A Candle In The Wind

Matthew 5:10-16 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [11]  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. [12]  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. [13] Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. [14]  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. [15]  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. [16]  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

On this Memorial Day families will gather around barbecue grills, visit national Parks, and throw those little disks called "Frisbees" or play softball. Most of the common laborers (like myself) will be given an extra day off this week so we can join in the day of fun. For most Americans this will be a long weekend, and most will do little to remember the reason for this holiday. Few will remember the sacrifices of those Americans who willingly laid down their lives so that we could enjoy freedom today.

Yet the reason that America stands as a beacon of freedom in the world today, the reason that the "grand experiment" of democracy did not fail, the reason for it all is that a tiny band of rebels stood against the unreasonable demands of King George and, with one voice, shouted "No!". The Republic would be threatened many times throughout history, and yet each time its men and women would stand forward and shout "No!" to the threats, even to the point of death. From Washington's bloody march through the snow to Potomac, through the red waters of Omaha Beach in World War II, even to the suppression of Saddam Hussein - America has maintained its freedom because brave soldiers were willing to fight and die for their relatively young country. God Bless these brave men and women! On this Memorial Day remember them and love their accomplishments. To them, America was a light to be fought for, a candle in the wind not to be extinguished.

But not only them, but remember the greater institution of Christ's Church, God's reason for forming America in the first place. This grand experiment called America was flooded with believers from all over the world, believers who were persecuted because they professed Jesus Christ to be Lord, tormented because they believed the Bible to be God's Word. The reason you are able to sit down together in peace and hear the Kingdom Gospel today is because believers of years gone by took a stand together against the Devil and his henchmen. They said "No!" to compromise, "No!" to watering down the Word of Life, "No!" to the Devil's lies. With one accord they stood shoulder to shoulder in the power of the blessed Holy Spirit and resisted mediocrity. God is calling you today to join with Him in the Plan He has set before us, a Plan to win souls to Christ, a Plan to light the World with the Gospel fire.

Matthew 5:10-11 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [11]  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."

In the Beatitudes Jesus recognized a principle that has been true from the very beginning of time: there has always been two opposing forces in human history. One force, the Lord God Almighty, has always sought to give mankind the best of all things, whereas the other force, Satan, has sought our downfall. When Satan came to man in the Garden his intent was not our own good, but our downfall. Satan knew the Plan of God, knew that mankind was created in God's image, and wanted to destroy that Plan with all his heart. Satan uses many tactics to destroy the Church:

Satan uses direct attacks against the Church of Christ, using people who are not saved to torment the saved. Jesus used two words to describe this direct attack in verse 11: revile and persecute. Revile is a word (ONEIDIZO) that means "to taunt, to cast back into the teeth, to make fun of". When you are living your life for Christ the world will mock your faith, mock the institutions of the Church, belittle those things that we believe in in order to shame us into submission. You see this mockery every time you see some wild eyed madman on television set forward as an example of Christianity. Jesus was reviled, He was taunted. The people who saw Him said "Isn't this just the son of the carpenter?", "Isn't He just a poor man?" (Mark 6.3). When the early Romans heard about the Lord's Supper that the Christians  participated in, they mocked this custom by proclaiming that Christians were no more than cannibals who "ate of a man's flesh and drank of his blood". Satan wants us to cringe under these attacks, to hide our heads, to disassociate ourselves from Christianity and the Church. Yet our Lord tells us to consider ourselves blessed when we are tormented by false propoganda, to lift our heads up high and loudly proclaim the Gospel of Peace regardless of what the world may think. Had the early Church forsaken the Christ in order to appear "Politically Correct" you and I wouldn't be here, in the relative peace of this holy place, professing His Word today. Do not hide your faith because of the lies of the world.

John 15:19-20 "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. [20]  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also."

The world does not love you, Christians, but the world desperately needs the message that you have from Jesus. The world is like a wild dog that desperately needs to be inoculated against distemper but who snaps at the hand that holds the needle of salvation. If we let our light burn bright, if we loudly proclaim the Gospel though every fiber of our being says "run, hide, blend in with the crowd", we can reach out into the world and bring others into the community of Christ. God calls for warriors in this fallen age, a people who are not ashamed of the Gospel who will loudly proclaim it in the midst of persecution.

Jesus says that the second attack of Satan against the Church is called persecution (DIOKO). This word means "to pursue, follow after so as to actively torment, press on so as to torment". Everywhere Jesus preached large crowds gathered to hear Him, and always in the crowd, standing out front, were the Pharisees and Saducees. These were the "good" people of that era, people who possessed religion but who were not possessed by God. While Jesus spoke the words of life these children of Satan verbally attacked His every move, and eventually rallied the world around them to brutally spike Jesus to a tree. These same "religious" elements beheaded Paul the Apostle, crucified Peter upside down, and authored the Spanish Inquisition where thousands of believers were brutally murdered for their faith.

Will you hide your faith in fear of persecution, or will you boldly proclaim the Gospel of Christ? New York City, one of the most liberal and Christless cities in the world, is being evangelized by believers who, unashamed of their faith, stood up for Christ. Yes, these believers have been persecuted, yet because they let their light shine that section of the world is being won for Jesus.
 

In "Religion Today", May 28, 1999, the Article "Prayer Station Ministry is Exploding" reports:  "Prayer stations" on city sidewalks are proving to be highly effective. Christians who set them up say they are amazed at the positive reactions of passers-by. ...The idea is simple: a portable table with a "prayer station" banner is placed on a busy sidewalk and staffed by Christians who accommodate anyone who asks for prayer. Other Christians stand 30 yards away on both sides of the station and hand out flyers describing what prayer can do for them. ...Christians in New York City have prayed with shoppers outside department stores, commuters at subway stops, tourists, and the homeless. An outreach in the city over New Year’s Eve resulted in 1,800 prayers and decisions by 200 people to become a Christian, Nick Savoca, New York City director of Youth With A Mission, said. ...Evangelists in a growing number of cities have prayed with strangers and led hundreds to become Christians, including Buddhists, Jews, and agnostics, he said. Other groups reportedly are starting similar ministries because of the success of prayer stations. College students on some campuses are using the idea. ...The prayer station ministry "is exploding," Savoca told Religion Today. He said he had never seen anything as effective in his 30 years in ministry. "We are overwhelmed by the blessing." Responding to demand, the group mails manuals to those who want to establish a station in their city. Two hundred have been sent to churches in the United States, Canada, Britain, and the Netherlands, and to missionaries in South America and Asia.

Matthew 5.12-13 "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. [13] Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."

Jesus tells us to Rejoice, and be exceeding glad when we are persecuted for the sake of the Gospel. You have two choices set before you today: be a bright candle in the wind loudly proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, not only in Church assembly, but also outside of this assembly. Or you can be a candle flickering in the wind of the world, swayed by its influences, tempted and torn, weak salt unfit for God's use.

We can escape persecution, for this is easy.  'First, approve the world's standards. Fit right in. Accept the worlds morals and ethics. Live like the world and accept
its jokes, entertainment, and smile when it mocks God and His righteousness. Don't tell people that there is a God and that they are sinners. Don't talk of coming judgment. You will never be persecuted' (Quoted from Calvary Baptist). If you do this your reward in Heaven will be non-existent, for God has called you to partner with Him in sharing the Gospel of Christ.

If we are afraid to stand boldly now, in the relative freedom of the United States, how will we stand if things turn for the worst? In the first three hundred years of the Church there were ten officially sanctioned persecutions against Christianity, the last under Diocletian, the most wicked persecutor of all ancient Christians. The English Queen, Bloody Mary, attacked the Church constantly from 1553-1558. Revelation 17 tells us about the false Church of Satan being "drunk with the blood of martyrs". Through all it's persecution the Church, rather than folding up under the pressure, kept its eyes on Christ and has triumphed to this day. How?

Ephesians 6:12-13 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. [13]  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
 
 

A sweet little boy surprised his grandmother one morning and brought her a cup of coffee. He made it himself and was so proud. He anxiously waited to hear the verdict on the quality of the coffee.  The grandmother had never in her life had such a bad cup of coffee, and as she forced down the last sip she noticed three of those little green army guys in the bottom of the cup.  She asked, "Honey, why would three little green army guys be in the bottom of my cup?"  Her grandson replied, "You know grandma, it's like on TV... 'The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup.' " (from David Christmas)

Who is the ultimate enemy of the Church, and of God's Plan? Often we become confused, and misunderstand who the enemy is. The World is the enemy of the Cross, but only because the world is under Satan's influence. The greatest trick the Devil ever accomplished was making the world think he doesn't exist, that he's a cute little vixen dressed in red with a pointy tail.

Yet our battle isn't with a cute little vixen, but a crazed fallen angel who rallied a third of Heaven to follow him in destroying mankind. Paul recognized Satan's dominions in four categories: principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and, spiritual wickedness in high places. When the ACLU sues a Judge to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom, don't hate the ACLU but pray that God will make His presence known to these unbelievers. When Budweiser makes a beer commercial glorifying homosexuality as an "alternate lifestyle", join together as prayer warriors and send fatal blows to the Satanic powers that inspired such a thing. Through Prayer, through Witnessing the Christ, through uncompromised Teaching of the Word make a difference in the Devil's world. You who are saved are God's warriors: boldly make a difference for our Lord in our society.

2 Corinthians 10:2-5 "But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. [3]  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: [4]  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) [5] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"

We live in a society where Christianity is outwardly tolerated as long as it "keeps its place". Satan wants you to keep your place in this society. It's fine to believe in Christ, but do it in the privacy of your home. You say that Jesus is the "only Way to Heaven?". That's fine, but say it low so as to not disturb anyone else.

Yet I tell you today that if you compromise your stand for Christ, if your Gospel is the Gospel of complacency and ease, if your Gospel allows for other ways to Heaven, then your Gospel is not that of the Cross. Believers, we are called to cast down imaginations, to throw the misconceptions of worldliness out of our lives. We must align our lives with the historic teachings of Christ, live these teachings while working among the worldly, toss the garbage out of our lives that weighs us down.

When the Allies stormed Normandy on June 6, 1944, this largest invasion fleet in history knew that it would be no cake walk. Though four beaches were secured early, Omaha Beach, nicknamed "Bloody Omaha", was a terrible ordeal. As soon as the troop carriers beached and the doors were opened, deadly hails of fire cut down our soldiers with few making the shore. Before long these troop carriers were known as "death pits", and soldiers were told to quickly leave the death pits, focus on the enemy, and advance.

Our soldiers had two options: They could collapse under the withering German fire, or they could lay aside all useless equipment and focus on what mattered. Those who were paralyzed by their imaginations were quickly killed, and many of those who remained focused were still slaughtered as the waters of Omaha ran red. But because the force laid aside considerations for itself, because these heroes charged into the withering fire, Omaha was secured and Nazi Germany would soon fall.

Like those heroes we, as believers, must lay aside all the things in our lives that weigh us down. Armed with the Word of God we must charge into the Devil's  World and, as long as we have time, bring souls to the glorious Cross of Christ. The time is short, dear Brothers and Sisters. Work together to spread His Gospel!

1 Peter 1:24-25 "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: [25]  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

Tomorrow. I'll study my Bible tomorrow. I'll pray to the Lord tomorrow. I'll serve my God tomorrow.

Dear friends, we do not have the hope of tomorrow, only today, this moment. Not too long ago I lost a child, yet years before this loss he accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour. I remember well the day he committed his life to Christ. I had been talking to him, yet nothing I said seemed to make a difference. In many ways I probably contributed to this, for though I was saved, many of the things I allowed in my life for him to see were off key, not as righteous as they should have been. But I remember that morning when he walked the aisle and accepted Christ as Saviour. I remember the tears streaming down my face as I rejoiced with his mother that he was Kingdom bound, a new believer in Christ.

So though my son is gone, I will one day walk with him again in Heaven on those streets of gold. He and I will one day sit down at the Master's feet and hear Him teach. We will, together, hear the angels sing, and join our voices with them as we praise our King.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, I warn you, you do not have the promise of tomorrow. Today He calls you to accept Him as Saviour, today He bids you to follow Him in service to God. Live each day as it might be your last. Are you saved? If so, is there someone in your life you want to tell about Christ, but have put it off for "tomorrow"? Don't wait, tell them today. Are you a stranger to Christ? If so, He waits with open arms to receive you into the Body today. The choice is yours. Come, and be part of this great Plan of God.
 
 

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