I woke up with the word
"Evangelical" on my mind, and thought... “I wonder why people distinguish "Evangelical Christians" - as if there is another kind? The definition for evangelical is Bible-believing; a human who believes that the Word of God is Holy Spirit inspired. In my mind, if a person claims to be Christian - they testify to the Old and the New Testament. A Christian believes in Jesus Christ, as the beloved Son of God. They believe He is the way, the truth, the life and that no one comes to the Father but through the Son. Christians believe Old Testament prophecy points to the King of Righteousness. Christians believe that God is the Father of all creation; and that He has established Christ as His foundation. Christians believe His Holy Spirit is our guide, and He is the One who opens our eyes. Christians believe that we are redeemed through both God's mercy and His grace. Christians believe the words of Jesus, "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms” of David. Luke 24:44 The whole reason why Jesus came was not only to redeem just one man, but to redeem every man from every nation! "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 Evangelism is the solemn duty of every Christian. Everyone who knows Jesus understands that we are called to pick up His cross and follow in His footsteps. We are to work as one body, each part working together to prepare the harvest. And this brings me to Daniel 3 where I was introduced to a phenomenal King! Not Jehoiakim, whose real name was Eliakim, until Pharoah Neco exploited him. But to his father, King Josiah. As soon as I saw the first verse of Daniel, I knew immediately that I had to go back to learn why Judah was under attack. Who is King Jehoiakim, and what was Judah’s history? How did this travesty come to be? Why did God permit Babylon to enter her gates 605 years before the birth of Christ? First - Egypt was involved, as he usually is. After King Josiah of Judah was slain, Pharoah Neco, the King of Egypt, imprisoned Josiah's oldest son, King Jehoahaz, and held him for ransom. Then Neco installed Eliakim to be Judah's king. He was the second son of King Josiah, and he was King Jehoahaz's brother. Pharoah Neco changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim, so that he could be his puppet and tax Judah to death. And during Jehoiakim's reign, another invader came in, but this one was more brutal than Egypt. He too taxed Judah to death, and then he came and took the articles from the temple of God that were dedicated to the Lord. His name was Babylon, and he was sent by the Lord. He army was comprised of many bands of tribes; the Arameans, Moabites and Ammonites - all joined together as the Babylonians. Yes! That is what I said. Babylon was sent by God to defeat Jerusalem for the sins they had committed against Him. The sins of King Manasseh, who was King Josiah's grandfather, were far too great and had to be punished. The reign of Manasseh can be found in the 21st Chapter of 2 Kings. He defiled the land with witchcraft, sorcery, divination and mediums. He build an altar to Asherah on the same temple that was built for God. He even sacrificed his own son - and spilled so much innocent blood over the land. Scripture says, "Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end, in addition to the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, doing evil in the sight of the LORD." 2 Kings 21:16 So this explains why Judah fell into the fists of Babylon. Yet, in between Manasseh and Eliakim, was a great king who did what was right in the sight of the Lord. His name was Josiah. "Neither before nor after Josiah was there any king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, according to all the Law of Moses." 2 Kings 23:25 King Josiah was the grandson of Manasseh, and his father’s name was Amon. He was only 8 years old when he became king, the child who became a man and had a heart like David. Since He put all of his efforts into renovating the temple, the priest Hilkiah, found the Book of the Law and brought it to Josiah. When Josiah read its contents, he tore his clothes and mourned for all of Israel. He asked his priest to return to the temple to seek the wisdom of God because his sole desire was to please the Lord. The priest went to the prophet Huldah, who was a woman! Scripture says she was the wife of Shaluum, who was the keeper of the temple wardrobe. She said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people that they would become a curse and be laid waste and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’ So they took her answer back to the king.” 2 Kings 22:15-20 NIV After Josiah received the message, he did all that he could to reform the people. He brought everyone to the temple, and renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence. He removed all the articles of Baal, and he tore down the Asherah poles. He rejected all the powers of the heavens, and only bowed down to the One True God. He burned dead bones of evil men, and he executed priests of pagan shrines; and believe it or not, He renewed the Passover that had not been celebrated since the time of the Judges! So we see King Josiah as an evangelical - who believed everything that was written by Moses, through the Voice of God, into the Torah, the Book of the Law. He took God's Word into his heart, and realigned his thoughts to match up. Can you imagine what would have happened if Josiah had not evangelized the nation? I wonder what would have happened if the people did not repent? And yet, the prophet Jeremiah called their bluff, when he said, "But why not call on these gods you have made? When trouble comes, let them save you if they can! For you have as many gods as there are towns in Judah. Why do you accuse me of doing wrong? You are the ones who have rebelled,” And he continues... “I have punished your children, but they did not respond to my discipline. You yourselves have killed your prophets as a lion kills its prey. “O my people, listen to the words of the Lord! Have I been like a desert to Israel? Have I been to them a land of darkness? Why then do my people say, ‘At last we are free from God! We don’t need him anymore!’ Does a young woman forget her jewelry, or a bride her wedding dress? Yet for years on end my people have forgotten me. “How you plot and scheme to win your lovers. Even an experienced prostitute could learn from you! Your clothing is stained with the blood of the innocent and the poor, though you didn’t catch them breaking into your houses! And yet you say, ‘I have done nothing wrong. Surely God isn’t angry with me!’ But now I will punish you severely because you claim you have not sinned. First here, then there-- you flit from one ally to another asking for help. But your new friends in Egypt will let you down, just as Assyria did before. In despair, you will be led into exile with your hands on your heads, for the Lord has rejected the nations you trust. They will not help you at all." Jeremiah 2:28-37 And then he brings it home - "If a man divorces a woman and she goes and marries someone else, he will not take her back again, for that would surely corrupt the land. But you have prostituted yourself with many lovers, so why are you trying to come back to me? Look at the shrines on every hilltop. Is there any place you have not been defiled by your adultery with other gods? You sit like a prostitute beside the road waiting for a customer. You sit alone like a nomad in the desert. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and your wickedness. That’s why even the spring rains have failed. For you are a brazen prostitute and completely shameless. Yet you say to me, ‘Father, you have been my guide since my youth. Surely you won’t be angry forever! Surely you can forget about it! So you talk, but you keep on doing all the evil you can.” Jeremiah 3:1-5 So I ask you, what is true? Can there be a true Christian who is not evangelical?
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