When you think about it, God has a way of getting his truth out, even if he has to use those other than his own people to do so. The sad truth is, those who are called by his name who should be speaking out boldly on his behalf often are not doing so.
We have far too many cowards and spineless wonders who will never speak out about God even if a golden opportunity is handed to them. They will talk all day long about football or some stupid game or what they had for dinner, but will never open their mouth to share their faith, or to speak biblical truth in the public arena.
Not only is this an appalling show of cravenness, but it is also something we all should fear greatly. When we don’t speak up when given the chance, we are effectively denying our Lord. Jesus was quite clear about all this. Consider just two of his severe warnings:
Matthew 10:32-33 – Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
Mark 8:38 – If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.
Yet daily so many believers are guilty of doing this very thing. We often have golden opportunities to share our faith or speak up about some hot topic of the day from a biblical viewpoint, but do we avail ourselves of them? Or do we just wimp out?
I recall one noted politician and believer many years ago being interviewed on the radio. They discussed his ill wife and how she pulled through in the end. The secular hosts thought it was all rather miraculous. The politician certainly could have agreed, but only managed to say something about how the doctors did a good job.
What an incredible opportunity to give glory to God in a most natural and friendly situation, yet this guy refused to even go there. And how many of us also squander such great chances to easily share about our faith and about all the good things he has done for us.
As I said, God will not leave himself without a witness (see Acts 14:17). If his own people do not speak up, he will find another way. Just think about Balaam’s ass for example (Numbers 22). And Jesus even said that if his own followers would not speak out, then the very stones would cry out (Luke 19:40).
America's Real Warby Lapin, Rabbi Daniel (Author)
And today we have many non-Christians who often talk much more sense and are much more clued up about things than are many believers. One thinks of columnists such as Andrew Bolt in Melbourne or Brendan O’Neil in London. The former is at least an agnostic who often out-guns Christians on key issues, while the latter is an atheist and Marxist, yet does tremendous pieces critiquing the homosexual juggernaut and so on.
Many other non-Christians could be cited here, but let me finish with just one more. American Jewish Rabbi Daniel Lapin has been terrific not just in the culture wars, but in standing up for Christians – when Christians themselves are so often asleep at the wheel.
His 1998 volume, America’s Real War, was a superb look at the moral, cultural and spiritual battles taking place, and an impassioned plea for people of faith to get their act together and start responding to the many challenges they face. He demonstrated how the inroads of militant secularism have to be strongly resisted by those holding to the Judeo-Christian worldview.
He speaks to these truths in many places, but in an article first penned back in 2007, he again turns to this theme with great flair and gusto. The piece is called, “A rabbi’s warning to U.S. Christians.” And it is certainly a very important and powerful warning. He begins this way:
I am certainly not a Churchill. I am not even a Revel. I am having enough trouble just trying to be a Lapin. But I am issuing a very serious warning about deep consequences, just as they did. It is a warning about the earliest stages of what could become a cataract of disasters if not resisted now.
During the 1930s, Winston Churchill desperately tried to persuade the English people and their government to see that Hitler meant to end their way of life. The British ignored Churchill, which gave Hitler nearly 10 years to build up his military forces. It wasn’t until Hitler actually drew blood that the British realized they had a war on their hands. It turned out to be a far longer and more destructive war than it needed to be had Churchill’s early warning been heeded.
In 1983, a brave French writer, Jean-Francois Revel, wrote a book called How Democracies Perish. In this remarkable volume, he described how communism’s aim is world conquest. For decades he had been trying to warn of communism’s very real threat. Yet in January 1982, a high State Department official said: “We Americans are not solving problems, we are the problem.” (Some things never change.) A good portion of the planet fell to communism, which brought misery and death to millions because we failed to recognize in time that others meant to harm us.
And he concludes this way:
Tyranny comes when citizens are seduced into trading freedom for the promise of safety and security.
Considerably more intellectual energy is being pumped into the propaganda campaign against Christianity than was ever delivered to the anti-smoking or anti-drunk-driving campaigns. Fervent zealots of secularism are flinging themselves into this anti-Christian war with enormous fanaticism.
If they succeed, Christianity will be driven underground, and its benign influence on the character of America will be lost. In its place we shall see a sinister secularism that menaces Bible believers of all faiths. Once the voice of the Bible has been silenced, the war on Western Civilization can begin and we shall see a long night of barbarism descend on the West.
Without a vibrant and vital Christianity, America is doomed, and without America, the West is doomed.
Which is why I, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, devoted to Jewish survival, the Torah and Israel am so terrified of American Christianity caving in.
Many of us Jews are ready to stand with you. But you must lead. You must replace your timidity with nerve and your diffidence with daring and determination. You are under attack. Now is the time to resist it.
Wow, powerful words. And so true. Why aren’t Christians speaking these truths? Why do non-Christians so often have to say what needs to be said? I urge you to read his entire piece. Then I urge you to start speaking out about those things that matter.
Away with our reprehensible cowardliness. We need some stout-hearted men who will stand and speak. Will you be one of them?
11 Replies to “So When Will Christians Realise This?”
It seems that the lessons from Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, were not convincing enough, of the hazards of persecution of Jews and Christians alike. You are right, as so is Rabbi Daniel Lapin; as a society, we are asleep at the wheel, again!!
Just as I received this post and read it, the front page of the SMH screams a blasphemous headline and a derisory article that would never have been tolerated only a few years ago – below. I would normally comment but it’s closed for comment for some reason. It’s open season on Christians and their belief for sure. The lack of respect for a belief that isn’t tried against Islam or another religion.Satan is having a field day.
For what it’s worth, I always comment from a Christian perspective if I see an article and then vitriol and hate is used to try and silence me and anyone else on the same page. Not that that stops me!
Andrew Bolt is an example. He’s an agnostic, but he seems to call out the spiritual issues of the day with more vigour than the Christians!
I’m just sick of the idea that as Christians, we should be benign and nice all the time.
Nick Davies
Hi Bill, As usual I agree completely with your sentiments.
I try to get involved in as much talk back radio as I can to push the Christian/ Conservative world view .This medium suits me as I can usually listen to the radio while I work and do other things.
I began this ‘ministry’ about 15 years during the legalization of abortion debate in Western Australia. After conquering my initial fears I discovered that it could be a useful, effective and economic way to plant ideas in the community and promote the conservative Christian world view.
The lamestream media need lots of content to fill the news cycle and sometimes that need allows an opportunity for even the Christian view to fill the airtime.
Numbers matter with talk- back and I’ve seen shock jocks change their minds ( on the air) when a majority of callers have phoned with a view opposing the jock.
The secret to being effective is to keep your point short simple, clear and undeniably true and when possible repeat it . This gets the audience agreeing with you. I like to ask Socratic style questions of shock jocks like ‘Why do you want to radically redefine marriage so that it only includes two people from same sex relationships /Why not allow three people or more to marry? Why do you discriminate against these loving adult relationships ?
Or to the ABC ‘ Why are you presenting only the pro death view on Euthanasia on your radio show this morning?’
I urge my fellow Christians to get involved. It can be very effective.
Dear Bill,
Thank you for the article.
As it says in the Bible the Holy Spirit blows where it wills.
Could not agree more. Christians must be preaching the Gospel in the High streets, in local newspapers, ans as Mr Connelly says, on radio phone ins. I heard a BBC radio presenter say this week that acceptance of same sex marriage was a core British value. Christians must challenge such PC assumptions.
Yes, we sure do need stout-hearted men and women who will stand and speak.
We are not to give in or give up.
Speak the truth in love
Judith Bond
Here is a glimpse into the thoughts of many of the ignorant and uninformed Christians Bill talks about:
I once posted an article on social media by Andrew Bolt in which he was criticising abortion. A Christian I knew couldn’t help but express how much they hated Bolt, first online and then in front of a group of friends. They ranted and carried on about how Bolt is a racist even though the article was entirely about saving children’s lives (and the reality that Bolt’s racism conviction is very debatable).
Christians like this love Obama despite the fact that no president has done more to limit and sideline Christianity (while promoting plenty of evils) and yet they cannot see that even agnostics like Bolt are on the mark on the keys issues facing the church today.
Liberal twistings of Christianity have long filtered down through the seminaries and most of what is left is “social justice” seekers who couldn’t give you the biblical definition of justice.
So true, Bill. The problem is, so many Christians lack any kind of conviction in their hearts, let alone speaking out of their mouths. If you don’t fully believe in the words of Jesus, how are you ever going to be able to stand up in front of haters? The early church was full of the Holy Spirit, and even people like Peter, who denied Christ at the crucifixion, were transformed by the power of God in their lives to enable them to be extraordinary in God’s strength. I pray regularly that God will give us a similarly powerful strength and conviction. We cannot stand without it.
Bill, you are correct there is not enough of us out there preaching the gospel. Yet it’s that preaching of the gospel that we see separates the sheep from the goats in Matt 25.
The sheep acknowledge Christ before men. The goats do not.
Many read Matt 25 merely in physical terms. But scripture is spiritually discerned, 1Cor 2:14. Consider the spiritual message in Matt 25:32-46.
The sheep help the spiritually hungry, thirsty, naked, strangers, sick and in prison.
Who are these people?
It’s the lost/ unsaved.
Christians/sheep preach the gospel of Christ to those who spiritually hunger/thirst as they lack Christ our spiritual food/drink, 1Cor 10:3,4.
We should preach the gospel to the spiritually naked so that they too may be clothed with the robes of righteousness/garments of salvation, Isa 61:10.
We should preach the gospel to the spiritually sick (Isa1:5,6) so that they may be healed.
We should preach the gospel to those in spiritual prison (Isa 61:1), so they may be set free.
We should preach the gospel to the strangers from the covenants of promise who have no hope and without God in the world (Eph 2:12), so that they may no longer be strangers, but becomes fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God (Eph 2:19).
Preaching the gospel of grace is what separates the sheep from the goats, as Matt 25 explains.
Recently I was spoken to by some travelling Jehovah’s Witnesses. One of the two seemed to have some sense of what we should do whilst the other objected to my view that we need to stand and fight for our God and be in support of our God and his righteousness.. He disagreed with this and felt that we should leave that all up to God to deal with. I then asked him if David was a great man beloved by God? Reluctantly he agreed. Then I asked him why did he rebuke his own nation for allowing Goliath and the Philistines to abuse the name of their god. No answer was forthcoming for he knew where I was going. Did David stand up prepared to stop the abuse against the name of God or didn’t he? Did he step back and leave it for God to sort out or Did he kill Goliath to stop their abuse. Yes of course he did. And lastly wasn’t he a man beloved by God? Yes. End of Story…… And Yet there remains one question. Are we prepared to stand up and stop the abuse against our God, his name and his teachings???????
It seems that the lessons from Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, were not convincing enough, of the hazards of persecution of Jews and Christians alike. You are right, as so is Rabbi Daniel Lapin; as a society, we are asleep at the wheel, again!!
Just as I received this post and read it, the front page of the SMH screams a blasphemous headline and a derisory article that would never have been tolerated only a few years ago – below. I would normally comment but it’s closed for comment for some reason. It’s open season on Christians and their belief for sure. The lack of respect for a belief that isn’t tried against Islam or another religion.Satan is having a field day.
http://www.smh.com.au/fifa-world-cup-2014/world-cup-news-2014/jesus-can-you-credit-the-fury-over-that-christ-balloon-20140611-zs4ai.html
For what it’s worth, I always comment from a Christian perspective if I see an article and then vitriol and hate is used to try and silence me and anyone else on the same page. Not that that stops me!
Andrew Bolt is an example. He’s an agnostic, but he seems to call out the spiritual issues of the day with more vigour than the Christians!
I’m just sick of the idea that as Christians, we should be benign and nice all the time.
Nick Davies
Hi Bill, As usual I agree completely with your sentiments.
I try to get involved in as much talk back radio as I can to push the Christian/ Conservative world view .This medium suits me as I can usually listen to the radio while I work and do other things.
I began this ‘ministry’ about 15 years during the legalization of abortion debate in Western Australia. After conquering my initial fears I discovered that it could be a useful, effective and economic way to plant ideas in the community and promote the conservative Christian world view.
The lamestream media need lots of content to fill the news cycle and sometimes that need allows an opportunity for even the Christian view to fill the airtime.
Numbers matter with talk- back and I’ve seen shock jocks change their minds ( on the air) when a majority of callers have phoned with a view opposing the jock.
The secret to being effective is to keep your point short simple, clear and undeniably true and when possible repeat it . This gets the audience agreeing with you. I like to ask Socratic style questions of shock jocks like ‘Why do you want to radically redefine marriage so that it only includes two people from same sex relationships /Why not allow three people or more to marry? Why do you discriminate against these loving adult relationships ?
Or to the ABC ‘ Why are you presenting only the pro death view on Euthanasia on your radio show this morning?’
I urge my fellow Christians to get involved. It can be very effective.
Dear Bill,
Thank you for the article.
As it says in the Bible the Holy Spirit blows where it wills.
Could not agree more. Christians must be preaching the Gospel in the High streets, in local newspapers, ans as Mr Connelly says, on radio phone ins. I heard a BBC radio presenter say this week that acceptance of same sex marriage was a core British value. Christians must challenge such PC assumptions.
Yes, we sure do need stout-hearted men and women who will stand and speak.
We are not to give in or give up.
Speak the truth in love
Judith Bond
Here is a glimpse into the thoughts of many of the ignorant and uninformed Christians Bill talks about:
I once posted an article on social media by Andrew Bolt in which he was criticising abortion. A Christian I knew couldn’t help but express how much they hated Bolt, first online and then in front of a group of friends. They ranted and carried on about how Bolt is a racist even though the article was entirely about saving children’s lives (and the reality that Bolt’s racism conviction is very debatable).
Christians like this love Obama despite the fact that no president has done more to limit and sideline Christianity (while promoting plenty of evils) and yet they cannot see that even agnostics like Bolt are on the mark on the keys issues facing the church today.
Liberal twistings of Christianity have long filtered down through the seminaries and most of what is left is “social justice” seekers who couldn’t give you the biblical definition of justice.
So true, Bill. The problem is, so many Christians lack any kind of conviction in their hearts, let alone speaking out of their mouths. If you don’t fully believe in the words of Jesus, how are you ever going to be able to stand up in front of haters? The early church was full of the Holy Spirit, and even people like Peter, who denied Christ at the crucifixion, were transformed by the power of God in their lives to enable them to be extraordinary in God’s strength. I pray regularly that God will give us a similarly powerful strength and conviction. We cannot stand without it.
Bill, you are correct there is not enough of us out there preaching the gospel. Yet it’s that preaching of the gospel that we see separates the sheep from the goats in Matt 25.
The sheep acknowledge Christ before men. The goats do not.
Many read Matt 25 merely in physical terms. But scripture is spiritually discerned, 1Cor 2:14. Consider the spiritual message in Matt 25:32-46.
The sheep help the spiritually hungry, thirsty, naked, strangers, sick and in prison.
Who are these people?
It’s the lost/ unsaved.
Christians/sheep preach the gospel of Christ to those who spiritually hunger/thirst as they lack Christ our spiritual food/drink, 1Cor 10:3,4.
We should preach the gospel to the spiritually naked so that they too may be clothed with the robes of righteousness/garments of salvation, Isa 61:10.
We should preach the gospel to the spiritually sick (Isa1:5,6) so that they may be healed.
We should preach the gospel to those in spiritual prison (Isa 61:1), so they may be set free.
We should preach the gospel to the strangers from the covenants of promise who have no hope and without God in the world (Eph 2:12), so that they may no longer be strangers, but becomes fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God (Eph 2:19).
Preaching the gospel of grace is what separates the sheep from the goats, as Matt 25 explains.
Recently I was spoken to by some travelling Jehovah’s Witnesses. One of the two seemed to have some sense of what we should do whilst the other objected to my view that we need to stand and fight for our God and be in support of our God and his righteousness.. He disagreed with this and felt that we should leave that all up to God to deal with. I then asked him if David was a great man beloved by God? Reluctantly he agreed. Then I asked him why did he rebuke his own nation for allowing Goliath and the Philistines to abuse the name of their god. No answer was forthcoming for he knew where I was going. Did David stand up prepared to stop the abuse against the name of God or didn’t he? Did he step back and leave it for God to sort out or Did he kill Goliath to stop their abuse. Yes of course he did. And lastly wasn’t he a man beloved by God? Yes. End of Story…… And Yet there remains one question. Are we prepared to stand up and stop the abuse against our God, his name and his teachings???????