01/19/18 MEN FAIL, SOCIETY COLLAPSES, BUT JESUS NEVER FAILS.
(just some personal reflections from the past and instructions for tomorrow. It may not be very interesting).
Just thinking back over the years. I remember when our church contacted one of the most famous US Senators in American history and he turned his back on our little church, at a time when America was starting to lose its way spiritually, morally, socially and politically. He chose not to stand, but we stood firm.
At the same time I approached a very well known and highly esteemed US Representative, also from my State, asking him to stand with us for traditional vaules and the right of the church to be the church (as it always had been in our country) without Government intrusion. He too (along with the aforementioned Senator) agreed with us that an injustice was being leveled against our church and against religious freedom, but he also pulled his skirts up and ran.
I also remember that one of the leading men in our church approached a local State Representative who was a popular "Christian." He actually got straight to the point when he told us that he would not help us and that we just needed to leave the State.
To his credit, the Governor of the State contacted us in those days and asked what he could do to help us. But when I told him what needed to be done, he sadly said that it was something he could not get the State to do because of financial influences.
I remember approaching a world famous "evangelical" minister (who was also a lawyer and was the head of a "Christian Television Network") and asked for his support in standing against government intrusion and oppression. He agreed that our cause was sound, but he was busy running for President of the United States.
I remember contacting one of the best and most solid evangelical ministers, who often addressed the problem of government creep into the church and the dangers of State control. He slso had a popular TV ministry (located in Florida), though he did not fit the stereotypical image of a TV preacher. He also agreed that we were being unfairly and illegally attacked, but he did not have time to help us.
Another world famous minister (he was of the fundamentalist Baptist background), who led a national movement that has had untold influence for good in America, also refused to stand with us.
As it turned out, we did leave the State. But Jesus never left us. He never failed us. He never brushed us off with, "be ye warmed and fed." He kept us even in the midst of a changing society and a deteriorating religious time.
As the years have moved ahead, our nation has abandoned its foundation more and more every day. Now look what we have. All of the political figures I mentioned earlier were known for their commitment to Christianity. All of the ministers I mentioned were known for their courageous stand against the State, in favor of traditional values and Christian principles. Yet none of them stood with us. In fact, I remember watching the national news when some of these great champions of the faith took a stand in Congressional meetings to support Sun Myung Moon, a false prophet, a man who claimed to be the second coming of Christ, fuffilling prophecies, which Jesus failed to fulfill. But I don't remember them being there when the State threatened to take our children away from us, when the State threatened to raid and shut down our church, when the State threatened to take me out of the pulpit and put me in jail.
They were not there, but Jesus was. I remember, in those days, parishioners who were willing to stand firm and were even willing to put their families on the line for the Lordship of Christ over His church.
Time has passed. Some things have changed. Those men who failed to stand then, never did stand. But Jesus has not failed. We are in for some rough seas ahead. Make sure that your aboard the vessle (The Old Ship of Zion) that will weather the storm. Make sure that your Captain is the One Who made and rules the seas. Make sure that you stand firmly on deck as the storms rage.
