Who's the church!

Who's the church!
We are the church!

Good Morning,
I was going through my emails and began to read this email from another pastor who is on the forefront of the battle going on nationally for our Christian rights. I normally don't send these out for you to read, but the Holy Spirit prompted me to remind you that we are in a spiritual battle in our country. If we don't stand up for what's right then who will.

From Jim Garlow
Greetings Pastor and Christian Leader,
The battle is over, said the New York Times last week.  “They” won.  “We” lost.  And perhaps it is so.  The New York Times had some very interesting observations about the price that is about to be extracted from evangelicals.

Allow me to be quick to say that the Kingdom of God is doing fine, and will always do fine.  It is eternal.  It cannot be stopped.

But America is in deep trouble.  Or, if I read correctly a piece called "Terms of Our Surrender" in the New York Times of March 1, 2014, Bible-believing Christians in America are “in trouble.”

More germane to our discussion here, is this question: are authentic Christians in America about to experience orchestrated and intentional persecution?

Spiritually discerning people have been saying “yes” to this question for some time.

But the New York Times saying it?  Persecution – or the equivalent – is coming.  Soon.  To Christians.  Why?  Because of their refusal to accept so called homosexual “marriage.”
This is not some melodramatic, flamboyant street preacher shouting it from a busy intersection while passer-bys pay no attention.  No.  This is coming from Ross Douthat, a thoughtful op-ed writer (who seems to identify himself with believers).  In the New York Times, of all places.
The writer is candid and forthright that some level of persecution is coming.  Soon.  In fact, now.

In a similar article by another writer, Eric Metaxas is quoted as cautioning “Mr. Hipster Evangelical” not to “romanticize persecution.”  It is not fun.  It hurts.  Lots.

And as an amateur church historian (my Ph.D. is in historical theology), may I caution us to avoid the standard line that “persecution only causes the church to flourish.”  That is true SOME of the time.  In other cases, the church is totally killed off.  Many world areas attest to this truth.  So a warning it is order: avoid being “glib” about the coming persecution.  It is not fun.  It is bad.  And it is not a guarantee of church growth or health.

Now – with that set up, here is the link to the New York Times article.

(Disclaimer regarding one paragraph: The author does blame the church for it.  I disagree with that statement 95% - because I have witnessed very loving outreaches to those with same sex attraction.  But I put that aside to focus on another matter.)

I have a question.  Can this be turned?  Can persecution be avoided?

Yes, if we have a national spiritual renewal.  History affirms that.

But what is “national spiritual renewal?”  it is, in part, when people start to act, think and believe in truly authentically biblical ways.  And that includes all places – including the voting booth.  (I am fully aware that a spiritual renewal touches all of life, but I would like, with your permission, to tighten the focus on the voting booth for now.)
And that is precisely what I want to ask you to do.  Please join with thousands of other pastors, Sunday, October 5th – teaching people how to think biblically on election day – in the voting booth – in November 2014.
 
(The rest of the article focuses on pastors getting materials from his organization)
Blessings in Christ! You are loved...