Linda Wall
If the three names Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego do not ring a bell in your mind, the account of their day to fame can be found in the third chapter of the book of Daniel. For Christians, these are three of our predecessors who were thrown in a fiery furnace because they refused to obey a government law that violated the laws of the Living God.
This week every news blip, blog and commentary gave their twist and slant on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Colorado baker. What would you have done if you had been in the baker’s shoes? Would you have denied the Lord by making the wedding cake for two men or would you have said, “No”?
Jack Phillips has spent the last six years of his life going through trials and tribulations because he was a modern day “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.”
Each and everyday believers are confronted with situations whether or not to stand for Christ and upon God’s Word or become a “Judas” and betray Jesus. Some have experienced situations as severe as Jack Phillips, but often the situations occur within the confines of a church building or among others who profess Christianity.
After Jesus rescued me from homosexuality I fell in love with Him. He’s all I wanted to talk about. I couldn’t understand why other church-going Christians did not want anything to do with Jesus once they walked outside the sanctuary. Maybe they weren’t in love with Him; maybe they were ashamed; maybe they were fakes.
Today, there has been a great misunderstanding about what constitutes a Christian. The faith that the early Church had is quite different from what we call Christianity today. Almost forty years ago, I sold everything I owned to literally follow Jesus in order to find out if He was the same today as He was yesterday. Guess what? He isn’t the one who has changed. It’s the ones who claim to be followers of Christ who have changed and developed a comfortable Christianity.
Many churches today push a “rapture” doctrine, which has seduced the Saints of God into a sleep. Jesus’s final instructions were to go and to teach. It’s called The Great Commission. Never was it intended for the followers to sit on the pews, let the preacher do it all and wait to fly out of here.
Jack Phillips lived his faith outside the sanctuary, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He stood upon God’s Word. What about you? Are you willing to stand for your faith as a modern-day Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?
There are many cases similar to Jack’s going on all across America. Last week we introduced of few of them to you.
Thanks be to God for seeing Jack through his fiery furnace and for the victory for the freedom to exercise one’s Christian faith in America.
Pray for boldness and to be endued with power from on High. Put on the whole armor of God: truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation and the Word of God that you may be able to be a modern-day Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when you face your fiery furnace.
