WHO IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE?

This is the title of a well known hymn written in 1877 by Frances Havergal. Below are the verses and chorus to this wonderful hymn:

Who is on the Lord's side?

Who will serve the King?

Who will be His helpers,

Other lives to bring?

Who will leave the world's side?

Who will face the foe?

Who is on the Lord's side?

Who for Him will go?

By Thy grand redemption,

By Thy grace divine,

We are on the Lord's side,

Saviour, we are thine.

Not for weight of glory,

Not for crown and palm,

Enter we the army,

Raise the warrior psalm;

But for love that claimeth

Lives for who He died;

He whom Jesus nameth

Must be on His side.

Jesus, Thou hast bought us,

Not with gold or gem, 

But with Thine own life-blood,

For Thy diadem;

With Thy blessing filling

Each who comes to Thee,

Thou hast made us willing,

Thou hast made us free.

Fierce may be the conflict,

Strong may be the foe,

But the King's own army

None can overthrow.

Round His standard ranging

Victory is secure,

For His truth unchanging

Makes the triumph sure.

Chosen to be soldiers

In an alien land;

Chosen, called, and faithful,

For our Captain's band;

In the service royal

Let us not grow cold;

Let us be right royal,

Noble, true, and bold.

Who is on the Lord's side? This was a crucial question asked by Moses to the children of Israel, as recorded in Exodus 32:26. Moses had been on Mount Sinai for forty days in the presence of the Lord, receiving instructions from Him concerning various laws and detailed instructions on building and furnishing the Tabernacle. The children of Israel became impatient and restless because of their perceived delay in Moses' return to the camp, so they foolishly pleaded with Aaron to make them an idol to represent God to them.
After instructing the people to bring anything they had, made of gold - earrings, ornaments etc., Aaron fashioned the molten metal into a golden calf.

When Moses challenged Aaron about the idol worship, he sought to justify himself by saying: "Do not let the anger of the people become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.
"For they said to me, 'Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'
"And I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let him break it off.' So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out."
No wonder Moses was angry with the people, because of their unrestrained idolatry. He made a proclamation at the entrance of the camp: "Whoever is on the Lord's side - come to me." And the sons of Levi gathered to him. The children of Israel paid a high price for their idol worship that day, as the sons of Levi went through the camp and put to death around 3,000 at the edge of the sword because of their rebellion against the Lord.
We can look back at the history of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament and perhaps wonder at the apparent harsh judgment of God against a people who often were stiff-necked and rebellious.
The history of Israel in the Old Testament is filled with periods of obedience to the Lord's injunctions, followed by periods of disobedience to his decrees, outright rebellion against God with much idol worship, resulting in terrible consequences for the people as the hand of God was removed from the nation. The majority of the kings of Israel and Judah were evil, given to blatant rebellion and idol worship, even though the Lord had warned them of terrible consequences of disobedience to his decrees.
Deuteronomy 28 lists the blessings that would follow obedience to the Lord, followed by a much longer list of the curses which would result from disobedience.
Thankfully, we today live under a different dispensation - that of grace, not of law as was the case with the children of Israel under the old covenant.
However, that does not mean that we are free to disobey God's Word to us, which has been given for our benefit, that we might fulfil God's purpose for our lives. Through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to become more Christlike as we allow the Word of God to renew us from within, we, as followers of Christ are being changed, as the Bible says, from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18
When the Lord God made man, He gave him a free will. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 10, Paul reminds the readers that there were serious consequences for the sins and idolatry of the children of Israel. He says in verses 11, 12 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
At the end of the book of Deuteronomy, a recounting by Moses of God's holy laws, Moses lays before the people a clear choice: 
"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,
in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you go to possess.
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendents may live." Deut 30:15,16,19
You might be reading this, and be thinking that God must be an egomaniac, a control freak, that we have to obey His laws or else suffer undesirable consequences. The reality is the Creator God is a God of love, whom the Bible says "is not willing that any should perish [in his or her sins], but that they should all come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
The old hymn quoted above "Who Is On The Lord's Side" is a rallying cry for Christians to take a clear stand for the truth of God's Word today. The language of the hymn seems rather outdated now, and archaic, but the call to alms for followers of Christ to be fully committed soldiers of the Cross is as relevant today as when it was written 140 years ago. Persecution of Christians has long been the price one has had to pay for following Jesus in communist and many Islamic nations, but increasingly today in the twenty first century, to be a wholly committed, uncompromising Christian in the Western world is becoming a very unpopular entity with those caught up in the cultural distortions of the age. 
Whether it is in relation to marriage, sanctity of life before birth or approaching death, creation verses evolution, and a number of other social and ethical issues - those holding to a Biblical worldview are having to count the cost of being a true disciple of Jesus Christ in an increasingly hostile world, where they are labelled as homophobes, bigots, and other terms of derision.
"Who Is On The Lord's Side?" is not only the name of an old hymn, but a question each person, including those who claim to be Christians, must answer today. 

VOICES IN THE WILDERNESS

"Comfort, yes, comfort My people!"
 Says your God.
"Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
 That her warfare is ended,
 That her iniquity is pardoned;
 For she has received from the Lord's hand
 Double for all her sins."

 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
"Prepare the way of the Lord;
 Make straight in the desert
 A highway for our God.
 Every valley shall be exalted
 And every mountain and hill brought low;
 The crooked places shall be made straight
 And the rough places smooth;
 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
 And all flesh shall see it together;
 For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

The voice said, "Cry out!"
 And he said, "What shall I cry?"

"All flesh is grass,
 And all its loveliness is like the flower
 of the field.
 The grass withers, the flower fades,
 Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
 Surely the people are grass.
 The grass withers, the flower fades,
 but the word of our God stands forever."

O Zion,
 You who bring good tidings,
 Get up into the high mountain;
 O Jerusalem,
 You who bring good tidings,
 Lift up your voice with strength,
 Lift it up, be not afraid;
 Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!" Isaiah 40:1-9 NKJV

The prophet Isaiah spoke these words about 700 years BC, foretelling the ministry of John the Baptist, the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
"Prepare the way of the Lord;
 Make straight in the desert
 a highway for our God." John said this of himself when asked by priests and Levites sent by Jews from Jerusalem to ask who he was.

The ministry of John the Baptist was that of a forerunner preparing the way for the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. His voice was lifted up calling his listeners to repentance from sin and wickedness, and to be baptized by full immersion in water as an act of surrender to the will of God for their lives. In lifting his voice in preparation for the ministry of Jesus, John said of Jesus: "He must increase, but I must decrease." 

Jesus commenced his earthly ministry following His baptism by John at the Jordan River, in order "to fulfill all righteousness" as it says in Matthew 3:15. The next three years of Jesus' life were attested by healings and outstanding signs and miracles, deliverances from demonic oppression, and most of all by lives transformed by the power of the Good News of Jesus the Messiah, the Savior of the world. As it says in Matthew 4:16 "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned." (a prophecy of Jesus fulfilled - spoken some 700 years BC by Isaiah in chapter 42:7).

Following his death on the Cross at Calvary, and His triumphant resurrection from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus commissioned His disciples to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. He told the group of disciples who were committed to following His teaching that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit had come upon them; and they would be witnesses to Him in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8.
The first century church grew exponentially as the apostles and their converts moved from Jerusalem literally to the ends of the then known world. The apostles came under quite severe persecution, which became a catalyst for their moving out from Jerusalem to all parts of the then known world. The apostle Paul, writing to his son in the faith, Timothy, warned that: in the last days perilous times will come. He went on to list the characteristics of godlessness which would be seen in men (and women) in the last days, when, to be a Christian would bring much opposition from wicked men. In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul says to Timothy, and to us today:..all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Just as the prophets in the Old Testament, and indeed John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus' ministry, called people to turn from sin and wickedness, and from idol worship, to  follow the living God, more than ever, today there is a need for Godly men and women to lift their voices to declare the Truth of the Word of God - to stand boldly for righteousness and righteous causes. I read recently, where in America, surveys had shown that ninety percent of church leaders were silent on some of the looming social issues of our times, such as sexuality from the Biblical perspective, and associated with that, issues such as same-sex marriage, and homosexuality, abortion, and euthanasia. Bacause of the lack of teaching on these topics, something in the order of forty seven percent of Christian youth and young adults say they support same-sex marriage. 
Today, we live in a world which is becoming increasingly either secularized by the philosophy of secular humanism, where man is the central point of reference for society - or being threatened by the rising tide of Islam's doctrine of world domination, either by violent force, or by stealth. Either way, the voices of anti-Christ sentiment appear to be taking centre-stage in a world gone mad, aided greatly by the foolish and naive spouting of politically correct politicians and media pundits.
Here in Australia, the issue of redefining marriage continues to be pushed by the Australian Labor Party, the Greens, and other minor parties and independent politicians, along with the majority of the Mainstream Media. The  push by radical homosexual activists themselves for redefining marriage, and gender identity has been taken up by large corporate bodies, who somehow must see the promotion of this cause as enhancing their public image, with no regard to the effects this push will have on children caught up in these unholy unions of men with men, and women with women.
Thank God for the voices in the wilderness speaking boldly on some of the issues facing the nation, from a Godly perspective, in order to push back the rising tide of darkness and depravity seeking to engulf society. Voices such as Vision Christian Media, Australian Christian Lobby, some of the smaller political parties, such as Australian Conservatives, Rise Up Australia Party, as well as individual Christian Liberal Party politicians - and other ministries such as Australian Heart Ministries, and social commentator, Bill Muehelenberg. There are others, but many of the churches remain largely silent, perhaps for fear of losing some who might be offended by the Truth.
Now is not the time for those who know the truth to be silent. John the Baptist was called "a voice in the wilderness." He ended up losing his head, because he was not afraid to speak the truth. God never promised that the Christian life would be a bed of roses, but He does expect all who know the truth to proclaim it, without compromise.
Keith Green, a young man who, through his music, and life lived for Jesus in full surrender, and who sadly was taken from us before he reached the age of thirty, wrote a song called "Asleep In The Light", really a wake-up call to the church. Its message written around forty years ago, still is relevant to the church today:
                    God is calling,
                    And you are the one
                    But like Jonah, you run
                    He told you to speak,
                    But you keep holding it in.

                    Oh, can't you see it's such sin?
                    The world is sleeping in the dark,
                     That the church just can't fight,
                     'cause it's asleep in the light.
It is time for you and me who make up the church of the living God to:
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you. Isaiah 60:1,2