're the only bibles that some people will ever read. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise...  For we have this (spiritual) treasure in an earthly vessel (our mortal bodies) that the excellency of the power (of the Holy Spirit) may be of God and not of us. 

John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

God has called us not unto condemnation but unto salvation. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. For Jesus Christ who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. God has called and empowered us to do “the right thing”, (that which is right in the eyes of God). Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” And as we "put one on the scoreboard for Christ," may we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

No comments: