2 SWORD OF THE LORD January 8 , 2021
National Uncertainties Greet the New Year
The issues of crisis confronting our nation at the outset of 2021 are more than a few . Each one of these issues ( COVID , election fraud , the corrupt news media , the spies em - bedded in our government , the attacks on religious freedom , etc .) produces an element of uncer - tainty .
In all my life I have not seen anything quite like our present circumstances . It is not a pretty picture . Every segment of our society is being undermined by men and movements that hate God , hate Christians and who hate America .
Very candidly I ’ m going to say here what I have already said many times over the years . Our nation cannot survive like this . We must not content ourselves to let such madness continue unchallenged and unchecked .
All of this has been made worse because so many of our churches have drifted into such a pitiful state that they have little or no impact on anyone . Many others who have stayed faithful to their convictions simply do not have the courage to trumpet those convictions loudly and clearly in their towns .
The Solid-Ground , Scriptural Certainties Have Not Eroded
In times of uncertainty we do have solid ground upon which we have stood in the past and where we may stand right now . Consider these principles from II Timothy .
The gifting of God equips us . “ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear ; but of power , and of love , and of a sound mind ” ( II Tim . 1:7 )
Partake of the pressure . “ Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord , nor of me his prisoner : but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God ” ( vs . 8 ).
Saved and secure forever . “ For the which cause I also suffer these things : nevertheless I am not ashamed : for I know whom I have believed , and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day ” ( vs . 12 ).
Hold tightly to God ’ s truth . “ Hold fast the form of sound words ” ( vs . 13 ).
Endure the tough times . “ Thou therefore endure hardness , as a good soldier of Jesus Christ ” ( 2:3 ).
Keep winning people to Christ . “ Therefore I endure all things for the elect ’ s sakes , that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory ” ( vs . 10 ).
Stay on track . “ But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of , knowing of whom thou hast learned them ” ( 3:14 ).
These Bible passages and hun - dreds of others like them give us perspective for the dark days . Christians are in a strong position to tackle whatever comes and come out on top when the day is done . We have not faced a lot of this here in our homeland in a long time , but the time has come when we must stand tall .
If you reread the Book of Acts , chapters 4 – 14 , you will get a good view of the things that can happen and how Christians should deal with them .
We need to get our feet planted on solid scriptural ground . We need to forego all of this cheap , watered-down , flimsy religious flimflam that the charismatics , the contemporary crowd and the emer - gent advocates have brought to the forefront . We need to build a fresh , Spirit-anointed fire in the pulpit ; rebuild the altars and regain the vision to capture our town for the Savior .
If Christians Don ’ t Rise Up and Do Their Duty , Our Nation Cannot Survive
We want law enforcement to do a good job . We want the educators and the politicians to do a good job . But if our churches , our pastors and Christians in general fail to rise up strong , all the rest will come to naught .
We all need money , but money is not the cure-all or the fix-all for our nation .
We must build strong marriages ,
DR . SHELTON SMITH , President , Editor
MARLON SMITH , Executive Vice President BART WALKER , Treasurer JIMMY BARRETT , Customer Service Manager
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raise good kids and build solid homes . That is basic to the wellbeing of our nation .
We must build strong , solid churches . Without the salt and light ( Matt . 5:13 – 16 ) that our churches produce , everything in every segment of our society falls into corruption .
We must build strong Christians . They must have heart and they must have backbone . They must be faithful and fearless . They must “ put off ” ( Col . 3:9 ) the old car - nalities and “ put on ” ( vs . 10 ) the integrity of godly character . They must be Great Commission focused and zealous in their testimony for Christ .
Certainties Amidst the Uncertainties ?
Absolutely ! You and I have every reason to speak with authority and with assurance . “ The foundation of God standeth sure ” ( II Tim . 2:19 ) and it is upon His foundation that we build .
When we advocate for an eternal God , special creation , an authoritative biblical text , the gospel truth , the Savior , the Spiritfilled life , a holy lifestyle and the “ faith which was once delivered ” ( Jude 3 ), we do so with certainty .
When we urge people to be saved , we are certain that the Savior will receive all those , “ even to them that believe on his name ” ( John 1:12 ).
The world may be in a state of upheaval and confusion , but we are looking to the Lord to “ occupy till [ He ] come ” ( Luke 19:13 ) and to stay on target at our task excitedly serving the Lord .
In other words , this is no time to debate the eternal verities or to closet ourselves in discouragement .
If there was ever a day to be in the race , this is it .
Exciting Sunday , Blessed Hope Baptist Church , Jasonville , Indiana
On the second Sunday of Dec - ember , I made my nineteenth visit to the Blessed Hope Baptist Church in Jasonville , Indiana .
Pastor Jerry Ross served on staff here with his dad for 11 years . When his dad retired in 2003 , the church called him and now he has been the pastor for the past 17 years . Brother Ross is a solidly fundamental man and his lead - ership of the church reflects that . Strong convictions are there as well as loving pastoral care .
Although Jasonville is a small town ( population 2,300 ) in Indiana ’ s rural heartland , Blessed Hope Baptist Church is a strong , vibrant ministry .
A few months back , COVID hit about 70 percent of the church . They were shut down for two weeks , but everyone has recovered and things are pretty much back to full operation . A few of their folks are not back yet , but most are .
They do have their morning and evening services live on YouTube . If you type in Blessed Hope Baptist Church , Jasonville , Indiana , it will get you to their site .
The folks here are always so gracious to me . I am wonderfully blessed when I get to be here and preach for them .
Brother Ross is leading the church with vision and with a burden for their area . Their bus routes , their Christian school , their soul-winning ministry , etc ., are strongly active parts of their ministry throughout the year .
We enjoyed singing the hymns of Christmas and were blessed by
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Noteworthy News
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prohibits defendants from treating religious activities worse than comparable secular activities ,” Judge Pulskamp said in his ruling . “ California ’ s current COVID-related restrictions do exactly that .”
Judge Pulskamp noted that the court “ wholeheartedly agrees with the following sentiment : ‘ Members of this Court are not public health experts , and we should respect the judgment of those with special expertise and responsibility in this area . But even in a pandemic , the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten . The restrictions at issue here , by effectively barring many from attending religious services , strike at the very heart of the First Amendment ’ s guarantee of religious liberty . Before allowing this to occur , we have a duty to conduct a serious examination of the need for such a drastic measure .’ ”…
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said , “ The impact of the Supreme Court rulings is a welcome relief . Tyrannical governors must let the captives go free . Some governors have become power hungry and now the courts are agreeing that it ’ s past time to end these restrictions on places of worship .”
— LIBERTY COUNSEL
Appeals Court Strikes Down Nevada ’ s Rule Against Churches
Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Vice President of U . S . Litigation David Cortman , regarding the U . S . Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ’ s decision striking down Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak ’ s coronavirus restrictions that treat churches more harshly than other venues , such as casinos , [ said ]
“ This is a significant win . There is no constitutional right to gamble , but there is one that protects attending worship services . The government has a duty to respect the First Amendment , so it can ’ t single out churches for harsher treatment than secular activities . Today , the Ninth Circuit made clear that at a minimum …[ churches ] can ’ t be treated more harshly than Nevada ’ s casinos , bowling alleys , retail businesses , restaurants and arcades . Such disparate treatment is both illogical and unconstitutional .”
— ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM
Congressman Introduces “ You Must Be Alive to Vote Act ”
A Republican Congressman believes it “ goes without saying ” that a person needs to be alive to cast a legal vote in America .
… Representative Brian Babin of Texas is following through with what would once be seen as an “ unnecessary ” bill prohibiting dead people from voting in U . S . elections . The GOP lawmaker introduced the “ You Must Be Alive to Vote Act ”… following allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election .
— Frieda Powers , bizpacreview . com
EDITOR ’ S COMMENTS : As laughable as this seems , dead people voting is not a new development . It has been happening for decades , but finally it is getting some attention . We shall be watching to see if this can pass the U . S . House of Representatives .
Colorado Governor Declares Churches Essential
Governor Jared Polis has finally dropped Colorado ’ s COVID unconstitutional limits on religious gatherings and declared that houses of worship are essential and removed attendance caps on worship effective … December 7 at 5:00 PM MT . Colorado Governor Jared Polis reversed course and took this action because of the Supreme Court ’ s decision … in Liberty Counsel ’ s case … in California and the Court ’ s ruling on Thanksgiving Eve in favor of New York churches and synagogues .
… They still must require masks indoors and other prevention measures like six-foot spacing between members of different households and appropriate sanitation .
— LIBERTY COUNSEL
Minneapolis — Home of the “ Defund the Police ” Movement — Sees Crime Skyrocket
The Minneapolis Star Tribune … reported … that Minneapolis has seen at least 375 carjackings in 2020 .… Those to-date 2020 figures are more than three times higher than all of 2019 .…
…“ The numbers are staggering ,” police spokesman John Elder told the Star Tribune . “ It defies all civility and any shred of common human decency .”
And the crime problem in Minneapolis is more than just carjackings . Violent crime , especially shootings , [ are ] way up .…
In November , the toll of people shot this year surpassed 500 in Minneapolis .… Seventy-nine homicides is the highest count since the mid-1990s , an era when the city earned the grim moniker “ Murderapolis .”
Still , the city council … is determined to continue its push to defund the police even further .
— Chris Field , theblaze . com
U . S . Designates Nigeria Among Top Religious Freedom Violators
Religious liberty advocates are praising the U . S . State Department Continued on p 21 ▶