By Andrew Chavarrilla
It is no secret…we are in a fight. Truth be told, it looks like we are losing. For the longest time, I have read Ephesians 6:12, taking it in like many other Christians, understanding we simply fight against sin every day. Today, though, it holds new meaning for me because the battle we face right now is cultural; based on principles and ideals. It’s the battle of faith against the world. It’s a battle against true evil and darkness. It’s a battle…that we can win.
These past few weeks, I have felt beaten, bloodied and defeated when I look at the world around me. I have not really had that whole, “God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power,” attitude we read about in II Timothy 1:7. To be honest, I have probably allowed the devil a couple of victories here and there because I felt like I was shouting to the wind. But then it clicked. I remembered a key word in Ephesians 6:12…BATTLE. Just because we are promised a victory does not mean stop fighting. In fact, the Bible teaches the exact opposite. For the cause of Christ, Christians must fight! If not us, who?
Maybe I felt this way because I was distracted by a seemingly small victory in Texas for pro-life advocates when Governor Rick Perry signed House Bill 1 banning late-term abortion and putting stricter requirements on abortion facilities. I worked hard lobbying, petitioning, rallying and meeting with elected officials to pass that bill. It was a small but wonderful victory to save the unborn. Nevertheless, the fight was still on and I was too busy to notice. When I started paying attention again, I realized a lot is happening to drive people further and further away from God. It seems my native Texas is a hot spot (pun intended) for immorality. I learned San Antonio is trying to pass an ordinance which will drastically affect preachers and churches not only in San Antonio but potentially the whole state.
Recently, I joined with Jonathan Saenz, president and CEO of Texas Values, and others to assess this ordinance and extract the truth. Following the California and Colorado models, San Antonio wants to adopt pro-homosexual, gender-neutral, antichristian legislation. The ordinance, at a glance, proposes several things. First, it would require gender-neutral facilities in public establishments. Meaning if a male or female identifies with the opposite sex he/she will be allowed to use restrooms, locker-rooms, showers and changing areas with the opposite sex and, as long as he/she is not doing anything illegal, there is nothing we can say or do about it. What does that mean for churches? Well, if a church welcomes visitors or has any type of material or literature for sale, it must follow this law or suffer legal ramifications of non-compliance. The city ordinance does not stop there. It also seeks to ban any elected official from demonstrating by “word or deed” any disapproval to the LBGT community, including attending a congregation which embraces the biblical view that homosexuality is wrong because attendance would, by “deed,” expose his feelings on the issue. As if that were not enough, the draft goes on to limit any civic employment, interaction or permit eligibility for any Christian business or faith-based organization that by word or deed disagrees with homosexuality. (For the complete ordinance visit www.txvalues.org)
In light of this, although some victories are noteworthy, we must not slumber. The battle is not over! In fact, it seems the devil is on full attack now more than ever. What can we do to fix our problem and battle like good soldiers of Christ? Simply put, let your voice be heard. Call, e-mail and write your elected officials when things like this come up in your area and tell them to stand for truth. Tell them to stand for God. If Christians do not speak up now, we allow the devil to win. Do not be complacent in knowing we have the victory because the Word is clear; we must battle. We must rebuild the faith of our nation and be silent no more!
