We thank this Pastor for this encouragement and stand in prayer agreement with this message

LET IT BE?

The 1969 song Let It Be written by Paul McCartney, (recorded by the Beatles and released in 1970), begins with the line When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be…  Those of us alive back then remember the phenomenon and fame of the Beatles.  I remember as a boy how much I liked the music, playing the air drums and air guitar, singing along to their songs, including Let It Be. 

The lyrics to Let It Be didn’t have much or any meaning to me that I recall.  The Mother Mary reference sounded like a Catholic thing.  Still, I liked the song.  Reflecting on it now some 41 years later, humming the melody, I wonder about the theology of Let It Be.

The first instinct in our action-oriented-hurry-up culture is to respond, “No!  Don’t let it be.  There’s work to be done, so much demanding ministry to fulfill!”  Then comes to mind the quote:  All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing--Edmund Burke.

In the parable of the talents, Jesus describes a man who “let it be.”  When he received his Lord's money, he went and dug a hole in the earth, and hid his Lord's money (Matt. 25:18).  When his Lord returned, he returned to the Lord just what he had been given (Matt. 25:25).  Notice, the servant did not do any outright evil, such as stealing the money, but then neither did he do anything good.  He did nothing and he got nothing good accomplished.  Jesus said he was a "wicked and slothful servant" (Matt. 25:26).

When it comes to the troubles we face in this day and age we are called to action.  The encouragement from evangelist Kamal Saleem, who recently spoke at the Midland Center for the Arts, is to stand up for truth and freedom, stand up publically for Jesus.  Kamal preaches the victory of God’s love in Jesus Christ.  He testifies to that love lived out in the lives of people who helped him and prayed for him.  The witness and powerful prayer of these Christian friends resulted in his transformation from an Islamic terrorist to a born again Christian who cherishes his God given American freedom along with his home and citizenship in the United States of America.

Kamal Saleem’s message of God’s love and redemption reminds us and urges us to love our neighbors, especially our Muslim neighbors.  His message is not against Muslim people.  Our concern—the very real threat— is Islam.  The “nation” of Islam is a Theo-political system that adheres to and aggressively promotes Sharia Law.  This system adamantly rejects the separation of church and state, endorses the doctrine of slavery and subjugation of women.  (See The Islamic Doctrine of Slavery: An Islamic Institution and The Islamic Doctrine of Women.  Also, visitwww.politicalislam.com and www.cspipublishing.com.)

So, when it comes to Let It Be the preacher offers a new lyric that says: When we find ourselves in times of trouble, Jesus Christ he comes to us, speaking words of wisdom, “Wake up!  Rise up, my people.  Speak my true words of wisdom.  I am He, the beginning and the end, the Resurrection and the Life.  I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”  To this song I play neither air drum nor air guitar.  Rather, I sound the trumpet call to reiterate, “Rise up Church!  Wake up!  Fulfill the love of Jesus Christ.  Fulfill our God given freedom and God’s Great Commission.  Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 15:57

Faithfully and prayerfully in the love of Jesus Christ,

Pastor Dave