TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22 NKJV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Yesterday, my husband showed me an alert he got from Facebook… perhaps you saw it too. Actually, it seems there were two alerts… One said, “NAME, you may have been exposed to harmful extremist content recently.” The other said, “Are you concerned that someone you know is becoming an extremist?”
I don’t care which side of the political fence you’re on — this should concern you.
In one response, this guy won the Internet. He posted, “Yeah I know an extremist I’d like to report @Facebook. His name is Mark Zuckerberg.”
Or, perhaps we could give our friend Mark a new nickname: Big Brother.
I agree — there are radicals out there of whom we who we need to be cautious. Personally, I call them terrorists such as Al-Qaeda and Hamas. But I don’t think that’s who Facebook is referring to… and who and what defines extreme? Is it extreme political views? Or something else?
How about extreme Christianity? I wrote about this back in March. The blog was titled, “Too Christian?” I’ve been called a holy roller Jesus freak. Many would probably say I am extreme. I prefer devoted, but still, “Jesus Freak” is a title I’ll wear proudly. After all, it’s all in the name Christian — we are followers of Christ. That’s why and how the first Christians were called Christians. They were known for following Christ. From a voice of experience, if you call yourself a Christian, but you’re not diligent about following Jesus, you run a serious risk of becoming a prodigal. Been there. Done that. Not going there again.
But this recent power-grab from the almighty Facebook, who, in my opinion, has gotten way too big for its britches, is something that should concern all Christians. Will My Grace-Full Life be censored soon? Will Facebook shut my page down because I love Jesus? Will I be labeled extreme because I believe there is only one way to Heaven, and that’s through Jesus Christ? (John 14:6 — Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”)
How about your church? Will your pastor be silenced unless he compromises the truth of the Bible? We’re seeing this happen. Don’t think it won’t… look at the way the churches have been treated through the pandemic! Those who stood strong for our guaranteed right to worship according to the Constitution/First Amendment were heavily fined, and some were even arrested. And with our world quickly going to the “agree with me, or you’re a racist bigot” mentality, anyone who disagrees for Biblical reasons has a target of extremism on their backs.
I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s discouraging and concerning. But those who believe in Jesus need to stay strong and committed to Him. All of this is temporary. Someday very soon, this will look like a cakewalk compared to what’s coming. All of this is prophetic. Let’s look at Jesus’ Words from Matthew 10:21, “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.”
Isn’t that essentially where this “extremist” warning from Facebook is going? Maybe not to the death — but Big Brother uses this “extremist warning” as a guise for protection, but how soon will that “Get Support” button turn into a button to “Report” extremism? And again I ask — who is defining extreme?
Jesus went on to say in verse 22, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
Endure. There’s a keyword. The world wants to shut us up. The name of Jesus is offensive to many, but why? If He was just a man, then why does He still cause such a reaction?
Because there is power in His name. Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Seriously — doesn’t that just give you chills?! I love that verse! The name of Jesus is so powerful that everyone will ultimately bow to Him! I can’t wait!
Until then — I’m extreme for Jesus. No apologies.
At some point, if Facebook shuts me down for loving Jesus — go to MyGraceFullLife.com, and you can subscribe to keep getting My Grace-Full Life sent via email. No one will force me to be silent about Jesus.
Today, as you pray, thank God for the Truth. Jesus said, “The truth shall make you free” (John 8:32) and while our freedoms seem to be threatened, praise Jesus! We are free in Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be bold in your faith… bold to the extreme that your beliefs in Jesus will not be compromised… But that you will stay a committed follower of Christ.
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the NKJV translation.
One Response
Excellent post! I could not agree more! The biblical references were spot on! Thanks for the reminder to stand firm on God’s promises as our world continues to go farther and farther away from Him!