WND EXCLUSIVE

AMERICAN CHRISTIANS SHOULD 'TAKE SERIOUSLY' TERROR THREATS

'Remember Nehemiah … who instructed the people to take up arms and prepare to defend themselves'

The religious war launched by Muslims against Christianity is nothing new, notes Charl Van Wyk, who heroically returned fire during a terrorist attack on his own church in South Africa.

“Over 400 million Christians live in 67 countries which severely restrict and persecute believers,” Van Wyk said. “Open Doors USA says that in an average month, 332 Christians are killed for their faith, 214 churches and Christian properties are destroyed and 772 forms of violence, such as beatings, abductions, rapes, arrests and forced marriages, are committed against Christians worldwide.”

Van Wyk was present during an attack on the St. James Church in Cape Town, South Africa in 1993 in which terrorists opened fire with grenades and automatic weapons. Van Wyk hit one of the terrorists with his snub .38 revolver. He chronicled his experience in “Shooting Back: The Right and Duty of Self Defense.”

Van Wyk said Christians have always been under threat of violence.

“Yes, Christian churches are directly under threat of terrorism,” he said. “But this is not foreign or ‘new’ to the church, the body of Christ, worldwide. What is happening is that those who have lived fairly sheltered lives, in what were Christianized nations, are now also seeing and feeling the heat of this curse.”

Carl Gallups, a pastor, former law enforcement official and author of “Be Thou Prepared: Equipping the Church for Persecution and Times of Trouble,” agreed the history of Christianity has always been about coping with terrorism and persecution.

“I do not suggest that Christians live in paranoia and constant fear,” said Gallups. “Since the birth of Christianity, God’s people have been persecuted, murdered, hunted down, targeted and terrorized – many times by government decrees and legally opened doors that made it all possible. So, this is not a new thing to the Christian world. What is new, like Van Wyk says, is how this threat is spreading to nations like America.”

Churches throughout Europe are on alert after ISIS warned of new attacks. Only a few days after a French priest was beheaded during a worship service, churches in the United Kingdom were told by the British Home Office to review their security procedures. However, some religious leaders are resisting the move, saying churches must always remain a place of sanctuary.

But others are using stronger language. Annika Horg, a priest from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sweden, recently decried what she called a campaign of “genocide” directed against Middle Eastern Christians. She also said Muslims are waging an explicit war on Christianity .

ISIS also rebutted Pope Francis’s contention it is not waging a “war of religion.” In the most recent issue of the ISIS magazine Dabiq, the group says it is waging a “divinely warranted war between the Muslim nation and the nations of disbelief.”

It also justifies terrorism and killing unbelievers as “obligatory” for Muslims.

Most importantly, ISIS is directly targeting churches as part of an effort to “break the cross.”

It mocked claims its violence is senseless, proclaiming the “mujahidin” have “repeatedly stated their goals, intentions and motivations.”

Things are falling apart. Terror could strike anywhere. Are you and your family ready? “Be Thou Prepared” by Carl Gallups, available now in the WND Superstore.

Van Wyk suggested a three-step plan for Christians to respond to the campaign of violence – prayer, Bible study and action. He described each step to WND.

“Prayer – we need to pray for the Lord to give us wisdom in how to defend ourselves in a godly manner and most importantly, how to deal with His enemies in the aftermath of an attack. I returned fire at terrorists who attacked our church in 1993, but I also took the Gospel to the attackers after they were apprehended by the police. Prayer must be a launching pad for action, not an excuse for cowardice!

“Bible study – we need to study God’s Word so that we know what is expected of us as godly Christian men. There is apathy in the church and in some instances even cowardice in the face of danger. We need to overcome this sinful behavior and put feet to our faith.

“Action – I take the protection of my family and church friends very seriously,” said Van Wyk. He described how he was trained by Suarez International South Africa. Van Wyk also trained a team to protect believers.

“We’ve trained up some young men in our local ministry outreach in a shanty town, near Cape Town, South Africa, where crime and violence are daily vices,” he told WND. “We will defend ourselves against attacks by the wicked!”

He also quoted Psalm 144:1 – “Blessed by the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”

In “Be Thou Prepared,” Gallups describes how churches can build a “security ministry” to safeguard their congregations. Though the ISIS threat is most obvious in Europe, Gallups said Americans should also be prepared.

“Everything that is happening in this dangerous world shows necessity for church leadership to take seriously the matter of common sense and stringent security provisions for themselves and their congregations,” he said. “Now, of course, the FBI tells us they are monitoring ISIS operatives in all 50 states. With the recent slaughter of the French priest by Islamic butchers before the eyes of his congregation, and now the ISIS threats against London and Washington, D.C., why would we not take the matter seriously in American churches? Only an absolute denial of the times in which we are living could lead to such an attitude and lack of thoughtful and prayerful preparation.”

Van Wyk turned to Scripture to justify why Christians should always be willing to defend themselves and their loved ones against attacks. He cited Proverbs 25:26, which reads, “Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.”

Likewise, Gallups advised all Christians both in America and the world to do all they can reasonably do to guard against attack.

“We shouldn’t be obsessed or paranoid about this of course,” said Gallups. “We are not guaranteed another day, regardless of the environment in which we live. We have kingdom work to do. We have people to reach for the glory of Christ. But, in doing kingdom work, please remember the example of Nehemiah – even that man of God – instructed the people to take up arms and prepare to defend themselves and their families while they worked in the midst of a dangerous world and hostile environment. We can’t do any less. Especially when the threat so imminent and so widespread.”

Things are falling apart. Terror could strike anywhere. Are you and your family ready? “Be Thou Prepared” by Carl Gallups, available now in the WND Superstore.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/08/american-christians-should-take-seriously-terror-threats/#U0XjmaJ4TLhrv8Tv.99