Most of you know that I started blogging at another site called Jesus Is Lord, A Worshipping Christian's Blog. The blog owner's name is Steve, he and his wife, Missi love the Lord and have a desire to see people come to Christ through their blog ministry. Jesus Is Lord gets thousands of hits every day and many of those readers are atheists. In case you didn't know, atheists are not always nice, especially when it comes to things of God and the church.
I have been blogging at JIL this morning. What we do mostly is read Christian news headlines and post the articles for discussion. This morning, the headlines are particularly frightening. Here are just a few of the ones that I have run across:
Lesbians, Condoms Go Wild In Attack On Christian Church
Thirteen Year Old Girl Sentenced to Stoning (According to Sharia) for Being Gang Raped
Bill Graham Replaced by Homosexual Bishop
Post-Election Harassment Continues Over Marriage Amendment
And those are just a few of the headlines that should concern us as believers. I hear Christian people say that they cannot listen to the news because it makes them depressed. I agree that the way the world is today makes it easy for us to become down and depressed. But God......
I read these headlines and I see the world going to hell in a handbag......it COULD be depressing to me, But God.........
I believe Christians NEED to be aware of current events and we need to know what is happening in our world. We need to know what the Bible says about gay marriage, abortion, homosexuality, stem cell research, end times events, etc. We also need to know about current events, because in Matthew the Bible tells us "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour".
The Bible does NOT say for Christians to keep their heads in the sand and wait, but to actively watch and to wait with our lamps burning. Jesus wants us to watch for Him. Part of watching means that we need to be aware of the signs of His coming..........there are signs all around us, but in order to know what they are, we have to study the Word (which is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path)......are you watching and more importantly, are you watching with your lamp burning????
8 comments:
Your post is very timely. I was just on JIL last night with a rebuttal to an atheist familiar to you also, tribal sky ... (I won't dignify his full blog name)
You are correct. Just because the news isn't an easy read for a Christian doesn't mean that we can bury our heads in the sand.
It's bad enough when we have to deal with the garbage of the world as we're out in the world. When I go to a Christian website, such as JIL, and I have to deal with people trying to tear it apart, I get a little crazy. I know I'm inviting arguements with atheists as I rebut their comments, but, we have to show them that Christians won't just lay down and die. Meek is not synonymous with weak!
Wow. I like what greg p. says in his last line..."Meek is not synonymous with weak."
Oh my, so much darkness. I need your email address. Will you send it to me? tsblackiston@comcast.net
thank you for this post bethanne. it is so disheartening that here in los angeles, there had been pickets at christian churches, protests almost everyday. i get so upset to the point where i jut want to scream! what calms me down is knowing that God is and will always be our Savior!
thank you for all that you do.
mary anne
Man...its just hard living in this world we live in. We need to know who we are and why we believe the way we believe. We must always stay close to Jesus. Apart from Him...I'm a complete mess!!
I love ya!
Fran
I suppose the reason we get upset by this is because we are so used to not suffering for our faith...I mean not really. While it can be infuriating and disheartening, I believe ultimately we should be encouraged. Jesus promised us that the world hated Him and if the we are of Him, it will hate us too. So actually, the fact that the Christian religion is the ONLY religion that gets slammed, silenced, persecuted, and not "TOLERATED" is quite a complement to me. Why would satan roar against his own house, i.e. muslims, buddhists, hindus, etc. A house divided will not stand. Of course he is railing against Christians...we are his enemy! I have to confess that I have to refrain from the news because my poor hubby wearies of the daily sermonettes that I preach...I simply can't contain the prophet in me (which is the biggest reason I blog), however, I am not unaware and I do a lot of battling on my knees. The main thing we must be careful to do in our zealousness is to remain calm and gentle and in control...Holy Spirit controlled. Satan knows he can get me in the flesh in a hurry when he starts in on my Jesus and if I'm not careful and prayerful, I can engage in an argument that doesn't have an ultimate end in salvation.(I've cut off a lot of ears in my day:) Just being honest about a major weakness
So I'm right there with you and the apathy of the American church is, I believe, perhaps the number one reason we are seeing what we are seeing. However, we must constantly be seeking God's guidance about our words and our arguments because we are suppose to be pointing to the light for the hope that is in us. Using God's word is the best defense I have found when I want to use my own words...because I never have to confess for saying something wrong if I use His words.
Thanks for the post...I didn't know you blogged over there. When my child is about 6 or 7 years old maybe I'll have more time on my hands...we are down to one nap per day now and it just ain't enuf!! LOL!!
Love you girl..BTW...I think it's time TCBC had a "blog" party face to face...I'm thinkin' Chedders, Chili's, Panera Bread??? Just an idear!
Love,
onesacrfice
Great post Beth. I read those kinds of headlines and it worries me too. We do need to be alert and aware of what is going on in the world.
Have you heard a UN delegation recently toured Babylon and is planning on how best to restore it? What's next? Moving the UN HQ there? Hoping Gabriel is raising the trumpet but fearful the US church will go through some rough times first. Debbie S.
Post a Comment