Daily Devotional for Saturday March 14, 2009
Bill Maher's gift to Christians
(Luke 3:6; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13; 1 Timothy 2:4; Titus 2:11)
Bill Maher's gift to Christians. Want a great indicator how far from God this nation is? One of the top 10 DVDs people bought this past week was the "mockumentary" "Religulous, " created by comedian and political satirist Bill Maher. This movie denies God, blasphemes Jesus Christ, and clams the Bible is little more than a book of fables. Since it was released in theaters 6 months ago, Religulous has helped millions who reject Christ and the Bible justify their rejection of God's Truth.
Maher has spent his career mocking God and lambasting Christians and the Christian faith. While these attacks on Christianity were initially part of his comedy club act, he used his ABC program "Politically Incorrect," and now his current HBO program, "Real Time with Bill Maher," as platforms to disseminate his vitriolic hatred of Christ and the Bible to the masses, many of whom have also rejected God, Jesus, and the Bible, and look to Maher to reinforce their rejection of the Truth.
Religulous is a mockumentary that Maher produced and stars in and is directed by another God-hater, Larry Charles, who directed the movie Borat. Maher and Charles actually filmed much of this project in Israel at many of the places where passages in the Bible occurred, as well as at the Vatican in Rome. While the purpose of this movie is to denounce all religion, the clear target and most of its attacks are focused on the Christian faith. Maher originally planned an Easter release, knowing that it is the holiest time of the year for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, but was unable to.
Maher is a classic example of someone who has a presence it the mainstream media and clearly uses the secular media to influence the hearts and minds of the masses he reaches to believe that God is not real, faith in Jesus is a meaningless exercise, and that you have to be incredibly stupid to believe the Bible. In this world we live in where the better percentage of two full generations have never been to church, millions of people who have rejected the Lord and God's Word as Truth cling to Maher's words to justify and feel good about their unbelief, giving them a false sense of security to continue to live in rebellion to God and the Bible.
Listen, Bill Maher has the right to make whatever type of film he wants, say whatever he wants to say on his TV program, and make it part of his life's work to get people to deny God, Christ, and the Bible. The sad fact is, most Christians haven't got a clue who Bill Maher is. Most pastors have probably never even heard of him. However, the lost and hurting masses outside the four walls of the church know who he is and are being influenced by his blasphemy. Those who don't want to be accountable to God or follow the Truth of His Word know who Bill Maher is and to them, he is a superhero, a role model.
Bill Maher is a classic example of the case I have made for years now. If someone who is clearly being used as a tool of satan can be so bold with a lie, where are the men of God who possess the Truth? If we are going to win the lost to Christ, we have to get out into the marketplace where the Bill Mahers of the world operate and compete with them for the hearts, lives, and souls of the lost and hurting masses. You won't reach the people Bill Maher reaches from the pulpit or thru Christian TV. As I tell you often, if you want to reach these people, you have to go to where they are, invade their lives. They aren't coming to us, we have to go to them. Sadly, we don't feel they are worth it, and have left these people to the Mahers and Oprahs of the world to devour their soul!
On my DirecTV, in the 300s, there are 8 or 9 Christian networks, several TBNs, Daystar, TCT, World Harvest, GODTV, NRB, and several more. Do you know the same ministries are on ALL of them!!! All these channels carry the same programs! Why would these ministries who take in $20m, $50m, $80m, $100m, do nothing but buy time on all of the Christian networks? Simple, that is who they are trying to reach, since it is Christians who send them money, buy their resources, go to their conferences. You aren't going to get the lost on secular TV to buy you a new private jet! In the meantime, there are about 1,000 other channels void of God and His Truth showing everything you can imagine, much of it straight from the pits of hell, much of it in complete rebellion to God and His Truth, much of it mocking and openly defiant to the Christian faith.
So while the church and major ministries keep preaching to the choir, the Bill Mahers and Oprahs of the world keep reaching out to the lost and hurting masses, leading them away from the Truth and the hope of Christ, helping to lead their souls to hell!
What can you do to battle a media personality like Maher? Speak up! I guarantee you that you live around, work with, go to school with, recreate with, meet in your daily life many of the same people Maher reaches. You actually have an advantage over him since you can sit down and hold a conversation with those people. However, to do that you have to SPEAK UP AND DEFEND THE FAITH! God gave us a voice to use it for HIM! The only way guys like Maher and Oprah are successful is if those who know the Lord keep their mouths shut. SPEAK UP! If Maher is so convinced in what he believes that he openly defies God, aren't you just as convinced in what you believe to stand up for God? That is a question you need to ponder.
I love you and care about you so much. I pray for the day to get one on one with Maher. But I know that he is so convinced in his unbelief that it would not accomplish much other than to contrast the lies he spews with the Truth of the Word. Much more productive is for me to keep doing all I can to use all of the media that exists to reach he same hearts and minds Maher reaches. That is all I have ever sought to do. I told you many times the only way God loses is if He is not in the game. After nearly 6 years on secular TV, I know for a fact that when you put the Truth of the Bible against the lies of the world, a large percentage of people will come to know the Truth.
THAT IS WHY WE CAN'T SIMPLY ABANDON THE MARKETPLACE AND LEAVE IT TO THE WOLVES LIKE MAHER!!!
Pray for Maher. It is often hard for us to comprehend a God that could love and care for someone who mocks Him in such a public way like Maher does, but He does! He also loves those people that you know who say they hate God and curse him through their rebellious lives. Pray for them. No matter what they may do in this short time here on earth, the fact is, they have an eternity waiting for them when they leave this life. Pray that God can break through the hardness of their hearts, help them to see their sin, to know the love of His Son Jesus, and accept His free gift of everlasting life. It is a gift available to ALL who will simply ask God to forgive them of their sins, and accept Jesus Christ into their hearts by faith.
If you have never made that choice to accept Christ as your Savior, the Bible says that TODAY is the day of salvation. Pray and read the words at this link: http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.cfm . They will guide you in the most important choice that you will EVER make in this life, since it will determine your eternal home.
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller