On The Shoulders Of Giants!
February 2021
My Dear Partners in Christ:
Working on a new course of study for a Bible School in Kenya, it was clear to me that what I was writing applies to us all; not just aspiring ministers half a world away. Our faith has been blessed with some remarkable individuals, what we can call “giants.” Giants, not in stature, but in their effect; their contributions in equipping, edifying, and strengthen the Christian Church. It began with the remarkable intellect of Paul of Tarsus, and the incredible insights of John the Apostle, and it has continued down through the centuries. Their names grace our illustrative history; Irenaeus, Tertullian, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Wyclif, William Tyndale, to name but a few, and we have not even mentioned the giants of the Reformation and those that followed.
So many great people of God, most unknown to us, and we have no way of remembering the thousands who sacrificed their own lives; those burned at the stake, hung on hooks, or shot by firing squads all to defend and establish our faith. A faith I feel we often take too casually, even indifferently at times. We go to church, read our Bible, give of our means, but often treat it not as the blessing it is. We surely should learn by now with so many of our churches closed! It is in our faith where we are touched by His Word and have those precious times with our Lord. Do we really believe what we do doesn’t matter all that much? But it does matter, everything, I mean everything rest on this faith of ours, this message of the Kingdom of Christ, everything.
We watched with wrenching heart the acts of people who we hoped knew better. Leaders oblivious to their hypocrisy while lecturing in ways that only brings more division, being inclusive by rejecting “specific gender nouns.” They seem insensible to what could hold us together, and instead seem intent on dismantling and destroying everything. The everything, includes what has taken centuries to build, and we could see it wiped away overnight. That by forces too many don’t want to see, let alone recognizing where they come from.
Every modern advance we enjoy, every freedom we seemingly take for granted, the future that even unbelievers think they’re entitled to, and especially the faith our secular world sees as foolish are under assault. I do seem to emphasize this often, but I want us prepared. We can no longer as Christians expect everything to be easy and pleasant. I know God is in control, but they reviled our Lord, calling him a demon and mad (Lk.16:14; Jn.10:20). And Jesus did warn us “if they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (Jn.15:20). If they called Him a demon and crazy, why will they not do the same to us?
Building a good marriage takes work, building a solid church is not easy, nothing good comes easy! And reestablishing our Christian culture, after decades of neglect and subversion will take time, strength, and the Spirit’s guidance. So let us do as the giants before us; support those who do not buckle to the lunatic ideas of “woke,” speak up for truth, what is right and honorable, and for those that would protect our rights. Let us yield no more ground. William Tyndale was a gifted man, fluent in eight languages and could have done anything with his life. Instead he gave his life so that we could have the Bible in the English language. What other things have these giants given us that we may take for granted? Let’s not lose more of what they gained by such sacrifices.
It is often the little things that make the difference,
Thomas R. Wyatt
