Rest in Him AND action

By: American Decency Staff

Is there a controversy regarding resting in God’s sovereignty and action amongst believers?  May there not be so.

Inviting you to:  Preachers preaching on “The Rising Tide:  Persecution in America” – October 16 and 17.

First, let me say that I believe in the sovereignty of God.  I believe that God is in control; that nothing surprises Him. 

At the same time, I believe that God operates in the hearts and minds of men leading them and guiding them day by day.  Men have free wills.  We are not robots.

In the days of Hitler and Nazi Germany, there was great compliance in the German culture and the German church.  All of us likely have a fairly good understanding of what took place under the treachery of this complicit (look the other way) culture.

America, too, was slow to engage the enemy – initially.  Without American intervention, what would the world have become? 

Yet, God saw fit to raise up opposition to the death camps, the annihilation of an unsuspecting, wrongly-targeted people – the Jewish people. 

And, it wasn’t until we were bombed at Pearl Harbor that the “sleeping giant” woke up. 

Pacifism was not the answer.  Looking the other way was not the answer.  The needless brutalization of the elderly, children, women, and men was stopped.

Many asked then and now “Where was the church?”   You perhaps (along with me) have read the book “Bonhoeffer” by Erick Metaxes. 

Deitrich Bonhoeffer  tried to awaken the church.  Wrongly? Rightly?  Some probably think he went too far. Others hold a different view.

 But, this much can be said:   He is largely viewed as a hero of the faith.

“When all is said and done, the life of faith is nothing if not an unending struggle of the spirit with every available weapon against the flesh.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

What would you have done?  What would I have done?  Would we have been preaching peace, peace when just even a few miles away people were being gassed, starved, degraded, without a defender?

Is there not such a thing as righteous indignation?  Would God not have us hate evil as He hates evil?  Would He not have us oppose those in our day who are on the move across the world raping innocent boys and girls, beheading the infidels (Jews, Christians and other “infidels”?    I speak of Islamists.

We don’t face the Nazis today.  But, there is an enemy not only abroad but getting closer day by day.  But, those who are self-absorbed, those who turn a blind eye, as many “good Christian” Germans did in the 1930s and 1940s, do not see it.

Of course, we are to put our hope and trust in God.  Yes, God will take care of His children.  And, yes, sometimes that care for His children can come right up to and through the point in time of having your head sliced off. 

But who among us wants to go through that?   What about your elderly loved ones, your little ones?

But “they” seemingly are not here yet.   Or are they subtly preparing the way, and we just don’t think about their agenda and/or movement.

Is there anything that we can be or should be doing in preparation?  What is being done elsewhere where Islamists cells are developing in far away countries or even as some would say in Dearborn, Minneapolis, …

Dr. Ben Carson is being vilified in the media because he said that he didn’t believe that a Muslim should be President.  His reasoning being that generally Muslims uphold Sharia and that Sharia law is more about governance than about religion – a governance that harshly runs in direct opposition to the U.S. Constitution.  Islamic law which demeans and abuses women, denies the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, etc.

Nihad Awad, one of the founders of CAIR (the Council on American Islamic Relations) stated that Ben Carson should step down for his comments.   Unlike many Muslim countries, we have free speech in America. And Carson's opinion shouldn't disqualify him from anything but individual votes if that be the case.

In preparation for persecution, it is important for you to become familiar with terms such as:  civilization jihad, taqiyya,  dhimmitude.  Understanding the times in order to know what to do. 

As Christians should we just find rest in Christ alone and in His sovereignty and the providence of God and ignore what is taking place around us?  Or shouldn’t we also be developing understanding so that we can oppose deceit and deception that is coming to us in increasingly subtle and not so subtle ways.    

And lastly on another deeply concerning front –  What about the battle surrounding Biblical marriage? 

Should Kim Davis, Rowan County Clerk (Ky),  have complied with the recent Supreme Court ruling that legalized same sex marriage though it went against her Biblical convictions?  

Should Kim Davis have obeyed man rather than God despite the fact that God’s word calls us to obey God rather than man when man’s law runs counter to God’s Holy Word?

Some believers think that Kim Davis and others like her should just submit to the new law of the land recognizing it for what it is – a decision by the highest court of the land despite the fact that it is in direct conflict with God’s Word.  Yet why do we not then “obey” the racist Supreme Court decision of Dred Scott which has since been roundly denounced and refuted?

Other questions that I believe we should be thinking through and I’m hoping will be addressed at our October 16 and 17 preaching conference – “The Rising Tide” are:

What does the Bible say about this: "I am sending you out as Sheep in the Midst of Wolves"

Who are the wolves of our generation?   How do these wolves behave and conduct themselves in these days? 

What does the Bible say about persecution?

First, why should we be prepared for persecution?

Five things that Christians need to do to prepare for persecution.

What are some possible scenarios where persons may face persecution?

What does the Bible say about blessing those who persecute you?

How should a Christian conduct himself when in a family reunion setting one of the family secularists says derogatory things about God, marriage, the Bible?

How should a Christian young person or college student respond when a teacher propagates homosexuality and marriage and basically belittles that student’s faith?

Is it ever appropriate for a Christian to strike back forcefully?
 
What are God's purposes behind "Bless those who persecute you?”

For one who resisted the persecution of her Jewish friends and neighbors, see the presentation below from our event a couple of years ago.

Resource:

Diet Eman: 93 year shares her personal story including her experience

In a death camp, saving Jewish people from Nazi Germany.

---

Visit us at AmericanDecency.org

To support our efforts please click here or mail your gift to American Decency Association (ADA), PO Box 202, Fremont, MI 49412.  

American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

---