No Place To Hide

No Place To Hide

Isaiah describes a man trying but unable to hide himself from the Assyrian invaders in Israel. The bed was too sort and the cover was too narrow for him to hide himself upon (Is. 28:20). I see a similar scene in America today among many Christians.

The church is like a small band of pilgrims in a hostile wilderness with swarms of armies pressing the attack on every side (Rev. 20:8-9). The problem is the average Christian, preacher and elder is trying desperately to convince himself that no serious problem exists.

Some have quit subscribing to papers and magazines and sold their televisions to avoid the unpleasant news of current events. Others have carefully built a shield around their lives to screen out all evil and the very mention of such. Families keep moving further into the countryside away from the wicked city to escape pressures of moral corruption.

But out where the real world and 99% of the people live, evil men are waxing worse and worse (II Tim. 3:13). Those who hold the false philosophies of humanism, evolution and hedonism and other similar views are boldly and militantly attacking Christianity and its value system from every side.

Most public schools have been captured by these hellish forces. Higher education is generally brazen in its anti-Christian program of attack.

The TV and movie industry is almost wholly controlled and used by these evil attitudes. The news media prints glowing reports of their conquests and shames and ridicules those who dare oppose them.

Most of the mainline Protestant churches have been successfully infiltrated and captured with hardly a struggle. The few remaining ones are under open siege. Many denominational preachers and theologians are among the chief spokesmen for skepticism, immorality and every ungodly moral evil.

Our children are being seduced and corrupted by these heathen forces before our very eyes. Our churches are feeling the same pressures in their our memberships. Our moral and spiritual standards are being eroded as pressures mount to conform to modern society.

Brethren, one can only hide from a belligerent so long, one can run from a bully just so far. Sooner or later there comes the time when there is no place to run or hide. Inevitably we will be forced to stop, turn and do battle. The question is, should we wait until every outpost has fallen and the final fortress is surrounded and under attack? Or, should we now, while we yet have a little strength and influence in our society, unsheathe the sword and make our stand for God, Christianity, marriage, the family and morality?

The question in many minds seems to be, is it right for Christians to do something other than to go to worship, be morally good and evangelize? The scriptures authorize us to fight against sin and ungodliness and to defend the cause of God against the devil and his angels.

1. We are to fight the good fight of faith ( I Tim. 6:12).
2. Our weapons are spiritual, not carnal, we fight against every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God (II Cor. 10:3-5).
3. We are commanded to stand and fight against the world rulers of this darkness with the weapons and armor of the Lord(Eph. 6:10-17).
4. We are to reprove the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11).

Our fight must be more than a wringing of the hands and bemoaning what the world is coming to. It must be more than an occasional sermon on such issues. An emotional outburst in the church bulletin or a brotherhood journal will not suffice. We must put our words into action. Sermons without follow-up positive action are just like faith without works--lifeless, dead and useless.

The "ain't it awful" society never accomplished anything! (That is, those good people who shake their head, wring their hands and say "ain't it awful" and then go home and sit down to watch TV). We must do more than just pray. Two small boys played around and were late getting started to school. Having a stern teacher, one suggested that they should stop and pray. The other countered, "Let us pray as we run." Prayers are answered as God aids and rewards our human efforts for his holy name.

Brethren, What Must We Do?
Perhaps your heart is pricked and you want to join the battle to save our children, homes, church and nation.

1. Inform yourself. Blind zeal is seldom productive and often destructive (Rom. 10:3).
2. Join hands with others who have launched a Christian counterattack.
        A. Right to life groups are functioning across the land in every state. They fight abortion and euthanasia ( the selective killing of the weak and unwanted).
        B. Citizens for Decency groups are found in many cities. They seek to rid communities of pornography, smut shops and filthy movies.
        C. Groups such as Women Who Want to Be Women, Eagle Forum, and others are actively opposing the Feminist movement.
        D. Groups that work for the preservation and protection of heterosexual marriage and to protect children from the determined efforts of homosexual activists.

Nearly every community is plagued with the common evils of liquor, beer, gambling and prostitution, i.e., "massage parlors." These must be driven out. Our public schools have largely been lost but there is still hope in some areas, You must get involved to have a positive influence. P.T.A.'s must feel our influence. Christians need to be active participating members of these and similar groups.

We need elders who will recognize this need and bring in qualified Christian leaders to educate and inform their congregations in these areas. We need preachers and elders to stand up publicly and lead the members into affirmative action.

We need the boldness to go to City Council and make our demands known. We must get over the shrinking timidity so common among us in these areas. We must go to the press and visual media and ask to be heard. We need to be strong, determined and stubborn in our resistance to these damning social and moral evils.

We must be willing to run the risk of being ridiculed, misrepresented and even slandered and attacked by the opposition who cherish their evil privileges and desperately wish to preserve them. This definitely is not the route of comfortable discipleship.

We must be intelligent and Biblical in our opposition. The ignorant rantings of the backwoods preacher gains nothing but derision. Leaders, however, will listen when we speak calmly, rationally and factually. Truth is still the best weapon in our arsenal (John 8:32).

We must be willing to invest our funds in this fight. Only when we are willing to spend and be spent will we win the battle in our arena (I Cor. 12:15). Our founding fathers declared their willingness to risk their lives, liberty and fortunes when they declared our independence from Great Britain. Nothing less could have brought about the victory. It is extremely costly to wage a successful war against entrenched evil.

We need strong backing from fellow Christians for those who are out front in the thick of the battle. Many preachers are hesitant to boldly step out in such fights for fear of losing the support of their congregations and ultimately their jobs. This ought not so to be.

We must not only be against things bad but we must be for things wholesome and good. It is never healthy to be always "against" something. We will have to be willing to work with other groups in our community in addition to churches of Christ. Alone we do not have enough numbers or clout to make our voice heard. Without compromising in doctrinal or spiritual matters we can cooperate with civil groups, patriotic groups, as well as religious groups who share our concern for basic public morality.

Does it not concern you that in most cases the public battle against evil has been and is being fought by leaders of the denominational world? Is God's army not willing or able to enter the fray in the name of Jehovah? Can we really complain about how bad the world has become if we have never lifted a hand to drive the devil out? May we who have volunteered for Messiah's army now step forward with eager hearts to volunteer ourselves to be the front line assault troops to take the battle into Satan's domain and drive his alien armies forever out of our land.

Back -- or go -- Home