“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” – 1 Timothy 5:8
The last thing I want to do is discourage any women from reading this, but know from the beginning: This message is specifically addressed to my brothers in Christ.
Men, we need to talk.
(And yes, I know that particular turn of phrase sounds eerily similar to what your wife announces when she has something to share with you that usually involves some behavior modification on your part. I’m a husband, too!)
But in seriousness, my brothers, all throughout scripture, the Lord speaks to men about what He calls us to do. We’re to honor Him; love and honor our wives; love, instruct and admonish, when necessary, our children. And we’re to protect them, with our very lives if necessary.
When political leaders and lawmakers make it impossible for us as dutiful husbands and fathers to act – in the biblical sense – as protectors of those whom God has entrusted to our care, then we have no obligation to obey them.
When the ruling class further curtails our freedom, and makes it illegal for us to fulfill our duty to protect our families – by passing and implementing unjust gun laws – then they are no longer God’s servant to do us good. Rather, they’ve become an instrument of Satan, whom we are commanded by God to resist.
We must actively work toward making sure the liberal anti-gun leaders and lawmakers are defeated electorally and replaced with godly leaders who respect and uphold basic human rights of self-defense.
A thug who wants to disarm a law-abiding citizen – leaving his life in danger and his wife or children vulnerable to assault – is a thug, whether a thug in government, or a thug on the street.
In Africa we often see the shockingly high number of murders and rapes of women and children by rebels and government soldiers. The Christian man does not only have a right, but also a duty, to resist these wicked men, with lethal force if necessary.
To protect our families is to honor God. Basically, God’s Laws trump human laws!
More Christian men should be praying: “Lord, please make me fast and accurate!” Otherwise, you’ll find yourself praying that the government that left you disarmed and defenseless will come to your defense.
That makes about as much sense as a scope on a shotgun.
Brothers, we are called to stand strong on the Word of God, not waver under the deception that our families would somehow be safer if only we would abdicate our God-assigned duty to government.
We’ve seen what happens when men abdicate our God-assigned duty to work and provide for our families. Government is all too happy to assume the role, robbing initiative, work ethic, unity, opportunity and morality and replacing it with a poverty-level stipend.
Teach your children
We must teach God’s Truth to our children. After all, the state-run education system – in harmony with the state-run media – is teaching your children a message. And it is not The Message. Their impressionable minds are being carpet-bombed with Weapons of Mass Distortion. They learn that offending someone’s sensitivities is a greater crime than defending your loved ones.
When a bad guy has a gun, only a good guy with a gun can properly resist him. Little else is equipped to do the job.
Did you know that historically, Christians believed that murderers weren’t the only ones guilty of a capital crime? They believed those who could – but would not – act to protect the innocent also bore some responsibility for the victim’s suffering.
Where does this doctrine leave most of the Christian men of today? If we are to help the suffering, how can we stand by and watch the murder of the innocent?
My Brothers in Christ, don’t be fooled by false comfort: In the Christian life, cowardice is a sin!
Terrorists understand
After the St. James Church Massacre of 1993, I reached out to the terrorists with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The commander of the attackers of our church said: “I hear your own people (Christians) are criticizing you for returning fire (at the attackers). What did they expect you to do? Just sit and watch (the massacre)?”
How is it that an atheist sees self-defense as a virtue, yet some Christians don’t?
Resisting the wicked is part of our God-ordained witness to them!
During the war between Northern and Southern Sudan, Northern Muslim soldiers defected to the Southern Christian army because of their fighting tenacity and the godly manner in which they treated their POWs.
Have we ever considered that the way in which we fight, and how we treat our enemies, can be a witness to them?
‘Girls on Fire’
Crime is out of control in South Africa – and is rising worldwide. Meanwhile, the South Africa government – and governments worldwide – remain bent on disarming the population. We founded Gun Owners of South Africa (GOSA) to fight the disarmament program.
Women in South Africa are feeling particularly vulnerable because of the extremely high incidents of rape and murder. To fight back, they started a division of GOSA called Girls on Fire. Through this program they’re educating women on the advantages and rights of female firearm ownership in South Africa.
GOSA’s Girls on Fire program was created in 2015 with a “16 Days of ACTION for no Violence against Women and Children” education campaign. GOSA believes women must be able to protect themselves and their families. We don’t want women to fall victim to violence. We want them to be skilled, determined and equipped with the appropriate tools to protect themselves and their families.
Girls on Fire have taken to social media to promote their campaign and are now represented on:
Twitter: @GirlsOnFireSA & @VictimNoLonger
Instagram: @girlsonfiresa
Facebook: GOSA Girls on Fire
This is the empowerment of women.
Through Girls on Fire, women are taking responsibility for the safety of themselves, their families and their communities.
Men, we could follow their lead. But we’d do far better following God’s Word. Only then can we truly lead our wives and children – and protect them the way God commands.
This article was originally published on 21 May 2016 at http://www.wnd.com/2016/05/men-you-not-the-state-must-protect-your-family/
Charl van Wyk
Missionary in Africa 