A MESSAGE FROM THE NATION OF THE CROSS + SIGNED WITH BLOOD

¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
¹² Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.  REVELATION 12:11,12


The heart rending specter of 21 Egyptian Christians ruthlessly beheaded by the Islamic State (ISIS) is beyond grotesque.

The professional video of the martyrdom included a chilling threat to crusaders--the people of the cross.  With an uplifted knife pointed at the camera, the militant swears by Allah, that he will shed the blood of the swine (the Jews) and the people of the cross all the way to Rome.

Before despairing I would remind the "nation of the cross," we have been here before.  We have faced torture, mocking, scourging, bonds and imprisonment.  Citizens of the blood-bought nation of the cross have been stoned, sawed in two, slain with the sword, and exiled to deserts and mountains, dens and caves.  (Hebrews 11:35-38)

We recall the convicting hymn of Isaac Watts,

Am I a soldier of the cross,
   A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause
   Or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies
   On flowery beds of ease?
While others fought to win the prize,
   And sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face?
   Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
   To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight, if I would reign
   Increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
   Supported by Thy word.

Thy saints, in all this glorious war,
   Shall conquer, though they die;
They view the triumph from afar,
   And seize it with their eye.

When that illustrious day shall rise,
   And all Thy armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
   The glory shall be Thine.

Brothers and Sisters, fellow citizens of the Nation of the Cross, "the gates of hell will not prevail against us!"  We are "more than conquerors through Him who loved us!"

It's certain that Christ-less, Cross-less, and Character-less "forms of godliness" will never withstand the coming onslaught. Spiritually defeated and Morally debilitated our nation politic may not have the will to push back these emissaries of Satan, but there is absolutely no question as to the final outcome of this existential conflict.

The Nation of the Cross will prevail--the crucified, dead, buried, and risen Christ of the Cross cannot and will not fail. 

Hear the words of John the Revelator, "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful." (Revelation 17:14).

JOIN THE CALLED, CHOSEN, AND FAITHFUL AS WE GATHER NEXT WEEK IN ST. LOUIS FOR THE 2015 ST LOUIS HOLINESS CONVENTION and TRANSFORMATION WEEKEND.  It is a must be there event. If there was ever a time when our nation needed the message of Scriptural holiness it is now.