The battle for Truth is daily. Here and now. In previous posts was described how the enemy attacks and deceives the public of its traditional Christian family values – God’s values. But the “eyes of your heart”‘(Eph.1:18) should be open to this “demonic strategy” if you have been reading the previous posts. This battle is a contest – ‘of minds’, and ‘for minds”. It is the battle for Truth and Jesus and Love-(for the Word says ” God is love”1John 4:8) The struggle is against lies , deception, and pride. This battle for Truth started at the very beginning of God’s work in the Garden Of Eden, as described for us in Genesis when the serpent ,creating doubt, asks of Eve ” did He really say you should not eat?” Modern science confirms much of this story.
Locally the last attack of the enemy was on the recent TV news reports of the twoGovernment-funded net-works – with tax-payers money yet!- and with generous air time to ram home the anti-social message. There was an eager young man with yet another survey! His sponsoring “University” signage was conspicuously behind him, “academic pharisees” again!
The results of this “survey”, he enthusiastically stated, attacked and rubbished the family values stated above… “women were un-happy in marriage , un- happy with babies, while men were happier in marriage” were the main message. Under a little protest from the female news host, he protested ” the data doesn’t lie”. Thankfully she hit back ” but the respondents do lie”. Then he protested “the same group were surveyed from last year!” Do you notice that this makes you think – from your idea of fairness and truth – that “the same people” were surveyed. Not so! “the same group” means the same groups that were asked last time in that same area. If you asked ” is marriage and kids fun ?” in a gay/lesbian bar, or area, of any large city, the answer is very different from the answer of a suburban parents group. (Also check-out the post ” Jesus,Truth and Spiritual Warfare.”-‘ The Truth War’)’ Surveys’ are easily shaped for the desired message,by and for the lobby group paying for the survey.
Talking about “paying for something’ as the last sentence says- Christian ‘groups’ are ” financially poor”, even while enjoying the extra ‘peace” that the Lord gives them.But the enemy ,the ‘boyz and others have a lot of funds available, usually because of selfish, aggressive attitudes to business and/or having no family costs for children or mortgage in the suburb. They also have a lot of free time, just looking after their own interests, compared to time-poor parents doing the school and sports runs,etc. Again Christ’s Church suffers the ‘ thorns’ of the world.
Another example of a false promise of the world is to check for the words “may” or” can”! If an ad says that “it may help you”, the product might,- or it “might not” help you. It doesn’t mean it” will ” help you. It can be a 50-50 thing. So you won’t get any refund, for example ‘ on that holiday if it doesn’t work out. (this ‘false promise’ is one of my favorites; it is usually hidden in a long sentence similar to a guarantee)
But back to the ‘Truth’. Another public attack in the battle for the Truth of the Word of God” was on a Government channel on another news ‘question’ show. A young girl asked a Christian Scholar ” how can the bible be under-stood when it says different things of the same subject, such as having slaves ?” The professional, having endured years of study, answered ‘this is why people go to a school ,to properly under-stand the bible. It is like learning to drive a car you use a manual and go to school”.
What he should have said is – “you have not read the verse correctly.” The bible says “masters should treat their slaves fairly.” There are five verses and paragraphs about having slaves in the NT alone, with no conflict of message. Eph.6:5-9 is one. “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect , fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ…v8 .because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. And Masters,treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.” This example shows God’s love for all humanity, which includes His principles of justice and equality.
Up to this time ( including OT times when Israel was fleeing Egyptian “slavery”),it was accepted government and social policy to have slaves. For example it was reported that “there was more slaves than citizens in Rome”, which led to the constant fear in Rome of a ‘slave revolt’ (remember Spartacus?) Again God’s Love comes into this. Many slaves were well- treated and volunteered to stay with their master after gaining freedom. To be law -abiding and a tax-payer were duties that Christians were known for in those days. ( see the blog ‘ The Greek elections”).
The Christian scholar above also could have added that ” Christians were the main force in the British parliament behind the abolition of slavery,world-wide. (Here Again Christ, in writing His story,” slowly conforms history to His ‘ Will And Purpose.’ – Love, Liberty and Justice.
This was a major “Turn of human conscience”!! All over “the British Empire”‘, eg. cotton growers in India, sugar -cane plantations in the West Indies, rubber field owners in Burma, mine – owners in South Africa – all had to give up their “free labor”, and instead start paying their “hundreds ” of workers for the first time in History. This was the beginning of the standard of human dignity and freedom we all enjoy now in Christian countries.
Instead of the Truth being told to the public, a false answer ‘again’ was given by an academic pharisee, there-by “crucifying Christ” again. He should have known, after studying Christian history, that the greatest threats to the gospel Truth were its own leaders , the established Catholic church. But he will answer eventually to his maker for his spiritual laziness.
Under the spiritual authority of the Great Commission, with “The Father, Son and Holy Spirit” empowering the way through the generations, evangelists are still bringing the light of the Gospel Truth into the kingdom of darkness . With the epitaph of “the martyr’s blood is the seed of the church”, the “good news” gospel is put into the hands of the common people, in their own language, so they can under-stand it as it “quickens” them. As God intended from the very beginning,-“let there be light”. Amen!
But the greatest opponent to this mission was the pope in Rome and his agents and bishops in their seats of power, their cathedrals and parishes all over Europe. They will lose their supreme authority and power of God if ordinary people could under-stand the bible. Because then they would know their saviour, God and King was “Jesus the Christ” and not the pope, or Mary, or parish saint or gilded golden image or icon. (These actually break the third commandment given by God for His people-” Thou should have no graven image, of any kind”.) All people have to do is to have faith and believe in Jesus and His Resurrection and to change their ways.They didn’t have to pay indulgences, etc. to get entry to heaven. Their -our- salvation “was a free gift”. It doesn’t cost money, only pride!- Can you see the two main rivals on earth ,- posted about earlier-, shaping up against each other, just in this simple act of one person, with Jesus.
To get a small idea of the opposition to the spread of the gospel by the Catholic church ; Google – ‘ William Tyndale’, pursued and “garroted”, ie strangled, then burnt, by them for printing and smuggling the Word of God back into England)1536, John Wycliffe -called “the bright morning star of the Reformation”, persecuted for first explaining “The Word” to ordinary people. Hans Jacob HessMartyred -“the scriptures were the supreme authority of the church” He and his wife died in prison.
Now we have this ‘bumptious’ academic , legalistic pharisee deceiving the massed public again by stating falsehoods. This is bringing people back into the folds of catholic Pharisee s so they can crucify Christ again by distorting the authentic Truth of life, liberty and joy of the Holy Spirit. But Jesus is our ‘High Priest’. Amen! “We will receive all heavenly blessings from Jesus” Eph.1:4 . So let us wave the flag of Liberty, Equality and Justice For All Men-kind.- Man the ramparts! Fight the oppressor! Let the double- edged sword of the Word and the Holy Spirit (the spirit of Truth!) make conquerors of us all to final Victory! ” Les Miserables?” no way! Victory, eternal, abundant life is ours! Jn.10:10. Praise the Lord!!