Thy Strong Word From Kfuo Radio

The people of God in Ezra's time experienced opposition strikingly similar to what many Christians face today. Societies and governments have changed, but the tactics haven't. Ezra 4 reveals three familiar strategies: syncretistic offers of "unity" that require compromising the Gospel, bureaucratic warfare that weaponizes legal systems against believers, and the use of government power to forcibly shut down God's work. When the Jews reject their neighbors' insincere help to rebuild the Temple, these adversaries shift from being conciliatory to spreading misinformation and bribing officials to stop the work entirely. Ezra even points forward to examples of God's opponents securing royal decrees to stop the reconstruction of Jerusalem itself as examples of the opposition God’s people face in this world.  The Rev. Dr. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, FL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ezra 4.  To learn more about Zion Lutheran, visit zionfmdev.wpcomstaging.com. The