Christian life in America is changing. Global persecution has increased at alarming rates.
Open doors, a Christian advocacy group, states:
- Over 360 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination
- 5,898 Christians killed for their faith
- 5,110 churches and other Christian buildings attacked
- 4,765 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, or imprisoned
These numbers only represent known acts of Christian persecution.
In North America, a different kind of persecution is on the rise. It is the persecution of intolerance. The morals and values of early America are founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs found in the Bible.
There was a time when tolerance was the key component of American life. You agreed to disagree. However, such tolerance is intolerable today. If you do not agree with anti-biblical views or beliefs, you are an intolerable phobic. The reason behind this is two-fold.
The first is to insight an argument. If you can get a Christian to debate you, you will likely win because the average Christian has a very shallow belief system. Anyone with a few facts in their quiver can easily silence the average Christian.
Sadly, most people in North America who label themselves Christian will disagree. This must stop, and a close personal relationship with the Godhead is how you change that. Attending a meeting with a group of people for a prescribed amount of time does not get you close to God. This is not to say that it is wrong; it is to say that it can only be a small percentage of your relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The second reason this intolerance is increasing is to discredit the Christian community. There is a reality of a falling away of faith, a rise of anti-god doctrine, and the demeaning of those who hold on to such Christian principles.
This is an intentional ploy of the adversary, the devil, in preparation for the entrance of the Christ-defiler—known biblically as the antichrist.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead prepares you to stand against such attacks and persecutions. A Christ-follower (today’s definition of Christian has many meanings) is one who willingly chooses to follow Jesus, learn about God, and grow in his or her understanding of the Bible.
The Christ-follower gathers with others of like mind to encourage, embrace, and embolden each other to stay the course and draw close to Jesus. It is a lifestyle, not a formula. Discipline is involved, but not the traditional church’s read, pray and witness discipline.
The Apostle Paul said it this way when talking with Timothy.
“So, my son, throw yourself into this work for Christ. Pass on what you heard from me—the whole congregation saying Amen!—to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others. When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did.”
In another place, he (Paul) states:
“This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.”
The time we live in is excitingly scary, but those who know their God will stand up to the test and see the victory promised in the Bible.
A close personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is an unexpected journey of discovery.
Join me in the journey; it will be life-altering.