Boldness For The Truth That is For Today

By Arthur J Licursi

Ephesians 3:8-12 (KJV) ⁸ Unto me (Paul), who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; ⁹ And to Make All Men See What Is The Fellowship Of The Mystery, Which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: ¹⁰ To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, ¹¹ According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: ¹² In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Christianity is being frontally persecuted today in media and culture, but the greatest attack is upon the Word of Truth and the preaching of the pure "gospel of the grace of God."

Consider that early on, while the ancient Roman Empire reigned, opposed and persecuted Christianity, the real "church, which is the body of Christ" resided underground. Yet few realize that Satan was even more successful in his opposition to Bible truth when Emperor Constantine supposedly exalted the "professing Church" to prominence as the State Church of the Roman Empire, about AD317, than when Constantine 's predecessors persecuted the Church and sent its members to death by fire and sword. The Devil was doubtless more successful in corrupting gospel truth with the addition of ritual and pagan influence that entered in Constantine's day than when open persecution had raged.

Just because men, at least in the USA are not burned at the stake or thrown to the lions, does any believer in the Word of God suppose that Satan has relented in his opposition to the truth of "the gospel of the grace of God" today,?

Its not the open persecution, which we see growing by the attacks in the media and culture in the USA today that is the most dangerous problem. Don't be misled. It's Satan's attack on the truth of HIS WORD within the church at large that continues undiminished today and this is most damaging among those who would believe.

See here how the Word and the preaching of it are being diminished today.

1. Consider that we have seen the corruption of the Bible through the many so-called "modern" translations published over the past 150 years, corrupting the truth of it and actually deleting whole verses and eliminating or substituting for key words, i.e., "blood, Satan, Son of God," etc. (See New "Age Bible Versions" by GA Riplinger for a full expose').

Check for your self to see if these KJV verses are in your modern Bibles? They are NOT in the NIV, NLT, ESV, NET Bibles. And the NKJV is even worse in many other ways.

Matthew 17:21 (KJV) Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Mark 9:44, 46, 48 (KJV) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched

Acts 8:37 (KJV) And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD.

1 John 5:7 (KJV) For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (This is an attack on the Triune Godhead!)

Can you find the name “Lucifer” (Isa 14:12 KJV) in your Bible? It’s Not in NIV, NASB, ESV, AMP, RSV, etc.

Who is Jesus’ father? We know from Mat 1:20 that Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit. Compare these Bible versions.

- Luke 2:33 (KJV) And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him (Jesus). (Note that Joseph is not called Jesus’ father as it is below.)

- Luke 2:33 (NIV, NASB, etc) The child’s FATHER and mother marveled at what was said about him.

This is an attack on the truth that Jesus of Nazareth was “the Son of God,” conceived by the Holy Spirit (NOT of Joseph).

2. We've seen evangelicalism devolve itself to become a neo-evangelicalism, now largely forsaking pure grace and faith for salvation... for the mixture of Grace with the Law; and the preaching of the truth of "the gospel of the grace of God"...  for entertainment.

Today Satan uses the new evangelicalism with its highly-organized, highly-financed campaigns — and its woeful lack of doctrinal and dispensational teaching of the Word — to neutralize the saints. Multitudes are attracted to these neo-evangelical extravaganzas, at which the participants are for the most part performers of the entertainment, while those who stand for the truth often feel very small as compared to the vast unthinking majority.

All this is intended by Satan to rob men of the truth of Paul's pure "gospel of the grace of God." Thus Satan's hatred of God's word and the pure "gospel of the grace of God" is as bitter, and his opposition to, it is as determined as it ever was. Well does he know that the constant discouragements connected with being in the minority of believers often works to silence those who would stand for the truth of God's Word as well as against physical persecution.

Let us, who know and love the truth, then, be determine by God's grace that nothing shall make us unfaithful to our glorious commission as "ambassadors for Christ" (2Cor 5:20)

⁸ ...to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ ⁹ And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery (which is Christ indwelling the believers), which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: Ephesians 3:9 (KJV)

Whatever the cost, we shall faithfully and boldly proclaim to others the unadulterated "gospel of the grace of God", (Act 20:24) by "the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery" (Romans 16:25).