I Am Embarrassed

An email response to the Pittsburgh Christian Radio Station that mocked Christians who are defending the 10 Commandments monument

MTTU NEWS
8/29/03

The following comment was the writer's reaction to the Christian stand by believers in Alabama who were defending the Ten Commandments monument (he was against what they were doing):

"My own personal reaction to what I saw going on in Alabama was embarrassment. I did not think it reflected well on Christians at all."

Why embarrassment? They were taking the stand that most Christians refuse to do. We have sat back and done nothing for 45 years. We allowed prayer to be taken out of schools, allowed the wholesale slaughter of 45 million unborn child (just in America), the legalization of sodomy, and we still do nothing. Every time we should have stood up to the God-haters, the church has shrank back in cowardice.

The Lord will not blame the God-haters for what happen in America. He will blame the American church - and rightly so!

"We must follow the law (Judges included) until it is changed."

In Ephesians, Paul calls the Church "the pillar and ground of truth." When truth comes crashing down, it's because the foundation (the Church) has given way. God has called His people, His bride to be light - not the police or judges or politicians. The Church!

For us to fall back on the excuse of "it's the law of the land" is not in Biblical keeping. One could site in the book of Acts multiple cases where Peter and the disciples disobeyed the civil law - so they could obey God. The Old Testament has even more examples, such as the Hebrew mid-wives lying to Pharaoh in Exodus about not killing the male Hebrew children, and God blessing these women because of it.

Same with Rahab the harlot who lied to the city authorities about the Hebrew spies - and that was counted as faith to her - and she made the Hall of Faith in the book of Hebrews.

Do we need to mention Daniel who prayed 'unlawfully' when he could have simply changed where he prayed (away from the open window), and no one would have known he was 'illegally praying?'

These are just a few examples.

The Bible is filled with examples of Christians breaking man's laws to obey God's Laws - and to stand for His principles. The Word of God does not say that we have to pray daily before open windows. Daniel's stand in praying before the open window was based on principle. And that is what is happening in Alabama by those who are defending the Ten Commandments monument.

Romans 13 is the fall back position for those who say we *always* have to obey the civil government. They misunderstand Romans 13. Romans 13 states government the way God intended it to be - with a sword to punish evil doers. What Romans 13 does not cover is what to do when the civil government punishes those who do good, and instead bless the evil doers. You must then go to other parts of scripture to answer that - and the whole of His Word says that in that case - you obey God rather than man.

Some would discount the examples I just brought up in the Old Testament - as it no longer relevant in the "Church Age." If that is true, then pedophilia, bestiality and kidnapping should be allowed in the church. No where in the New Testament are these sins condemned.

How do we know they wrong? Because it is written in the Old Testament.

Your embarrassment of the Christian stand in Alabama is misplaced. By catering to the whims of the God-haters - do you really think that will make it them *love* us? The least "claimed" promise of Jesus is the book of John.    I says the world will *hate* us. You are concerned about a maintaining a "Christian testimony" before those who will despise us anyway!

Hey - at the very least - Christians standing up for their beliefs will show the world (and those who hate us)  that our faith has teeth, that it is real and not a church game. It is a faith worth living for - and dying for. And if needed - going to jail for. And that's a far cry from what we've been doing.

If you feel embarrassed, it should be for the weak-minded ministers - both ordained and lay -  who have neither the faith or integrity to take a stand for Jesus Christ that might actually cost them something.

Instead, they mock and scoff those who do. Just like Marty Minto of WORD-FM in Pittsburgh.

Steve Wetzel
 

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