A New Season is Upon Us
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| (Image courtesy of vecteezy.com.) |
As the seasons change once again, the air is turning chilly. Fields once green and growing are now brown ready for harvesting. Apples, pears, and peaches are ripe and finally edible. A couple of the kids and I even helped combine some corn recently. Fall is in the air!
Along with the changes that necessarily follow the turning of the seasons, there is a new season dawning on our American nation – at least, for now. I had most of this article planned before the assassination of Charlie Kirk; I finished my notes one day before his murder. Now, I am putting my thoughts to ink one day after Charlie’s memorial service was held in Arizona. Over 100,000 people were in the stadium, included many heads of State, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Peter Hegeseth, Vice President J.D. Vance, and President Donald Trump. Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk and new CEO of Turning Point USA, also spoke, even publicly forgiving the murderer who left her a widow and her children fatherless. The entire service lasted over six hours, was streamed by over 100 million people across the world, and felt more like a church gathering than a political event. Indeed, the gospel was so carefully shared that many of our prayers for awakening seem like they are being answered on a massive scale. Let us continue to pray for the repentance and faith of our fellow countrymen, including President Trump who continues to trust in his own goodness as opposed to Christ’s. Pray for Elon Musk, as well, who is very near the gates of Heaven.
In my lifetime, I have never witnessed such a spectacle. “Christian nationalism” is a phrase often misused by our opponents and even our fellow Christians to wave a finger of offense and disdain; however, yesterday was as much of a display of Christian nationalism as I’ve yet seen – and I loved it!
For the doubters of Christian nationalism, I ask: why would we, as Christians, be ashamed of living in a Christian nation, where our heads of State are not only tolerant of the Christian faith, but also publicly declare the gospel; where justice is served to the full extent of Romans 13; where those who do good may live in peace and safety? Christianity has done more good for this world than any other religion. This was promised to Abraham: “In your offspring all the world will be blessed.” I praise God for his fulfilling this in Christ through his global church. May his Name be praised in our earthly nation as well, for we seek its welfare until the Lord returns to bring his perfect government to rule forever! Amen.
As summer turns into fall, so my thinking has undergone some changes as well. This summer I began to listen to and read stories of the Crusades, those medieval stories of war and conquest that we’re taught as modern Christians to be ashamed of. I now draw courage from them, and what I once saw as shameful I now see as just (as in righteous) battles of good versus evil. After all, we must be careful unless we look too condemningly on our forefathers and become guilty of committing “chronological snobbery” (thank you, C.S. Lewis for the phrase).
There is one character that I greatly admire from the Third Crusade. His name is Richard the Lionheart. King Richard was king of England who went off to fight in the Third Crusade in the year 1192. Richard was called Lionheart for his incredible bravery and also for the standard of his house: three gold lions on a red field. Richard, himself, possessed fierce eyes, flowing red hair, and the hull of his ship crimson.
During the Battle of Jaffa, the Lionheart showed his valor in defending the Christians against the Turks (Muslims). While King Richard was away with his army in the north, Saladin, the Sultan of the Muslim army, besieged and took the Christian city of Jaffa. When news reached King Richard, he abandoned his northern campaign and sent his army south by land, but he jumped aboard his ship with his knights and sailed as swiftly as he could down the coast to the city. Like his Norman ancestors, King Richard leaped off his ship before it reached land and charged toward shore. Here is how one of his enemies described the Lionheart as he arrived to save the city:
The sight of the
dreaded Melech
Ric (King Richard) wading through the surf, heaving with rage,
his long red hair blowing wildly in the breeze, was enough to send many of
Saladin’s troops fleeing in terror. Showing little concern for the arrows
whistling overhead, Richard hurled himself at the enemy, alternately hacking
with his heavy blade and firing his crossbow. Behind him his men poured ashore
to establish a beachhead. Using planks, barrels and whatever else they could
strip from the boats, they erected a crude barricade, behind which archers took
position to cover the king’s attack.[1]
In short, the Lionheart, though outnumbered, retook the city of Jaffa from the Muslim hordes and provided a safe place for Christians to dwell once more. At one point during the week-long struggle, King Richard called to his men:
There is no chance of flight! Hold out then stubbornly, for it is the duty of men to triumph bravely or to die gloriously! Even if martyrdom threatens, we ought to receive it with a thankful mind. But before we die, while life remains, let us take vengeance (justice), yielding God thanks for granting us the martyr’s death we have longed for.[2]
While the battlegrounds and tactics may have changed since the heroic bravery of King Richard and the Crusaders (or of the Revolutionary spirit of the first colonists), one thing has not: the battle between good and evil still rages.
Most of us today are not equipped or trained to engage in hand-to-hand combat. While training for self-defensive purposes may be useful, one of the greatest acts of bravery and heroism today is to speak the truth boldly. Mr. Charlie Kirk demonstrated this well, and he was murdered for speaking truth that some people did not like. He is in good company. Stephen was stoned for speaking the truth to a mob of angry and self-righteous Jews; all the Apostles were martyred by a Roman Emperor who fancied himself the only deity worthy of worship; and our Lord and Savior was crucified, not for doing any wrongs, but for speaking the truth.
To be sure, the Christian faith requires us to speak the truth.
If we don’t speak the truth, the lost will never be set free: “If you abide in my word… you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:31-32).
If we don’t speak the truth, the church will never grow into
maturity: “Therefore, having put away falsehood,
let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one
of another” (Ephesians 4:25).
If we don’t speak the truth, we will never actually love: “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments” (2 John 6).
I believe we are witnessing a literal turning point in our nation today. Since the murder of Charlie Kirk, Christians are gaining back the courage, the mettle, and the fortitude to speak the truth. We can no longer hide behind a superficial and arbitrary “peace, peace when there is no peace,” nor can we believe the enemy’s lies that to love is to tolerate and acquiesce.
Instead, we are and always have been called to war.
Taking up the sword of God’s Word is uncomfortable to many of us because, to use the words of Pastor Brian Suave: “We’ve been taught that the peaceful toleration of sins is a virtue. ‘Live and let live.’ You can do whatever you want to do in the privacy of your own home… a niceness that never sounds like Jesus Christ of the Bible.”
I believe many Christians are waking up to the reality that the fight of good and evil requires us to take sides. “Hate evil, love good,” is our Lord’s command in Amos 5 and Romans 12:9. Our Christian love is demonstrated by what we hate as much as it is by what we love. God himself hates, but in our anger we ought never to sin – something that, of course, God is incapable of doing, but we are.
Furthermore, I believe more people are alert to the fact that our Enemy takes no prisoners. He seeks to devour and consume; he gives no quarter. Therefore, we must be lionhearted, brave, courageous, and full of faith and valor. Thank God that he has equipped us with his armor for the fight. (Have you ever considered how often Paul uses military imagery to speak of the Christian’s good warfare?)
By his Spirit, the Lord has equipped us with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God), and the standard of prayer (Ephesians 6:14–18). With his armor, we have everything we need to wage the good warfare:
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).
Truly, I believe we are witnessing an exciting change of
seasons in our nation – at least, for a moment. Right now, when the emotional
fervor is strongest, we need to boldly declare the truth to a nation that seems
to be showing signs of listening. Lord,
please give our lost countrymen an ear to hear what the Spirit says.
Sometimes I think in pictures, and this is the image of what I see happening right now in our society: for decades the truth has acquiesced to the louder, liberal left, making concessions along the way in the name of love and peace. We have been backed down like a cat until we found ourselves in the corner. Let me give you one example: five or so years ago, it was popular for Christians to practice “pronoun hospitality,” where in order to not unnecessarily offend, well-meaning Christians used the preferred pronouns of a gender-confused individual in order to keep the doors open for the gospel; the really important thing, after all, was to get these people to “make a decision” for Christ. Where has that gotten us? Has there been any real gospel fruit that came from that? Generally speaking, I think not.
Two weeks ago, the kitten was in the corner, having conceded everything to the more aggressive left; but the final straw was the murder of Charlie Kirk. Now, Truth has awakened with a mighty roar. Not a roar of self-righteous indignation or retaliation; not a roar of looting, rioting, and violence; but a roar of “To arms! To arms! Take up the Word of God, take up your sword! The Enemy is at the gate!” A roar that says like King David, “I hate those who hate you! Break their teeth!” – a roar to heaven seeking for God’s just intervention.
In closing, allow me to address the men specifically for a moment: For too long, we men have listened to the gentler sex and put safety first – instead of truth at all costs. For too long, we men have put our heads down and walked by when action was required – instead of loving in action and in truth.
But I believe times are changing. I pray this is a lasting season of awakening.
“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).
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