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Article Archive |
2007
United We Stand
by Jim Morris
Another anniversary has passed. We remember the terrorist attacks on America by Islamic extremists on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Almost 3,000 innocent, civilian lives, were lost.
On that day nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners to use as flying bombs. Each team of hijackers included a pilot especially trained for this suicide mission. I watched the TV in unbelief that Tuesday as I saw two airliners (United Airlines Flight 175 & American Airlines Flight 11) crash into the World Trade Center (WTC) in the financial district of New York City. One airliner rammed into one of the WTC towers. Unbelievably, another airliner flew into the other one. Both airliners exploded, caught fire, and ultimately caused each building to collapse into rubble with thousands of souls crushed inside them.
Later, the news brought a report that another airliner (American Airlines Flight 77) had crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. “How can this happen?” I remember asking myself. “When will this nightmare stop?”
Finally, the news focused on the fourth and final hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 93. This story turned out much differently, though. Todd Beamer and many of the passengers of Flight 93 banded together in an attempt to retake control of their plane from the hijackers. Through their united and heroic efforts they at least foiled the hijackers' plans to strike their intended target. Instead, the plane crashed in a field in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania, near Shanksville. As a result, thousands of innocent lives were sparred certain destruction.
I remember the rest of the day focused on the united, heroic efforts of the NYC firefighters involved in relentless search and rescue missions. Many firefighters were lost that day. The anniversary of 9/11 will not pass unnoticed. It was a day of terror for sure. However, it was also a day of unity against evil. Those unforeseen tragic events pulled the American people closer together than I have ever seen in my lifetime. It was proven true that, “united we stand, divided we fall.”
What is true for our nation is also true for Christ's church. She is under constant terrorist attacks by spiritual hijackers. These suicide bombers ram their “bad ideas” into our churches. They promote strategic lies, sexual sins, abortion, cloning, euthanasia, greed, and a host of sins like these. Once they let loose their worldly payloads, churches explode, burn and crumble into dust.
“How can this happen?” I ask myself. “When will this nightmare stop?”
Jude warns, “But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life” (Jude 1:17-21).
May God raise up relentless heroes of faith. May we fight every “bad idea” together so that “united we stand, divided we fall.”
09-12-07
# 37
