Stand Out! Stand Up! By Gen. James Green
The Call to Stand Out and Stand Up
These two things resonate within true Biblical Christianity. If they are not in your life or my life, then we do not possess true Biblical Christianity. The colossal need, and I do mean COLOSSAL NEED!, in this hour and in this generation, is for God's people to STAND OUT! and STAND UP! for Jesus.
It is time (past time!!) to be that light on the lampstand, that spiritual city (Zion) on a hill for all the world to see (Matthew 5:14-15). It is time to be the "salt of the earth" (v. 13), that prevents corruption, not produces it, as today’s church has long ago LOST its saltiness.
What It Means to Be Salt and Light
Have you ever pondered the meaning of Jesus' words in Matthew 5:13-15? Our Captain in this great WAR for souls never commanded us to show off our stuff, huff and puff, or put on religious shows for the pagan or for ourselves. But by sitting down, becoming lukewarm/pukewarm (see Revelation 3:16), resisting and quenching the Holy Spirit—the very Holy Spirit given for resisting the world, the flesh, and the devil—the church is now powerless, full of sin/sins, and will be THROWN OUT (Matthew 5:13, NIV) by God.
Take note of what I write, rebels! You will be THROWN OUT and TRAMPLED by men! Those who have become lukewarm, together with their religious imaginations of grandeur, will be destroyed by ungodly society (see Deuteronomy 28:13, 43, 48 and Judges 2:20-22).
Salt and Light: Their Value
Salt is valuable to give flavor and preserve from corruption. Light is valuable to squelch darkness. The true Christian is to be both salt and light in this corrupt, dark world. One thing is for sure: if a believer goes beyond Churchianity, he or she will STAND OUT and STAND UP for Christ.
Evading the Call
As ancient Israel did time and time again, so has today's church: they evade the call. “Christian” entertainment has taken the place of studying the Scriptures and living the life. Nevertheless, the call of God goes out from the faithful few: REPENT and be SAVED for the unsaved; live the life for the saved, plus "Go ye out into all the world and make disciples" (Mark 16:15).
Go to work!! Today’s “disciples” are dumber than yesterday’s—they are Biblically illiterate to say the least, even though the Holy Bible is our war manual. Within its pages, we find different types of writing—poetry, parables, apocalyptic, polemic, epic, letters, oratory, history, and militancy. Yet, too many find the Bible boring, even hateful.
Despite this, we are called to "study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). We are also called to pass along the Words of Christ and the apostles to others who can teach others (see 2 Timothy 2:2).
Standing Out and Standing Up for Jesus
To stand out and stand up for Jesus involves both our personal relationship with Him and our witness to the world. We must "earnestly contend for the faith" (Jude 3) and give soldiers the means to defend it against false theologies (see Acts 20:31; Galatians 1:9; 1 Timothy 4:1; Titus 1:9).
To be a "good soldier of Christ" (2 Timothy 2:3), we are to "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:12). This will make one stand out among the weak, soft believers today. To be "all you can be" in Christ requires complete loyalty to Christ and His Word—knowing, being, and doing.
Repent or Perish!
This is the urgent message—right now, not tomorrow or another day, but TODAY. Men’s sins have mounted up to Heaven. God is calling for a Repentance Revolution. Men are lost in sin and must be warned: "Repent or be punished."
Such a revolution is needed to bring freedom from demonic bondage. Because God is love, He desires to free men, even though many may not want it. Yet, many are crying out to be delivered from sin's bondage.
Our prayers unto God move Him to act. He delights in people who will intercede on behalf of the lost, including those trapped in religious systems that take their time and money but leave them hurting and unfulfilled.
The Need for a Holy Revolution
What Christians did in bygone days will not suffice today. We, you, and I, must pray to God day and night for a holy move of God—a revolution against the world, the flesh, and the devil and his demons. We must cry out against injustices, violence, and sexual perversions.
Consider those of bygone days. The early Christian revolution of faith rested on the certainty that all of society and the atmosphere surrounding the earth could be freed from evil's dominion. Why have we lost this vision?
The expectation of Jesus’ coming should be our active readiness! We must stop demanding God to do something "special" for us, like in today’s Church la-la land.
Standing Up in These Days
In these days of defiant rebellion against God, His people, and His Word, the anti-Christ spirit is in hostile pursuit of all that is good, holy, and pure. We need to stand out and stand up for Jesus more than ever.
Do not back away—go forward! To Hell with those who hate God’s rule. We are called to fight on behalf of Christ. We are called to fling ourselves against the angry waves of adversity, against the insanity of humanity, lifting up the banner of love to those drowning in iniquity.
For all this, we must be ready. We must stop asking God to send a revival unless we are ready to be dealt with inwardly and go for the lost souls. Remember, it is hearts to God and hands to work.
STAND OUT! STAND UP! FOR JESUS!
