| Time | Text |
|---|---|
|
Persecution and Witness
00:04:24
|
|
| What is your opinion about what Trump did last week with signing the executive order on religious liberty? | |
| First of all, it's a beginning. | |
| It's not an end state. | |
| It does not fix all the problems associated with discrimination against Christians, but it is the start. | |
| And now it's up to Jeff Sessions, our Attorney General, to write the implementing instructions for every element of the executive branch. | |
| So I'm enthusiastic about it. | |
| I think that it's, first of all, it's the first president that's had the courage to actually do this. | |
| And to, more importantly, about this executive order is, I think it's the fact that he clearly said that he's going to put a stop to the discrimination against us, Christians. | |
| Praise God. | |
| He recognizes that it's a problem. | |
| He doesn't ignore it. | |
| He doesn't turn his back on it like our last two presidents have done. | |
| He sees the persecution of Christians, and that's what I think was most important was he was identifying that persecution and saying he's going to stop it. | |
| Now, I just want to, if you'll indulge me for just a second, I just want to read something here. | |
| You were talking about Matthew 24. | |
| Yes. | |
| And I love Matthew 24, but then you go over to Luke 21. | |
| Yes. | |
| Because it says the same thing, but it adds something to it, which I think is important for us. | |
| When the disciples asked Jesus, what will be the signs of your return? | |
| And he gave them all the wars and rumors of wars, nation or against nation. | |
| But then he says this, but before all these things, they will seize you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. | |
| And then finally, I think the most important part of this, because Matthew doesn't capture this part of it, it says it will turn out as a testimony for you. | |
| In other words, you'll be a witness for me. | |
| Yes. | |
| Because they persecuted you. | |
| We are Americans and we think that the center of the universe is America. | |
| But the reality is there are Christians being persecuted all over the world today. | |
| All over the world. | |
| And there's over 100,000 dying every year for their faith. | |
| And I just got a text yesterday about a Christian pastor that's been locked up by the Muslims in Indonesia. | |
| But they're being killed in the Middle East. | |
| They're being killed in Asia and all that. | |
| So what do we do with this? | |
| Do we look enthusiastically and say, oh, the persecution is here? | |
| The persecution is here where Jesus is coming. | |
| No, no, I'm not that foolish to look forward to persecution, even though I know that it is a prelude to the return of Christ. | |
| But what we have to do is focus on that second statement there because there's going to be a great harvest before Jesus returns. | |
| There's going to be a lot of people saved, going to be a lot of people brought into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. | |
| And that's what we ought to be looking at and say, yeah, you're going to persecute me, but what it's going to do is it's going to set me up to be able to win people. | |
| Win people to Christ. | |
| Amen. | |
| That's excellent. | |
| And to just finish that thought up is what you were reading, Jim. | |
| For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. | |
| For the scripture says, whoever believes in him will not be ashamed. | |
| For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. | |
| For the same Lord overall is generous toward all who call upon him. | |
| For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. | |
| Now, wait, I want to go on one more thing. | |
| How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? | |
| And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? | |
| And how shall they hear without a preacher? | |
| And how shall they preach unless they are sent? | |