Rev. Dr. Andrew W. G. Matthews

Peter 1 hour ago in reply to Michelle Smith on "Interview with Former Roman Catholic, Mark Gendron" on You Tube Jesus gives a simple definition of those who are “for you”—they are the ones who are “not against you.” An apology to the woke ideologues of our day, but Jesus sees the world through a blatantly binary lens. “Whoever is not with me is against me” (Matt 12:30) and “The one who is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:50). Jesus frames the world as a battle between his kingdom and the kingdom of Satan. The battle lines are drawn, and you must choose a side. Since the entrance of sin into the world in Genesis 3, there has been enmity between the offspring of Satan and the righteous offspring of Eve. Christians will know their opponents because they will be fighting against them. Who is attacking Christians throughout the world? Militant Communism, Militant Hinduism, Militant Islam, Militant LGBTQ+, Militant Atheism. Nationalist Hinduism has expelled many Christian ministries out of India. Atheists and secularists are excluding Christianity from the public square, our schools, and our prison system. And the LGBTQ+ crowd is seeking to cancel Christians from all participation in society while shouting, “No room for bigots!” Though these groups maintain many antithetical beliefs, they seldom attack each other while they share a common enemy in Christianity. These strange bedfellows generally work together in opposition to Christians. Radical feminists issue warnings that the election of a Christian politician will end women’s rights in society, yet they are eerily quiet about the overt oppression of women under Sharia-law in Muslim-majority countries and communities— i.e. female circumcision, child-bride arrangements, unjust retribution, divorce, rape, and child-custody laws, employment, education, and driving restrictions, et cetera. The infamous atheist Richard Dawkins attacks the Bible and the God of Christianity, but he seldom challenges the Koran or the Allah of Islam. When Haneen Zreika, who plays for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW), refused to wear a gay pride jersey due to her Islamic faith, her teammates (some of whom were lesbians) supported her, and media commentators defended her decision saying she showcased the league’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. In contrast, when Christians express their religious commitments they are deemed worthy of exclusion—witness the termination of Israel Folau by Rugby Australia or the Christian doctor Jereth Kok whose medical licence was suspended by the Medical Board of Australia. Why is there such solidarity among these seemingly contradictory groups? Jesus explained it simply, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” (Matt 12:25-26). They are all on Satan’s side. These opponents are aligned with each other against Christians because they are all ultimately opposed to Christ. Identifying those who are not “with Christ” can be easy, especially if they do not identify as Christians or openly oppose the church, but there is a more insidious enemy— the enemies among us. There are people who carry the name of Christ, supposedly follow Christ, but are actually opposed to Christ. Let us not forget that one of those original twelve apostles, Judas, instead of casting out Satan became possessed by him. Time and time again, Satan infiltrates the church with wolves in sheep’s clothing and attacks the church from within. It is not enough that a person is a baptised member of a Christian church or a duly-ordained minister of the gospel, if they support the agenda of the world they“do not gather with me [Jesus] but scatter” (Matt 12:30). Like a soldier in the midst of a firefight who turns his weapon on his fellow soldiers, are Christians who side with their enemies and fire upon fellow Christians. When professing believers from within the Christian community no longer maintain the essential doctrines of the Christian faith and the biblical ethics of godly living, it is incumbent upon faithful Christian leaders to identify them and hold them to account. The apostle Paul said of living in this world, “Redeem the time, for the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). Indeed, the days ahead are looking very evil. The Christian communities in all the post-Christian countries need to prepare for the upcoming onslaught. We need to take note of those fighting on behalf of Christ, whether they be of the Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox strands of the Christian church, or within Protestantism—Presbyterian, Anglican, Baptist, or Pentecostal. We are entering a time when true Christian ecumenicalism is not about “birds of a feather flocking together,” but “bands of brothers fighting together.” Those who uphold the veracity of the Scriptures, the creation of male and female after God’s image, the person and work of Christ, biblical sexual identity and morality, the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit, the preeminence of the triune God in public worship, and the eternal hope of redemption will need to stand together. New battle lines are being drawn around these issues, and Christians who stand on the wrong side should no longer be seen as being “for Christ.” In the fires of adversity, we may be surprised by new friends from unexpected quarters and shocked by old friends who turn against us. As we stand together for Christ may our new alliances forge even sweeter bonds of Christian fellowship. REV. DR. ANDREW W.G. MATTHEWS