Solomon’s Colonnade ǀ Issue #5—A Perspective on Today’s Matters with a Biblical Lens.
Issue #5 The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand, Elderly Man Violently Beaten for Silently Praying at Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic, Bible Banned in Utah School Library, Pentagon Cancels Drag Shows.
Disciples of Jesus—The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!
In America, we witness the prevalence of Satan's influence daily. He has cunningly convinced numerous individuals that repentance does not constitute the crucial aspect of the Gospel. Unfortunately, many pastors and members of the Religious Industrial Establishment have fallen prey to this deception. However, it is worth noting that when Jesus launched His ministry, repentance was at the forefront of His message. The individual who paved the way with this message was John the Baptist.
From that time, Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17
As Christians, the gospel message is crucial for our salvation and must include repentance. Many false gospels are circulating, and we must be vigilant against them, as warned since the early days of Christianity. Repentance is not a mere preaching strategy but an essential component of the Gospel. Unfortunately, many churches today avoid preaching repentance because, as the world would say, it’s “offensive.” However, repentance is precisely what the lost need to hear for their salvation, and we must reflect on it. Without repentance, there can be no salvation. Without repentance, we have no Christian gospel but just emotional junk. It’s like eating purée. We dare not refrain from believing, preaching, and teaching.
William Booth once said:
“The chief danger of the twentieth century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, and heaven without hell.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German missionary that took on the Nazi Army, would say:
“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
John the Baptist preached repentance, Jesus preached repentance, and the disciples preached repentance. There is no getting around this. When Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is at hand In the New Testament, the word kingdom means “rule, reign, authority” rather than a place or a specific realm. The phrase “kingdom of heaven” refers to the rule of God.
To be in the Kingdom, repentance is the key ingredient! The kingdom of heaven will be here on earth with humanity, Jesus being the King. Jesus will destroy all world kingdoms, breaking them into pieces and consuming them as prophesied by Daniel.
In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end but will itself stand forever. Daniel 2:44.
The Kingdom of God is here! There will be a new earth and heaven – these defiled ones will pass away.
Christians Badly Beaten for Silently Praying in Baltimore, Maryland
Two elderly Christian men were severely beaten at a Baltimore, Maryland, Planned Parenthood Clinic. They were beaten for having the audacity to pray silently outside the Abortion Clinic. According to Maryland pro-lifer John Roswell, there was a violent, unprovoked attack outside of a Planned Parenthood on N. Howard Street in Baltimore last Friday left two pro-life men, Dick Schafer, and Mark Crosby, assaulted and seriously injured. According to Life Site News, an email from John Roswell states that the assailant had initially asked one of the Planned Parenthood escorts to hold his drink before lunging at Schafer. So, the attack occurred while a Planned Parenthood escort was present. Yet no arrests have been made. Seriously? Where is the FBI? Why isn’t this a hate crime against an 80-year-old Christian man for silently praying? Pictures of the aftermath of the case obtained by LifeSiteNews show Crosby with what is severe facial injuries; a GoFundMe campaign has been opened to help pay for his medical expenses.
Bible Banned in Utah School Library
A Utah County School District has removed the Holy Bible from its Elementary and Junior High School Library for “vulgarity and violence.” Really? Davis County School District Communications Director Christopher Williams stated Thursday that the committee didn’t find that the book contained “sensitive material as defined in Utah Code 76-10-1227, 76-10-1201 or 76-10-1203,” some vulgarity and violence were deemed to be age-inappropriate for younger readers. ABC4 Utah reports an unknown person filed the original complaint that sparked the move in March. It came on the heels of a statewide law passed in 2022 that allowed residents to challenge any books found in school libraries. But the decision is being appealed, a district spokesperson stated Friday.
Pentagon Cancels Drag Show
The Pentagon is finally figuring out its recruiting woes! They took a play from Target’s playbook and canceled a Nellis Air Force Base drag queen show. The Department of Defense is finally seeing how kowtowing to Biden’s woke universe has been an unmitigated disaster for recruiting and retention. Hosting drag shows is “inconsistent with regulations regarding the use of (Defense Department) resources,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh in a statement Thursday. Really? No Way! Neither is using official taxpayer money to make Navy drag queen videos. The Pentagon’s posture is that drag shows are no longer allowed on military bases and facilities comes after constant attacks by Republican lawmakers, who have accused the U.S. military of spending too much time on endorsing and sponsoring diversity, equity, and inclusion rather than preparing for war.
Remembering Pentecost! The God We Serve is in the Present.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
The Power of Pentecost did not stop last Sunday. As we go throughout our week as Disciples of Jesus, remember the God we serve can still walk on water, the God we serve can still part the ocean, the God we serve can still cast our demons, the God we serve can still raise the dead, and the God we serve can bring people out of demonic addictions and bondage. Gospel is still saving, the Bible is still inspiring, the Church is still growing, the Holy Ghost is still interceding, and God is still sovereign. Jesus is still reigning, and Glory is still coming!
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Notes
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-06-02/bible-removed-from-elementary-and-middle-schools-in-utah-district
https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2023/06/02/vulgarity-and-violence-cited-as-king-james-bible-removed-from-some-utah-school-libraries/
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2023/06/02/pentagon-stops-us-military-bases-from-hosting-drag-shows/
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/military-drag-shows-bases/