The Church Out of Time

The Church out of Time

The battle for Culture

Among Christian Churches, there has long been a cultural battle. This battle has been characterized both as trying to keep away from and stay behind culture; also as trying to stay ahead of culture or keep up with it. How is the church doing in today’s culture? We will look at a small slice of the answer to this question.

A Culture Defined

Culture is the collection of beliefs, behaviors, and the results and evidences of those beliefs and behaviors for a particular people-group. Some have defined culture as, “’the way of life for an entire society.’ As such, it includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behaviour and systems of belief.”[i] Some of the key components of culture are Values, Institutions, Norms, and Artifacts.[ii]

In this paper, we will look at Western culture in general, and United States culture in particular. This culture dominates the planet in every way. Western Culture is exported through television, through Hollywood, through global news services like CNN, and through financial venues originating on Wall Street. Western Culture is full of values that are antithetical to Christianity and Christianity is full of values that stabilize Western Culture like control rods in a nuclear reactor.

A Church Consumed

The Church must adapt to the culture in which it finds itself. For instance, if the current culture speaks English, the church must speak English rather than Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic; but we must remember and maintain an understanding of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. If the current culture uses automobiles and aircraft to transport people and goods, the Church must use automobiles and aircraft to transport people and goods, rather than mule drawn carts and by foot. The problem with this necessary adaptation is that the Church may over-adapt and become consumed by the culture. When the control rods of the church are removed, the culture reverts to its base state of turmoil, debauchery, strife, and self-destruction – a cultural China Syndrome.

The Church must be obsessed with the Word of God and the fact that it is from God and important NOW. It is evident that most of the Church has over-adapted to the culture and is now becoming consumed by it. The Church is losing the battle to remain an ekklesia, a group of people called out of the world by God. Instead, the Church is morphing into a philosophical system, rather than a Way of life.

There are clear scriptural directives for Christians in the Bible. Since, culture has consumed the Church, it no longer believes in Scripture. For instance, scripture says, “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth.” Yet the United States has the 7th largest population of Atheists and Agnostics in the world.[iii] In the Essay “2020: Social, Economic and Technological Change, Educated Predictions of the Future Based on Current Events & Technology,” we read, “In the United States 10% of Americans are atheist. This figure has been growing slowly during the last century, but it has seen its sharpest increases during periods of heavy immigration. The influx of different religions into North America is feeding the rate at which children grow up and become atheists.”[iv] Clearly more and more people are losing their belief in God. At the same time, other religious beliefs such as Buddhism and Islam are taking their toll on Western Culture and the Church.

Moreover, the Bible says in Leviticus 18:22; 20:13, “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable [or, 'an abomination'].” Also in the New Testament, in Romans 1:24 and 6:19; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19; 1 Thessalonians 4:3 and 4:7; Ephesians 4:19; 5:3,5; and Colossians 3:5, there is repeated condemnation of this kind of sexual immorality. However, major denominations accept homosexuality, and even support it by hiring homosexual clergy and not requiring repentance for this sin.[v]

The roots of this slip into the mainstream culture are growing into the churches acceptance of Evolution, even going so far as to purport that God created everything by means of evolution. The church has succumbed to a school of thought taught in our institutions of education. Our elementary schools, our junior high and high schools, and especially our universities are over-run by Marxist-Atheist oriented thought patterns. These thought patterns are taught to us from kindergarten through graduate school, they permeate our media and seep into the ship of the Church, drowning the passengers through aged and rotting respect for the Word of God.

Dialectic thought is drowning our children in a sea of relativism. We find that in, “today's public school students are taught dialectically rather than didactically. This means they are taught there are no absolute facts or morals and a thought process based on feeling and collective thinking has been substituted for individuality and logical, rational thought.”[vi] These kids, if they make it out of university still Christian (70% do not), fill our pulpits and church boards with a way of thinking that is antithetical to Christian Discipleship and Truth.

But all is not lost, because the Church still runs far out on front of culture in ways that matter, in ways that show that we are not yet in a cultural China Syndrome.

A Culture Brightened

Modern times demand death and church is trying to hold back time. The church is, by far, ahead of culture in the area of doing good in the world. The church does and inspires the doing of more good than this planet earth has ever seen save the time when Christ came Himself. The church has brought to us scientists who, believing in God and His order in the universe, have made fantastic discovers in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, cosmology, information science, and a lot more. Thousands of scientists have been, and are Christians.[vii]

The Bible has taught Christians to be givers and to take care of the poor. This runs against the natural human inclination to flee and even murder those less fortunate. There are thousands of Protestant charities and hospitals around the world: American Family Association, BGEA, Baptist World Alliance, Christian Relief Fund, Compassion International, CBN, and Presbyterian Hospitals, just to name a few.[viii] The Catholic Church runs 5,478 Hospitals with 4,500 million people treated, 14,806 Dispensaries, 793 Leprosariums, 27,281 Homes for the aged homeless and handicapped, 7,102 Orphanages, 9,293 Nurseries, 97,823 Special Centers for Social Services, 8,216 Matrimonial Advice Centers.[ix] Virtually every congregation on earth helps the poor. Books can be written on the good works done by Christianity in this culture. I put forth that we have taught the atheists, Muslims, and other non-Christian groups and governments the importance of giving; and how to go about doing it. Christianity has brightened existence on this planet.

The church has stifled the fires of culture of death as society desires ever more to murder its unborn, kill its elderly and infirm, and snuff out the lives of “inconvenient undesirables” like Terry Schiavo. As university professors and lawmakers work hard to being death to all people they deem unnecessary, Christians rally against them, hold protests, write in to congress, engage on the cable news, on local television, in chat rooms, in local and national newspapers – everywhere there is evil rising like a hot flame, the church rises to meet it. But mostly we stand against culture in prayer. The prayer of the righteous can make things happen. Jesus said to be a light and Christianity has done so in this day. We must continue to fight.

A Battle Lost and Won

I remember tomorrow.

Soon we will be out of time. It is written in the pages of Ezekiel, Hosea, and Revelation. Matthew 24 and II Thessalonians speaks of it. It is a tomorrow with the control rods of Christianity withdrawn. It is a nightmare; it is hell on earth, a global ideological “China Syndrome”. The Church will lose the battle for culture. The church will even become complicit in the coming catastrophe. The battle will be lost.

However, in home study groups, in small meeting places all over the world, will rise up a shining group of people who will know God and His Word so profoundly that they will even die for it. They will join together in heaven crying out in a loud voice, “Holy and true Sovereign, how long will it be before you judge and take revenge on those living on the earth who shed our blood?” They will lament for their brethren still caught in a culture out of control, run by Satan himself.

The war will only be completely won when Christ returns to set all things right and, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There won't be death anymore. There won't be any grief, crying, or pain, because the first things have disappeared. The one sitting on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new!” He said, “Write this: ‘These words are trustworthy and true.’”[x]

Even so come Lord Jesus

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[i] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture

[ii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture

[iii] http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html

[iv] http://www.lilithgallery.com/articles/2006/social_and_economic_change.html

[v] http://www.endtime.com/magarchive.asp?ID=30

[vi] http://www.steelonsteel.com/articles/myth_socialization.html

[vii] http://www.tektonics.org/scim/sciencemony.htm

[viii] http://www.christianservicecharities.org/Charity1.htm

[ix] http://www.religion-cults.com/Christianity/Catholic/Branch-C-Catholic.htm

[x] Revelation 8:10 and 21:4-5 International Standard Version

Yahweh Sabbaoth – The Weapons of our Warfare

Yahweh Sabbaoth –The Weapons of Our Warfare

God Has many titles. He is called Elohim, “the Might Creator,” El Roi, “The God who sees me,” El Shaddai, “God Almighty,” and many other titles. But there is an attribute of God that has deep meaning for the myriad battles we fight from day to day. He is, Yahweh Sabbaoth, “The Lord of Hosts,” and He provides the Weapons of our Warfare.

Yahweh Sabbaoth, The Lord of Hosts

I recall in college I sang with an awesome little mini choir of great singers. We did “Take 6” and “Glad” style harmonies. It was a sweet experience! One of the songs we sang that I still remember with great fondness was called “Great and Marvelous.” I have searched for the music to that song for a long time, but I have never been able to find it. Some of the lyrics were:

Great and marvelous are Thy works oh Lord God Almighty
Who is like unto Thee oh Thou King of saints
Who shall not fear thee oh God and Glorify Thy name
…For Thou most worthy are most holy oh God of Sabbaoth!

The song was very compelling and we had recently studied the names of God in college, so I knew God of Sabbaoth was Lord of Hosts. He is the one who goes out before us and fights our battles for us. “Path-Light,” defines Sabbaoth as:

“Translated as host(s) saba' means army(ies). … Yahweh of Hosts is a special name for God. Yahweh and 'elohim occur with seba'ot some 285 times. … Yahweh Sabbaoth appears for the first time in 1 Samuel 1:3…. Its origin appears to have been at the close of the period of the judges and in the vicinity of the sanctuary Shiloh, where the ark of the covenant was housed. The ark itself symbolized Yahweh's rulership; for he is declared to be enthroned between the cherubim (1Sam 4:4; cf, Psa 99:1). This name certainly contains the affirmation that Yahweh is the true head of Israel's armies” (TWOT). [i]

The idea of a God who fights battles for me, a God of great and might power, the “head of Israel’s armies,” inspired me as a youth because there were things around me that I knew I could never resolve, things that I could never fix. God, on the other hand, threw miracle after miracle my way and paved the path for me.

Growing up believing that the Church would go through the Tribulation, scriptures describing the empowering of God and His work with the saints in the end times inspired me. Thinking that I would be fighting for my life, I used to imagine the impact of scriptures like Psalm 91 where it says that, “He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you.”[ii] I would daydream about God fighting massive battles for and through me; other Christians and I taking down entire armies through the power of God.

I used to imagine the last days, God giving me and others around me messages and guiding us to where we needed to go, and what we needed to do. Scriptures like, Acts 2:17, where it says (quoting Joel 2:28), “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” would inspire my imagination and my trust in Yahweh Sabbaoth – the God who fights my battles for me.

Yahweh Sabbaoth, The Security Chief

As I got older I learned that God fights our battles, but he also gives us weapons so that we too can participate in battle. For in our battle, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” And to wrestle, He gives us several weapons with which to wage war. In Second Corinthians 10 4-6, the Apostle Paul tells us, “For the weapons of our warfare are not those of the flesh. Instead, they have the power of God to demolish fortresses. We tear down arguments and every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive in order to obey Christ. We are ready to punish every act of disobedience when your obedience is complete.”

It is awesome to know that we have weapons in this fight. With these weapons, we can do at least four things:
1) Demolish Fortresses
2) Tear down arguments
3) Tear down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God
4) Take Every thought captive
5) Obey Christ

But what are these weapons? Paul does not mention what the weapons that Yahweh Sabbaoth, our Security Chief, has assigned to us from the spiritual weapons locker. It has been said that the job of the military is to, “kill people and break things,”[iii] but in our warfare, our weapons must be able to kill immoral thoughts, and break arguments and proud obstacles raised against the knowledge of God. Referencing other portions of the Word, we can deduce the types of weapons at our disposal.

PRAISE – The first weapon is a natural result of our love for our Creator. But I posit, that the more that you and He do battle together, you want to sing of his marvelous exploits. One of my favorite Psalms, made into a Hymn, is Psalm 148, “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the sky! Praise him in the heavens! Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all his heavenly assembly! Praise him, O sun and moon! Praise him, all you shiny stars! Praise him, O highest heaven, and you waters above the sky!” The Psalm goes on to urge a great assortment of praise to Him.

Psalm 8:2 indicates that Praise silences the enemy. It is a great weapon when we need to bring thoughts into submission. Controlling our thoughts is the first step in the battle to be who God wants us to be. He’s given us a marvelous weapon.

The WORD – The word of God is more powerful than any nuclear missile or terawatt laser. It is able to take out bunkers miles underground, deep in the heart or the soul. It is able to pierce any armor in a flash of brilliance, vaporizing flesh and bone on contact as it brings into judgment the purposes of the heart.

When written in terms of modern weaponry, Hebrews 4:12 demonstrates the awe inspiring power of the Word of God. We need to know it, own it, and wield it.

Jesus provided the example of the Master swordsman when he used the Word against Satan, saying “It is written,” using the sword of the Word to cut down the enemy.

The Power of Your TESTIMONY – In the book of Revelation the Tribulation Saints overcome Satan by the “word of their testimony.” By their testimony they had the power to endure even in the face of death. Remember the disciples of Christ who all suffered brutal deaths by the hand of a persecuting enemy. Their testimonies were so strong, having spent time with Jesus and seen Him resurrected, that death was a thing they would gladly do for Him. Their testimonies gave them power.

It is by our testimony that many are won to the faith. Our testimony is a powerful weapon, because when we hold in our heart the things we KNOW He has done for us, and they are so precious to us, we naturally will tell others and by that testimony and through blood of the Lamb, others will are saved.

Yahweh Sabbaoth, We Need Him Now

Oh do we need Him, our Lord of Hosts, even now.

It is not only in the day-to-day that we need Yahweh Sabbaoth to fight our battles for us, and that we need the “weapons of our warfare,” but in the future. Right now in the United States, we enjoy great religious freedoms and awesome freedom of expression. This is not so in many countries of the earth, and even the U.S. may join other sinful nations in persecuting Christians.

Even now there is a sea change in the ethos of this once great country and the laws once enacted to make the pursuit of terrorists easier under a Conservative administration, can easily be turned against Christians by a more liberal administration. Recent history has borne this out.[iv]

Borne out in a media spectacle, the inability to bring thoughts into submission had cost all of us greatly as people like former Congressman Mark Foley, and former head of the National Evangelical Association and the New Life Church, Ted Haggard have fallen mightily. They had simmering thoughts and desires that led to evil and sin. It will happen to you and to me too without the weapons that the God of Sabbaoth gives us to fight.

God says that if we draw near to Him, he will draw near to us. He has sent us a Comforter, the Holy Spirit to both work powerfully and in a “still small voice.”

As Talmudim of Yeshua, we need to be bathed in the Word of God, covered in constant prayer, and steeped in the testimonies of His saints, drawing close to Him through disciplines borne of our Love for Him. This relationship will hone our weapons of warfare as we fight side by side with our God of Sabbaoth.


[i] http://www.path-light.com/IAM10.htm
[ii] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2091&version=49
[iii]http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/eibessential/rush_reports_back_from_afghanistan/general_wardak_and_dan_rather.guest.html
[iv] http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=14305