What the world has for Christians
Christians are being persecuted all over the world and here we are
In the last year
- Over 340 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination
- 4,761 Christians killed for their faith
- 4,488 churches and other Christian buildings attacked
- 4,277 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned
- (source: Open Doors USA)
The groundwork is being laid in the United States and here we are.
We've looked at the "Do No Harm Act" and the "Equality Act".
James Coates has been arrested for holding church services in Canada.
The current administration is once again funding Planned Parenthood in the USA and funding abortion in other countries.
Leftist agendas abound and Christians risk their jobs if they speak up.
Kroger, one of the country's largest supermarket chains, is being sued in federal court after two former employees claimed they were wrongfully terminated for refusing to wear an apron with a rainbow symbol.
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/kroger-sued-allegedly-firing-workers-who-refused-wear-rainbow-symbol-n1240252
so here we are.
Imprecations
Is the church of Christ restricted to "love our enemy" and "turn the other cheek"? In other words, is there a way to love our enemies, while crying out for justice?
Can we turn the other cheek, while praying
Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
Psalm 58:8
We must remember that the imprecations of Scripture are just as inspired as the rest of the words. There are 100 imprecations in the Psalms alone, plus other parts of the Old Testament, and many in the New Testament.
The Imprecatory Psalms are the "war psalms of the Prince of Peace"
God does not view evil in the abstract and the imprecations are the cries of God's people, begging Him to intervene against evil and evil-doers.
Our pastor said, "one of the reasons we are repulsed by these Psalms is because we are not repulsed by evil."
Notes on the Imprecations
- These Psalms remind us that we are in a spiritual war and praying judgement on the enemies of God is one of our weapons of war.
- We should pray these Psalms if we love holiness and Biblical justice and hate evil.
- We cannot remain indifferent to evil - and to politicians who do and promote evil things.