OUT OF THE BOX

My purpose here is not to instill negative attitudes of hostility, fear, and defeat, but to encourage believers to cultivate a genuine walk with the Lord Jesus and be prepared to stand courageously in faith and love during adversity. We must listen to the words of Jesus and emulate those first believers who experienced extraordinary grace enabling them to display exemplary behavior in the face of great persecution. We see in them no signs of hate, bitterness, or even discouragement. They were as amazing in their suffering as they were in their power.   -Billy Long The verses below describe what our posture as Christians should be during persecution.   Rejoice and be glad; Count it as an honor John 16: 33 T hese things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  Matthew 5: 10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is th...

“Wild Beasts” “I have fought with wild beasts at Ephesus.”  -1 Corinthians 15:32   There are wild beasts that cannot be tamed or domesticated. They don’t recognize kindness, soft words, or loving speech. If you speak softly to a crocodile or tell him how much you love him, he will still eat you. If you are nice to a rattlesnake, he will still bite you. If you bring honey to a grizzly bear for her cubs, she will kill you. Animals can be brutal and savage. They have no capacity for compassion and will kill with no regret or guilt. The apostle Paul said that in the last days people will be brutal and times will be fierce.  “Fierce” describes the people as violent and hostile. “Brutal” describes them as cruel, savage, unreasonable, and acting on a physical and emotional level with no compassion or care for others.     The term Paul used to describe the times is the same term the Gospels use to describe the man out of whom Jesus cast a legion of dem...

“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev 12:17. The Kingdom of Heaven Suffers Violence And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  Matthew 11:12. But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.”  Matthew 11: 17. The verse quoted above describes the intensity that occurs around the Kingdom of God—the aggressiveness of those who seek it, and the violent resistance of those who reject it. The second verse compares the religious world to children sitting in the marketplace playing games rather than engaging the realities occurring around them. It is a picture of typical Sunda...

I appreciate all the visits to my blog from so many of my friends, and visitors whom I have never met. I would like to get an idea who my readers are and where they are from. Please consider sending me an email and introduce yourself. It would be great to hear from you. My address is blong8@sccoast.net.                                                  Thanks                                                  Billy Long

[Below is a reprint of an article I first posted in March 2011. I believe it is appropriate for us today. Keep in mind this article was written almost 10 years ago. The virus, the riots and the unrest today confirm the truth of this message. ---Billy Long] “When the south wind blew softly, supposing they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea they sailed close to Crete…but not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon…and all hope that we should be saved was finally given up.”  Acts 27: 13-14. The above verses describe the journey taken by the ship on which the Apostle Paul was traveling as a prisoner to Rome. The journey began peacefully with a warm, calm wind and beautiful weather. But then came Euroclydon, a tempestuous storm that destroyed the ship, and which would have taken the lives of all who sailed on it, had not Paul been there to hear from God and guide them to safety. A peaceful start followed by the storms of disaster is also illustra...

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...