By Roger Oakland
www.understandthetimes.org
As Paul, an enemy of God, was journeying on the Road to Damascus, carrying out his mission to condemn Christians and have them put to death, suddenly, and unexpectedly, he was confronted with a bright light and the Lord’s voice asking, “why persecutest thou me?” [1] It was an experience that would change him for eternity. From one who persecuted followers of Jesus, to becoming a committed follower himself, he became the greatest evangelist who ever lived, by the grace of God. His calling was to “open” the eyes of the people and “turn them from darkness to light” that they might “receive forgiveness of sins.” [2]
Christianity is about following Jesus Christ and abiding in Him and in His Word. It is recognizing who He is and what He has done, repenting from our sins, and inviting Him into our lives to take over our lives. When we become part of the family of God, we have been saved by grace, not by works, and we are called to be servants who share this good news with others. Spreading the gospel is the call for every believer. In Scripture, we see a pattern to spread this good news – first in our homes, then to surrounding areas, and ultimately throughout the world. [3]
Shortly after I was saved, at the age of thirty, I experienced a profound call of God upon my life. From that point on, my life has been an adventure as I have sought to follow this same pattern as described in the Bible of spreading the gospel – first at home, then to the surrounding area, and finally to the uttermost parts of the world. In time, God broadened my calling to deal with deception and exposing the wiles of the devil – first in the world, and then in the church. Satan’s plan to deceive man has sent, and continues to send, billions to hell. Satan hates those who shine the light of the Word and expose the kingdom of darkness. His plan is to take as many humans as he can with him to hell.
Jesus warned Paul that he would face opposition from all sides.[4] When a believer begins to expose Satan’s domain, Satan will do all he can to wipe that believer out. This opposition can come through various arenas, even through family and friends. Even still, while Paul faced tremendous opposition, Jesus was with him and delivered him from the Jews and the Gentiles as promised. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Paul stated in his letter to the Romans. [5]While the going can get tough for the committed believer, Jesus remains with us when all hope seems gone.
Personally, I can relate to the opposition Paul faced as a witness for Jesus Christ. The longer I have been in the ministry with a call to shine the light of truth on deception, the greater the opposition I have witnessed and experienced. One thing I have observed, especially in the past few years, when one confronts deception in the name of Christ with regard to modern-day apostasy, it is often proclaiming “Christians” who can be the most ruthless, especially when the light of the Word begins to expose their devious plans. Click here to continue reading.
