The UK government continues to pursue its idiotic and foolish pursuit of legalising 'marriage' between homosexuals and lesbians. This clearly contradicts the Bible and God's model of marriage. Like thousands of others, I have made my objections known to my MP and to Number 10; I have also signed the petition opposing such ungodly legislation. Our PM, David Cameron, has proved himself to be a weak man on this issue. It's encouraging to see so many Christians - and non Christians - confront our government in this way.
Issues like this are a stark reminder of the prophetic nature of the Elijah People and how we have to confront unrighteousness and the compromising of objective eternal truth in the world and the church. We are a prophetic irritant. Here is an extract from my book on that subject.
We have made the point that both Elijah and John the Baptist were prophets: they heard God speak to them and then they spoke that word to their world. Elijah’s actual, spoken words had power to shut up the sky, and to call fire from heaven. He and John spoke with relevance and clarity so that their hearers were left in no doubt what God was speaking to them. John the Baptist was intensely practical in what he told those who came to see him: “Give one of your two shirts to the poor; don’t collect more taxes than the government requires; don’t extort money; be content with your pay; don’t accuse people falsely” (see Luke 3:10-14). The Elijah People also speak the Word of the Lord. We do not only believe in, and live by, the Bible: we speak out what the Bible says and what God speaks to each particular generation and culture. A.W. Tozer said: “The Bible sends us out into the world but never to compromise with or walk in the way of the world.” Therefore, we address the issues of our day and time to the Church and the world. The Elijah People are a prophetic people, and prophets speak for God as his representatives and his voice.
I am acutely aware that I am writing at a unique time in God’s restoration purpose. The time and culture I live in has its own hallmarks and its own particular issues that the Elijah People must speak about. Each Elijah People generation has its own issues to face and to bring to the attention of the world. Francis Schaeffer said: “The Christian must resist the spirit of the world in the form it takes in his own generation.” God is always speaking from his status quo to the religious and spiritual, to the political and social, and to the moral arenas in which we find ourselves. He speaks through his prophets – the Elijah People. In order not to become outdated, I do not intend to itemise each of the issues that my Elijah People generation must currently address; they also vary from nation to nation, from decade to decade, from culture to culture, and from time to time. The important thing is that we keep God’s plan and purpose and the Word of God as our status quo. Then each issue that rises up against that status quo or attempts to nullify it is swiftly exposed for what it really is...Elijah and John the Baptist spoke prophetic words of judgement. First of all, their words were words of confrontation. As already mentioned, Elijah confronted Ahab and Jezebel concerning specific issues: false religion; the murder of Naboth. He confronted the prophets of Baal-Melqart, challenging and denying the very existence of their god and proving the truth of his word through signs and wonders. John the Baptist confronted the Pharisees, calling them a brood of snakes. (Jesus did the same in Matthew 23:33). He confronted Herod concerning Herod’s unlawful marriage and his immorality. He even confronted the ungodly behaviour of the occupying Roman military. Elijah and John were not afraid to use the words sin, wrong and repent. We might say they were black and white in their accurate assessments of situations and the spiritual condition of their hearers. To use a modern idiom: they called a spade a spade.
Confrontation is an inevitable and necessary characteristic of the Elijah People. We confront unrighteousness wherever and whenever it raises its demonic head, whether it is in the Church or in society. We speak out against injustice and the accepted norms of our day that contradict the Word and will of God: moral and ethical issues, political and social issues; and religious issues. A.W. Tozer wrote: “We are not diplomats, but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum”...The Elijah People refuse to accept society’s warm embrace of unbiblical moral values, the destruction of marriage, the compromises of religious leaders on biblical truth, the extortion of the poor, racial prejudice and hatred, the erosion of biblical, family values, the notion of a Christianity that is insipid and irrelevant which the media persist in conveying. To stand for God means we stand against the world and the values that the world attempts to impose on the Church through spiritual blackmail, coercion, political pressure and unrighteous legislation. We stand against and confront the Church when it sells out to the world. The author and theologian William Inge is reputed to have said: “The Church that is married to the spirit of this age will be a widow in the next.” We use all means and avenues available to speak this word of prophetic ultimatum: the modern world has made it easy for any voice to be heard, including God’s...The Elijah People are a prophetic irritant to humanity’s status quo, to anything that is contrary to God’s restoration purpose, and must utilise every righteous tool that is available to establish God’s status quo.
(Taken from The Elijah People, Grosvenor House Publishing, 2012. Available from Amazon, The Book Depository, Barnes & Noble and all good online booksellers. Also available in Kindle, Kobo and at the Apple iBookstore).
