Moral Exhaustion

"Compassion is the basis of morality."

                                                                                  ~ Arthur Schopenhauer

One of my favorite tales from the truth of antiquity comes from the Pharisaical Jews of the first century during the time of Christ.
There once were a group of men they called 'Bleeding Pharisees.'
The reason these men had that name was because they wanted to keep the law so fully that when they came into possible contact with a woman that was not their wife, they averted their eyes and moved on.
This covering of their eyes and misdirection caused them to repeatedly slam into walls, trip, fall and injure themselves.
Hence, in their desire to remain 'pure' as they believed, they actually became a joke and laughingstock.

That's not too far off from the modern Christian who seeks to puff themselves up in moral superiority to others today.
Sadly, we do have modern day Pharisees in every modern, American church.
And they are often made a laughingstock by others who rely on God's grace rather than themselves for moral purity.

In the old days, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law competed with one another in being 'righteous'. And this righteousness was tightly defined.

God's Law had been reduced to 613 rules; 248 of those were commandments, the other 365 were prohibitions.
While this may seem like ample amount of rules, these commands and prohibitions were then bolstered with 1,521 emendations - which means updated 'corrections.'

How a fallible man can correct absolute truth, I have yet to discover...but I digress.

Many Christians, especially of my generation and younger, rightly point out that we do not live by the Law and should not saddle other believers with man-made rules for the modern Church. We are under grace and we should remain compassionate, mercy-filled and grace-giving.

My generation is correct, but I would add one thought to the dispensing of grace - follow the commands of Jesus.

Most modern Christians do not realize that Jesus Himself EXPANDED God's Law further than any Pharisee ever imagined.
In fact, the Pharisees believed that Jesus' new 'morality' was so ridiculous that no human being could ever have faithfully kept it.
To a large extent, they were right.

But they didn't know what that truth meant.

Today in the United States, there are 20 million copies of pornographic magazines sold each month; probably more in electronic form than at any other time in history.
Jesus' command about such things was to pluck out an eye if it caused you to sin; yet, I have never met one person who lusted so strongly that they felt the need to pluck out their own eye and 'cast it into the fire.'

You see, when Jesus expanded the Law to make adultery equal lust, murder to equivocate to hate, and all sins relate to a thought in the human psyche, He wasn't doing it to judge us harsher.
Instead, Jesus was giving us God's truth knowing that His truth pointed, not to following a rule, but rather to the infinite, boundless and measureless gift we call God's grace.

In our modern Church, we tend to forget that we are still the Body of Christ.
To measure one another on a set of rules, surveys of the congregation, or even by-laws, to a large extent is a form of legalism.
Morality, God's morality, must come from His truth, His Word and guided by His Spirit.

I have often read of the Alabama Judge and others who have fought tooth and nail to keep the Ten Commandments on the wall of their respective domains.
I do not disagree.
But at the same time, I think you and I, as Christians, would be far better off following the Sermon on the Mount than we would be by simply posting the Decalogue on a wall.

I read once where Tolstoy tried to keep a perfect life by seeking to live Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, literally.
The problem with this is that Tolstoy had taken a set of principles laid down by Jesus in compassion and grace and made them a new Law of God.

And the result was predictable, he failed miserably.

Yet, all fail who try to find righteousness by a fixed path of rules.
Tolstoy died a miserable man who was repeatedly suicidal; like a vagrant in a rural railroad station. He had given up his wealth, property and his family.
In his writings, he had deeply penetrating insight concerning God and His ideal; but Tolstoy himself could never achieve that ideal - as none of us can aside from receiving the grace of God from the Lord's hand.

As Christians, many times we will hear others point to believers who have failed or faltered as evidence that grace doesn't exist and God's ideal cannot be achieved.
Friend, we should never judge God's Holy truths by our inability to meet and keep most of them.
That would be like judging a preacher by one sermon - good or bad, it cannot encompass all of who he is.

Nor does our failure encompass who God is; but His grace in restoring our lives speaks volumes.

Many Christians fight an uphill battle throughout their entire lives trying to become a 'perfect' Christian. This is hopelessly unattainable.
It always ends the same way - in a failed life full of moral exhaustion.
Unless grace is imputed into our lives, we will face the cruel deception of man's moral code.

Yet, Jesus did give us absolute commands; this is the same Jesus who tenderly offered you and I absolute grace.
Grace is inflexible, absolute, full, exclusive and all-encompassing.
In short, grace is an extension of God Himself.

And with God and His grace, we don't have to achieve anything; He has already done it for us.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.

Is Anyone Beyond Forgiveness?

"I only love God as much as I love the person I love the least."

                                                                                                       ~ Dorthy Day

It's a radical question; one we don't necessarily want to answer.
'Is any person beyond forgiveness?'

Under the system of the Law of Moses, people knew exactly where they stood before God and man.
When a person went to the temple, no oddball was allowed and no abnormal animal would be accepted. 
Only the 'clean' and this applied to humans as well as to their worship.
The Law even ranked people according to their  race, gender, and bodily health.

The purpose for this was that God's people were to be separated to reflect His holiness.
But that's not the message received by humanity conveyed an ungraceful air of superiority from the Jews towards all other people.
Unfortunately, some Christians have the same attitude towards those not like themselves.

To them, God had established a type of religious caste system; what they failed to realize in the old days is the same thing Christians fail to see today - God had permitted and allowed all people to come to Him in some way.
Today, He offers the same; yet, not through sacrifices but in the person of Himself and His grace bringing forgiveness through repentance.

When Jesus came, people like you and me were able to breathe a sigh of relief; He dismantled the spiritual hierarchy and invited the defective and lame to come to Him.
Rather than being contaminated by our sins, mistakes and errors in life; Jesus made us whole, pure and clean - just as we were meant to be from the beginning. 

In a way, Jesus hallowed creation by taking that which we made unclean by our sin, making it clean through his blood.
We didn't deserve His forgiveness, but He graciously poured it out on us anyway. 

As such, the Christian, the one who has been made clean and restored by forgiveness and grace; we are the people on the globe who are charged with extending that same grace and forgiveness to other humans that don't deserve it either.

The Christian is to seek to be God's agents in an unclean world; giving His grace while remaining holy because He dwells within us.
Yes, the world is sick and dying; but in His grace and forgiveness, God raises people from the dead everyday through the witness we have in the world.

As the Body of Christ in the world, through us He makes the unclean, clean.

Jesus had the reputation of being a 'lover of sinners,' it is a reputation that His 21st Century followers are in grave danger of losing today.
What caused Jesus to earn that title?
Simple - His grace toward them; for grace and forgiveness can only be given through love.

So, back to the original question: 'Is any person beyond forgiveness?'
Truthfully, if nobody is beyond forgiveness then grace is quite the scandal indeed.

What of the murderer?
The elderly abuser, child abuser or the pedophile? 
What of the drug addict, the thief, the prostitute or the married man who frequents each of these sins unbeknownst to anyone...or even known to everyone?

How about those members of ISIS which murdered another 21 Christians (Egyptian Coptic) over the weekend? Are they beyond forgiveness?

The Christian, when confronted with these scenarios will automatically say, 'yes.'
We know God's love covers all things and all one must do is repent, believe by faith and accept His truth. Yet, we find ourselves with an internal struggle not being able to explain the depth of the mercy.
Where we often find ourselves as Christians, is the same place Jonah found himself; we know God will forgive the sinner, but we truly hope He doesn't because we believe they deserve punishment.

And this is heightened when we move from the general to the particular.
It is one thing to speak of a pedophile, murderer or thief; it is quite another to speak about forgiving the person who stole from you, killed your wife or attacked your child.
But if forgiveness is what God says it is and what we hope that it is - then grace must be true in the general and the specific at every turn.

Let me let you in on a secret - forgiveness is unfair.
Hindu's conception of 'Karma' seems so much more satisfying because people get what they deserve; but grace is just the opposite.
Grace and Forgiveness are not fair; yet, we desire not fairness for ourselves but grace.

Over the years, every adult has been hurt - by people they thought were their friends, by their church, by children and even by their spouse.
It's not uncommon, people are people; it has happened to us all. 

Seriously, can you imagine how many squabbles and wrong words were spoken between Adam and Eve over the 900-year period of their marriage.
When they died, it wasn't about who was right or wrong; but rather, it was about the grace God had shown each of them.

In ministry, I have counseled many people; all of which were hurt in some way, particularly married couples.
I have witnessed arguments over the type of soap a person uses and how they use it concerning the laundry. I have seen fits of rage over a parking spot on a lot outside of a restaurant. I have even seen a relationship destroyed over an argument about socks.

Now, how can these things ruin a marriage or permanently scar a relationship?
Easy.
It's because neither person involved would say, 'This is ridiculous, it can't go on like this between us. I'm sorry; please forgive me.'

You see, the truth about forgiveness and grace is that it does not settle all questions of justice or of blame or even of fairness.
Instead, forgiveness and grace allows for relationships to start anew; in essence, forgiveness doesn't take away the pain but it does allow for a 'do over' so that we may begin again.
And it is this capacity, the capacity to repent, forgive and move on which makes us different than the animals in the wild.

I once knew a man who had an affair with a friend's wife; as with all such actions, the friend discovered it and confronted his wife and his friend who had become her lover.
Though trust took years to rebuild, forgiveness was immediate for them both; although the pain he feels still surfaces to this day.
As for the friend, there was no repercussion other than spiritual anquish; which was very painful, as it was for each person involved.
The man whose wife had the affair, he did nothing to destroy the other man nor to hurt him in any way; instead, he did something with both his wife and his friend - he chose to love as Christ loved.
He forgave them both and the relationships have been restored.

To this day, I have NEVER witnessed a strong example of grace, love or forgiveness than in that one Christian man.

At times, I speak with people who think they can forgive, trust again, move forward and simply forget about everything that has happened in a situation...and they can't because forgiveness isn't easy.
In fact, it is one of the hardest things any person can ever do.

The only thing which is more difficult than forgiving someone who has injured you is the alternative; not forgiving someone is much, much harder.
You see, not to forgive imprisons the one who has been injured. It stops all forward progress in relationships, spirituality and trust.
To paraphrase another, forgiveness loosens the noose of guilt in the perpetrator and it eases the pain of the violated.

Truthfully, forgiveness is easy...until you first attempt to practice it.
Only then will it become difficult; but only then will it become effective for both the person injured and the one who caused the pain.

Several years ago, I stood outside the Civil Rights Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.
I was there with a group of men and women, all being Air Force connected.
The leader of the group was a 40-something black man; while there were other minorities with us, most of us were white.
All of us were amazed at the history we observed; the tragedy of racial hatred struck each of us in our hearts; yet, those who were black did not hold the rest of us responsible for what had happened in the Deep South just a few decades ago.
Instead, we rejoiced together that we lived in a time where we would never know that much hate among ourselves.

How different this is from those who still speak of Selma, Alabama and Bull Conner as if he was the typical police officer of the twenty-first century!
You see the difference in attitude in the past as well; from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. he taught peace and patience, while others were much more radical and violent.
What was the difference between the people I was with at the Civil Rights Museum and those who spoke of the Civil Rights Movement as if no progress had been made?
What's the difference between King and someone like Stokely Carmichael?

The answer is easy - it is forgiveness.
In both instances, the latter had not forgiven.
Only forgiveness rooted in God's grace can thaw such a guilt-ridden situation.

To bring it to a more personal level, what is it that you need to forgive so that you can move beyond the hurt and tragedy of a situation in your life?
God will not be able to use you as He could until you take the hard step of grace, which is forgiving those who don't deserve it.

Whether it is people, church bodies or even institutions and organizations; we must forgive those who have injured us so that we might be released from the situation in our hearts and minds and God can effectively use us once again.

You see, God did the same that He asks us to do.
God found a way to forgive us for our sin; He did so in Christ's coming.
Until Jesus came, was betrayed, was crucified - God did not know exactly what it meant to be human nor did He know what we endured here on earth in our lives.

But now, according to Hebrews, God does know what it is like to suffer. 
He now knows what it is like to be betrayed; to hurt and feel emotional pain as you and I feel it.

And as far as grace and forgiveness is concerned, the Gospels indicate that forgiveness was not easy for God either.
When Jesus was praying in the Garden, He asked that if there was another way, the cup of God's wrath being taken away.
But our forgiveness could not be achieved any other way.

Having become one of us, Jesus now understands.
And in His understanding, He achieved the offer of salvation for all who will seek Him.

So, ultimately, the answer is 'no.'
There is not one person beyond forgiveness; for if this was possible, you and I would also be beyond forgiveness.
And God loves us too much for that situation to continue.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.

Grace in Our Age

"Blessed art Thou, O' Lord, who hast not made me a woman."

                                                 ~ A Prayer of the Pharisee (in the age of Christ)

Sadly, one of the many things I learned while in the pastorate is the fact that the Church is not associated with mercy and grace, but rather judgment and scorn.
This just doesn't seem right.
How can this be?

Interestingly enough, when a person looks to the Gospels, the more unsavory, the more sinful, the more dark a person is or their life has become, the more at ease they seem to feel when they are with Jesus.
The person with a ruined life, heart-broken over a child's death, or the person who is seeking faith; the worst they were, the better Jesus was able to open up their hearts to His Truth.
And knowing this, one question lingers - 'Why isn't the Church this way today?'

One reason is simply because the Body of Christ, in many cases within the local church, have been taken over by men who have succeeded the Pharisees in their role; condemning rather than consoling, concerned about sins of others rather than sacrificing self before the Lord and seeking to walk the impossible path of the Law rather than walking the path of God's Love.

And just like in the time of Christ, these religionists produce an icy response to those who are suffering or hurting in life.

In short, the Church today acts just the opposite of what Christ acted towards those who needed mercy and grace the most.
And what I can't figure out is why more Christians and more Churches don't stop and ask themselves, "Why is it sinners and the lost don't like being around us?'

Well, I've got a guess or two.

You see, the Body of Christ has the greatest gift ever given mankind, grace.
We ought not be hoarding grace but dispensing it like soap in a public restroom.
As one believer put it:

"Prostitutes are in no danger of finding their present life so satisfactory that they cannot turn to God; the proud, the avaricious, the self-righteous, are in that danger.'

                                                                                                    ~ C. S. Lewis

The real hurting people, therefore, are not those who we can see, it's those who are covering it up and living seemingly 'normal' lives.
So, not only does the person who obviously needs grace and mercy go without, so does the

one who has convinced himself/herself that they are merciful and graceful.
As a result, those within and without the church, suffer.

A few years back, there was a lot of talk about 'The Kingdom of God' becoming a reality in our churches, homes and life.
The Southern Baptist Convention even had a program called, Empowering Kingdom Growth.
But the problem is, the Church of today is not a very good representation of God's Kingdom; in God's Kingdom, there are no undesirables.
There may be people whose lives have been wrecked at one time, but in the Kingdom they are restored; as the Body of Christ, we should be more into the restoration business than we are as religious wrecking balls.

While on Earth, Jesus Himself went out of His way to show mercy and grace; sometimes with prostitutes, at other times Samaritans and also with tax-collectors.
In His actions during His life, Jesus threatened the religious caste system in Israel; maybe that's why they hated Him and why the Gospels mention over twenty-times the religious leaders conspiring against Jesus.

After His ascension, the early church took root with mixed soil but with one seed, that of the Gospel. 
The men who carried Jesus' message throughout the known world were of vastly different backgrounds, political thought and economic status.
Not so much today.

With each denomination of the Christian faith, there is a stereotype associated with that particular group.
For example, Episcopalians are sometimes referred to by others as 'Whisky-palians;' believing they drink more than anybody else. Baptists are, at times, thought to think that they are the only people going to heaven. Presbyterians - well, they're thought to have lifeless services....and on and on it goes.

But whatever your background and whatever you think of the various denominations, one thing is for certain: there is little resemblance between the modern Christian and the early Church.

The early church were for the most part ostracized from society and at times persecuted and tortured; so, they went to the people who needed to hear the word of Jesus - the hurting, the suffering, the sick and the poor.

In short, people like themselves.

Millions of new Christians came out of the good works of the Church in their sharing of food and clothing; they had to depend on one another, especially since the faith was outlawed at times in the Empire.


Yet, they ministered to one another and to those whom society had forgotten; great gains were made for Christ.

Once the faith was legalized and then became the religion of the Roman Empire, those good works of mercy and grace, in time, went by the wayside.
The church became THE CHURCH, that is to say, it became institutionalized. 
When that happened, the Body of Christ seemed to exist more as a place and system rather than a living Body within the world.

Yet, in the Third World today, the Christian and the Gospel is very different than how we 'do church' in the United States.
The understand that the Christian life is not supposed to be comfortable; Jesus' life was a life of rejection, why should His followers expect anything less?
And let me say this, if a Christian is not experiencing some type of rejection, maybe, just maybe there is a spiritual problem in their life.
Maybe they're not experiencing any type of backlash in life because their life looks too much like the world to be distinguished from those who do not believe.
Friend, as the late Dr. Adrian Rogers use to say, 'The Christian ought to stick out like a diamond in a coal mine.'

Now, most people don't know all facets of pain, suffering or rejection - but Jesus did during His life and is still facing rejection from people today.
Still, the one aspect I have known is suffering because I have been sick with cancer in the past. I have also known emotional suffering through the betrayal of "religious leaders."
In those times, 'why' is not always a question that can be answered; sometimes things are the way that they are and that's the end of the matter.
In it, we must persevere in faith through the tough times and bring glory to His name.

It is, however, appropriate to ask in those times if God really cares; this is at the heart of most people's questions when they are suffering.
It is also the easiest to answer, for it deserves no less than a resounding 'yes.'
Tonight, the Ukraine is being invaded by Putin's Russia; does God care about the deaths, the

suffering and the millions of people trapped in the cross-fire who just want to live their lives and love their families?
The answer is 'yes;' therefore, the question now to be asked is, 'How do we know God cares?'

In Jesus Christ, God gave us a face, a person, a human with compassion, love and mercy; One who embodied all that it means to be God.
In Him and through Him, I know how God feels about tragedy and pain on the Earth.
In Christ, God did not eliminate suffering; in fact, three times in the Gospels human suffering drove Him to tears.

If Jesus wept for those who suffered and over those who died and felt compassion on those who ultimately rejected and crucified Him, then we can deduce fairly well what God thinks of such things.
Personally, I hate Cancer; I believe Jesus Christ does as well because of the pain it brings to the lives of those who suffer through it.

But God did not eradicate the disease nor did He promise a faithful Christian would not get Cancer; instead, God gave me something much greater than a cure to disease - He gave me Himself.
And He does the same to all who will seek Him in love and truth.
But God, with His absolute, infinite power, will never force love.
It must come from a person's own volition. 

In looking to Jesus, I see the Christian I am to be; full of grace and mercy, while at the same time holding to His Gospel and Truth.
In Him, I see that when He faced suffering, He responded as we should - in compassion, grace, mercy and truth; including the truth of forgiveness.

As the Body of Christ, the Church is to be a community for the suffering; in other words, a place where rejects can feel comfortable and find God.

May you and I be the men and women whom God uses to fulfill such a glorious task.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.

Defeating Isis

Author's Note: Included in this blog is an image of journalist James W. Foley just prior to his murder by ISIS/ISIL. During research of this writing, literally hundreds of articles and images were reviewed. The vast majority were eliminated due to the graphic nature of beheadings, murder and rape. 

The images are true to ISIS actions against 'infidels;' however, I do not believe placing them in this forum would enhance knowledge or spirituality.

May God bless you and may we continue to take the spiritual fight to the enemies of Christ.

                                                                                                                Pastor Jack

"Prepare for the unknown by studying how others int he past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable."

                                                                                                     ~ General George S. Patton

In the wake of yet another beheading at the hands of Isis, this time a Japanese journalist, the westernized world seems to be stunned at the audacity and violence of these militant agents as news

outlets attempt to assure us that they adhere to a 'religion of peace.'

The actions of the 'Islamic State,' which seemingly go unchecked and predictably produce the image of a weak will for the rest of the world, is not unlike the image produced by our leaders at the close of the decade of the 1970's.

At the end of the 1970's, the Soviet Union abandoned a near decade-long policy of detente with the United States (which had been established with President Nixon), invading Afghanistan knowing leadership in Washington would not respond to their military threat.
In Iran, the Islamic Revolution began under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini; it remains in place to this day.
While highlights included the signing of the Camp David Accords with Anwar El Sadat of Egypt and the Israeli State - which were hugely unpopular in the Arab world - and the end of the Vietnam War; with high inflation, an oil embargo and a failed rescue attempt of the hostages held by terrorists in Iran, it truly appeared as if the United States had lost its ability to shape world events.

Yet, in 1980, a strong, anti-communist became President, the former Ronald Reagan in the role of a lifetime. Under his leadership and his successor, the feared Soviets fell from power and a struggling Russia now exists in its place.
But it didn't happen overnight; nor was it simply a political leader. It also took spiritual leadership.

Graham & Pope John Paul II

You see, it was also during this time that Rev. Billy Graham (Protestant) and Pope John Paul II (Roman Catholic) enjoyed successful spiritual leadership across the globe with millions upon millions of Christians. Wile many called for the west to 'get along with' the Communists; these two men stood strong on Biblical grounds and called it what it was - evil.

You see, Communism was not primarily a secular political movement; it was also an anti-God, way of life and religion. It was evil with government approval.
Like the Communists, Isis is the great evil of our day; in defeating the communists, our preceding generation has given ours a gift in the form of an example as to how to defeat the Islamic State which threatens the security of the world.
But remember - it's not primarily a political movement; it is a spiritual movement, albeit a wicked one.

On the surface, it would seem that Communism and Christianity would be supported by the same people.
Both strove for similar things, such as equality and justice; yet, only one of the two engaged in some of the worst atrocities known to humanity.
In the Soviet Union alone, when Lenin came to power, nearly 98% of all priests were executed and 99% of all Russian Orthodox Churches were closed.

The gospel the Communists preached was mostly about man being elevated as ruler of his own destiny; and therein lays the chief problem with Communism.
Communism failed in Europe because of their failure to understand the basic nature of man; man's nature is flawed and sinful. Since they didn't adhere to a god or a religion, the thought was that man could be made and fashioned into whatever they wished his morals and actions to be; if you caught him young enough to teach him.

The Communists ignored man's fallen nature from Adam; although there are plenty of examples of our fallenness throughout history on either side of the ocean.
They tried to improve on what they did not understand; man's fallen nature.
Isis too will fail; they are trying to improve by force what is essentially a spiritual problem - man is fallen, man sins.
And man cannot be forced to repent and 'straighten up;' man must be shaken to his core and remedied with the grace of God if he is to improve.

Karl Marx

The Communists of old spoke of the 'New Marxist Man,' a person who would emerge from humanity and be better at everything than the current version of humanity.
The New Marxist Man would be more selfless, more intelligent, stronger and wiser; without faith.
In essence, they replaced the God-man of Jesus Christ with the Man-god of humanity.

Yet, we know that you and I are humans, as are the people in Europe; we are not gods.
As a result, no super-Socialist man ever spawned and existed.
They learned, much too late, people only change when there is an actual change in their heart. People do not change when they are forced, we will change only when we are changed from within.

Today, Isis is falling to the same thought that occupied the minds of the Communists; force, power and rule will make people do what we want.
No society in history has long lasted by force; Isis is no different.
Fear will always give way to hope; hope will always point to God.
And God will always prevail.

Like Isis, the Communists of old believed that they, not a God, determined morality.
Instead of inside out, it became from the top, down to others.
The Kremlin would dictate what was right and good; then enforce it at the point of a gun. 
Yet, this never works.

Now, we live in the 21st Century and sometimes, when we see what these evil, radical people are doing

The murder of James W. Foley

in the name of their God to innocents - we want God to be super-involved and lay His hand on them in a Biblical way, reminiscent of the plagues on Egypt.
We seek God to be heavy-handed on those who seek to do us harm.

But if you will remember the Old Testament, God did that once; He was involved to a super-intense level, but His people, nor humanity at large responded.
The Law He gave was ultimately ignored and it did not produce holiness as He desired; at best, it led us to only being marginally conformed to His ways.

So, how were those people of Biblical times defeated when they came against God's people?
The same way Isis must be defeated - Spirituality.
As it is written, 'Not by might, not by strength; but by My Spirit, says the Lord.'

After the Soviet Union fell along with the Easter Block, once dubbed, the 'Iron Curtain,' it opened up to Christianity.
The reason was because there had been for 74 years an underground church praying for such an event to happen; many martyrs died along the way, and there was only a handful of the faithful left.
But when their prayers were finally answered, there was a spiritual awakening within those countries that the media never reported.

Like the early church, those who remained behind the Iron Curtain had many avenues closed to them; they simply could not go public with their faith.
Being limited, they did what countless of Christians have done in closed countries - ministered only to the neediest people; the hurting, the poor.

To "make" followers, you don't see this from the 'religion of peace;' instead, you see violence and force.
But it is compassion as given by the Spirit of God which opens the heart and mind to the true witness of the Gospel.
And sometimes it takes years of hard work and dedication for God to use the witness.

American Christians want the battle against Islam to be easy and quick; it will not be either easy nor quick.
Other want to rely solely on a political solution or a military solution; these may help, but ultimately, when the problem is spiritual it must be solved in a spiritual way.

The Falling of the Berlin Wall

Maybe that is why in Muslim countries many Christians are content to be underground for the time being; the only weapons they have is love, prayer and worship - and friend, that's all any Christian truly needs when waging a spiritual battle.

In 1989, after a few weeks of prayer meetings and vigil protests that had begun after a church prayer meeting, the Berlin Wall fell.
It was the first crack in the Communist Armor in Europe; I remember watching it take place and men and women celebrate as the pushed holes through the stone wall separating the two Berlins. Soon, it wasn't just East Germany which became liberated.
After that night, nine other Communist nations is Europe, including the arch-rival of the United States, the Soviet Union, fell to non-violent revolutions.
That one fall brought state-sponsored atheism and evil to its knees; and the one, giant Super Power known as the U.S.S.R. was dissolved into 15 independent republics, almost overnight.

In some ways, the 74 years of Communist rule in Europe is a symbol of what we need to remember in this age.
God will indeed win, but He will win at the most appropriate time.

Just as Soviet aggression ended; so too will the Islamic State.
But there is one question that remains - what is it that controls you?
Is it fear? Is it politics? Or is it Jesus?

Friend, it is primarily a spiritual war; it will primarily be won through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.