Faith Under Fire

National Back To School Month

Welcome to the month of August dear Patheos friends! Summer is gradually coming to an end as families and educators prepare for the new school year. Parents it’s time to get the children back to school routine. Yes, no more late nights binging on favorite movies. Many states are in the triple digits, so summer ending means the onset of fall and cooler temperatures. The month of August brings lots of celebrations and observations. From National Back to School Month, to the National International Youth Day, National Book Lovers Day, National Friendship Day, International Peace Month and more, August presents us with lots of opportunities to enjoy life with our families, friends, and communities. Happy birthdays shout out to everyone celebrating this month. Much love and blessings to each celebrant.

Happened In Seattle

This past week a friend called to talk about what happened in her city Seattle recently. She was concerned about the vitriol against Christians. I am always reminded to explain more when using the word “Christian” especially in a time when the word has been misused and widely used. Looking through the lens of the first mention, the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26). The disciples of the book of Acts lived out Christlikeness- they were flawed humans with a holy fear of God. They had a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. They had attested to the ultimate sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross for the redemption of their sins. They welcomed the indwelling of power of the Holy Spirit. As it was for the disciples in the book of Acts, so it is for everyone in our time that has made the decision to follow Jesus Christ with the same indwelling power of the Holy Spirit as the disciples had in the book of Acts (Acts 2:4).

Agape Love Conquers Vitriol

Back to my friend, her concern was a valid one that should shake every follower of Christ. A family was heading to church for their evening services, and the father was killed by someone with vitriol against Christians. The concern was the nonresponse towards this evil. There was limited mention of atrocity in the legacy media. And to compound her concern, there was no response from the leaders of the city where this evil happened. I did a personal follow up myself on her concerns and found it was exactly as she shared and stated. We completed our time groaning prayer for this precious family in Seattle.

Christ Disciples

There are many cities just like that against anything Christian. Against anything faith based. Against anything Biblical. In fact, this is what the book of Acts was known for. Many of the disciples of Christ were targeted and attacked because of their faith that came under fire. Interestingly, many of the attacks in the book of Acts came from religious leaders who partnered with the government against the disciples of Christ. We are not too far from the happenings of the book of Acts.

Followers of Christ Stand Up

In fact, Christ followers ere right in the middle of our own “book of Acts.”  We are in a time that Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord  is asking His disciples- will My followers, please stand up? It is our book of Acts and it is time for Christ followers to stand up for truth! Stand up to faith bullies everywhere! Stand up for righteousness! Stand up for Jesus! Stand up for the Bible! Stand up! Call To Action Hymn: Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high His royal banner, It must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory. His army shall He lead, Till every foe is vanquished, And Christ is Lord indeed.