OUT OF THE BOX

The New World Order and Persecution of Christians “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation, and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ was on the Island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” -Revelation 1:9 “Why does the world hate Christians?” Many will consider this topic irrelevant because America has historically been favorable to Christianity. But the subject is appropriate now because the atmosphere in our nation is changing. There are forces at work that seek to silence Christianity and remove the Bible and Judeo-Christian values as predominant influences in our culture. As these forces capture the minds and hearts of people, they gain control and power in government. The result will be an increase in their attempts to suppress Christianity, even to the point of persecution by means of law. Many citizens of our nation do not recognize the depth of the evil and the disastrous consequences that are hidden benea...

The following article is a re-print from April 2011.  I decided to include this more light-hearted word before my next post which will be more somber.     ---Billy Long BUT THE ROOSTER WAS FIERCE “…I have fought with wild beasts at Ephesus.”  -1 Corinthians 15: 32 Paul Law’s Message at the African Pastors’ Conference The Kenyan pastors sat enthralled as Paul Law told them of the time he was surprised by the fierce growl of a lion crouching in the bushes in front of him near his missions ranch in the Congo. He had been told that the creature had left the area, and so he considered it safe to look for the remains of a cow the lion had previously killed and dragged into the bushes. But now the threatening roar announced the presence of the beast. Paul stopped in his tracks, and without turning his head was about to quietly give instructions to the three companions following behind him. They, however, were not there. They had already fled to the truck l...

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This article is meant to be a discussion of current times, not end times. I don’t want to get into theological debates around eschatology. Some emphasize the great falling away while others argue that the Gospel will conquer. There is often an element of paradox in spiritual truth. The Bible speaks of great evil and darkness while also speaking of the glory of God and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Regardless of a person’s perspective on end times, it is indisputable that we are currently in a time of world-wide intensity, as seen in nature, politics, economics and sociological dynamics. Nations are filled with conflict and distress. Those that seem to be at peace are better described as being in a malaise (that vague sense of ill-being and debility that accompanies the onset of an illness). Even people who lack spiritual perception can sense the urgency of the times. We are moving into an era of troubled people and troubled times, a time when the devil will be active and angry,...

This is the second post in the series entitled “The Fierce Society.” The purpose of the series will be to help Christians to understand the times and the nature of the society we will be dealing with. Christians should be living in and demonstrating the kingdom of God in the midst of an ungodly society in perilous times. This second post simply touches on the Christian’s influence in a society that seeks to silence that perspective. –Billy Long The Church and Government The church as an organization should not control civil government, but Christians as individuals should participate in government and express themselves and their values in matters of civil law. Everyone else does; why not us? Every legislator votes according to his moral values or lack thereof. The problem for us is that humanistic and godless people have been gradually taking over and pushing the Judeo-Christian perspective into the corner and out of the room. God and the Bible are considered irrelevant and offens...

Introduction I have been working for a few weeks on a series of posts entitled "The Fierce Society." I have not posted any articles until now because I have been waiting for inspiration on how to present the series in such a way that people will actually take time to read it. I decided to begin with one of my past articles that illustrates how Christians tend to enjoy church but also fail to take the message of the Gospel out into the world. Since the founding of America we have had the unique experience of living in a society that has enjoyed the fruit of the Judeo-Christian world-view, ethics, and values. This context has made it relatively comfortable for Christians. For the most part we have not been seriously persecuted.  This, however, has been changing over the last few decades, and the trend seems to be intensifying. While Christians have been reluctant to face the battle out in the world, we need to be aware that the battle may now come t...

Tharon Hardee was my maternal grandfather. The grandchildren called him Pa Pa. He loved to play the banjo and was well-known for playing at square-dances all around the area. The photo below was taken sometime around 1950. Below is an article that I posted last year. I think it will be beneficial to those of you who are new visitors to my blog. -Billy Long The Pretending In 1964 Pa Pa was in his seventies and a member of the church, but living a life inconsistent with his Christian testimony. I was 15 years old at the time, and remember sitting in Pa Pa’s family room and listening intently as my mother, her sisters, and brother expressed to him their concerns about his eternal soul. “Daddy,” they told him, “we are worried about you and are concerned that you are not wal...