Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition

<sup>One of Satan's greatest weapons is his ability to make us complacent in our faith. We sit in our worship services on Sunday mornings. We are thrilled with the music. We are moved by the dramas or videos that are presented. We are convicted by the sermons our pastors prepare for us... And then we go out to Sunday brunch, head home, turn on the basketball game or dig in our gardens, or take a ride in the country or...

Now, taken individually, each one of these activities is good. Although, recently, I have been reminded time and again, as I read Scripture, of the Lord's insistence that we "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8). Nevertheless, we need to remember that, to our God, the saving of souls is serious business. Yes, He does want us to</sup>

[speak] to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-21)

But in addition, we are called to be salt and light to those around us whose lives are not characterized by the spice of life and those who are in darkness. (Matthew 5:13-16) Just as Jesus healed a man's withered hand on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-13), as salt and light in the world, we have been commanded to "heal" those who suffer among us, be it on the Sabbath or any other day.

God said to Ezekiel,

"Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.

"Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself.

"Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.

"However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself." (Ezekiel 3:16-21)

It is pretty clear that, as Christians, we have a solemn responsibility to those around us to look out for their well-being. Jesus put it this way, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:39).

Christian soldier, we are engaged in a great spiritual war. Our foe is one of formidable strength and incredible cunning. Be wary that he does not lull you into a sense of complacency with your "religion." For all religion leads to death. (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25) But God's gift is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). It is a gift that is meant by God to be shared.

If you have never progressed in your faith beyond John 3:16, you may be missing some of the blessings that Jesus promised in John 10:10, when He said, "I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." God has promised that if we confess Jesus as Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved to eternal life. (Romans 10:9-10) So, under the blood of Christ, we will not forfeit eternal life if we don't share the gospel with the lost or lovingly correct a Christian brother who has gone astray.

But consider this: in the final chapter of the final book of the Bible, Jesus tells us: "Look! I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to pay each one according to what he has done!" (Revelation 2:12) We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For those who are in Christ, this is not a judgment as to whether we "get in" to heaven. It is, rather, an evaluation to determine the eternal rewards we will enjoy.

Jesus told us to "lay up treasures in heaven." (Matthew 6:20) If you are not sure how to do that, read the Ezekiel passage again. Follow that up with Matthew 22:37-39, James 1:22, Ephesians 5:22-33, Mark 10:45, Matthew 18:15-18, and just as a foundation, exodus 20:1-17.

Does this all seem an ominous task? Be encouraged, Sergeant, for God has told us that He will carry the burden for us. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) John, the Beloved Apostle, wrote, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3)

Why are these burdens "light" and "not burdensome?" Because we have a secret weapon. He is called the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the disciples, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth..." (John 14:15-16, emphasis added) Our battle is not to be fought in our own flesh; we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). That is, we are to live according to God's Word and then we receive the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. (Galatians 5:22-23) When we walk in the Spirit, i.e., according to God's Word, loving our neighbors as ourselves becomes not a burden but second nature.

Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition!!

Executive Unbound

In his Breakpoint column today, Chuck Colson warns of the gradual institution of an Administrative State in America. The Administrative State is one in which the Executive branch of government is all powerful and is not constrained by other branches. The liberal elite in America are embracing this shift in power, arguing that the checks and balances in the U.S. Constitution are obsolete, and an all-powerful executive is necessary in these times of complexity and rapidly changing circumstances.

One of the greatest lies that Satan has ever sold to humanity is that there can be a "benevolent dictator." Even King David, a man after God's own heart, and King Solomon, the wisest man the world has ever known, went astray and abused their power. Why? Because man is a fallen creature (Genesis 3) and totally depraved (Jeremiah 17:9).

It never ceases to amaze me how arrogant man is. Every generation has seen itself as the wisest, considering its ancestors to be somehow intellectually inferior, morally naive, and infinitely less stressed than itself. Satan loves this arrogance. He uses it to tempt man away from reliance on God and toward self-reliance. (Proverbs 3:5)

Are we truly intellectually superior to our ancestors? I offer you Plato, Socrates, Jesus of Nazareth, the Apostle Paul, Galileo, Michelangelo, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Pasteur and a host of others.

Are we truly morally superior? I offer you abortion; rampant divorce; rampant child abuse; a federal government bent on bankrupting our nation; a federal judiciary bent on obliterating Christianity and establishing secular humanism as the state religion in violation of the First Amendment; sexual perversion; Wall Street shenanigans; rampant adultery and fornication; rampant drug abuse; and on and on.

Are these times really more complex and stressful? I offer you the Hebrew captivity in Egypt; the Roman domination of Europe and the Middle East; the Visigoths and Ostragoths; the black plague in Europe; European colonialism in Africa and the new world; the American Revolution; the War Between the States; the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia; the Nazi holocaust; Stalin's purges of 20 million Russians; and on and on.

We are a legend in our own minds. Satan has got us believing that we are pretty hot stuff, when in fact, we are just as depraved, just as inept, just as fallen as every other generation before us.

Christian soldier, it is time to wake up and smell the sulfur. Satan is gaining ground, as he deceives and deludes us. Put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20). Be salt and light in your sphere of influence. Our brothers and sisters are dying for want of truth. The liberal elite in this country offer their lies; we need to counter it with the Truth of God.

Battle stations.