Called To Boldness - Acts 4:26

 

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed.” - Acts 4:26

There’s probably not a better description of how the unbelievers and authorities in our present day treat Christians and our world view. They rage at us and are constantly plotting more ways to shut down our worship and the spreading of the Gospel. They take every opportunity to stop any public discourse about God, His laws, and His righteous judgment. In these difficult times of the ever-encroaching constraints on the free practice of our faith, we must remember that despite their best efforts God has it all under control. “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” - Proverbs 16:9.
The ‘statists’ have mistakenly determined that the proper separation between church and state means the state must deny the very existence of God, rather than simply deny that the state supports one faith over all others. Predictively, much of the population has contorted the doctrine to say that God has no place in the public forum. God is not to be trifled with and denying Him results in catastrophic judgment - “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” - Romans 1:28. The result is the world we live in today. All the horror and sinfulness in our world can be traced back to our foolish denial of God. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.” - Psalm 14:1.
What then is the recourse of the Christian in today’s world? Would it not be the same for us as in any other time in our history? Even the Apostles were faced with censure by the legal authorities of their time. “And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” - Acts 5:27-29. And so this is what we Christians must ultimately do: preach Christ and preach Him boldly regardless of the opposition! To do so requires much prayer in a world where faith in the one true God is too often aligned with hate speech by those who would deny God and His Commandments. “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness . . .” - Acts 4:29.
We must never allow our fear of the opposition to pare down our witness to the Gospel. To do so would indicate that we fear man more than we do God. Jesus was very explicit on who we owe such fear. “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” - Luke 12:5.
Our true witness has been commanded of us by Christ Himself in no uncertain terms and we must never shirk from our duty to spread the Gospel in boldness as we were commissioned.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”- Matthew 28:19-20. We have the promise of Jesus Himself that He will be with us always.

Deliberately Choosing The Lie - 2 Kings 22:17-18

  Then Micaiah answered, ‘I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’” The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?’”- 2 Kings 22:17-18

    And with those words King Ahab decided not to listen to the truth that the prophet, Micaiah, was bound by God to tell. Four hundred of Ahab’s ‘yes men prophets’ had virtually assured Ahab’s victory against the Arameans but still he was not satisfied with their prophecies. Ahab wanted more; he wanted the assurance of the one true prophet, Micaiah to add his confidence to the four hundred’s false prediction. Micaiah, however, was bound by God’s truth in all his prophecies. “But Micaiah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.’”- 2 Kings 22:14.
    Ahab, like so many of us today, had the distinct disadvantage of choosing only to believe what he wanted to hear. As a result of Ahab’s truth issues he was killed in battle at Ramoth Gilead. Even though he went into battle disguised as a common soldier, God’s providence and a random enemy arrow found its way between the sections of his armor and killed him.
    The question that begs for an answer then is ‘why would anyone deliberately choose a lie over the truth?’The answer may surprise us. Man seeks the lie rather than the truth because he is a product of this fallen world. Ever since Adam and Eve ventured forth from the pristine beauty and comfort of the Garden of Eden they have stumbled through the briars and thorns of the world created by sin. Now think about it for just a moment: which of us looks forward to bad news? It’s only natural in our sinful state to seek those things which appease and satisfy us. The fact that they are sinful doesn’t matter to us in ‘the moment.’ It is only after we have been made to feel the pain of attrition that we regret our choices and only then because we experience the burn and the torment of such poor choices.
    On the occasion when truth does rear it’s noble sword to vanquish a lie, the world despises it. Truth paralyzes the lie in the blinding light of ‘the facts.’ To deny it or try to twist it is the stuff of demons and God has given us all fair warning. “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.” - Proverbs 19:9.
    There are basically one reason a person lies: because it is our nature. All things being equal, humans will always attempt to skew, slant, misrepresent, or twist the reality rather than simply face it. Man will always try to declare the hill he is willing to die upon, even if it is a trash heap.
    Claiming a personal relationship with Jesus is no guarantee of salvation. “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him . . .”- 1 John 2:4. God is no fool nor will He be mocked. One cannot simply say he or she is ‘a Christian’ and reap heavenly rewards. One’s actions and words need to be the fruit of that change of heart. But it is His commandments that we must keep, not our own, ‘nor any proximity thereof.’ We dare not devise our own version of what we believe God would do. His very Words are as clear as a mountain brook. If our idea of proper Christian life doesn’t match God’s, ‘jott for jot and tittle for tittle,’we might as well be worshiping the devil. Our ‘gods of whole cloth’ will only bring destruction upon those of us who invoke them. The lies and the demons who inspire them will only draw the wrath of God. Have we not heard His words often enough? “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” - Exodus 20:2-3.