Exchanged Life Articles
The Invisible Wall
By Charles R. SolomonDuring my years of formal ministry dating back to 1970, there has been a major shift in the mores and mind set of our world to such an extent that I believe that this period of history in our country will be viewed as a spiritual reformation in reverse-a kind of revisiting of the Dark Ages. At that time there was a dearth of information and no scripture in the language of the people because the printing press had not yet been invented. Today, we are surfeited with information to the point that we have ceased to be an industrial society and have become an information society.
However, the rapid increase of knowledge which doubles about every five years has not resulted in people being better informed about the vital issues of life. In fact, the reverse is true; the mastering of information and the computer with which to do it have served to further deceive man into believing that he can chart his own destiny and program the desired end result. Having become preoccupied with his importance in his own eyes, the present is elevated to a par with the eternal; the past, with its wealth of wisdom and heritage, is discarded; and the future has been mortgaged so heavily that repayment is all but impossible.
In repeating the strategy of those who emplaced the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe, history in our country is being revised as necessary to sever the moorings from our Judeo-Christian heritage and from the absolutes of God's Word. Thus, the younger generations are at the mercy of revisionist history, relativistic thinking and a liberal press that turns its eyes from that which is just and good and promotes the destructive goals of secular humanism. The vacuum that has been created by an inordinate preoccupation with materialism and an elevation of man in his own eyes has resulted in the religion of secular humanism in this country supported by our taxes which has been heretofore unknown.
By contrast, humanistic answers being touted in this country have already proven bankrupt in Eastern Europe; and the spiritual vacuum there has had an opposite effect. Marxism did not fulfill its grandiose promises of an egalitarian society nor did it provide a meaning and purpose that transcended the circumstances in which people found themselves. Both combined to drive them to overthrow the totalitarian governments, and the spiritual hunger has opened up the people and the institutions to the gospel in an unprecedented way. In fact, the government is inviting Christians to come and help them implement Christian principles in both schools and government while our government does all it can to assure that Truth has little or nothing to do with its discharge of responsibility to God or to the electorate.
At the same time the Iron Curtain and Berlin Wall were being dismantled in Europe because of the disenchantment of the people with a godless government, an Invisible Wall was being erected in our country because of the vacuum left by an apathetic church and militant secularism, aided and abetted by the New Age movement. The Berlin Wall was torn down by the hands of men in overt fashion while the Invisible Wall was being erected in the minds of men surreptitiously with all of the gains being cemented in legislation and Supreme Court decisions which subvert the original intent of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Only time will tell how much ground we have lost in the influence of the gospel on our culture and government. The humanists may like it or not, but our country was founded on Christian principles which is the reason that God has been pleased to bless and prosper our nation. De Toqueville said, "God has made America great because it is good; when it ceases to be good, it will cease to be great".
Since I began counseling in 1970, the sociopolitical landscape of America has been impacted negatively in many aspects. Christianity has gone from being the most favored religion in the U.S. for the first 200 years of our history to being maligned by almost any standard. No longer is it considered intelligent, or even tolerable, to hold to the absolutes of God's Word on which our nation was founded. The very freedoms to which our forefathers and the founders of the nation gave their allegiance, and for which many laid down their lives, have been twisted by the Supreme Court to support the godless pursuits of the few to the detriment of the many.
In the not too distant past, Supreme Court Justices have affirmed that America was a Christian nation; and, until recent years, the Court was interpreting the law in light of the foundational documents of our country. Now, the opinions that are handed down are just that-opinions based on the whims of fallible individuals and their own value systems rather than adhering to the clear intent of the Constitution and supporting documents. Thus, the Court has moved from interpreting law to becoming a pseudo legislative body.
As a result of the Court's actions it is now "politically correct" to espouse the murder of unborn babies as a "freedom of choice" with upwards of 30 millions having been killed since the landmark decision, Roe v. Wade, in 1973. That same year homosexuality went from being a mental aberration to the lofty status of an alternate life style. Again, "political correctness" dictates that one not be critical of those choosing to participate in this particular sin; the actions of our elected and appointed officials have served to take homosexual behavior out of the realm of sin and invest it with civil rights as a "proper" humanistic option. Prior to 1973 homosexuality was viewed by the general populace from the historical viewpoint of the scriptures, and most states had laws against sodomy. Holding that position today is given the pejorative designation of homophobia which puts the believer on a collision course with contrary Supreme Court rulings if he holds unswervingly to the clear teaching of scripture. Or, to put it another way, it is now wrong to be right and right to be wrong!
Those who have been "enlightened" by secular humanism have been propounding positions during the past 20 years that are diametrically opposed to the values held by believers and other right-thinking people for the past 2000 years, to say nothing of those held by religious and moral people for several millenia before the first advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't it interesting that those of this generation could think themselves superior to all of those who have gone before, whose lives and wisdom have made it possible for society to exist as we know it?
By why am I belaboring the twin sins of abortion and homosexuality? It is because of the moral decline in our country that has eventuated in this gross miscarriage of morality and decency, to say nothing of the blatant sin, that the judgment of God must come upon our country. We have gone so far down the road of wanton immorality and life decisions based on expediency, pleasure, and instant gratification that only a spiritual awakening can stem the tide of the secular humanism which promotes and facilitates it. Our churches have proven all but impotent to shape the mind-set of the nation, and it is only as our nation turns back to God that the forces which have been set in motion can be curbed.
It is absolutely vital that the light of the gospel reflect on the Invisible Wall that all who will may see the encroachments of secular humanism and the satanic empowering of those who would dismantle the concepts of Truth and decency in favor of everyone doing what is right in his own eyes. While the Invisible Wall can not be seen with the eyes of the flesh, it is readily apparent to the spiritually discerning.
The church at large has been guilty of complicity, if only by default, in permitting the Invisible Wall to be erected between God and the mind of modern man. Too, the encroachment of humanism has not bypassed the hallowed halls of the church in its pernicious influence. Since the teachings of psychology have been injudiciously accepted as an influence in the church, it has become the rule rather than the exception for Christian psychology and psychiatry to supplant the clear teaching of the Cross as the method of choice in dealing with the mental, emotional, and behavioral symptoms of believers. Thus, the Invisible Wall has cast its shadow within the confines of the church with much ministry being done in the energy of the flesh, and with fleshly methods and answers frequently usurping the preeminence of Christ and the Cross.
While there are many godly men and women who are practicing psychology in close cooperation with the church, the tenets of pure psychotherapy do not make the believer's crucifixion with Christ central to its goal and methodology. Therefore, even though individuals may be helped in psychological and social adjustment, the flesh is strengthened if the Cross does not become a reality in the life. The believer may even be encouraged to confess and forsake sin, be diligent in the disciplines of the Christian life, and become very active in serving the Lord and yet do it in the energy of the flesh. Since the teaching of the Cross for the believer has all but vanished as an emphasis of the church, the Invisible Wall has made its presence felt in the teaching (or lack of teaching) of the church; and the work of God has been sapped of its power, since the preaching of the Cross is the power of God. (1 Cor. 1:18).
We are taught very clearly in the Word (Gal. 5:17) that there is a conflict within the believer between the flesh and the Spirit. Since this is true within the believer, it must be patently obvious that there will be a similar conflict between the natural and the spiritual in every pursuit of life. The humanistic dimension, secular humanism, is aligned with the flesh in its rebellion against the Spirit and the dictates of God's infallible Word. If believers do not understand who they are in Christ and the reality of the walk in the Spirit they, too, can be deceived into adapting fleshly or humanistic tools as they would assay to do God's work. The end result is the employing of carnal weapons in a vain attempt to pull down spiritual strongholds in a very real battle (2 Cor. 10:4).
When God called me to the ministry in 1967, it was for the purpose of pioneering an approach to counseling called Spirituotherapy which is at once Christ-centered and Cross-centered in contradistinction to psychotherapy which employs a human therapist and psychological principles. Although a Christian therapist would utilize scriptural principles as well, only a believer who has gone through the brokenness of the Cross would be empowered, or even see the necessity of another being led through the process of brokenness into wholeness. Absent that understanding, the therapist would unwittingly attempt to repair the brokenness; and the death/resurrection culmination intended by the Holy Spirit would have been aborted. Thus, "carnal weapons" which are inadequate for spiritual warfare would have assuaged the symptoms without having dealt with the spiritual stronghold, the flesh. You will note that Spirituotherapy is spelled with a capital S, indicating that the Holy Spirit is the Therapist-not the individual believer who is called alongside to assist another in appropriating all that Christ is for all that he needs.
As has been indicated, there is a battle within the individual believer between the flesh and the Spirit; and there is an intense battle going on in our country for the soul of our nation between the forces of humanism, as augmented by Satan and his emissaries, and the church or the work of the Living God. If our believers and our churches are walking after the flesh instead of walking in the Spirit, we will not be drawing upon our resources in Christ and will continue to suffer defeat at the hands of the secular humanists as did Joshua and the children of Israel at the battle of Ai. Only as we deal with sin and the flesh in our lives will we be more than a match for the forces of evil. God has promised that the gates of Hell will not prevail against His church, but this presumes that the church is moving as a mighty army-as a unified Body following our Master in love and obedience. Only so will we command the respect of those who are without and demonstrate to the world that our God lives! When the world sees living proof that we are not just the "religious right" but a contingent of disciples walking in concert with the Living God, they will come to respect us as
SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS by Charles R. Solomon
Are you a soldier of the Cross,
Marching to our Lord's command;
Do you even know there is a war
Raging throughout the land?
The inroads of the Enemy
Are causing widespread destruction;
Many of us are lulled to sleep,
Since his strategy is seduction.
The loss of life and casualties
Stagger the imagination-
Multiplied millions of babies killed,
With the approval of our nation.
Millions of others have been seduced
By cults, New Age, and gay pride;
Many of these have never heard-
There is freedom in the Crucified. (Jn.8:32,36)
The good news of the Gospel
Has been taught without its power; (2Tim. 3:5)
Absent the victory of the Cross,
Soldiers tend to retreat and cower.
We meet in enclaves to worship
And depart to do our thing;
And Enemy forces unite to fight,
While we our choruses sing!
Political candidates garner votes,
Sanctioning abortion and perversion-
The faith of our fathers undermined
By ill-disguised forms of subversion.
Mandates of God's Word forsaken
In favor of gay rights and pro-choice;
Opponents of the right are exalted-
The truth all but denied a voice.
All that's required for evil to win
Is for believers to do nothing;
The Cross of Christ, the power of God, (1Cor.1:18)
Replaced by lies in New Age clothing.
Churches go about business as usual,
Answering questions people aren't asking;
The Enemy's plan pushes full-bore ahead,
With believers, in salvation basking.
Soldiers in God's tattered army
Are ill-fed, ill-trained, and defeated;
Unless we awake and don our armor, (Eph. 6:10,11)
Sodom and Gomorrah will be repeated.
God is looking for righteous men
Who are willing to stand in the gap; (Ezek. 22:30)
Suffering and sacrifice are the watchwords-
Victory will not just fall in our lap!
Self-serving-not self-sacrifice-
Has been the order of the day;
A generation has been spawned
That has rarely heard The Way.
"Peace, peace, when there is no peace", (Jer.6:14b)
Is the Enemy's battle cry;
Those accustomed to the good life'
Are conditioned to believe the lie.
Our freedoms are rapidly eroding;
We have taken our blessings for granted.
Will God grant us a reprieve,
While His Word and Life are implanted?
It is no longer a matter of choice;
It will soon be a fight for survival.
Human effort will no longer avail;
Our only hope is Holy Spirit revival.
Are you ready for revival to come
And to have it begin in you?
Are you ready your life to lose,
That yours He might live through?
The Cross is no longer optional;
And, really, it never has been.
Our life to save we must lose, (Matt. 16:25)
If we are a new life to begin.
Preaching the Cross, the power of God, (1 Cor.1:18)
Is the message believers need;
But the pleasure-mad throng drives onward-
Blinded by self, and refusing to heed.
It is not easy ourselves to deny (Lk. 9:23,24)
And to find our meaning in Him; (Col. 3:4)
But without revival in the church,
The future of our nation is dim.
His challenge to us is simple:
Allow the Spirit our hearts to search; (Ps.139:23,24)
Only as we're transformed, one by one, (Rom. 12:2)
Will there be life in His Body, the church.
The world has chosen darkness; (Jn. 3:19)
Humanism and sin are a blight.
We must die in order to live,
If to the world we're to be the light. (Matt. 5:14,16)
I am dead with Christ yet I live, (Gal. 2:20)
And as the branch in the vine, I abide; (Jn. 15:5)
The world is crucified unto me;
Unto the world I am crucified. (Gal. 6:14)
All is not lost, if we're willing to lose
Our lives as the Scripture saith; (Jn. 12:25)
Thanks be to God for triumph in Christ (2 Cor. 2:14)
As we overcome the world by faith. (1 Jn. 5:4) Subscribe ...Subscribe to receive Exchanged Life Articles for free! You may also wish to read ....
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