Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Monday, May 4, 2015

"But thou, O man of God, 'flee' these things; and 'follow' after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 'Fight' the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses" ('emphasis' mine).¹

If there were ever a day when people and churches need to take a stand for moral living it is today. If abortionists and homosexuals have their way it may, in the not too distant future, be a crime for anyone, including the church, to quote the Bible regarding these issues and argue for God's position. Just writing on this topic is bound to get me criticizedâ€"it pretty much always does.

According to Chuck Colson: "Particularly some younger evangelicals are suggesting that we stay away from divisive issues like abortion and homosexuality altogether and just go back and be like the first-century Churchâ€"stay out of politics, tend to our spiritual knitting.

"I wonder what early Church they are talking about. Take just the issue of abortion. The early Church was outspokenly pro-life right from the beginning just as the Jews had been. In the second chapter of the Didache, one of the first discipleship books for young Christians written in the first century, was this stern injunction: 'Thou shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill them when born.' Justin Martyr wrote about this in his first apology. And in the second century, Athenagoras wrote a plea to Emperor Marcus Aurelius: 'We say that women that use drugs to bring abortion commit murder and will have to give an account to God for the abortion.'"²

Churches and Christians who refuse or fail to take a stand for that which is morally right according to God’s Word are not like the early Christians. They are being controlled by political correctness which, in reality (much of it) is political incorrectness and will, if we continue to allow it, eventually weaken and make the church ineffective as it has become in much of Europe. While Jesus always loved sinners, He never approved of sinful behaviors in any formâ€"nor was He ever concerned about being politically correct.

Had He been, we would not have a Savior or the gift of salvation and God's forgiveness. We would be eternally lost.

Today, Christian churches and we who call ourselves Christians need to stand up and be counted; that is, as the Apostle Paul commissioned Timothy: Flee all sinful immoral behavior ... Follow after righteousness ... and Fight the good fight for truth and that which is morally correct rather than that which is politically correct.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God please give me a love for Your Word and a clear understanding of it so I will know in my heart and mind that which is morally correct according to Your standards. And give me the courage to make a stand always for that which is right in Your sight; to flee all sinful behaviors; to follow after righteousness; and to fight Your good fight. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. The Apostle Paul (1 Timothy 6:11-12, KJV).
2. Chuck Colson, BreakPoint, August 1, 2006 www.breakpoint.org.

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