2 SWORD OF THE LORD October 22 , 2021
It was Arnold Toynbee ( 1889 – 1975 ), the famous English historian , who suggested that most nations die from self-inflicted wounds rather than by the murderous attack of other nations . Indeed , he said that national suicide was a greater danger than the possibility of the nation being murdered .
In the light of that prognosis , let ’ s consider the scriptural choice that the Lord has set before us .
“ Righteousness exalteth a nation : but sin is a reproach to any people .”— Prov . 14:34 .
As you examine this verse , you see that the Lord makes clear that for a nation to be “ exalted ”— go forward , do well , survive , etc .— it should build itself on a foundation of “ righteous ness .” Otherwise , it may expect “ a reproach ”— disre - spect , difficulty , defeat , even death .
Yes , nations can wind up dead and buried . They may flourish for a time , but they can come to an ignominious ( shameful ) demise and end up on the scrap pile of nations .
In line with this divine truth , let ’ s be specific . Atheism never succeeds . Humanism does not build up . Hedonism is an abominable life - style . When God is tossed aside , the people turn to drugs and alcohol . They turn on themselves and the results are catastrophic .
A godless society may amass big houses , big cars , jet airplanes and fat bank accounts ; but it will always bring with it the trappings of greed , lust and appetites which will bring neither happiness nor peace nor satisfaction .
With America spiraling headlong into this unrestrained abyss , there can be but one expectation : Our nation is on the verge of national suicide . My dear fellow servants of God , we must not sit with folded arms and let that happen . We know the questions and we have the answers . It is our Godgiven responsibility to be salt and light ( Matt . 5:13 , 14 ) in our world . This we must do !
“ Wherefore he saith , Awake thou that sleepest , and arise from the dead , and Christ shall give thee light .
“ See then that ye walk circumspectly , not as fools , but as wise ,
“ Redeeming the time , because the days are evil .”— Eph . 5:14 – 16 .
See the instruction here given . Awake ! Arise ! Walk ! Redeem ! May I suggest that these verses have two primary places to be applied .
1 . Personally ! Every one of us needs to be praying and working . If we pray for revival — as we should — we should also be work - ing for revival .
We need to “ awake ” to the realities of our crumbling nation and we need to “ arise ” with resolve that we will do all we can do to keep America from killing itself .
Let ’ s think of our children and their children . The coming genera - tion could , and I ’ m convinced they will , live under the tyranny of a totalitarian government unless we stand up to be counted now . As our society convulses morally and spiritually today , it is teetering on the brink of a total collapse in the near future .
2 . Our churches ! The key to America ’ s survival is the church key . We cannot expect the weak , watered-down versions of Chris - ti anity to make any measurable difference . Weakness in both pulpit and pew has brought us to this crisis hour .
To Timothy the admonition was , “ Thou therefore , my son , be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus ” ( II Tim . 2:1 ).
You cannot have a strong church unless you develop strong people and take a strong stand . It is way past time for us to reclaim our spiritual birthright and stand tall in this old , wicked , Hellbound world .
My dear friends , the need is great and the hour is late . You and I can make the difference . We have a perfect Savior , a perfect salvation and a perfect Bible . We are not yet fully perfected , but we have a perfect right to do as the Lord has commanded us .
We may be criticized , we may be despised , we may be vilified and we may not win the man-of-theyear award ; but we simply must not let the pressure of these times discourage us . More than ever in our lifetimes we must stay “ awake ”
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and “ arise ” to the challenge each and every day . If we fail now , we may not have another chance tomorrow .
So , let ’ s renew our vision and surrender ourselves once again . Let ’ s have church with enthusiasm . When preaching time comes , let ’ s not soft-pedal the truth . Let ’ s determine to saturate our town and win as many people as we can .
Let ’ s take time to build strong families . Let ’ s use our influence in personal conversation . Let ’ s vote every election cycle . Let ’ s protect our kids from the liberals , the socialists , etc . Let ’ s stop funding the liberal causes . Let ’ s get in gear and give ourselves to the Lord ’ s bidding . What we can do , we must do .
If we will step up and step it up , we can pull our nation back from its self-destructive ways and at the same time help a lot of people to get ready for eternity . Amen !
Come on , folks ; let ’ s all pitch in . Let ’ s do it and let ’ s do so now .
Revival Services , Warrenton , Virginia , Trinity Baptist Church
This was my tenth time to be with Dr . Vinton Williams and the Trinity Baptist Church in Warrenton , Virginia . Brother Williams started the church in 1974 and now has served the church as pastor for the past 47 years .
The church has a prime location on Route 29 on the south edge of Warrenton just 45 miles from the nation ’ s capital .
Carter Galentine leads the music and directs the entire music pro - gram . The music is a strong , solid and vibrant part of every service at Trinity . Brother Galentine has been on staff for 43 years .
Jimmy Shelton grew up here but served 12 years as a missionary in Puerto Rico . At Brother Williams ’ invitation , he came back five years ago and is already the pastor-elect when Brother Williams retires sometime in the future .
We certainly need to pray for Brother and Mrs . Williams as she is fighting a battle with cancer right now .
As with most churches , they are in a stage of rebuilding to full attendance after COVID . They are livestreaming each service .
I taught the auditorium Bible class , then preached Sunday morn - ing as well as Sunday through Wednesday nights . I felt liberty to preach each night and the people received warmly what I gave them each service .
Brother Williams has resisted the trends of the times and kept the church on solid footing every step of the way . Consequently , the church is firmly committed to who they are and what they are about .
Although northern Virginia is not exactly a conservative area , Trinity Baptist Church is dem - onstrating that a church can do what it should without capitulating to its liberal-oriented culture .
We had a good four days with them which I fully enjoyed .
If you are within driving distance of Warrenton or if you are visiting nearby , you ’ ll be warmly received at Trinity Baptist Church .
Sword Men ’ s Conference Is Almost Here , November 12 – 13
Yes , it is near at hand and we are looking forward to it .
Right here at the Sword of the Lord headquarters ( 224 Bridge Avenue in Murfreesboro ) we will host the conference in the Sword auditorium .
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Noteworthy News
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hurt your family and put the word out in the neighborhood that ‘ we ’ ve got your brother or son or daughter .’ They cut off the heads of two boys that were nine and ten .” The Taliban is executing Christians faster than her organization can find them . “ We started out with 300 three weeks ago and we ’ re down to 55 .”
The orphans , if they ’ re lucky enough to be left behind , are starving . Thrower talks about two little girls who managed to hide after their parents were murdered , but eventually , they got so hungry that they ventured out to the market . “ The Taliban found them , raped them and beat them .” In villages where the families didn ’ t have time to escape , “ the Taliban are going door-to-door taking women and children . The people must mark their house with an ‘ X ’ if they have a girl over 12 years old so that the Taliban can take them . If they find a young girl and the house was not marked , they will execute the entire family .”
While this White House is busy patting itself on the back for Afghanistan , calling it an “ extraordinary success ,” 7,000 miles away fathers are handing guns to their wives and daughters so that they can kill themselves if the terrorists come . Even hiding is a double-edged sword . “ Every day ,” one Christian told his American contact , “ I receive a phone call from a private number . A soldier warns me that if he sees me again , he ’ ll behead me .”
The Taliban are tracking them , stalking them , warning them they know where they are . “ Even within the networks we have , a number of people have changed their phone numbers , because it ’ s simply not safe anymore ,” International Christian Concern ’ s William Stark lamented . Others have gone completely dark , making it impossible for rescue workers to find them . “ It ’ s just an utter and complete humanitarian disaster ,” one activist said helplessly .
… They all understand what one church leader has warned : “ They will kill the known Christians [ to ] spread fear .”
… Jaiuddin and the other Christians [ are ] huddled in Kabul , wondering if this night will be their last .
He is not afraid to die . Like many here , he is more afraid the world will forget them . Pray for us , he asked . “ Remember them that are in bonds , as bound with them ; and them which suffer adversity , as being yourselves also in the body ” ( Heb . 13:3 ).
— Tony Perkins , frc . org
Taliban Are Carrying Out Mass Executions
Less than a month after the U . S . withdrew troops from Afghanistan , the Taliban [ are ] arresting , and in some instances executing , people they perceive as their enemies . Recent photos and video suggest they ’ re killing as many as 30 to 40 at a time , Christian missionary David Eubank , a former U . S . Army Special Forces and Ranger officer , said in a media interview .…
“ They [ the Taliban ] are hunting down people right now , trying to get all the names of anyone they perceive as an enemy ,” Eubank said , adding that the enemies include “ people who work with the U . S . government , people who are with other governments , people who work with non-governmental organizations they don ’ t agree with .”…
The people in Afghanistan “ are in terror ,” Eubank added .…
Almost all Afghan Christians — estimated to be between 8,000 and 12,000 — are converts from Islam and remain largely closeted and hidden from the public eye due to severe persecution .
… ICC reports , “ In Afghanistan , leaving Islam is considered extremely shameful and converts can face dire consequences if their conversion is discovered .”
— Anugrah Kumar , christianpost . com
Youth Pastor Shot Dead in Myanmar
A … youth pastor was reportedly shot dead as he tried to help one of his congregants save their burning home after it was set ablaze by Myanmar ’ s military junta during an attack on civilians in Chin state [ September 18 ].
The pastor was identified … as Cung Biak Hum of Thantlang Centennial Baptist Church .… he was married with two sons and was pursuing a master ’ s of divinity degree .…
“…[ O ] ver 19 houses were burned down by military forces . Baptist Pastor … Cung Biak Hum attempted to help as one of the houses belonged to a member of his church . Instead , upon his arrival on the scene , he was shot and killed by military soldiers — making him the first Baptist minister to die due to the ongoing conflicts . The military soldiers also stole his cellphone , watch and cut off his finger in order to steal his wedding ring .”
— Leonardo Blair , christianpost . com
National Historic Sites in Transition !
Ford ’ s Theatre lives in American infamy as the site where Abraham Lincoln , the 16th United States president , was fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth in April 1865 . The theater is now a national historical site managed by the National Park Service .
However , an official social media account belonging to Ford ’ s Theatre incited mockery [ in September ] after seemingly questioning why Lincoln has been put “ on a pedestal ” in American history .
The Twitter account for Ford ’ s Theatre solicited suggestions from social media users on …“ a more useful , more complex , or more realistic ” [ way ] to remember Lincoln .
— Chris Enloe , theblaze . com
EDITOR ’ S COMMENTS : Little by little the rewriting of our history is being done to accommodate the “ woke ” culture .
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