America is approaching a very critical time. The truth must be spoken with confidence and boldness (not arrogance or anger) as well as gentleness by all in the body of Christ to whomever God allows or ordains. We need not fear. God the Holy Spirit is within us to empower and guide us.

 

After being called to the Sanhedrin and being ordered with threats not to speak of Jesus to the people, Peter and his companions joined the rest of their companions and they prayed:

 

Act 4:29-31

"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Thy bond-servants may speak Thy word with all confidence, 30 while Thou dost extend Thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Thy holy servant Jesus." 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

 

There are differences for us. Clearly we do not have healing powers or miracles, nor does the earth shake, but we do have the Spirit of God within who will fill us when we do His will.

 

Soon after, when much preaching had been done accompanied by many miracles, the jealous religious authorities arrested the apostles and put them in prison.

 

Act 5:17-20

But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy; 18 and they laid hands on the apostles, and put them in a public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord during the night opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, 20 "Go your way, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life."

 

Luk 12:11-12

"And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not become anxious about how or what you should speak in your defense, or what you should say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 

In America the church is not yet receiving direct attack (granted it is deemed “non-essential”), however, basic truth is being attacked by a very loud minority who control most of the media. We may think it is a phase or will eventually die out. I hope that is true. But when you actually understand the reason for it, and as a believer you understand who is behind it, you realize that it is a grave threat against yourself, your family, and your society.

 

“While the endless contradictions, fabrications and fantasies within identity politics are visible to all, identifying them is not just discouraged but literally policed. And so we are asked to agree to things which we cannot believe.” [Douglas Murray, The Madness of Crowds]

 

“I was a loyal Soviet citizen until the age of 20. What it meant to be a loyal citizen was to say what you were supposed to say, to read what you were permitted to read, to vote the way you were told to vote and, at the same time, to know that it was all a lie.” [Natan Sharansky]

 

Why have all the communist regimes forced people to say and admit to things that they know are a lie? The reason given by those who have lived through it, most notably, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, is that it is an attempt to demoralize people. Demoralizing people, removing the moral ground upon which they convincingly stand and love, will make them more pliable for what will come next, which are more lies, which in the end of the progression leads to absolute rule of the immoral and ungodly over and unresistant, malleable, and docile populace.

 

Douglas Murray doesn’t think there is a grand scheme trying to demoralize the West, but he’s an atheist. It is a grand scheme and Satan is behind it. Remember that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies. In our age, we thank God that the Holy Spirit is restraining this force of evil that keeps appearing and trying to grab all power over the world of men.

 

In the theology of hell, there is everything except mercy.

 

In the theology of hell, Christ was crushed by the Law on the cross, suffering punishment because God the Father is nothing but cold justice, pleased to crush Him for no other reason than He likes to crush men under the Law. Yet Christ was not under Law when He hung on the cross, for He was perfect; sinless. Rather, Christ paid for the sins of every man thus fulfilling the Law by His sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Therefore, we are not under the Law, meaning that we do things because the Law tells us, but we are those who in Christ fulfill the Law, meaning that we do things because it is who we are.

 

The theology of hell, the lie, puts man under law, which law depends on the time and place, but make no mistake that everyone suffers under that law except for those of the priesthood who have in someway convinced themselves that they have fulfilled their law while everyone else, the majority of others, will be broken by it. The priesthood have fulfilled their law by meeting their own standard of perfection. With them alone is god satisfied. That feeling of relief from punishment, their complacency, is their faith. They preach against sin, as they define it, and convince others of its great evil.

 

Though these movements create significant amounts of hardship, pain, suffering, and murder, they are always frustrated. The followers become disillusioned because there is no hope fulfilled (“one hope of our calling” Eph 4:4) and leaders eventually perish. But Satan never remains idol. Another movement has already been in the works.

 

When the church loses its influence over a free society it leaves a moral void that Satan fills with the theology of hell. The void in man’s heart must be filled. The church’s influence over society, even though only a minority are converted, keeps the theology of hell at bay.

 

Satan needs a void to creep into. This is true of a nation, a family, and a soul. It is vital that the believer be content with his relationship with God and know he needs nothing else.

 

And I will remind us as we think of these dark powers who master is always prowling about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, that God is in control.

 

God raised up Steven as a bold and confident confessor. He was so good that he gained attention by powerful forces that were against the way. They challenged him to debate and they were unable to cope with Steven’s wisdom and Spirit. So they lied about him and had him arrested. Brought before the Sanhedrin, Steven shone with the face of an angel and gave a beautiful and brilliant testimony, likely having everyone in that council on the edge of their seats, and then he pounced on them.

 

Act 7:51-53

"You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. 52 "Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; 53 you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it."

 

They stoned him to death and the great persecution of the church began under the leadership of one Saul of Tarsus.

 

When God raised up Steven, did He not know that this great son of His would create this awful stir, during which many Christians would be cast into prison, separated from their families and children, some beaten and jailed, and some murdered? God most certainly knew it and set it in motion, while not forcing evil men to do the bad things they do. God is in control, but that doesn’t mean that good things will always happen, but we know, that it will all eventually work out for good. Do we have the faith to endure such things? Only time, and the circumstances themselves will tell.

 

Summary of the ministries of the Holy Spirit in the church age:

 

Common grace, efficacious grace, regeneration, baptizing, imputation of spiritual gift(s), sealing, indwelling, intercessory prayer, filling.

 

Each of these need to be repeatedly studied throughout the life of the believer. The ministry of the Holy Spirit cannot be overlooked, and His presence in each of us must be so well known that every day we are frequently enough aware of it. We must have alertness and confidence to do God’s will every day, and knowing the Holy Spirit will fill us to do so will give us great confidence as well as sustained humility.

 

The Holy Spirit in many instances is mentioned as a gift, Joh 7:37-39; Act 11:17; Rom 5:5; 1Co 2:12; 2Co 5:5. He is not a reward but a gift.

 

A gift, by nature, is bestowed without merit. The Holy Spirit is not a reward, but a gift. The only condition is that Christ is received through faith as Savior.

 

The high standard of life that the new creation of humanity is called to demands supernatural enablement. The flow of blessing, knowledge, wisdom, power, all come from within by the supernatural will of God the Holy Spirit. He does not make us divine. He makes us new humans who, in their human capacity, can do divine things.

 

The indwelling of the HS is not active. The active work of the Spirit, His filling, is conditioned on dedication, dependence, and obedience.

 

It is very important to understand that the Spirit is always in you and always ready to work. There is nothing you can do that will cause His departure. God has made it so that His purposes will be done, and so in us, He has placed Himself to accomplish it. Our end is simply faith and obedience.

 

We will do a complete study of the filling of the Holy Spirit in 5:18.

 

Eph 4:4

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

 

Our calling has a hope and therefore a goal. “Run the race in such a way that you may win.” The church’s goal must be this end, conformed to the image of Christ; mature in full-knowledge and faith.

 

The pagan world fell apart because it was without hope. The various gods of the various nations, city-states, and empires always spoke of a glorious past, but could not promise anything for the future, nor did they show any promise of actual inner joy and peace in their followers.

 

The Roman Empire became a place of syncretism. Religions from conquered provinces were incorporated into the Roman pantheon, and mystery religions became popular. The mystery religions, combining several older religions, professed to have found secrets to power and life and life after this world. They also died because no one ever found the professed results of the secrets, even the initiated. Without hope, the secret religions died. Then came Christianity. It is no wonder it spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire and took it over in only two generations. It was the only religion that had an actual hope, and an actual fulfillment of that hope in the hearts of men.

 

Each of us have a calling that is both unique and common. It must, over time, come to be known and its realization seen.

 

Eph 1:18-19

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

 

Realization is seeing your calling coming into focus. Its reality is beginning to be experienced.

 

2Th 1:11-12

To this end also we pray for you always that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power; 12 in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The Thessalonians were being heavily persecuted.

 

2Th 1:3-4

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; 4 therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.

 

But they maintained their strong faith and love in the midst of it. They did not give up the hope of their calling.