As I was reflecting on the controversy surrounding Duck Dynasty Patriach, Phil Robertson, one particular verse came to mind. Revelation 12:11 And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing]. We are now at a time in America where heavy persecution for claiming the name of Jesus Christ is evident and pretty much the way the rest of the world has lived for centuries. What do we do with that? Well, I’ll tell ya.
As it says in Revelation 12:11 the way we overcome is through Jesus Christ and by sharing the story of how He impacted and saved our lives. This is not a time to embrace comfort and quiet. This is the time where Christians step up all over the globe and began to share their story of Jesus. We can’t love our comfortable little lives so much that we refuse to step up and speak truth that is counter cultural. After all, isn’t that what Jesus did in his day and age.
If our testimonies are motivated by fear and anger or simply because we are annoyed with people then maybe we need to take a step back, pray about our approach and then share your testimony lovingly, but not sidestepping the truth. Usually when I say this to a group of people I get head nods for the bravery I have exhibited in the face of those who hate that for which I stand. Yet, when it comes to the practical, living it out, call to arms moment, I look behind me and suddenly the room has vacated. Why are people so afraid to speak? Well I think the examples of Dan Cathy and Phil Robertson are good reasons why so many Christians would rather duck their head in the sand and wait for Jesus to come. Persecution, in any form is not desirable to the fragile structure of human emotions. There aren’t many sober people who look for a fight. So when it comes to expressing our opinions, we are often a billboard of resilience inside the church walls on Sunday morning, but when Monday rolls around and we return to work, our stoic confidence has retreated and we feel trapped in a foreign world of beliefs not our own.
I remember when I was in Washington, D.C. lobbying against, yes I said against, Hate Crimes Legistation. The constitution of the United States provides that each and every person is protected equally under the law. The key word there being equally. Yet, what the Hate Crimes Legislation did was elevate certain groups to a level of protection not afforded to the average, heterosexual white male. That was the moment that I realized that the gay agenda and other “tolerant” groups were seeking equality. They were seeking special treatment for protected classes of people. That year the Hate Crimes Legislation didn’t pass, but proponents eventually rewrote it so that it had different wording and riders that made it more palatable to a wide range of voters. And Voila! It passed. Which in essence means that a white, homosexual male, is more highly valued according to the law of the land than say a white, heterosexual. That is not a work in equality my friend. That was the beginning stages of what we are now seeing from the gay agenda.
Let’s be honest folks. Gay people are not the enemy any more than the Christians are the enemy. The true culprit here is ole Red Legs himself, satan. He has worked for years to split the church, bring shame to the name of Jesus and was unable to do so for years and years. But now, satan has a major vehicle that is gaining strength and steam and is taking not only the American church down, but many churches in other countries the worldwide. That vehicle my friends is homosexuality. Satan has worked diligently over many decades to normalize the sin of homosexuality and remove it from the list of other sins in the bible. God doesn’t have graded levels of sin, but the bible does say that he who sins sexually, sins against his own body. So it may not be worse in God’s eyes, but the effects of sexual sin in our lives is more far reaching than say Gossip or Shoplifting.
The time of persecution is upon us my friends. Satan’s work is having fruits the world over. It is time for those of us who have had an encounter with Jesus to stand up for the truth and what is right. This will be the most difficult task you have ever attempted, but God is on your side as long as you speak the truth out of love and not for other worldly reasons.