| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net For the Real Men. Recently, a high school student was expelled for asking to pray with her teacher. In another headline, a woman from California was competing in a pageant and was asked her opinion on gay marriage. She related her support for differing opinions, then said she felt that marriage was/should be between a man and a woman. The judge then proceeded to go onto his blog and call her terrible names. Filthy names, because she didn’t agree with him. Are these two stories unrelated? We talk about “being a watchman” but have somewhere along the line forgotten what that means. We have been told for a couple of generations to keep “our religion” to ourselves, and we bought it. The great prophets of old had a twofold job. They were certainly to warn their people of imminent danger, but were also to tell the folks when they were doing wrong. Nugget: Remember what Jesus told Peter about His Church? “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. Does this sound defensive or offensive? In Jude 3, we are admonished if not commanded to “earnestly contend for the faith”. This means battle. When did we adopt this Circle the Wagons strategy, and what has it gotten us. God’s purpose for us was to be bold, uncompromising, and take a stand. Paul was worried that we would be too zealous the other way, and urged us to “not think more highly of ourselves than we should” - Romans 12:3. He cautioned us often to temper everything with love, and to respect others, but we have just drawn the shades. The world tells us we are dogmatic, judgmental, and mean if we say something is wrong. Nugget. I’m not talking about my opinion, or yours, but according to God’s word, some things are just Wrong, because He is God, and He says so. It matters not what I think about it. OK men. In Eph. 4, we are instructed to “walk” or behave ourselves with “meekness”. This very word has been perverted, till it conjures up images we never want to be associated with. Yet Meekness is Not weakness. Defined, it is Power under control. In the Bible, the same root word is used for a Powerful horse that has been broken. These were a feared thing in battle. Also, a sailing wind. Doesn’t it give you pause to use the phrase: “harness the wind”. It is a fearful thing, not unlike a chimney fire. Jesus isn’t a sixties hippie throwing love beads on everyone He encounters. Look at Him in Daniel, or Revelation, and you can understand why 2nd Cor. 5:11 says: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;”. Drawing the shades and letting people just do as seems right to them, regardless of how noble the world tells you that is, is no different than telling them “go to hell”. It is what we call, "Condemning Tolerance". God is not asking anyone to beat people into submission, but let’s quit compromising. BTW, We will host a Men's Conference February 10th and 11th (noon Friday to noon Saturday) at Emmanuel Baptist Cottonwood. You men are encouraged to join us. For info, call 208 507-0785 God Bless. |
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