New Christmas Song Up...

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ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH FOR PERSECUTION???

   Modern statistics show that there are over 55,000 Christians who are killed for their faith is every year… That means every 10 minutes a Christian is killed for his/her faith.  Now, I would have to say that it’s likely that most of them are in other countries, since it is not a crime in America to be a Christian. Where as in over 52 of the worlds 195 nations there are laws forbidding Christians to practice their faith. In those countries they face imprisonment, torture and even death… Thats over a quarter of the worlds countries are hostile to Christians.

Why does it seem so hard to stand strong in the midst of persecution, oppression or mockery? Why do we as Americans shrink back at the fact of standing strong for our faith? 

Embarrassment? Loss of a friend or friends? Separation in the family?

I believe this is why we in America have a watered down, luke warm Christianity... We are too scared to take a bold stand for our faith so we water it down and pick and choose what we want to believe in the bible...

 So why are we so scared to stand up for Christ? Because we saw what was done to Jesus and the disciples? Because we see what others go through around the world for their faith. I wish that were the answer, but I think not.

As I said a minute ago... EMBARRASSMENT!                                                         Its not because we think of what Christ endured or what others around the world endure, because we rarely see in America what others go through, and I know we don't think daily on the cross and what was bore for us... I am speaking for myself... I am ashamed many times at my heart...

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When I consider my crosses, tribulations, and temptations, I shame myself almost to death, thinking what are they in comparison to the sufferings of my blessed Savior, Christ Jesus.

                                -Martin Luther

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When we do look at what Christ did for us on the cross, I think it’s easy to say, that most of us wouldn’t want to go through that, but it is a good mirror for us to look into in comparison to our sufferings and trials we face today in America, and again in comparison to what Christians in other countries through this very hour.

 So why are we to stand strong against opposition from the world? Jesus said in…

Matt 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Are we too busy looking for our rewards here on earth that we forget what we were created for? I know for myself I desire rewards here on earth, but we aren't to store up treasures here where moth and rust destroy... Do we even read the word? Do we apply it? If we call ourselves Christians and truly believe in God and Heaven than we need to believe also in these very words that Jesus spoke...

Blessed are those who are persecuted for Jesus’ name, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great…

Now again to get back to the reason I bring this up. When we face opposition and persecution for our faith, and as humans it’s real easy to just shrink back and shut down. When we get attacked for our faith we back off and don’t take a strong stand we tend to water it down. "Oh I'm a Christian, but i don't believe in all that Bible stuff". 

Whereas if we got attacked for anything else in our lives, we would boldly fight back and get angry and stand up for what we believe in?  

Animal rights, Our color of skin, our political beliefs, our cultural upbringing, Our nation... I'm sure there are many more and don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with standing up for something you believe in, but why when we are persecuted or even just Laughed at or maybe shunned because  of Christ do we back down and compromise??? 

Why don’t we stand up when we are attacked for Christ?

 We need to be careful in doing this, when we compromise our faith in fear of man, we get caught in a snare. This happened even with people who followed Jesus, they walked and talked with him and even saw Him perform many miracles and believed in Him as the Messiah, yet when they were faced with opposition from the Pharisees they didn’t take a stand with Jesus but backed off, John talks about this in his gospel. These people feared man more than God…

John 12: 42,43- Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God..

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 Prov 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.

The fear of man brings a snare, and often makes people deny and even disown Christ and his truths and ways, and act against their consciences. The snare it’s speaking of here is like an animal trap. It catches you and you get entangled in it.

So when you are persecuted or in our cases laughed at, mocked or maybe called some names, we back off and compromise, and as I said over time you may even find yourself not even calling your self a Christian at all anymore.   

Matt 10:33 “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

If we can’t stand for Jesus here on earth, one day when we stand before God the Father, Jesus says He will deny you before the Father…

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It is preferable to have the whole world against thee, than Jesus offended with thee.

                                -Thomas 'a Kempis

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See we are too concerned with what others think of us rather than what God thinks of us. If you deny Him before man, He will deny us before the Father. If you can’t take a stand for Christ today, one day when you die and stand before the Lord. You will not have the blood of Christ cleansing you and therefore you will be rejected and spend eternity in hell…

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Persecution often does in this life what the last great day will do completely—separate the wheat from the tares.

                              -James Milner

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Persecution helps God sift through who will truly stand for Him and who won’t. So I encourage you to really look at your hearts, and see where you stand with the Lord. Will you take a stand for Him or deny Him? That’s a big question. Are you ready to die for you faith? And you ready to stand up for Jesus? 

There are children, teenagers, adults and elderly dying today maybe even this second for their faith in Christ. While we are sitting here all comfy in front of your nice new I-Mac, or PC as I am listening to your I-tunes and texting on your I-phone or Blackberry or maybe even just a junky beat up old chocolate as I am, no matter what it is we have it easy, which i believe is why we are so quick to coward back for our faith... One day you call yourself a Christian, the next you don't, with some friends you talk and act as Christ tells us in his word, and the next day you are at the club wasted with your friends who are comfortable with compromise...

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Temporary Christians are no Christians: only the believer who continues to believe 
will enter heaven.

                 - Charles Spurgeon

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If you aren’t standing up for Christ daily, everywhere you go and with everyone you hang out with, I would ask the question whether you are truly a Christian at all… 

Matt 7:20-23 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. ²¹“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ²²“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ ²³“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

You can’t just go around saying you’re a Christian. You have to BE a Christian. Your life has to show it. There are many who on that day will stand before the Lord who said they were believers on this earth, but their heart’s were never surrendered truly to God… 

It’s not getting any easier to be a Christian, it’s getting harder and harder to live a life that is glorifying to the Lord and stand up for your faith in Christ. Not that it has ever been, but it’s not really COOL to be a Christian today. Jesus wasn’t COOL in the world’s eyes, and that’s why He was Beaten and Crucified. Jesus didn’t tell us to go into all the world and be COOL with everyone, no He said to go into the world and preach the gospel, even if it’s not COOL there…

I know COOL is a little 80's but it gets the point across, substitute what ever COOL word goes in COOL's place for you...

Back to the message. God is looking for those who will stand strong and not need to be cool with the world. He wants people who are passionate and ready to stand against the enemy. He’s looking for warriors, people who are ready to go into battle for Him…

Ps 94:16- Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?

See if you don’t really have a relationship with the Lord, you’re not going to stand against the sin of the world. Will you stand up against the enemy passionately, like you do for other causes?

 Luke 11:23- “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

See if you not standing up for the Lord, you are against Him… And if you’re against God then you’re his enemy and you’re fighting for Satan… 

Don’t be deceived into thinking you are controlling your own life. If you aren’t living for the Lord you, you’re living for the devil… Guys please get that… make a choice who you’re going to stand for...

The battle is here, the war is happening now. Don’t think that you can stand on the side lines either. God is using the difficult times and the persecution so that He can see who is going to stand and fight for Him or against Him... And I truly believe that we in America may one day soon have to face persecution as other do all across the world... So be ready to stand and fight for your faith... 

2 Tim 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied it’s power; Avoid such men as these

Are you any of those in this passage? Even a little bit of any of those?

Take a stand and choose who you’re fighting for and who your heart is surrendered to…  

NOISE RATCHET UNRELEASED ALBUM

I know I will probably get a Cease letter from American Eventually, but I have to get this off my chest... Go listen and enjoy...

www.reverbnation.com/noiseratchet

Well Danny just sent me a link to a video he edited years ago. This is a song hat we never released as Noise Ratchet, The video was from a couple shows with Switchfoot and some others... Hope you guys all enjoy, it was a good walk down memory lane...