Metaldoc
10-23-2005, 11:34
"And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and set up false witnesses.......... " Acts 6:12-13
And the hight priest said, "Is this so?" Acts 7:1
What would you say? If you were in Stephen's place, what would you say when the high priest asked you if you were continually preaching against the Temple and the Jewish beliefs? Would you stammer and stutter and say insane things? Would you shake in your sandals and say nothing? Would you be able to quote scripture to explain to this "holy man" what you were doing and why? Would you say things to placate the man so he might possibly let you live? Or Would you say what God wanted said no matter what the cost?
Obviously, we are not Stephens, and we will never face the Jewish high priest, but we will be called upon to defend our faith. It may start with a neighbor
or a co-worker ridiculing you because you read the Bible on lunch break. It may begin with a family member who thinks you are being "holier than thou" because you live the Christian life 24/7. Who knows where it will begin, but it will.
Will you be prepared to speak up for Jesus?
Eventually your stand for Jesus may reach the courts. Would there be enough evidence to convict you?
But you think, "Oh, but that could never happen. This is the United States of America. We enjoy religious freedom. It is guaranteed by our Constitution."
Yes, it is. But have you noticed how our freedoms are being eroded away? Even as we speak, men and women of the judiciary and congress and the administration are designing ways to take away our freedom in the name of "safety."
Oh, they don"t put it that way. It is usually reversed.
"We must keep our citizenry safe, therefore we must pass this law that may infringe upon our freedom of speech (or religion) just a bit in order that we can protect everyone."
Sound familiar?
It should, we hear it quite frequently on the evening news.
Sooner or later someone will use those small "infringements" to crack down on
"renegade fundamentalist" Christians. Eventually you will be a target. Then YOU will have to defend your faith in Jesus Christ before authorities we thought were
our friends.
Will you be prepared to speak up for Jesus? Will you be able to defend your faith?
By the grace of God, we can, but we must begin now (or continue to do so) to
instill within our spirits the Word of God so that the Spirit of God can draw upon it when He directs our defense of our faith in our Lord and Savior.
And the hight priest said, "Is this so?" Acts 7:1
What would you say? If you were in Stephen's place, what would you say when the high priest asked you if you were continually preaching against the Temple and the Jewish beliefs? Would you stammer and stutter and say insane things? Would you shake in your sandals and say nothing? Would you be able to quote scripture to explain to this "holy man" what you were doing and why? Would you say things to placate the man so he might possibly let you live? Or Would you say what God wanted said no matter what the cost?
Obviously, we are not Stephens, and we will never face the Jewish high priest, but we will be called upon to defend our faith. It may start with a neighbor
or a co-worker ridiculing you because you read the Bible on lunch break. It may begin with a family member who thinks you are being "holier than thou" because you live the Christian life 24/7. Who knows where it will begin, but it will.
Will you be prepared to speak up for Jesus?
Eventually your stand for Jesus may reach the courts. Would there be enough evidence to convict you?
But you think, "Oh, but that could never happen. This is the United States of America. We enjoy religious freedom. It is guaranteed by our Constitution."
Yes, it is. But have you noticed how our freedoms are being eroded away? Even as we speak, men and women of the judiciary and congress and the administration are designing ways to take away our freedom in the name of "safety."
Oh, they don"t put it that way. It is usually reversed.
"We must keep our citizenry safe, therefore we must pass this law that may infringe upon our freedom of speech (or religion) just a bit in order that we can protect everyone."
Sound familiar?
It should, we hear it quite frequently on the evening news.
Sooner or later someone will use those small "infringements" to crack down on
"renegade fundamentalist" Christians. Eventually you will be a target. Then YOU will have to defend your faith in Jesus Christ before authorities we thought were
our friends.
Will you be prepared to speak up for Jesus? Will you be able to defend your faith?
By the grace of God, we can, but we must begin now (or continue to do so) to
instill within our spirits the Word of God so that the Spirit of God can draw upon it when He directs our defense of our faith in our Lord and Savior.