If God’s people of the past, the truly God’s people of clear sound doctrine as led by the Holy Spirit had not heeded the guidance, the opportunities, been given boldness, confidence and ignored God, turned from that which they knew was wrong and they knew what was right…and they had remained silent, fearful, hiding in the shadows, leaving the work to others, refusing the Lord?

I would not be here writing this. I would not be saved and forgiven my sin. I would not be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, a child of God, one of God’s people today.

Neither would you dear brother, or sister, if as you read this you are in the faith and obedience of Jesus Christ, pursuing God, submitting to the Lord, and living as one of God’s people.

You and I would have nothing ahead of us if God’s people in the Bible, and from that historical time forward remained silent, apathetic, leaving things up to others. You and I would have nothing but condemnation and wrath, eternal misery and eternal damnation due to the silence, the shirking of duty, responsibility, the hiding, and the apathy of those who came before us.

We have the hope and assurance of eternal life in heaven with the Lord and all the heavenly hosts due to our faith in Jesus, and our obedience to Him, yes, but were it not for those who came before us taking action, speaking up, spreading the gospel, standing firmly and boldly in the Word of God unwavering, uncompromising, not appeasing the world, not remaining silent or fearful — we would have remained darkness in darkness lost for eternity.

Every one of God’s people we know or can know in the Holy Bible are LIVING, HUMAN examples to us, for us. Not just stories. In the Word of God for a reason.

Every one of God’s people we know or can come to know in history, in our own lives are LIVING HUMAN examples to us, for us to learn from and take action. They are not just stories or footnotes in history. We know or can know of them for a reason.

Examples.

Be a light unto the world.

Be the salt of the earth.

Those are commands, direct words from God Who came to earth fully truly God, the Son, Who also was truly fully a man. Sinless. Spotless. Blameless. Yet still a man. And His words ought to be our soldering on orders in conducting our lives, what we carry in our hearts and souls, and how then those words, His words, Him in us is revealed to the world.

Not where we blend into the world and cannot be distinguished from any other person in the world, in all the darkness.

Read on…

Ken Pullen, Saturday, November 18th, 2023

Preaching Faithfully in Critical Times

When the world is being shaken it desperately needs to hear a bold proclamation of God’s Word from pulpits.

Friday, November 17, 2023

By Bert Harper

Reprinted from The Stand

There is always much discussion about a pastor’s responsibility and freedom to be involved in the political arena. Having served as a pastor for decades, I am well aware of the implications that go along with the territory. What do you say, where can you say it and how do you say it? These are three of the questions that go through your mind as you go through the process of deciding what to do.

With the moral climate of our nation in a declining spiral, many pastors are asking, “Has the time come for more involvement or do I continue sitting on the sidelines watching?” I want to encourage you to get involved like never before. I have met pastors who have sent their sermons to the IRS, and in the sermon, they endorsed a candidate. I have met other pastors who from their pulpits preached on the issues and told their congregations what they were going to do. I also know pastors who ignore what is going on in the culture and government and preach biblical messages trusting God to direct the affairs of men. Each one of these positions is a legitimate position. I am not here to argue or debate your choice, but I am concerned about our nation, churches, pastors, and Christians doing business as usual.

It is high time we awaken and look to see where our apathy has taken us. As Christians, our influence in our communities and nation is diminished. There is confusion about where churches stand on the moral issues of our day. Pulpits are often uncertain and unclear about the issues. It is time to stand up and speak up about what the Bible says about life, marriage, homosexuality, pornography, etc. I know that you could add a lot more items to the list, but I think that you would agree that we are living in difficult days.

The comment that I hear the most about pastors and their participation (or lack thereof) in preaching about these important issues is, “I don’t think the pastor or the church should involve themselves in political business.” I am sure that you have heard from others who have shared their reasoning, but I want to share with you two simple reasons I choose to speak about these matters.

First, the government has invaded the territory of the church. Life, marriage, and sexual integrity are areas where the Bible speaks clearly and loudly. We must not shy away from standing in love and speaking biblical truth to our generation. If the preachers won’t, who will?

Second, the pastor of the church serves two roles that are found in the Old Testament. He is like the priest, taking the people to God through prayer. This is what Peter said concerning the 7 men who were chosen to take care of the feeding of the widows in Acts 6, so the apostles could give themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. The pastor is also like the prophet, taking God’s Word to the people. Speaking clearly from the Bible “thus says the Lord.” The prophets in the Old Testament spoke boldly about moral matters even if it included the ruling government. I would say that was getting involved in the political process.

I do believe it is time that together we speak with a loud voice!

PRAY! LIVE GODLY! VOTE MORALLY!

If we will do this while encouraging our people to do the same, we can make a difference.