WHERE'S THE BACKBONE : SENIOR PASTOR TONY SAMUELS
In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. -Ephesians 6:10-11 (AMP)
We are living in a time that is unlike any other time before it. Right before our very eyes, predictions from the Bible are taking place. There are lies and deceptions being spread worldwide, and if you speak against it or challenge it, you are met with extreme opposition and backlash. This backlash is so fierce that instead of speaking what people believe, they bow down to the narrative of the world and even apologize for having a different point of view. So where does all of this leave the Church? For the most part, the Church has chosen to bow down to the narrative, reducing the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ down to a social message. So instead of the Church seizing the opportunity to stand out and be different, to be the Light of the World, we have blended into society, reducing our power and effectiveness.
What is missing? A backbone! I looked up what the phrase “no backbone” means. It’s defined as: when someone does not have the courage to do or say the things which need to be said and done. When drastic measures need to be taken, you have to have the backbone to do it. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, stand firm against him and he will flee from you.” The devil is wreaking havoc in the land, and it’s only the Church of Jesus Christ that can resist him and cause him to flee. But instead of resisting, the church for the most part has chosen to conform to the narrative and even apologize for things they didn’t do. Romans 12:2 says, “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you.” When we imitate culture, we forsake our true identity by trying to be accepted by the world.
A church that is being accepted by the world is probably not doing its job. Look at what Jesus said in John 15:18-19: “If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
The Church is trying to be accepted by the World by preaching a non-offensive message that is exactly what they want to hear, and the World has no problem with it. Heed this warning from the Word of God. Luke 6:26 (AMP): “Woe to you when all the people speak well of you and praise you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.” In this time, it’s going to be really easy to recognize the true prophets of God, because they will not align their message or their life with the world. They will go against the grain to please the One they serve.
2 Timothy 4:3 (AMP): For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold. I think this time is here.
Church, God started preparing us last year for this time. Be bold for Jesus. Don’t hold back from speaking truth to your family members, neighbors, and strangers. The Bible says, how will they know unless there be a preacher? We have to speak the truth and not be silent. You have the backbone, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the World. Jesus is coming back soon, Church. Let’s be bold disciples for Him! Love you and God Bless.
