Daily Devotional for Wednesday May 14, 2014
Silencing God's Truth
(Luke 19:40)
***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, if a person grows up in a Christian family and has always tried to follow Christ, would they need to feel an exact time of being reborn and if they don't, does that mean they are not saved?
ANSWER: Becoming "born again," making that personal decision for Christ, is something EACH person must do for themselves by faith. It does NOT happen by osmosis, or because you always went to church, or because your parents were Christian. This is a PERSONAL decision each person must make for themselves. It is difficult to believe anyone who makes the most important decision of their lives won't at least remember apx when that moment was.
The FCC will soon regulate the Internet and Liveprayer will be considered an "edge provider" allowing them to censor our content! If you don't understand that there is an all out war on Christians simply speaking for the Truth of God's Word you need to wake up!!! After 15 yrs on the front lines, I see more and more the maneuvers satan's minions are making to insure all TRUTH from God's Word is silenced in the public square! Every day I try to show you from real life examples what is going on in our nation to silence men and women of God from simply sharing the Truth of God's Word!
Over a decade years ago, I told you that simply speaking out against the sin of homosexuality would one day soon be criminalized. Many things you say about homosexuality today, even if it is from the Bible, is now considered "hate speech" and you could be prosecuted. Over ten years ago, as I was warning people about the rise of Islam in this nation, I gave you insight that the Muslims were using the same playbook the homosexual lobby used. I also told you that one day soon, simply telling the truth about Islam would land you in jail. Well, that day is upon us!
I have also been trying to warn you that our most basic freedom to proclaim the Gospel would soon be in jeopardy. Sadly, most people are so apathetic or simply out of touch that they don't even realize that day is now upon us. We all assume that based on our Constitutional right to freedom of speech, we will never have to worry about having the ability to proclaim God's Truth and the Gospel message. My friend, the very first group who will be targeted in an attempt to stifle free speech will be Christians because we are the weakest!
I realize that most people may think I am being paranoid and have lost my mind, but you haven't lived, breathed, and operated 24/7/365 the last 15 years preaching Biblical Truth and the hope of Christ in the marketplace like I have. I've not only experienced the attacks each day, but see clearly how the world wants to desperately silence our message.
The fact is those who oppose God DO want to silence us. Now please understand me. As long as we stay inside our churches, as long as we stay in our own little Christian media world that NOBODY outside of a small minority of Christians pays attention to, we are fine. However, once we venture into the marketplace, into the mainstream media, we have problems. The new hate crime legislation is designed for one purpose, and that is to silence anyone from speaking out on the sin of homosexuality, even from the Bible.
The case will be made that anyone who calls this act a sin is spewing hate speech designed to incite people to violence against homosexuals, even though there will be no proof of that happening. This is the same tactic other groups like the Muslims, the baby killers, and others who oppose God will use to silence those who take a stand for God's Truth in the marketplace. Calling hate speech the basic truths of the Bible is exactly how those who oppose God will seek to silence anyone who goes into the public arena to take a stand for Biblical Truth.
The reality is, we have nobody to blame but ourselves. We extracted ourselves from the marketplace a long time ago. Those who do venture into the public arena, are more concerned with being politically correct than Biblically correct. We have a generation of gutless pastors who have been weaned on these seeker/purpose driven/emerging church marketing strategies that are designed to put warm bodies in their pews at the expense of the Truth of the Bible and the Gospel.
It is no longer about sin, sacrifice, and service, but tickling ears, entertaining, and making people feel good. Church is no longer about preaching and teaching the Bible to equip the saints and save souls, but is little more than a social setting that is a big business fraught with politics and lots of flesh. The irrelevance of the modern church in the real daily lives of people is why you have the better percentage of two full generations who have never even been to a church in their life.
It is the weak, apathetic, and in many cases, apostate church that is largely to blame for the lack of courage most people have in sharing their faith with the world. The world is a bully. Like a classic bully, they smell fear and weakness. The world has intimidated most Christians into silence, and in so doing, has made it that much easier to now make a real move on taking away one of our most foundations rights in this nation, the freedom of speech.
I love you and care about you so much. This is a wake-up call today to all of those who love the Lord. You no longer have the luxury of being silent. The reality is, it will soon cost you to speak out for Christ. However, regardless of the personal consequences, you have no choice. Sadly, we are at a stage in this nation's history where people of faith will pay a price for speaking out for their faith. It is a reality many of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world face daily.
Regardless of the price, we can't be silent and must speak out or the very rocks will cry out!!!
I pay a price daily to do what God has called me to do. I could have taken the same road most do, stay in the Christian trough, preach to the choir, build buildings and fly around in private jets. But that is the mindset that has put us in a position where in the very near future we won't even be able to preach from the Bible without repercussions.
Our ability to freely share the Gospel will be gone one day very soon. We MUST make the most of what little time we have left. The window to turn this nation back to God and to His Truth, to freely bring the lost to Christ, is almost closed. Now is the time, this is the moment, while we still have it, we must exercise our right to free speech!
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller