Marketplace Evangelism Today

Breaking: Matt Lauer Fired from NBC for Inappropriate Sexual Behavior in the Workplace

November 29, 2017: Today, we are learning of a great media icon who has been fired over allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace. On the Today Show this morning, Savanna Guthrie and Hoda Kotb announced that their co-worker, Matt Lauer was fired for “Inappropriate Sexual Behavior” in the workplace.

They read a statement issued by NBC. It read in all Caps, “DEAR COLLEAGUES, ON MONDAY NIGHT, WE RECEIVED A DETAILED COMPLAINT FROM A COLLEAGUE ABOUT INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN THE WORKPLACE BY MATT LAUER… IT REPRESENTED, AFTER SERIOUS REVIEW, A CLEAR VIOLATION OF THE COMPANIES STANDARDS. AS A RESULT, WE’VE DECIDED TO TERMINATE HIS EMPLOYMENT. WHILE THIS IS THE FIRST COMPLAINT ABOUT HIS BEHAVIOR IN OVER TWENTY YEARS HE’S BEEN AT NBC NEWS, WE WERE ALSO PRESENTED WITH REASON TO BELIEVE THIS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY IS TO CREATE A WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT WHERE EVERYONE FEELS SAFE AND PROTECTED, AND TO ENSURE THAT ANY ACTIONS THAT RUN COUNTER TO OUR CORE VALUES ARE MET WITH CONSEQUENCES, NO MATTER WHO THE OFFENDER. WE ARE DEEPLY SADDENED BY THIS TURN OF EVENTS, BUT WE WILL FACE IT TOGETHER AS A NEWS ORGANIZATION—AND DO IT IN AS TRANSPARENT A MANNER AS WE CAN.”

This statement was written by the Chairman, Andy Lack, of NBC.

Source:
Savanna Guthrie, The Today Show, November 29, 2017, National Broadcasting Company.

UPDATE: Oxford Circus Shooting

London, England: November 24, 2017; According to the Metropolitan Police (MPS), the mass stampede which was caused by rumors of a shooting, was triggered when two men were fighting on the platform. Because of the reports of gunfire, the MPS responded with the British Transport Police (BTP) to the scene, only to find no suspects or victims. The stampede was in the Oxford Circus shopping district. This was the busiest shopping time of the year. The above picture is of the suspects taken off a CCTV Camera in the platform area. The Oxford Circus is now reopened.

Breaking: Terror in London- Shots fired in Oxford Circus

London, England: Police are responding to a terrorist-related incident involving shots being fired. At this time, no known casualties have been reported. Oxford Circus shoppers flee as shots were being fired. Although no suspects or victims have been found, London was on lockdown as this investigation unfolds. There was an injury of a lady who got hurt during the mass panic.

According to London Police, “To date police have not located any trace of any suspects, evidence of shots fired or causalities. Officers continue to work with colleagues from British Transport Police in the area of Oxford Circus.”

A spokesman for the MET stated, “Police were called at 16:38 to a number of reports of shots fired on #OxfordStreet & underground at Oxford Circus tube station.”

Photo Credit: Twitter, British Transportation Police

Photo Credit: Metropolitan Police UK, Twitter

The incident is now over and no suspects were found.

Happy Thanksgiving: What are you thankful for?

Today, I wished many people Happy Thanksgiving! I did this because I love these people and hold them in high regard. I am thankful for my wife and daughter, my family, friends, and clients. I praise God for my relationships. Most of all, I am thankful for God’s love, where He allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to shed His blood for the redemption of our sins. I am thankful for my salvation through Jesus Christ.

Today, I asked many friends from Facebook what they are thankful for. Here are a few of their responses:

Carol H wrote, “Jesus and a caring and patient and helpful husband and son.”

Cindee wrote, “Life.”

Carol B wrote, “Thankfulness…….I’m Thankful first of all for the Grace and Mercy of another day and a Heavenly Father who loves me. We are never promised tomorrow so be Thankful for his Graciousness. I’m Thankful for family, friends, miss my Dad, but I know he is with JESUS and that’s what matters. Make this a Thankful Day and forget all the craziness this world tries to make us think that the “Materialistic” makes us happy….it doesn’t….happiness can only be found in a relationship with “JESUS” and then he makes everything else in our lives something to really say Thanks For!”

Karen wrote, “I am thankful for my beautiful family and all my friends old and new. God Bless.”

Beckie wrote, “I am so thankful for being raised in a Christian family and knowing that my parents and grandparents daily prayed for all of our family – kids, grandkids etc. what a blessing!”

Kathy wrote, “Many blessings! Friends and family and friends who are like family.”

Michele wrote, “I’m so thankful for a wonderful, loving family and friends. I’m so thankful for God’s healing power.”

With all that is going on in our world, please take a moment to tell your loved ones that you love them. Give your family a hug and tell your children you love them. No one knows how long they have on this earth.

The staff of The Lantern & Shield Times wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! May God Bless each of you! We value your followership!

Joseph T. Lee, © November 23, 2017, The Lantern & Shield Times LLC.

Movie Review: “The Man Who Invented Christmas”

One of my favorite things to do leading up to Christmas is to Watch “A Christmas Carol,” which was written in book form by Charles Dickens in the 1840s. The Puritans, who believed Christmas was pagan and tied to Roman Catholicism, left some influence on Britain, where the holiday was not widely observed at the time. Dickens, as he’s portrayed in this movie, writes a book that ignites the celebration of Christmas in England.

It was a refreshing movie. It contains no curse words and gives a glimpse into a producer of British literature at a time when our culture is coarse and many things European are disparaged.

Starring the British actor Dan Stevens, the movie tells of Dickens actual life and adds his interaction with his strong imaginary characters. “The Man Who Invented Christmas” even gives a glimpse into character development as a writer might do.

While the movie’s target audience would not be children, it contains child actors, who play their parts well. There’s nothing vulgar in this flick. Parents can feel very comfortable taking their children to see this movie. If you wish to teach your children English literature, this movie could act as a good introduction to that. The movie shows the influences upon Dickens’ life and how he developed ideas for characters through people he met.

The story Dickens writes, which the British call “Scrooge,” is not meant to teach Christian theology. The necromancy suggested is fanciful and harmless within its context. It’s a movie the whole family can enjoy together.

I recommend taking the whole family to see this movie. I give it Four out of Five Stars.

Breaking: 1970’s Teen Idol and Heart Throb David Cassidy Dies at 67 Years Old

David Cassidy, star of The Partridge Family, dies at 67 years of age. Cassidy was a teen idol and heart throb for the hit TV series in the 1970’s. He died in a Fort Lauderdale hospital due to kidney failure and multiple organ failure.

Cassidy played Keith Partridge on ABC’s sitcom about a family band. Two of their songs, “I Think I Love You” and “I Woke Up In Love This Morning,” became major hits. After Partridge Family, Cassidy recorded solo albums. Later in his career, he was plagued by personal problems. He racked up at least three DUI arrests within five years, filed bankruptcy, went through three divorces, was charged with hit and run in 2015, and had problems with alcohol. In February of this year, he admitted to having dementia and was going to stop touring.

According to reports, Cassidy is survived by his son, Beau; a daughter, actress Katie Cassidy; and three half-brothers, Shaun, Patrick and Ryan.

Joseph T. Lee, © November 21, 2017, The Lantern & Shield Times LLC

Breaking: Charles Manson Dead at 83 Years of Age

Charles Manson, known for the brutal and horrific murder of Actress Sharon Tate and six other people; died Sunday in a California hospital. Manson was imprisoned over forty-five years after he led his mostly female followers to kill Tate and six other people at Roman Polaski’s home. He ordered the killing of two other people as well. He received nine life sentences for his crimes.

While in prison, Manson was denied parole twenty-two times. According to the Los Angeles Times, “he had hundreds of violations including possessing a cell phone and an assortment of weapons. He was unrepentant for his crimes and was not a model prisoner. He was hospitalized for an unknown condition on Tuesday. He died of natural causes at Kern County Hospital at 8:13 p.m Sunday, according to Vicky Waters, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He was 83 years of age.”

Reference:
The Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-charles-manson-20171119-story.html

Joseph T. Lee © November 20, 2017 The Lantern & Shield Times LLC

Interview with a Pastor: The Making of an American Pastor

I most recently had a candid interview with a pastor about his ministry and what it was like leading a church. My questions are in BOLD TYPE. His answers are in regular font. The name of the pastor has been omitted as well as the church. If you are thinking of going into the ministry as a pastor, the answers to these questions may help you with your decision. I hope that you enjoy this article.

Tell me about your call to pastoral ministry. I surrendered to Christ at age six through a desire to be a part of God’s family. Earlier than that, I longed to preach because my Dad was a preacher. At age twelve, I came to an understanding and asked the Father, “Is this what you want or what I want? If this is what you want, then speak to be as clearly as you did for salvation and make me miserable again like that.” And he did, and at age thirteen, I surrendered to ministry. I was fortunate to have a Dad who would honestly mentor me in real time of the things he was going through.

Which pastoral responsibility do you enjoy the most and why? I would say the preaching, because of the deep passion for scripture. I would say the leading, because of the longing to follow Christ. I would say the disciple making because of the pouring into others and seeing the transformation that only happens in them but also happens in me when we have those discipling times. Any other ones? Because of our services, I don’t get to do this as much, but I enjoyed doing baptisms. That is a sweet moment with God smiling on an individual for their obedience in baptism.

Which pastoral duty do you enjoy the least and why? Anything dealing with confrontation. One of the things in ministry that drains the most is disappointment. You must weigh through the disappointing responses, disappointing perspectives, where you realize it’s not a biblical perspective or response. It’s not a response that’s a surrender to Christ. It’s not a humbled response. And when you see that among God’s people, that’s one of the hardest things to wrestle through. I talked with and read Macel Falwell’s biography of her husband Jerry Falwell. And she rightly said, He could handle the push back and the criticism by those who had no relationship with Christ. What wounded him the most was heavier and harder for him to carry were the negative comments of those who were followers of Christ.

Describe the amount of time you spend each week in ministry preparation. The average week is about twenty hours. Other times it could get heavier and be more intense. That’s a lot of hours. Yes, but that is the key moment that you must minister to everyone. And you can have counseling moments. You can have committee meeting moments. But the one moment where you pastor and minister to everyone is that sermon. And furthermore, it must be a message from the Father and not your message to the people. So, you have to be with the Father as the herald to hear the message. To pray it through with Him so to make sure that it’s His message, not yours.

Describe the amount of time you spend in the week in administrative responsibilities. Oh goodness! Probably almost all the time, isn’t it? Yes. And particularly at our church. You also have ministries connected to you beyond our church. I would say forty hours. Wow! No, let’s make that thirty because you have moments like this as well. And we will say another twenty in pastoring with one on one. This is just a rough estimate.

Describe the amount of time you spend each week in personal devotions and prayer. Here’s the thing. It has to be every day. And I would say every day, at least an hour. I imagine that you are praying without ceasing too. There you go. There you go! Everyone that comes into my office, they don’t come in without prayer and they don’t leave without prayer. That’s the same truth for every meeting that we have, administrative meeting. But that’s beyond what I need to have in the morning and what I need to have at night, and during the day. Like yesterday, I had to get away and get into the sanctuary and just pray.

What is the area of pastoral ministry that you wish that you had been taught in school? Pain management. The reason I say that was my Dad was very honest when he mentored me. He said, I want to tell you what I am going through in real time. When you are knocked into the same ropes, you know that your Dad has survived and so can you. The ropes that I am getting hit against are not unfamiliar because I saw that happen to Dad. But one thing Dad could never convey was how hard the punches are, when you are getting knocked against the ropes. In my opinion Joe, if time is short, and I think it is, Satan is going to ramp up his attack on the Bride, and try to keep us less effective as possible. So, there is more spiritual attack and spiritual oppression that adds to that pain, that you have to learn how to manage, as Ephesians Six says, to stand.

Describe your ordination council. First of all, we want to make certain that they have displayed a call to ministry. There must be evidence that they have. When we have seen that, then we can put together an ordaining council that will be of pastors and ministers who are also ordained. And they will meet with the individual. The first one is to be ordained or licensed to ministry. We are going through theological things to determine if they can be licensed to ministry. After, there is an approval, then the church votes on whether to license to ministry. That gives you a window to watch whether they continue to display the characteristics to be licensed into ministry. Then we will convene the ordaining council. The ordaining council consists of pastors, ministers, and sometimes deacons. This council asks theological questions as well as the pastor-elect asks questions. This creates a mentoring moment as well, but through that time, the ordaining council must recommend to the church if the pastor-elect is to be ordained into ministry. This is a careful and cautious process before we recommend a man for ministry. How long does the ordination process take from the time the process is started until the time the pastor is ordained? If you go from the process of licensing until ordination, it could take a couple of years.

What is the one piece of advice you give to someone aspiring to become a pastor? Make certain the Father has called you. That is the very first thing my Dad said when I surrendered to ministry at age thirteen. We were in the car and he said, “Son, if there is anything else you can do, do it. But if you can’t, you know the Father has called you.” Make certain above all things that the Lord has called you, because it’s that calling that becomes the “not at the end of the road,” that causes you to hang on when you would love to let go.

In conclusion, I was made aware of the struggles of this pastor and what he goes through not only daily, but weekly, as the head pastor of his church. It was interesting to hear a pastor state that he surrendered to ministry when he made up his mind that he wanted to be a minister at the age of thirteen. One has heard the term surrendering to Christ, but I have never heard the term surrendering to ministry. I guess it is the same as “The Call.”

In reference to the pastor’s passion for preaching, he spends about twenty hours in preparation each week on average. It is evident that he pours into others when it comes to discipleship. Unfortunately, because of his schedule, he does not perform baptisms anymore.

It is evident that he does not enjoy confrontation. Confrontation can drain a pastor and they face disappointment almost on a weekly basis. He referenced Macel Falwell’s biography about the late Jerry Falwell and how Jerry could take the criticisms of unbelievers better than those who were followers of Christ. What can wound a pastor the most is the ugliness of those who are supposed to love you when they criticize. I see this constantly in ministry where Believers who may mean well constantly criticize and ultimately push pastors out the door of their churches because of the constant attacks. Although these people may not understand what they are doing, if not caught and these people counseled with, this can cause division in the church.

The pastor wished that he had been taught pain management in seminary. He gave an analogy of his Dad in a boxing ring, fighting with those who hurt pastors. He stated that “when you are knocked into the ropes that your Dad had survived, then you realize that you can survive as well (paraphrased).” This pastor feels the punches and they hurt when it is delivered from the loved ones, the congregants that are beating you up in the church. He feels that we are in the last days and that Satan is stirring up hate and dissention among the followers of Christ. The spiritual warfare adds to the pain. But the rewards can be sweet when those who he is pouring into comes to Christ and he can see heart transformations right in front of his eyes.

Pastoring and shepherding is a lifelong commitment that is not for the faint in heart. It is a tough job and one that may not be highly paid. Many times, it goes without thanks and one can see that it could be a lonely occupation as to whom does the pastor trust? Besides his relationship with God and his wife and family, one can understand why pastors keep a distance from congregants in their church. That is why the pastor must stay in prayer and seek the Father’s will so that he can preach the message that is God inspired. It is only through this close relationship with God that the pastor can be successful in leading the lost to Christ.

If you love your pastor and care about him, please pray for him and his family. Please allow him the time he needs and give him and his family privacy. Do not be so demanding on him. God has called pastors to shepherd, but Christians are called to love one another as well as love their neighbor. Consider being a servant in your church by helping the pastor out instead of draining him dry. Consider praying for him before he gives his sermon so that God will speak through him. You can get engaged in your church and then see where God leads this ministry.

Defeating The Adversary

The following is a discussion about Jerry Rankin’s book, “Spiritual Warfare: The Battle For God’s Glory.” The discussion pertains to how Satan tries to use one’s past and old nature to destroy a Christian’s walk with Christ and their testimony.

According to Jerry Rankin, our old nature is what comes natural for us. Our nature before Christ, our human and carnal nature loves satisfaction and gratification. We want what makes us happy and what feels good in the flesh. That is our old self, our old sinful nature, which is about our self. Suffering occurs because we must die to self and put on a new attitude, which is enriched in Christ. Satan loves to use our certain weaknesses to ensnare us in sin and make us feel defeated. Rankin quoted Romans 13:14, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy fleshly desires.” We are to surround ourselves with Christ-like attitudes and remove ourselves from things that would temp us to sin. An example would be if a person had a problem with sex. Before Christ, one with this problem may have been indulged in numerous affairs or potentially had many sexual partners. The person may also have been addicted to pornography. After Christ, this same person should not want to continue with his or her illicit behavior. They should concentrate on Christ and strive to live for Christ everyday by praying and reading the Bible. But Satan knows their weakness and will try to destroy their witness by attacking them with opportunities to sin. A person who was addicted to pornography should not be watching television where nudity is included in the program. That in itself is like pouring gasoline on a house fire. Because people are human and have no power to save themselves, they must put on the full armor of God to avoid the traps and the fiery darts of Satan as described in Ephesians 6. If people do not want to fall back into a sinful lifestyle, they must change their habits and not watch or look at things that can cause temptation to sin and fail.

Rankin quoted a youth evangelist he knew as a child. The youth pastor stated, “If you don’t want your passions aroused in a way that would lead to hard-to-resist temptation, don’t put yourself in a situation where that is likely to happen by parking with your date in a dark car at a drive-in or anywhere else.”[1] “It comes down to the choices we make. If we desire to walk in the Spirit, then we have to choose to avoid situations that would cause the flesh to be tempted.”[2] People need to avoid situations that would lead them to lustful thoughts, which in turn may excite them or lead them to seek gratification. Of course, in the old nature, it is natural to want to do these things, but doing so is against God’s Law, principles, and will. That is why Jesus Christ came to take our sins, burdens, and our filthiness, and those sins and actions were already nailed to the cross with Christ. Jesus bore our sins and when we asked Jesus to come into our hearts and forgive us of our sins, He forgave us. God has forgiven us. But once we accepted Christ and started living for God, Satan was furious and wants to destroy our testimony so that we will become ineffective in the Great Commission. Therefore, Satan uses every means to attack us because we are representatives of Christ. Rankin states, “In emphasizing the victory of which we are assured, we must not diminish the reality of the warfare. There is an ongoing battle between the flesh and the Spirit. Satan is opposed to our doing anything that glorifies and exalts Christ. He uses that self-centered nature of the flesh within us and the carnal values of the world around us to defeat us and cause us to sin.”[3]

Rankin quoted 1 Peter 5:10, “Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Jesus Christ, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little.”[4] Peter states that we suffer a little in contrast to Christ suffering to the point that His blood was spilt which lead to His death and resurrection. Our sufferings pale compared to giving up one’s life for the sins of the world. We will suffer if we follow Christ because the world, in which Satan currently has dominion over, will see to it that we are tempted and that we will struggle for the cause of Christ. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:13-14). Living for Christ is hard because of our old sinful nature. The road traveled for Christ is narrow and few will find it. The road to the wide gate of worldly pleasures is easier to follow because one does not have to make any sacrifices and give up their old nature. But if we stand firm in our faith, Christ will deliver us. “Be sober! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brothers in the world.” (1 Pet. 5:8-9)

I agree with Rankin that if we put to death deeds, inclinations, and desires of the flesh, then we will suffer because this is not easy. Self-denial does cause suffering because of our old nature and the wants of self-centeredness. If we concentrate on serving Christ and loving others, then the desires of the flesh are greatly diminished. Getting serious about serving God means that one sets aside time everyday to pray and seek the face of God. Then we must also study God’s Word. To fight against Satan, we must get into God’s Word and really study. We must seek a relationship with God. We must walk in the Spirit and live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to God, in public, in private, and in secret. Our lives should be the same in all three categories. God sees all, even what is done in secret. Putting on Christ means that we are living our lives for Christ everyday in all that we do. We are to show love to everyone and grant grace and forgiveness. If not, Satan will use that as a foothold to try to destroy our lives and our testimony for Christ.

From the reading, one application I can implement into my prayer and ministry is to start fasting and praying more in order to get to know God better and to seek a closeness with Him. I have fasted in the past and did see answers to prayer, but Rankin indicated that fasting can bring us closer to God and “…demonstrate our longing and need for God through the denial and sacrifice of normal fleshly desires in our battle and victory over the flesh.”[5] This in turn could bring an outpouring of God’s blessings. I desire to be closer to God and want that intimate relationship with Him.

What about you? Do you desire a personal walk with the Savior, Jesus Christ? If so, then stop right where you are. Talk with the Father. That is called praying. Pray to Him and ask forgiveness of your sins. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and live in you. Then seek out a Bible believing church. Get involved in a church and in a Bible study so that you can be discipled in how to live a Christian life.

[1] Jerry Rankin, Spiritual Warfare: The Battle For God’s Glory (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2009), 140.

[2] Ibid., 140.

[3] Ibid., 141.

[4] Ibid., 155.

[5] Ibid., 164.

Christian Free Speech Is Being Silenced by the Politically Correct!

I just learned recently that a conservative Christian political journalist has been silenced by the Political Correctness Police on certain social media websites. Yes, it is true! If you are a Believer in Jesus Christ, and you are a conservative, and you post your true beliefs on certain social media sites, you may find your account blocked because your message may differ from their political agenda. The truth is that evil continues to prevail in our society. And it will only get worse when American’s continue to cave in to those who are pushing their unholy agendas down our throats.

So, how do we combat this? How can we overcome? The first way is to become grounded in the Word of God. Look at Ephesians 6:10-20 (English Standard Version). It reads, “¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;¹⁷and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Once one has put on the whole armor of God, they can withstand the fiery darts of Satan, which, in my opinion, are not only the attacks of the Politically Correct, but any temptation that can cause you to stumble. Becoming grounded in God’s Word can help you when you are being spiritually attacked. Praying to God on a regular basis helps to overcome evil as well as it builds a stronger relationship with God. Prayer does work and the Holy Spirit will intercede for us.

We should also live our lives in a manner pleasing to God. Let’s look at Ephesians 5:1-21 (English Standard Version). It reads, “5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ²And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. ³But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.⁵For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹²For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. ¹³But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Following these instructions will help you live a life of Christ. There are many other Scriptures I could mention, but these are great guidelines to start with. Therefore, do not allow the Politically Correct perversions to overcome you, but stand firm in God’s Holy Word. Continue to practice by loving your neighbor as yourself as well as praying for one another.

Stand firm and walk steady with Christ. Jesus Christ will never fail you or leave you! Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one shall come to God the Father, except through me.”

Just remember, as a Christian, you still have rights in our great nation. If you feel your rights have been violated, then you should consider contacting The American Center for Law and Justice to see if your religious freedoms have been violated. Christians, do not allow the politically correct to silence your message. You have rights under free speech as well as freedom of religion. Stand firm in God and continue to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ!