Esther- Christ Trough the Bible: MORDECAI- The Advocate

Text: For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Est 4:14)   “I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.” (Est 4:16b)

The theme of the book:  Courage. Faith. Betrayal. Politics. Plots of genocide. The book of Esther is a drama about how two Jews risked everything to save their people.

In the book of Esther, we read about four main characters:

·         Queen Esther, the heroine. When Esther becomes queen, she keeps her Jewish heritage a secret When she learns of a plot to kill all the Jews in the Persian provinces; she courageously uses her position to intercede on behalf of her people-the Protector.

·         Mordecai, Esther’s cousin. Mordecai is a devout Jew characterized by conviction. He is loyal, reliable, and persistent. He saves the king from an assassination plot early in the story—foreshadowing his work to save the Jewish people. Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman, which starts the central conflict of Esther: Haman vs. Mordecai. Mordecai is a father figure to Esther (an orphan), advising and informing her throughout the story-the Advocate.

·         Haman, enemy of the Jews. Mordecai refuses to bow to him. Haman intensifies the conflict by getting the king to sign an edict against all Jews in the empire and planning to hang Mordecai. Esther intercepts his plans, however, and the king kills Haman instead. Haman is called an “Agagite,” possibly referring to King Agag the Amalekite (1 Sa 15:8)—the Amalekites had opposed Israel for hundreds of years (Dt 25:17–19). The Enemy

·         King Ahasuerus. The king deposes Queen Vashti when she publicly disobeys him at his banquet. He then brings on Esther as his new queen. Ahasuerus is a very reactive character in the story: he deposes Vashti, he goes along with Haman’s plot, he makes grand promises to Esther, he allows Esther and Mordecai to write their own counter-laws and enact their own feasts. Ironically, the king of 127 provinces is the weakest of the main characters.

Facts About the Book of Esther

·         Not one time does the name of God appear in the Book of Esther.

·         The foresight of God is abundant throughout the book.

·         The chronological span for the Book of Esther is about 10 years.

·         Esther is addressed to the multitudes of Jews who did not return to Judea

·         The providence of God is abundant throughout the book.

·         He ensures that Mordecai’s deeds are recorded in the palace records.

·         He guides Esther’s admission to the King’s court.

·         He guides the timing of Esther’s two feasts.

·         He is involved in the King’s insomnia.

·         He sees that Haman’s gallows will be used in an unexpected way.

·         He gives Esther great favor in the sight of the king.       

The Book of Esther fits between the 6th and 7th chapters of Ezra, utilizing 10 of the 58 years during that gap, and somewhere in the 81year period between the return led by Ezra and the one led by Zerubbabel.  The Jewish Feast of Purim was begun to remember the deliverance of the Jews from the destruction planned by Haman.

The Story

 Mordecai, the cousin of Queen Esther of the Persian Empire (485-465 BC). Mordecai had raised Esther as his own daughter. In a way, Mordecai is the star of the story, although he is not talked about a lot. The first thing we see Mordecai doing is informing the King's officials of a plot against the King’s life. Mordecai heard of the plot as he sat in the gates of the Persian capital city of Susa, where he had been brought as a captive from Israel. The conspirators were hanged, and the incident was recorded in the King’s chronicles. Mordecai did not pursue the matter, seeking any recognition or honor for himself.

As Mordecai sat in the gate, he put himself in danger of losing his life. One of the King’s rulers frequently passed the gate, and people were commanded to bow down to him. Mordecai refused to bow down to this ruler, Haman, because as a Jew Mordecai could only worship the Lord, the God of Israel.

When I read about Mordecai, I think of him as the first Quaker. One of the earliest noted and most controversial marks of early Quakers was their refusal to show respect to others by removing the hat or bowing. The Quaker practice of not removing the hat, not even in church, stemmed from their belief that all are equal. This quickly became one of the most immediately recognizable characteristics of a Quaker and resulted in considerable persecution being directed against them.

Mordecai’s refusal to bow infuriated Haman, and he devised a way to get rid not only of Mordecai but of all of the Jews. Haman had the King order the destruction of all the Jews, although the King did not know that Haman was talking about the Jews, and he did not know that his Queen was a Jew.

When Mordecai heard of the plot, he went to Queen Esther and persuaded her to ask the King to save the people. Esther asked all the people to fast and pray for her. Meanwhile, Haman was planning the death of Mordecai and ordered that gallows be constructed for him.

Look how this relate to Jesus Christ our LORD. That day outside the Garden of Eden when God pronounced the promise of a Redeemer, Satan plotted to kill Jesus.  When he saw Him as an infant in the manger, he thought if he could kill Him and get Him in the chains of death, what an excellent idea, or so he thought! So he stirred up the spirit of Herod to kill Him, but Herod failed. And many times, Satan attempted to put the personal existence of Christ in danger so that he might get Christ to die. He seemed unable to realize that when Christ died, he would bruise the devil’s head. Once, you remember, when Christ was in the synagogue, the devil stirred up the people, and made them angry; and he thought, “Oh! This is going to be the time if I could just kill this man; then there would be an end of Him, and I would reign supreme forever.” So, he got the people to take Him to the edge of the cliff, and Satan in his pride thought that surely now He would be thrown down headfirst. But Christ escaped, and Satan failed. He tried to starve Him; he tried to drown Him; He was in the desert without food, and He was on the sea in a storm, but there was no starving or drowning Him, and Satan no doubt craved for His blood and longed that He would die. At last, the day arrived; our LORD was taken to the court of hell that at last Christ would die. They rung their bells with hellish happiness and joy. Jesus would die now; “Judas has taken the thirty pieces of silver. Let those Scribes and Pharisees get Him; they will no more let Him go than the spider will let go of a poor unfortunate fly. He is as good as dead.”

Are you aware that if Haman carried out his plot, he would have stopped the birth of Christ and Satan would win?

If God gave His precise timetable to the people of Israel, through the Prophet Daniel, in 553 BC, you be assured that Satan was determined to prevent Jesus from appearing on this time schedule. God foretold that Messiah would come directly from King David. [Isaiah 9:2-7; Jeremiah 33:15-17, 20-22; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24-27; Hosea 3:5; Amos 9:11; Zechariah 12:6-10]. Therefore, you could expect that Satan would try to attack the David’s lineage in the intervening 483 years. Satan did just exactly that, with his greatest attack coming during the reign of Queen Esther.

Esther is one of the key figures in the entire Bible. When she became Queen of the Gentile King of Persia, her nation, Israel, lay on the garbage heap of history. God had brought Babylon into Israel, beginning in 606 BC, to physically punish her for her national sins that had extended over 800 years. The Jews were in a hostile land, ruled over by a people of great cruelty.  Satan prepared his plan of annihilation of the Jews through the Secretary of State to the King, Haman. This plan of extermination started with all the Jews in Persia, and would then expand outward to include every Jew in the entire world. If ever Satan had a golden opportunity to destroy the Messianic line, this was the time. If Satan could cut off the Davidic lineage, he could prevent Messiah from appearing in fulfillment of God's prophecies.

But wait that is not the end of the story. One night, as this was going on, the King was unable to sleep. He called for his chronicles. He found the plot against his life and asked if the man who had saved his life had been rewarded. He was told no. It so happened that Haman was in the court at this time, and the King inquired of him how he could honor someone he wished to honor. Haman, thinking the King wanted to honor him—his arrogance knew no bounds—described to the King the highest honor he could imagine. He was to be placed on one of the King’s horses, with a crown on his head. One of the King’s nobles was to walk the honored person on the horse through the city proclaiming, “thus it shall be done to the person whom the King wishes to honor” (Esther 6:9). Imagine Haman’s horror when the King told him to then honor Mordecai in that way.

Can you imagine the feel Satan had when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and the people honored Him as the King?

Meanwhile, the Queen had devised a plan whereby she might save her people and trap Haman. When the King discovered Haman’s treachery, he ordered that he be hanged on the gallows Haman had constructed for Mordecai. What happened to Mordecai? We are told at one point that he had become great in the King’s house. Later, we learn that he was second only to the King, and “great among the Jews, and in favor with the multitude of his kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation" (Esther 10:3).

The day our LORD was caught up into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father, he became the greatest King of Kings and LORD or Lords.  He became the desire of all nations, the Savior of all mankind.  He is our heavenly advocate.  As John write “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”  Why is this?  Because as John writes, My, little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 

Look at the message Mordecai gave to Esther: 

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” 

Today, God is saving people through the gospel of Jesus Christ. You and I can choose to be part of it, or we can choose to stand back. We can align our interests with God's, or we can go our own way and die. 

There is a parallel between Mordecai's words and our own situation. God is transforming lives all over the world: but he's mostly doing it a long way from here. Christians in America have chosen the path of silence. We have become so identified with our culture that we have not spoken out; we have not dared to join in God's transforming work. Churches in America are by and large perishing.  We are no longer fishers of men but swappers of aquariums.  We have been in the world so long we have become part of the world.  

Esther, too, had become thoroughly part of the Persian culture. Esther was her Persian name: she didn't use her Jewish name any more. She spent a year in the king's harem learning Persian beauty treatments before becoming his queen. She lived isolated from her people. But when it came to the crunch, Mordecai reminded her that she belonged to God's chosen people, and she acted accordingly.

Unless we do the same, then, in fulfilment of Mordecai's words, we will just die out. God will continue to save people, but he will do it in other places, without us. 

How can you and I be part of God's saving work?  Well, Mordecai's question rings in our ears: And who knows but that you have come to this royal position for such a time as this? 

God has placed each one of us is in a unique position of influence. He has put each of us in a specific work context; in a family; with one particular group of friends; with a unique set of neighbors. Among people, he wants to bring to saving knowledge of Jesus. It's a terrifically encouraging thought, isn't it, that God could have a purpose for you in his saving plans, where you are, what you are doing now. He's worked behind the scenes for years to put you in just the right place at just the right time. 

Is God today asking you to be part of his work? Is he challenging you to do something bold, something dangerous to your reputation, or your finances or your security or your relationships? 

You have a choice, just as Esther did. You can remain silent; you can put your own interests ahead of God's and go your own way. It won't hinder God's plans: he will continue to transform the lives of people. But it won't do you any good. Your faith will dim; your love will grow cold; your relationship with him will perish, if not die entirely. 

Or you can do something! And who knows but that you have come to this royal position for such a time as this? You don't need to be highly religious or an expert in the Bible; Esther certainly wasn't. You just need the eye of faith to spot where God is at work, and the guts to be part of it. 

Are you, like Esther, God's person, in God's place, at God's time for God's people?

On hearing Mordecai's reply, Esther gathered the people to fast, and presumably to pray. And then she acted. And, as a result, she was privileged to be right at the center of God's astonishing work as he moved to save his people.

God is at work, transforming his people. Will you be part of it? It's an extraordinary invitation from an extraordinary God. He doesn't need us, but he invites us to work with him. 

1.      Settle it in your mind that the Lord has called you to the work and then advance without question or fear.

2.      Put your mind to the task and never stop.

3.      Do the work with all your, might and soul.

4.      Do not stand asking how: do it as you can.

5.      Do not stand asking when: do it directly!

6.      Do not say, "But I am weak": The Lord is strong!

7.      Do not say, "But I must devise methods."  Follow the Holy Spirit

8.      Do not concoct schemes or try to perfect your methods: throw yourself into the work with all your might.

9.      When you run out of weapons, pick up the rock and stones from the road of life and throw them.

When you have nothing else to hurl at the enemy, nothing will be more effectual than the hurling of your whole being into the conflict. 

Are you ready to do what God is calling you to do?

North Korea, Russia, Syria, Iran, Who Is The Real Enemy?

I have tried to remain silent about the North Korea issue but will break my silence and speak my thoughts.  First, I am the first to admit that I am not an expert on Korea.  I am not sure what the actual military strength is of this country.  I do know that they are continually agreeing to do better and then go back on their word.

Fox News has reported, President Trump may have just forced North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un to come the negotiating table…with maybe just a little help from Twitter.  Sounds good, but it is doubtful.

Experts say that Trump’s strategy dealing with the rogue regime – a combination of tweeted warnings and mockery, tough sanctions and pressure on China and others to tow the line – is bearing fruit. Evidence came this week when Kim told a delegation from South Korea his regime is willing to discuss nuclear disarmament with the United States.  Once a country gets nuclear power, why would they agree to disarmament? 

Trump has ridiculed Kim by calling him "Little Rocket Man," warned that his "nuclear button is bigger" and announced that the dictator's belligerence "will be met with fire and fury the likes of which the world has never seen." In the battle of words Trump wins, but what will be the end result?

Here is my take on all this.  No nations are threaten America, not Russia, North Korea, Syrian or even Iran or any others. Those making these claims are telling the big lie - a pretext for increased military spending along with fear-mongering to enlist public support and strengthen the globalist elite. I am for a strong military, but we need to be protecting our nation, not Europe or Israel.

 North Korea has been a distraction from what is happening in Syria, Ukraine, and along the Russian boarder.  Back in 2015, the US started their push to up the stakes as a significant threat to Russian.  The US government has been pushing Russia towards a possible conflict.  Thousands of US boots on the ground, tanks and other military hardware in Latvia represented the Obama's administration.  Has that changed?  No!

May of 2017, NATO commander US General Curtis Scaparrotti said he needed more funding for an increased long-term military buildup in Europe.  He wanted an additional combat brigade and support troops to counter a Russian threat - despite none existing.  In March, of 2017, he said he needed more ground forces, combat air squadrons and carrier strike groups in areas he commands.  Citing a “heavy (Russian) force” in Europe, he failed to explain it’s almost entirely within its own borders - unlike America’s military defiantly deployed worldwide, including near Russian, Chinese and North Korean borders.

Right now, hawkish members along with Pentagon commanders urge more significant numbers of US combat troops in Europe to deter nonexistent “Russian aggression” - a provocative plan risking direct confrontation. Days ahead of Trump's FY 2018 budget rollout, they urged a greater US conventional force buildup in Eastern Europe.  Why?  Has Russia made threats towards America?  It is hard for our government leaders to realize the American people are tired of war and have nothing against the Russian people.  We were glad the Cold War ended, and the Walls of separation from the east and west came down.  So, why are we kicking dirt in the face of Russians wanting to start a fight?  We should be protecting our own boarder and not those in Europe.  We have a drug problem in this country because we do not protect our own borders.  We have an immigration problem because we do not protect our own borders.  Why do we have thousands of troops along the Russian border defending against what?  Are we being threatened with an invasion of Russian troops?

What group is pushing the agenda of fighting with Russian and gaining world dominance?  I am concerned that we have those passing themselves off as conservative patriots, who are no more than a bunch of hateful neocons infesting Washington, thriving on endless hostility, abhorring peace and stability.  American’s should be concerned that our government has been going all over the world changing sovereign nations to rubble that do not bow to US government dictates.  For the past several years there has been a move to push Russia into a conflict that no one wins.  Who is this group that has such hatred for Russia?  Could this go back as far as the late 1800’s? 

There is one group that has shown their hatred for Russian for a long time.  Even after the Tsarist government tried to meet their demands of equality, they worked towards the destruction of the government.  Some in Russia today believe this group constitutes a form of Satanism.

This group of people has communities all over the world that carry out lobbying for their interests and to the detriment of the countries in which they live. They have become the globalist elite who mask their criminal activities by crying allegedly racial hatred against those who disagree with them.  They are the same people who control and manipulate every aspect of government.  They are the power behind the “throne” of world leaders.  They are antichrist, antichristian, and are seeking world domination.  They are the destroyers of nations.  They have a focused hatred for Russian and have done everything within their power to destroy the Russian government.  They have been called the “synagogue of Satan” by Jesus Christ.

There is not one elected leader in the US government that will speak out against them for fear of repercussions. They are influential in both political parties and set the policies that have no interest to the American people; these people are traitors to America. 

In the words of - Marcus Tullius Cicero, “A nation can survive its fools and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys heard in the very halls of government itself.  For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.”

We as a nation have been manipulated, misdirected, and misinformed as to who is the real enemy.  It is time America stops fighting the wars for those who are anti-Christian, anti-American, anti-Russian and anti-Christ.  It is time to get our house in order and remove those who seek only to destroy this Nation.

By the way, I did not identify who these global elitist are, but if you are thinking of a group you might be correct.

Nehemiah-Christ Through the Bible

Text: “Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.” (Neh 5:19)

Most of us want to be remembered for the good we have done for people.  Nehemiah was no different.  He was moved to action when he saw the need and stayed at the task until it was completed.  We see Christ in Nehemiah is that he was a restorer of the broken.

The prophet Jeremiah had told the people of Judah what would happen if they continued to reject God.  God had listed their sin and iniquity and gave them the opportunity to repent, but they would not.  So, he sent the armies of Babylon against them and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, and took the very best of the people into captivity for 70 years.

After 70 years in exile, Cyrus gave a decree to return home and the Jews did just that.  They were able to worship God in their own land, but the city still lay in ruins. The once-great capital of the promised land was a depressing rubble exposed to her enemies.

When Nehemiah hears this, he sets out to restore the city walls. The book of Nehemiah is his story in his own words. The book  is about reestablishing God’s people both physically and spiritually.

In the first part of the book, Nehemiah restores Jerusalem in a physical sense. When Nehemiah hears that “the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire,” (Neh 1:3), he gets permission from Persian King Artaxerxes to rebuild the city. The governors of surrounding territories viciously oppose Nehemiah’s efforts, but the wall is finished in just 52 days (Neh 7:15). Nehemiah also restores economic justice in the land, admonishing the wealthy for taking advantage of their less fortunate brothers (Neh 5).

In the second section, Nehemiah and Ezra bring spiritual revival to Jerusalem. Ezra reads the law of Moses aloud to the people, and the nation rededicates to obeying God. Later on, Nehemiah works diligently to point people back to the law of Moses (Neh 13).

Nehemiah writes in first person. His story is peppered with personal commentary—sometimes it reads like a historical account, and sometimes it reads like Nehemiah’s journal. We know when he is afraid (Neh 2:2). We know when he is angry (Neh 5:6). We even see him break his own narrative with prayers to God (Neh 13:14). This book gives us a look into the mind of an Old Testament man of God, giving us examples of how to lead, pray, and deal with discouragement.

“And they said to me, ‘The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire. So, it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” Neh. 1: 3,4

I really admire anyone who can build things, especially musical instruments.  I have made several dulcimers, a hammer dulcimer, and an electric bass guitar. We have a gentleman who comes to our bluegrass jam that has made his own guitar, mandolin and fiddle and they are fine works of art.   Building something from raw materials is beautiful in its own way, but to restore something old and still give it a sense of the original, so you can’t tell which part is original and which is the addition, is an amazing work of art.  The time, the patience’s, the knowledge of the tools and material to be used all go into making something that can be used.  However, being able to stay focused, and not interrupted is important to completing the task.

What is frustrating is to do this work with opposition and distractions or even fear for your own safety. This is what Nehemiah faced when he led the people of God to rebuild the broken-down walls of Jerusalem. Given permission by the king to leave his job in the palace to undertake this task, he finds many willing workers.

“…So, I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king,…” Neh. 2: 4b,5a

Nehemiah turns to God for strength to accomplish the task to which he knows God has called him. Prayer should always precede our work. We also shouldn’t attempt to undertake anything that we do not feel we could pray about. The task looks too big, but then he gets each person to work on one small section until the whole wall is rebuilt.   “If everyone will sweep before his own door, the street will be clean.”  I would tell my students to learn to divide and conquer. Breaking down the task into a small manageable job keeps you from getting discouraged.

Even if you do breakdown the task you may find opposition in completing your job.  Nehemiah was faced with opposition, led by two men, Tobiah and Sanballat. These men do whatever they can to thwart the work and discourage the people.  They were bully’s.

As opposition mounts against the people, he arms the people working up on the wall. They work with one hand and are prepared to fight with the other.

Things have not changed much in the attitude toward the people of God.  Today, all over the world Christians are public enemy number one.  The hatred is seen daily in the Islamic countries where Christians are beaten, tortured, raped, beheaded, or driven from their homes.  Christians in these Muslim country are going through significant tribulation right now.  The blood of these Christian martyrs is crying out from under the altar, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who live on the earth” and avenge our blood? The majority of the world’s Christian believes scattered over two-thirds of world face this persecution every day. In some areas, it is nothing short of genocide.

It is estimated that as many as 160,000 a year die for their testimony with more martyrs in the 20th century than in the previous nineteen. Occasionally a high-profile case gets the media's attention, but most die in closed countries, often buried in graves known by the LORD.

As I was scanning through some news article one caught my attention. In the country of Chechnya, this Islamic State has urged its followers to kidnap and murder Christians in “Russian-occupied Muslim areas,” according to a letter published by an intelligence group that monitors the terrorist organization’s online communications.

ISIS says Russian rule there is an occupation.  Now here is what I find very interesting, the Muslims claim that Russia has intentionally occupied Muslim-majority areas in the Caucasus and Central Asia to convert Muslims to Christianity or forcibly displace them.

After the killing of five women in a church, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.  In a letter from those claiming responsibility they stated, “Allah permitting, this will be the spark for more bloody attacks that will destroy a larger number of the Christian combatants in all the Russian-occupied Muslim areas. Many of them will be killed as a punishment for their disbelief in Allah the Great, and it will plant fear and horror inside the hearts of hundreds of thousands of their brothers and make them flee with fear.”

In this same letter, there is a call for Muslims to kidnap and kill Christians living in Russia, and to use extortion.  “Let every Muslim know that the blood of those combatant Christians and their money is permissible and that taking any of them as hostages for ransom or to swap with a Muslim prisoner is also permissible. So, let the good deed be for everybody.”

The Tobiah and Sanballats are still trying to discourage and stop the work of the LORD. 

So, How is Jesus like Nehemiah, the re-builder?

Nehemiah was the cup bearer of the King. He lived a relative life of ease in the palace, yet when he heard about the situation of the city of Jerusalem, he decided to do something. He could have stayed where he was and merely felt bad about the situation.

Likewise, Jesus dwelt in Heaven, untouched by the effects of sin, enjoying the fellowship of the Father and the Spirit. He didn’t need to do anything. He was not obligated to save us.  Yet He willingly removed His royal robes and stepped into our world to redeem, remake and rebuild us.

The song by Dottie Rambo captures the love Jesus had for us:

He left the Splendor of Heaven
Knowing His destiny
Was the lonely hill of Golgotha
there to lay down His life for me. 

He finds us broken by sin. To look at man, you’d never know the beauty that was there before the Fall. Sin scars us, hurts us, makes us unlovable.

"But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners.” Rom. 5:8

When He saves us, His Spirit begins the work of re-making us into His image.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: ⁴ That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Is there opposition to this re-building? Of course. The world, the flesh and the devil fight it continually, and try to discourage us or thwart the work. They may even fight to keep us where we were when the work began, or tempt us to backslide into a worse state.

But we don’t have to worry that Jesus will be thwarted in His work.   …“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil. 1:6

As the people had a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other, so Christ equips us to work and gives us the Sword of the Spirit, His Word, to fight against our enemies.  “Every true Christian is both a laborer and a soldier, working with one hand and fighting with the other.”

Nehemiah appealed first to God in prayer, and then he approached the king with his petition. This gave him confidence in his task. Likewise, Jesus depended on His Heavenly Father for strength to complete His work. He was often in prayer. Should we do any less?

We are often our own worst enemies. Even if we were to take the world and the devil out of the equation, our own flesh would still fight to oversee our destiny.

 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. ¹⁹ For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. ²⁰ Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Rom.7:18-20

You can’t escape sin, because it’s within you.  But, the LORD has come to change your life and make you a spiritual house.

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Pet. 2:4 

This reference to believers as living stones shows our connection with and resemblance to Christ, Himself our Chief Cornerstone. This spiritual house is a reference to the temple or dwelling place of God.

“And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” 2 Cor. 6:16

 Believers are associated with the temple of God because the Spirit dwells in us.

“Now ,therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Eph. 2:19-22

 “…but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” Heb. 3:6

Again, a reference to believers as the house of God.  Christ is a rebuilder of broken lives.  He paid the price to mend our broken lives.

  “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”        1 Pet. 1:18,19

“Oh you afflicted one, tossed with tempest and not comforted. Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires.”  Isa. 54:11

If you have not met the re-builder of lives, let Jesus repair your sin broken life and become the spiritual house he desires us to be.

Christians and Civil Disobedience

All throughout the history of Christianity civil disobedience has been practiced by Christians.  First, let me define what I mean by civil disobedience as it pertains to a Christian:  Purposeful, nonviolent action or refusal to act, by a Christian who believes such action or inaction is required of him or her to be faithful to God, and which they know will be treated by the governing authorities as a violation of law.

Even though I believe in a strong defense and the right to be armed, and use whatever force is needed to protect others, I also think that malicious violence is not a means to any end.  I believe as Christians we have the right to defend ourselves, our families, our church and our community against the evil that may come our way.

I am aware of the three passages of Scripture that are used to bring Christians into compliance with the government. (For my friends that have a difficulty with KJV here is the NIV)

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to the governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men (1 Peter 2:13-15 NIV).

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men (Titus 3:1-2 NIV).

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities which exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves (Romans 13:1-2 NIV)

There has been a historical record of Christians being disobedient to the government and church leadership.  In the book of Acts chapter 4, we are given the account of civil disobedience.  When the Sanhedrin orders Peter and John not to teach or speak in the name of Jesus, they ask whether it is right to obey God or men? They obeyed God.   Paul was quite willing to use the Roman legal system when he was arrested in Jerusalem rather than be flogged and was able to witness in new ways because of it. Being a Christian was itself a violation of law in much of the civilized world until Constantine endorsed Christianity.

It is also important to remember that before Jesus began to preach the Jews were indeed in tension with their rulers. Josephus, in his Antiquities of the Jews, tells the story of Jewish resistance to Pilate’s introduction of images of the emperor into Jerusalem. Many Jews lay in the courtyard for five days in protest, and when Pilate ordered his soldiers to surround them and threatened slaughter if the Jews did not submit, they instead bared their necks and said slaughter was preferable to the images. Pilate relented.

Historically, the points of conflict between Christians and their governments have centered upon either the government’s demand that all citizens subscribe to and follow the practices of a state religion or the government’s prohibition of Christian practices which are central to the faith. Military service has been a problem for both reasons since in pre-Constantin times emperor worship or sacrifice to idols tended to be required of soldiers of Rome and since the early Christians understood that killing was contrary to Jesus’ teaching whether done in peace or war. Marcellus the centurion, who was martyred in A.D. 298, objected for both reasons. He is quoted as saying in part:

I cease from this military service of your emperors, and I scorn to adore your gods of stone and wood, which are deaf and dumb idols. If such is the position of those who render military service that they should be compelled to sacrifice to gods and emperors, then I cast down my vine-staff and belt, I renounce the standards, and I refuse to serve as a soldier . . . I threw down my arms; for it was not seemly that a Christian man, who renders military service to the Lord Christ, should render it also by inflicting earthly injuries.

The idea of civil disobedience has been applied to social issues such as slavery, child labor, women’s suffrage, and prohibition of alcohol. When I am speaking of civil disobedience, it is in the light of the actions of Marcellus.  Marcellus did not throw down his staff and belt to make a statement about who he was as an individual nor to strike a blow for individual liberty. Marcellus renounced soldiering as being unfaithful to his true Lord. When we talk about Christian civil disobedience, we are not talking about Thoreau and his New England Transcendentalism which focused on private conscience as against majority expediency.  We are talking about faithfulness to God which transcends all earthly loyalties.

Nevertheless, the scripture passages quoted at the beginning makes it clear that we are to be subject to the governing authorities. How is it that one is subject to government, yet refuses to obey it? That would appear to be a contradiction. John Howard Yoder offers an explanation that I find plausible:

It is not by accident that the imperative of [Romans] 13:1 is not literally one of obedience. The Greek language has good words to denote obedience, in the sense of completely bending one’s will and one’s actions to the desires of another. What Paul calls for, however, is subordination. This verb is based on the same root as the ordering of the powers by God. Subordination is significantly different from obedience. The conscientious objector who refuses to do what his government asks him to do, but still remains under the sovereignty of that government and accepts the penalties which it imposes, . . . is being subordinate even though he is not obeying.

It is clear from the New Testament that Jesus’ followers did not blindly obey the governments under which they found themselves. Faithfulness to God was first. It is also clear that the sixteenth-century Quakers were faithful to God first and the state second. Jesus knew that his followers would be in tension with the authorities. He instructed them:

You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me, you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit (Mark 13:9b-11 NIV).

These are hardly the instructions of a leader expecting his followers to obey every authority instituted among men. For the sake of the gospel followers of Jesus will refuse to obey men. But, for the Lord’s sake, the followers of Jesus will submit to every authority instituted among men, and by so doing will bear witness to those authorities. As John Howard Yoder puts it: “We subject ourselves to government because it was in so doing that Jesus revealed and achieved God’s victory.”

Granting our desire to submit to government, and allowing our desire to be faithful, what do we do when we believe the state is asking us to behave contrary to God’s will for us?

Peter’s brief instructions [1 Peter 2:13] did not deal with the believer’s response whenever government demands that which is contrary to the Christian faith. In Acts 4:19 and 5:29 we have the example of Peter himself concerning the Christian response under such conditions. For the Christian the state is not the highest authority, and whenever government demands that which conflicts with the dictates of the conscience enlightened by the Holy Spirit and the Word, then the Christian must obey the Word of God and suffer the results. ‘The Church soon learned by bitter experience that there are some things which the state has no right to do and that therefore the counsel of submission has its limitations: But under ordinary circumstances, believers should actively support civil government in its promotion of law and order.

The key here would seem to be a conscience enlightened by the Holy Spirit and the Word. I cannot speak for other Christian denominations, but as a Quaker, I believe that the Holy Spirit speaks through the body of believers, this would indicate another test. The Word and the Spirit speaking in concert with the body of believers will tell us when the state has overstepped its bounds and when a Christian must say “no” to the state. But what shape does that holy “no” take?

Looking back at our definition of Christian civil disobedience, we need a way of testing what we do. One commentator has suggested five qualifications on civil disobedience (not necessarily Christian in its motivation):

The law opposed is immoral in conflict with a higher claim; every possible non-disobedient recourse has been exhausted, with the definition of “possible” and “exhausted” being tempered by the situation; the protest is not clandestine; there is a likelihood of success (drawing a distinction between purely personal action taken for conscience sake and the sort of social disobedience which seeks to change society and thus must have its potential adverse effects balanced against the good likely to emerge); there is willingness to accept the penalty.

Looking more specifically at the church’s witness to the state, another commentator finds three additional tests, which also apply to individual Christian witness to the state:  The witness must be representative of the church’s clear conviction; the witness of the church must be consistent with her own behavior; the church should speak only when she has something to say, rather than feeling obligated to “cover the field.” If we follow these suggestions, there is much more likelihood of civil disobedience being truly holy obedience.

We should also recognize that the current North American governmental systems are set in place with civil disobedience as a valid method of speaking to government. A quotation from the Declaration of Independence of the United States should remind us of our freedom of choice:

. . . We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it and to institute a new government. . . .

When the government acts in a way which violates Christian conscience under the tests set out above, Christians have several ways to work with the situation. They can seek legislation which changes that which they dislike, they can use the courts to determine whether the law actually applies to them in the way it seems to, they can use the courts in an effort to overturn the law as being a violation of the Constitution, or they can submit to the government while refusing to obey the law.

However, this is what I find frustrating there are so many people protesting a wide variety of issues for their own advantage that it is difficult for anyone to distinguish between those who speak from firmly held religious convictions and those who speak only from self-interest. My questions are what is the Scriptural basis for the protest?  What Christian belief does it support?  Would I go to jail for this cause?

All resistance and every attack against the gods of this world will be unfruitful unless the church itself is without sin.  Judgment must first begin at the House of God.  If we are to be the witness for the LORD, we must be faithful to HIS cause.  Unless the Church can demonstrate the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we will not have authority over the gods of this world. 

Most of the modern Church has been an organization of reactors rather than being proactive on the issues of sin. WE would much rather be the “spiritual ambulance” which picks up the broken and bloody victims of a destructive social structure than trying to change the structure.  We are faced with the destruction of our society and culture.  Murder, drugs, sexual immorality, and a loss of respect and love for our fellowman.  We need to hold people responsible for their actions.  We must stop turning our heads to the evil that is overtaking us and expose those who are destroying our families, our communities, our churches, and our government.

What Will Happen To The American Christian?

Our church just finished a study on the book of Daniel.  One of the things that stood out to me was that Daniel prayed and fasted for twenty-one days to find the answer of what was going to happen to his people in the future.  God answered his prayer and gave him a vision of the future.  In the book of Revelation, John was given a vision of what was going to happen to the followers of Jesus Christ-Christians.  That vision confirmed what Jesus said, If the world hates you, remember that they hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as it loves its own people. But I have chosen you to be different from those in the world. So, you don’t belong to the world, and that is why the world hates you.

Today, all over the world Christians are public enemy number one.  The hatred is seen daily in the Islamic countries where Christians are beaten, tortured, raped, beheaded, or driven from their homes.  Christians in these Muslim countries are going through significant tribulation right now.  The blood of these Christian martyrs is crying out from under the altar, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who live on the earth” and avenge our blood? The majority of the world’s Christian believes scattered over two-thirds of world face this persecution every day. In some areas, it is nothing short of genocide.

Meanwhile, back in America in our safe and secure, air-conditioned churches, where we still have the freedom to worship if we choose, we ignore the plight of our fellow Christians, and believe that the LORD will take us out of all the coming “tribulations” that our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are now going through.

It is estimated that as many as 160,000 a year die for their testimony with more martyrs in the 20th century than in the previous nineteen. Occasionally a high-profile case gets the media's attention, but most die in closed countries, often buried in graves known only by the LORD.

As I was scanning through some news articles one caught my attention. In the country of Chechnya, this Islamic State has urged its Muslim followers to kidnap and murder Christians in “Russian-occupied Muslim areas,” according to a letter published by an intelligence group that monitors the terrorist organization’s online communications.

ISIS says Russian rule there is an occupation.  Now here is what I find very interesting, the Muslims claim that Russia has intentionally occupied Muslim-majority areas in the Caucasus and Central Asia to convert Muslims to Christianity or forcibly displace them.

After the killing of five women in a church, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.  The killer, who the ISIS describes as an “extraordinary mujtahid,” used a hunting rifle to kill people attending the Russian pre-Lent festival Maslenitsa. The man reportedly donned a beard and yelled, “Allahu akbar.”

In a letter from those claiming responsibility they stated, “Allah permitting, this will be the spark for more bloody attacks that will destroy a larger number of the Christian combatants in all the Russian-occupied Muslim areas. Many of them will be killed as a punishment for their disbelief in Allah the Great, and it will plant fear and horror inside the hearts of hundreds of thousands of their brothers and make them flee with fear.”

In this same letter, there is a call for Muslims to kidnap and kill Christians living in Russia, and to use extortion.  “Let every Muslim know that the blood of those combatant Christians and their money is permissible and that taking any of them as hostages for ransom or to swap with a Muslim prisoner is also permissible. So, let the good deed be for everybody.”

Today, religion-based governments allow no tolerance for anyone labeled "Christian." These include countries where there are Communist, Islamist, Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern beliefs. Christians living under any of these are either unwelcome or shot on sight.

Millions have died in Islam's bloody campaign to control continental Africa. In Sudan alone 1.3 million have been killed, some by crucifixion. Tribal warfare in other African nations have caught Christians in the crossfire.

In the vision given to John, he writes about what would take place in the end-times. The testing of faith, and the persecution for being a follower of Jesus Christ would be faced by those faithful to the LORD.  Yet, those who remained faithful would be blessed.  The blessing contained in the vision given to John was that we would know what was coming, and could prepare ourselves spiritually.  The problem is the American Christian believes that they will not see the suffering the rest of the Christian world is going through.  For some unscriptural reason, they think they will not be here when all hell breaks loose.  The problem is the forces of hell have already broken loose, and many are dying everyday for their faith in Jesus Christ.  It is time that the American Christian open their eyes to what is happen now.  We are not talking about the distant future; we are facing the reality of the present.  

Paul writing to the Church at Ephesus admonished them to, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

In both the vision of Daniel and John we have been given the knowledge of what will happen to us in the end-times.  We need to use that knowledge to prepare for the coming trials that we not find ourselves like the five foolish virgins who were unprepared for the coming of the bridegroom.