In part one of the series he preached last month, Pastor Jack Hibbs (pictured above) of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, California said Christians "are on a mission, and we are in a war."
"I'm not talking about bombs, guns, and missiles," he told the congregation. "I'm talking about an all-out war on everything, from the spiritual realm, which is invisible, but certainly to the physical world, in which things manifest."
"This year of 2024 will be unlike any other year previously lived in your lifetime," he predicted.
Christian apologist Dr. Alex McFarland agrees and says it is time to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).
"I think he's got a lot of discernment, and I think he's right on the money to remind us of some things that should be non-negotiables," McFarland submits.
Each of the areas Pastor Hibbs notes – truth, fact, faith, marriage, and the Church – are areas Scripture clearly defines but today's culture has distorted.
"Truth is that which corresponds to reality. In other words, truth is the way things really are," McFarland gives as an example. "But we're living in a time when people have relativized truth; in other words, truth is my perspective."
Still, he is confident that each of the issues can be defended, even from a hostile world.
"Like Plato, we can ask questions," the apologist suggests. "I would say, 'Can you tell me any human that's ever been born from a homosexual copulation?'"
He says it is important to remember that God's definition of victory can be different from ours. Sacrifices will have to be made, and from the world's perspective, believers could lose some battles along the way.
But a good place for Christians to start is to make sure they are consuming truth.
"The 130 million adult Christians have got to get out of the woke churches, get their kids out from woke indoctrination camps called public schools," McFarland suggests.
On that note, AFN recently reported that one organization is trying to get people involved in evangelical churches that are biblically sound, culturally aware, and/or legislatively active.
