Responding to Those Who Mock Jesus

Bill Keller wrote a devotional today that I
recommend to you for your consideration.  It has food for
thought.  He has given me permission to copy his e-mails,
and I'm sure he would be happy if you would share this
with people you know as well.

Every day, Christians are confronted with new forms of
blasphemy against Jesus.  Obviously, it's up to God to
judge those who do these things.  Our responsibility is
to forgive and love.  But what else should we do?

Please read on.

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL   FRIDAY MAY 26, 2006
(Isaiah 53:7, Matthew 26:62-63, Psalms 22:6-8,
Matthew 27: 39-40)

It is OK to mock Jesus.  The "Insurgent" is the student
newspaper on the University of Oregon campus, and in a
recent edition this paper ran two cartoons of Jesus.  In
one, He was hanging on the cross naked with an erection. 
In the other, Jesus is shown kissing another man and they
both have erections.  One of pop music's biggest stars is
Madonna.  She is currently on her worldwide "Confessions"
tour, and at one point sings while hanging on a huge
mirrored cross in a mock crucifixion complete with a
crown of thorns.  The number one movie in the world right
now is "The DaVinci Code,"  a movie that denies the deity
of Christ, reduces our Lord to a con man, while calling the
Christian faith a lie.  My friend, in May of 2006 it is
perfectly acceptable and even applauded to mock, demean,
and debase the Lord Jesus Christ!

I wonder what would happen if that same newspaper ran
similar cartoons of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther
King?  Can you imagine the uproar there would be?  Or what
if they ran cartoons depicting Mohammed as a homosexual? 
Those responsible would be in fear for their very lives. 
Or what about if they ran cartoons that mocked and
demeaned people who choose to commit the sin of
homosexuality.  There would be marches and protests by
every pro-homosexual group that exists.  The fact is,
nobody would dare to publish these types of disgusting
representations of ANYONE other than Jesus or Christians,
since the public outcry would be deafening.  People
would be fired, students expelled, and millions would be
spent to appease those who were offended.

Let there be no mistake, mocking Jesus is not a new
phenomenon.  There were people who lived at the same time
as our Lord who rejected Him, just like there are people
who reject Him today.  We know from the Bible that in
the fulfillment of Scripture He was mocked and scorned in
the last hours of his life.  So many of the supposed "lost
books of the Bible" and these new "gospels" are nothing
more than the anti-Christian writings of men who rejected
the message of Christ and who He is.  Those anti-Christian
writings have always existed throughout the last 2000
years, right up to today with the modern day heretics like
Dan Brown, the author of "The DaVinci Code" and Michael
Baigent, who wrote the equally blasphemous "Jesus Papers." 
People have mocked our Lord since the days He walked this
earth.

What is new is the bold and fearless public attacks on
our Lord throughout the world today.  I have told you
often that the United States is no longer a Christian
nation.  A classic example of that fact is the way those
who hate Jesus publicly mock Him.  Just 10 years ago, no
legitimate newspaper, even those on major college
campuses which tend to be more liberal and radical,
would have EVER had the audacity to publish cartoons
depicting Jesus in the way the University of Oregon paper
recently did.  Ten years ago, a blasphemous book like
"The DaVinci Code" would have never sold tens of millions
of copies like it has today.  While Madonna has made a
career of mocking Christ and His church, even she has
taken her blasphemy to a new level by mocking the
crucifixion.

I have done many Devotionals over these past 7 years on
the boldness of satan versus the timidity of Christians. 
Do you believe me now?

The natural question of course is what do we do about it? 
First, you can't blame those who put out these disgusting
and blasphemous representations of Jesus.  Oh, don't get
me wrong, God WILL hold them accountable, but these are
people who have clearly rejected God, His Truth, and
Jesus, so what do you expect?  They have given themselves
over as instruments of unrighteousness so they are
actually only doing what comes naturally to them.  How
can you really blame those who hate and reject the Lord
from expressing that rejection and hatred?  Hear me
carefully.  They are not the problem, WE ARE THE PROBLEM!

Maybe now you can understand why I hammer relentlessly on
how Christians have abandoned the marketplace for the
comfort, safety, and oh yes, the profitability of this
Christian subculture we have created for ourselves. In
reality, we are in rebellion to God since the Bible
doesn't say separate yourselves from the world, it
actually COMMANDS us to do the exact opposite!  What we
are seeing with the open and public mocking of Jesus is
one of the results of our abandoning the culture of our
day and leaving it to the devil.  He operates virtually
without any opposition so why are we surprised that he
has taken his hatred and scorn for Jesus to the extremes
we witness today?  Let me warn you my friend, it is only
going to get worse!

The answer to this blaspheming of our Lord is to get back
into the marketplace and start taking a stand for Christ. 
Each follower of the Lord can do their part each day where
you live, where you go to school or work, where you shop,
in the recreational activities you are involved in, and
with the people God brings across your path.  You take
your stand by living a Godly and holy life.  You take
your stand by not being afraid to speak up for our Lord
when you are around people who are speaking against Him. 
You take your stand by finding ways to serve Him.  You
can't stop the mockers, but you can make sure their
message of hatred for our Lord does not go unchallenged!!!

I love you and care about you so much.  For anyone who
loves Jesus, it has to break your heart to see how our
Lord and Savior is portrayed by those who hate Him.  I
have no doubt Jesus is looking down and saying "Father
forgive them, for they know not what they do."  The
reality is, those who were responsible for creating and
publishing those horrible cartoons in the University of
Oregon student newspaper, Madonna, Dan Brown, as well as
Tom Hanks, Ron Howard and all those involved in the
"DaVinci Code" movie will die one day.  At that moment
they will be standing before God their Creator to be
judged.  If they die rejecting the Lord, the Bible says
they will be cast into everlasting darkness.

I believe the last thing they will see, the picture that
will be with them as they suffer for all eternity, will
be that of King Jesus, the One they openly mocked and
scorned!!!  Pray for these lost souls.  Without the Lord
in their heart, they have allowed their lives to be used
as agents of satan.  Don't forget that there was a man
named Saul of Tarsus who persecuted the early church,
killed Christians, yet that same Saul was visited by
Jesus one day and his life gloriously transformed.  He
became Paul and went on to live one of the greatest
Christian lives ever documented.

I pray that this will be a wake-up call for all
Believers today.  A wake-up call that we have got to get
back into the marketplace where we live each day and
boldly, without shame or compromise proclaim our faith in
Christ.  If this doesn't motivate you, nothing will.  For
too long, we have been intimidated into keeping our mouths
shut while those who live in rebellion to God speak loud
and bold without fear or conscience to promote their
ungodly lives and choices.

Maybe this will give you some insight into my drive and
passion for what we do each day here at Liveprayer.  Our
number one goal is to bring the lost to the saving
knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Getting people saved is the
ultimate answer.  In addition to proclaiming the Gospel
to the lost and bringing the hope of Christ to the
hurting, I am here to bring Biblical Truth back into the
marketplace.  I can't stop newspapers from publishing
disgusting representations of Jesus, I can't stop pop
stars like Madonna from mocking the crucifixion, I can't
stop people like Dan Brown from writing anti-Christian
books, but I can go out into that VERY SAME marketplace
and reach those VERY SAME people with the fact that their
only hope and their only answer is faith in Jesus Christ!

Those who hate our Lord are bold and courageous in taking
their message of hate to the masses.  I challenge you
today that if you love Jesus, you should be even bolder
and more courageous in taking the message of His love to
those same masses!  While the world mocks our Lord, we
have got to praise Him!!!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me
through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND
ETERNITY?  The fact is you will die one day.  At
that moment, you will either spend eternity with
the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness
forever separated from God your creator.  To know
for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html

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(C) Copyright 2006, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

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May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2006 Donald W. Mitchell