Darkness Exposed

 

 Bring Light to the Shadows

Evil flourishes in the dark. But, today, evil thrives in plain sight. The evil one is quite adept at convincing humankind that what is evil is good and what is wrong as right. To overcome evil, one must first recognize it as evil. Acquiescing to or ignoring the evil that is overcoming the world will only allow it to grow and fester, ultimately destroying civil society. Tolerating and accepting what we know is truly wrong just oils the slippery slope that the evil one uses to encourage the weak and unbelieving. Yielding to what is obviously wrong and deeming it as right allows evil to grow unimpeded. Use what God has written upon our hearts to test the new things that are of this world and see through the veil of lies. The evil in this world cannot withstand the light if we are bold enough to shine God’s light upon it. Evil will be defeated if good people cast that light and stand up for the Gospel. Far too many of God’s churches proclaim a “generic” evil that must be resisted, calling out the usual suspects, such as the seven deadly sins, etc., but fail to cite specific examples that so permeate western society. By far the most dangerous and insidious lie being perpetrated is the lefts’ headlong rush to redefine human sexuality.

Humans are sexual beings. Human sexuality is a gift that God intended to be shared within the confines of marriage. Man’s law may redefine marriage, but Scripture is quite clear that one man and one woman form a team to procreate and raise their children. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Hebrews 3:4. Jesus said, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:4-6. Although man has decreed otherwise, God, the creator of all that was, is and will come to be, makes it clear that marriage is a sacred bond between one man and one woman, a sacramental covenant before the King of Kings. In marriage, each parent brings disparate and unique skills to bear in their children’s development. Parents are to instill in their children faith, morals, and values.

In the Old Testament, Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities overcome with unrestrained sexual depravity and were ultimately destroyed by God. They abandoned their God and replaced Him with the worship of their bodies and the pleasure afforded by their unbridled sexuality. Is it so different today? Tinder and other “hook-up” sites for anonymous unrestricted sex acts may be tame compared to those cities God judged as unredeemable. Fatherless families dominate the African-American community as 69% of all births are out of wedlock. How is that working out as fatherless children commit more and more crime? More and more couples are rejecting marriage, choosing to remain single, cohabitate, have and raise children, opting to disengage with God in their relationship. Half of all first marriages in the US end in divorce after an average of 8 years. Second or more marriages divorce at an even higher rate.

It has become commonplace to define oneself based upon a chosen sexual identity. What was once gay or lesbian morphs into LGTBQ+? No longer is there simply male or female, there are now a plethora of genders to choose from, including “non-binary, which is no gender at all. The transgenderism movement accuses God of error, “misgendering” the person choosing to disregard their assigned sex at birth. Current medical science can only change a person’s gender outwardly and cannot recreate a functioning member of the opposite sex. Once procedures are undertaken to alter the gender, that person will no longer be fully functional as either sex, unable to birth or father a child. Additionally, many persons who undergo hormone drugs or sex reassignment surgery will likely not be able to fully experience sexual intercourse and will often be unable to achieve a climax. Children who take puberty-blocking drugs or undergo sex reassignment surgery are also forty times more likely to attempt suicide. Transgender activists are targeting children with propaganda endeavoring to legitimize this depraved sexual conduct. Indoctrinating young children to accept this behavior as normal while distorting reality, by claiming that there are more than two genders, is evil incarnate.

Transvestites, crossdressers or what are now known as “Drag queens” (You see, that verbiage is much more palatable to the masses), are being mainstreamed as normal and acceptable. Drag queen story hour and other “performances” elicit sexual arousal for those mentally ill individuals. Is it not readily apparent that the performances are directed at children and not adults? How convenient it is for pedophiles to be welcomed into our schools and public libraries. School administrations that allow these degenerates to interact with children should never again be allowed into positions of authority in our educational system. If teaching staff would be found to be engaging in this type of behavior, they would be arrested, terminated from their jobs and after conviction, become registered sex offenders. Our society is losing its’ collective mind. If one wants to engage in the fantasy of transgenderism that is their problem. Don’t expect others to approve of their fantasies and especially expect resistance when they try to teach children to believe their behavior is normal. Any sane person cannot believe that the current societal trajectory of “anything goes” sexuality is reasonable.

Recognizing evil in our midst is just the first step in exposing it. As Christians, we are called to embrace what is good and to resist evil. Resist evil, not fight evil. That is not what God has called us to do. Fighting evil is a conflict reserved for God. It is up to God to separate the weeds from the wheat. Our house must be in order. We must speak the truth but do so gently and with love. We must preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. God wants all of his children to be saved. Those overcome by the evil one are loved by their Father in heaven. We are to shine the light of truth on their error and let God do the judging. We are to plant those seeds and God will water them and cause them to grow. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. anything less makes our actions just as evil, maybe more so, than those unduly influenced by the evil one. Pay heed to Scripture and light the path for those lost. That is our calling. Jesus said “Be careful, then, that the light within you is not darkness. So if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, you will be radiant, as though a lamp were shining on you.” Luke 11:35,36

Pray unceasingly for our leaders and for those who have been led away by the father of lies. God wants all of His children to come to know Him and to be saved. Let’s not be a stumbling block. 

Fear and Envy

In 2008, Barak Obama was swept into office as our 44th president, riding on the wave of hope and change. As he faces a difficult reelection, he has resorted to preaching a doctrine of fear and envy, pitting classes against one another and promoting racial strife. His policies attack the very foundations of Christianity, in one instance, forcing the Catholic Church to provide abortion coverage to employees, a direct assault on the doctrine of their faith. Progressive churches, such as the ELCA, continue to worship this president and support this attack on Christianity by their silence. Perhaps, this is due to the fact that the ELCA offers “reproductive services” that include coverage for elective abortions in their employee health insurance plan. The murder of the unborn does not bother the enlightened leaders of the most wayward of the “mainstream” Lutheran churches. Mention advocating for the LGTBQ community or immigration reform and ELCA leaders stand right up and jump into the fray. Murdering unborn human beings is defended as a woman’s right to choose while the leaders of the ELCA ignore any responsibility to protect the lives of those who cannot protect themselves.

Deuteronomy 6:13-15, “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.” No longer is the fear of God important in the teachings of the ELCA. Other gods are accepted and other religions are acknowledged as offering a valid path to salvation. Of course, this is not the official teaching of this apostate church, but is becoming increasingly acceptable in numerous ELCA churches. The ELCA also welcomes those that teach a gospel other than our Lord taught, inviting controversial teachers to speak at many events, including their national youth gathering. Why not begin with the indoctrination of the young to emphasize these errant teachings in order to fundamentally change the face of Christianity?

Envious of the peace and tranquility of the State of Israel, the leaders of the ELCA advocate for the sworn enemies of Christians and Jews alike, the Arab State of Palestine. They encourage the terrorist organization Hamas, decrying Israel as a villain when they attempt to build housing communities on Israeli land. As rockets rain upon Israel, targeting innocent civilians, the leaders of the ELCA choose to ignore these acts of war, instead accusing Israel of committing atrocities when they retaliate, even while Israel shows remarkable restraint. The leadership of the United States, Israel’s one and only ally, stands idly by as Iran works feverishly to produce nuclear weapons, with the stated intent of eradicating Israel and the “Great Satan”, as they refer to the United States.

Christianity is under assault, not only by the secular elites, but by our own government. The Department of Justice continues to broaden its’ interpretation and enforcement of the separation of church and state. Student’s personal Bibles are confiscated at public schools, while implements of Islam are embraced and welcomed. Christian prayer is challenged in the courts while Muslims are allowed to leave their jobs and answer their five daily calls to prayer, citing somehow this will serve to foster tolerance. Any other religion is not only tolerated, but welcomed, while Christians are shouted down and looked upon as backward and uninformed. Daniel 8:23-25, “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.” This interpretation of one of Daniel’s visions rings eerily pertinent to today. Yet the leaders of the ELCA call Scripture outmoded and irrelevant to today’s society and work overtime to rewrite God’s word.

The leaders of the ELCA, in league with the government, use fear in an effort to destroy those that have the audacity to uphold the authority of Scripture. Churches undergoing the process of breaking fellowship are now being assailed in the courts by the leadership of the ELCA. Since the ELCA is so invested in this secular world, why wouldn’t they avail themselves of the tools of the state by bringing lawsuits against churches that have the nerve to want to break fellowship. As we turn the other cheek, those seeking to diminish the influence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, strike again and again. Michelle Obama compares her husband to Jesus Christ, proclaiming that he has brought us out of the dark and into the light. There is no light where there is no truth. As this President continually pits our citizens against one another, with lie after lie, leaders of God’s church join in, signing on to documents such as the Dream Act and accepting positions on presidential committees that only legitimize attacks on the very truths they are charged to uphold. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” Proclaim His truth until all have heard and believe! Dwell in God’s word and remain in the light. Shine bright with the light of Jesus Christ and expose the darkness that fills our world.

Fear is the Devil's Best Friend

There are many in our congregation that are concerned and troubled about the actions that took place at the ELCA Assembly last August.  Differing opinions as to what direction we should take has caused some unrest and misunderstandings among us. Some are afraid of a future with the ELCA when the new doctrines are enforced, while others fear what will happen if we choose to leave and join a new denomination.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, the evil one loves fear and hides in the darkness to delight in tempting Christians to question their faith and cause dissent among them. John 3:19-21, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 All those who do evil hate the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But those who live by the truth come into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” It is best to share each other’s concerns regarding the challenges that this congregation will have to face in the future. We cannot let the evil one work behind the scenes to plant seeds of doubt, fear and internal strife in an effort to cause us to falter in our faith. We must open our spiritual hearts, eyes, and minds in order to recognize when we are unwittingly being exploited by the evil one.

There is much to pray about and discern regarding some of the new doctrines adopted by the ELCA. These new policies will eventually touch everyone in our congregation. Ignoring these issues will not make them go away. As long as we remain an ELCA congregation we have the responsibility to defend the infallibility of Scripture. The doctrine of bound conscience will eventually lead our congregation to make difficult choices; do we wish to disregard God’s Word and place our own opinion above our Lord or do we fight to uphold God’s Word and keep Him first in our lives? Like Pastor Jay said in his sermon Sunday, there can be no middle ground, either you accept the gift of Jesus Christ and the truth of the Gospel or you deny Him.  Martin Luther said, “You should not believe your conscience and your feelings more than the word which the Lord who receives sinners preaches to you.” Unfortunately, the ELCA scholars that invented this bound conscience did not consider this statement, nor did they consider numerous passages in Scripture that prove this new doctrine contrary to God’s Word.

Dr. Martin Luther King said it well, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Our faith and the Word of God matters. So do the millions of Christians that are members of the ELCA and are either accepting the direction the ELCA is taking them or are unaware of this errant doctrine. Will we sit on the sidelines and try to remain neutral, or will we stand up for our Lord and Savior. Those that accede to these false gospels that the ELCA is foisting upon its members, are no better than the persons responsible for concocting it. We are called to challenge the false prophets and protect God’s children from being led astray. 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” Our Lord gives us the strength necessary to persevere in the face of hardship and persecution.

Ephesians 5:8-13, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible-and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” Live in the light and proclaim the Word of God, everywhere and to everyone.