Never Give Up On The Good Fight!
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’ (Hebrews 13:8); ‘Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things (God has taught and done) your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.’ (Deuteronomy 4:9)
For all my fellow veterans, may you have a peaceful and joyful Veterans’ Day! In a certain aspect, there is some solemness when it comes to celebrating the day, as it originated as Armistice Day, with it starting on 11 November 1918, on 11:11AM, or the ‘eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month’ to be a reminder of the ‘war to end all wars’, which of course World War I was not.
From the American perspective on wars, World War I was followed by World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts, the Gulf War (Desert Storm), and the ‘Global War on Terror’ which included Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq). We’ve had and are continuing to have actions in smaller skirmishes as we have American support troops in Israel, infantry in Syria and Iraq (still), and officially offering material support to Ukraine. Also, we have our longtime military presence in Europe (under NATO) and in South Korea (as part of the UN).
There are pundits who believe we are headed into ‘World War III’ with the new evil ‘axis’ of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran – we some believing we are already in it through cyber and economic warfare between the ‘axis’ and the Western powers. Another view is the West is under siege by the globalist ‘green’ communist/socialist/progressive movement, which some argue has won in greater Europe and Great Britian and is being battled here in the US with the influx of tens of millions of illegal immigrants that are taxing our resources and services.
The endless conflicts most of us have experienced in the 20th and 21st century are actually conflicts that have been ongoing since Cain took out Abel with a rock. It can wear us down and we yearn for peace; unfortunately, we will not find peace here on Earth. Some believe if we give up or give in a little, we’ll ‘coexist’ but the reality is we cannot quit to fight the Spiritual battle and cannot compromise Righteousness for the sake of peace. The real war is actually against evil, a Spiritual conflict against the forces of Satan, who are on a constant battle with the armies of Jesus and His Righteous followers. If we give up a little security to have a little bit of peace, we’ll get neither.
Though you may not have donned a uniform of the Armed Services; you are ‘veterans’ of the Spiritual War between Good and Evil. To gain Eternal Peace, we must never give up or throw in the towel to rest but instead follow Jesus, spread His Word and fight for Righteousness until He comes to install His Messianic Kingdom, when Eternal Peace will finally be won. Think of some of the ‘veterans’ who have fought for Righteousness, like Billy Graham and others who stood up to proclaim the Gospel to a world full of unrest and spite.
Billy Graham lives on, not just because he assuredly has been saved by Grace through his steadfast belief in Jesus, but because just about all of his crusades were filmed and you can catch them through the ‘magic’ of today’s technology. You can watch Billy Graham, or listen or read the sermons of pastors’ past like D.L. Moody or Charles Stanley because there are transcripts or recordings of them. But know that the message they preached in the past is being preached today, in churches across the globe, including in MBC.
The true Gospel of Jesus is the same regardless of who preached it or when it was preached. The true Gospel will stay with you; it is important to pass down as much of the true Gospel to our children and grandchildren so that they will also know when they hear a pastor’s sermon that it is of Jesus, for Jesus. You can also live on through the gift of the Gospel that you pass down to your children and grandchildren!
Be wary of the pastor who comes out with ‘the new Gospel’ or a ‘new way to do church’. Not all things new are ‘bad’; when someone complains of guitars or contemporary Christian music remember someone years ago likely complained that ‘Amazing Grace’ was pushing Handel’s ‘Messiah’ off the pipe organs. Things do change, but the Gospel – the true Gospel – will never change. The Gospel message of John the Baptist is still true today; you must repent and seek forgiveness from the Lord Jesus and accept Him as the Christ. One cannot change what Jesus spoke, and His character cannot be molded into our perceptions, we must mold ourselves into His liking.
It’s important to turn to the Word, to pray and to seek the Holy Spirit to provide understanding. After all, the Holy Spirit not only knows the Gospel but as God Spiritualized wrote it. But don’t give up, keep up the Good Fight and don’t give in to the evil of secular compromise for a temporary ‘peace’.
