We live in a world where people, including Christians “say” they are going to do something, but fail to carry through and deliver on their word. Today, I am going to show you through the Scriptures that God expects us to keep our word and carry through with our promises. WHY? Because when we give our word, we are making an oath made before God and man. And failure to do so leads only to God’s judgment and broken relationships here on earth.  

According to full focus.com, “KEEPING YOUR WORD is the essence of integrity. As Stephen Covey points out, “HONESTY IS MAKING YOUR WORDS CONFORM TO REALITY. INTEGRITY IS MAKING RALITY CONFORM TO YOUR WORDS”. 

Keeping your word is essential to leadership as without it you cannot be an effective leader. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, an “OATH” is “A SOLEMN ATTESTATION OF THE TRUTH OR INVIOLABILITY OF ONE’S WORDS” OR “SOMETHING (SUCH AS A PROMISE) CORROBORATED BY AN OATH”. 

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KEEP YOUR WORD?
Whether you make a promise to a friend, a job obligation, or even a personal goal you made to yourself, it crucial to stay true to what you say and to honor your commitments. Not only can keeping your word generate trust and credibility, it can also help you achieve your goals and sustain and grow relationships. 

It’s important that we honor commitments, even when it is difficult, expensive, or inconvenient. When I was growing up, I was told that you keep your word, even when it costs you something. Simply put, our word is sacred, and keeping our word is essential to the sacred vows and promises we make. Without it, society falls apart.  When I was a young man, a man’s bond was his word and a handshake was giving his word. The failure to keep one’s word was considered an insult and no one for the most part  were wiling to risk their social capital or relational equity by breaking their word. 

THINGS HAVE CHANGED
Sadly, I continue to experience people not keeping their world (breaking their word), even within in the church. This is tragic-especially for them because it destroys all trust I have or I should say "had" in them as keeping one's word and speaking the truth is the very foundation of our relationship. With all this being said, I want to look at some biblical truths and wisdom to see what God says about an "OATH" and a "VOW" becuase keeping our word to make a vow. 

WHAT IS A VOW?
Vows are voluntarily expressions of devotion usually fulfilled after some conditions have been met. Vows made in the OT were usually conditional based on things to be done for the Lord or for others. A common vow may say something like: “IF X…THEN Y”. Genesis 28:20 for example says: “THEN JACOB MADE A VOW, SAYING, “IF GOD WILL BE WITH ME AND WILL KEEP ME IN THIS WAY THAT I GO, AND WILL GIVE ME BREAD TO EAT AND CLOTHING TO WEAR, SO THAT I COME AGAIN TO MY FATHER’S HOUSE IN PEACE, THEN TEH LORD SHALL BE MY GOD, AND THIS STONE, WHICH I HAVE SET UP FOR A PILLAR, SHALL BE GOD’S HOUSE. AND OF ALL THAT YOU GIVE ME I WILL GIVE A FULL TENTH TO YOU”. 

A vow is more than an oath in the it specifically holds a response of condition. For example, when we get married, we “EXCHANGE VOWS”. These are promises we make to get and KEEP MARRIED. BUT-making a vow, especially before or to God can be very dangerous if not kept. Let’s look at MATTHEW and 1 JOHN for some guidance as the the importance of keeping one’s oath and the dangers of failing to keep an oath made to God.

Matthew 5:33 in the NIV says, “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made” (Matthew 5:33 NIV). 

1 John 2:5 says, “But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in Him, This is how we know we are in Him” (1 John 2:5). IN OTHER WORDS, IF WE FAIL TO FULFILL OUR VOWS, WE ARE NOT IN HIM-MEANING IN CHRIST? I would say that a person who fails to consistently keep their word has a very shallow faith at best and not faith at worst. WHY do I say that? Because-HOW can one make a vow to trust the Lord and then not keep their word to God there-forward. I would submit that their confession of faith and vow before God was not authentic to begin with in most cases. 

HOW ABOUT MATTHEW 5:27?

“LET WHAT YOU SAY BE SIMPLY ‘YES’ or ‘NO’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Matthew 5:37). I think that is pretty clear. God’s law says, “DO NOT LIE UNDER OATH” (Leviticus 19:12). Jesus makes clear here that to make a vow involved the pledge to “DO SOMETHING”, TO CALL UPON GOD TO WITNESS THE DISCHARGE OF THE ACTION , AND TO PUNISH IF IT WERE NOT CARRIED OUT”. That is why Jesus warned us to keep our word and to keep it simple with either a “YES” or a “NO” in effort to make things complex and break our VOW or our WORD. 

“But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation” (James 5:12).  [On one hand, oaths themselves are not prohibited; on the other, a believer should not be forced to take an oath in order to tell the truth. Unrepentant deception WILL cause the believer to FALL UNDER GOD’S JUDGMENT (DISCIPLINE) now, and ring disapproval at the judgement seat of Christ (See James 2:12, 13).

REMEMBER
Keeping your word is the essence of integrity. As Stephen Covey points out, “Honesty is making your words conform to reality. Integrity is making reality conform to your words”. It is essential to leadership. WHY? 

FIRST: Because INTEGRITY IS REQUIRED FOR TRUST: If people can’t trust what you say or “YOUR WORD”, they won’t trust you.

SECOND: TRUST is NECESSARY FOR INFLUENCE: And all of us are called to live a life of influence as followers of Jesus Christ. People “CHOOSE” those they allow to influence their them-and this is based mainly on TRUST.

THIRD AND LASTLY: INFLUENCE IS ESSENTIAL FOR IMPACT: You cannot make the impact you want to make unless you can influence others and help change or shift their behavior.

In the end, KEEPING YOUR WORD can be DIFFICULT, EXPENSIVE, and INCONVENIENT. But the cost of not doing so is even MORE EXPENSIVE. It will ultimately cost you relationships, your reputation, and your ability to lead. And THIS IS THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING YOUR WORD.

“CHRISTIANITY’S RISE IN ALGERIA!-WHATEVER DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER!

For most of our adult lives, we have known the country of Algeria as a MUSLIM NATION. ALGERIA has had Christians since the time of the Roman Empire-and despite the persecution of Christianity and Christians throughout their country, God is on the move and Christianity is growing! And in the end, the more Islam tries to eliminate Christians and Christianity, that persecution is making them stronger.

To REITERATE the foThe country of Algeria, while mostly Muslim, has had Christians present since the time of the Romans. Despite the Muslim claim on Algeria, the truth is that Christian’s have been present there for a long time, and Jesus Christ is bringing them back to the forefront in Algeria.

Christianity has been present in Algeria since Roman times, but Christians are still a religious minority in the country. In 2009, a United Nations survey estimated that less than 2% of the population were Christian, with 100,000 Catholics and 45,000 Protestants. 

However, a 2015 study estimated that 380,000 Muslims had converted to Christianity in Algeria. Conversions are most common in Kabylie, particularly in the wilaya of Tizi-Ouzou, where the Christian population is estimated to be between 1% and 5%. Christians also live in Algiers and the provinces of Annaba, Ouargla, and Oran.
 
In 2009, the percentage of Christians in Algeria was less than 2%. In this same survey, the United Nations counted 100,000 Catholics and 45,000 Protestants in the country. Although Christians are a religious minority in Algeria, churches built during French rule can still be found. Conversions to Christianity have been most common in Kabylie, especially in the wilaya of Tizi-Ouzou. In Tizi-Ouzou, the proportion of Christians has been estimated to be between 1% and 5%. Christians have at times been subjected to religiously motivated attacks. A 2015 study estimated that 380,000 Muslims have converted to Christianity in Algeria.
 
The U.S. State Department in a 2019 Report on International Religious Freedom writes that in Algeria,
among the Christian population, the proportion of students and immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa without legal status has also increased in recent years. Christian leaders say citizens who are Christians predominantly belong to Protestant groups. 

WHERE DO MOST OF THESE CHRISTIANS LIVE YOU MIGHT ASK? The Christians reside mostly in Algiers, the Kabilye region in Bejaia, and the provinces of Tizi Ouzou, Annaba, Ouargla, and Oran. Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom. Legal Framework. The constitution declares Islam to be the state religion and prohibits state institutions from engaging in behavior incompatible with Islamic values.
 
Christianity was introduced in Algeria during Roman times. Christians in Algeria have faced religiously motivated attacks at times, and new converts are often rejected by their families. However, the law in Algeria grants everyone the right to practice their religion as long as they respect public order and regulations, and "offending or insulting" any religion is a criminal offense. 
 
Christianity was introduced in Algeria during Roman times. It declined during the Vandal invasions, but gained strength again during the Byzantine era, before gradually disappearing with the Arab invasions in the seventh century. In 2009, UN sources reported the existence of 45,000 Roman Catholics and between 50,000 and 100,000 Protestants. Some sources report that the number of conversions to Christianity has increased slightly in recent years; however, the figures remain very modest, with approximately 0.2 per cent of Christians in Algeria in 2009. Conversions are concentrated mainly in Kabylie, particularly in the wilaya of Tizi Ouzou, which hosts between 1 per cent and 5 per cent of Christians.

Algeria is home to several important Christian monuments. The Basilica of Notre-Dame d’Afrique lies west of Algiers, perched 124 meters above sea level. The Santa Cruz chapel in Oran, classified as a national monument in 2008, was the site of the beatification ceremony that took place in 2018 for the 19 Roman Catholic clergy who were murdered during the violence of the mid-1990’s. The largest Protestant church in the whole of the Maghreb is located in Tizi Ouzou, where weddings and funerals are celebrated.

Islam is unquestionably ‘the religion of the state’ as clearly stated in Article 2 of the 2020 Algerian Constitution. Article 73 of the 2016 Constitution affirmed that the President of the Republic must be of Muslim faith and must take an oath ‘to respect and glorify the Islamic religion’. In the 2020 Constitution, the same oath is specified in Article 90. However, this does not prevent the presence and free exercise of other beliefs.

Ordinance No. 06-03 of 2006 sets out the conditions and rules for the exercise of religions other than Islam. It expressly guarantees ‘the free exercise of worship’ and states that ‘the State also guarantees tolerance and respect between different religions’. The ‘free exercise of worship’ established by the 2006 law is nevertheless strictly regulated. It is subject to respect for ‘public order, morality and the fundamental rights and freedoms of third parties’. 

But above all, the collective exercise of worship is confined to the buildings assigned for this purpose by the Algerian authorities.  Religious groups suspected of attempting to convert Muslims are particularly vulnerable to spurious charges and find themselves under near-constant surveillance. This leads to persecution of Ahmadis, Ibadis and evangelical Christians.

Ordinance No. 06-03 is used to restrict the free exercise of Christian worship in Algeria. Indeed, it forbids any religious activity of a non-Islamic religious group if it is not registered and recognized by the Ministry of the Interior and the National Commission of Religious Organizations, the latter operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Additionally, the Ordinance forbids ‘the use of a place of worship if it is not registered’.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly noted a pattern whereby all requests to register non-Muslim associations are indefinitely deferred. This obstruction persists, as per a statement of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) submitted in August 2021 for the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council, reporting that no license had been issued by the National Commission of Religious Organizations since its creation in 2006.

In its 2020 annual report, the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) indicated that the Algerian authorities had closed around a dozen Christian churches in Kabylie since July 2019 for lack of a license, and that the police had violently removed Amazigh worshippers from them.

Security forces have continued to target Christians who have converted from Islam. On 31 July 2016, Slimane Bouhafs, an Algerian Christian, was arrested on charges related to expressing his Christian beliefs. He was originally sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and a heavy fine, but the sentence was reduced to three years on appeal and the fine was dropped. 

In July 2017, President Bouteflika granted Slimane a partial pardon, reducing the sentence by a further 16 months. Bouhafs was released from prison on 31 March 2018, having served his twenty-month sentence. In August 2018 he sought asylum in Tunisia and was granted refugee status in September 2020 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Tunisia. 

In August 2021, eyewitnesses reported that cars with unknown license plates arrived at the house where the Algerian activist lived and took him to an unknown destination. Algerian media later reported that Bouhafs was handed over by the Tunisian authorities to their Algerian counterpart, where he will be submitted to Algerian justice.

Multiple reports indicate that members of the Christian community are subjected to arbitrary arrests and detention, notably based on Algeria’s blasphemy laws. For instance, Hamid Soudad, a 42-year-old Christian, converted from Islam, is considered to have ‘offended the Prophet’ under Article 144-bis 2 of the Penal Code, on account of a Facebook post he shared in 2018.  His five-year maximum prison sentence was upheld by the Oran City Court of Justice on 22 March 2021. Soudad is waiting to have his case heard at the Supreme Court which could take two to three years’, during which he will remain imprisoned.

Similarly, in December 2020, two Kabyle Christians, Abdelghani Mammeri and Mebrouk Bouakaz, were respectively sentenced to six months and three years’ imprisonment and heavily fined for offending the Prophet and showing disrespect to Islamic religious principles. Obviously, there are no laws showing disrespect for Christianity or persecution of Christian’s simply worshiping in private. 

In closing, despite the persecution, Christianity continues to growth through the fog of abuse of Christians by the Muslim authorizes. For most of us, for most of our adult lives, we have known the country of Algeria to be a MUSLIM NATION. But, today, I showed you that in reality, Christian’s have been present and accounted for in Algeria since the times of Roman Empire-and God is raising up a new Christian body of believers, stronger then ever-battle tested by the wrongful persecution and abuse. I guess the old saying is true: WHATEVER DOESN”T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER.

Simply put, while on this earth, we are and always will be subject to human authority. Human authority will ALWAYS be corrupt to one degree or another and cause HURT to other human beings. I think we can all see that this is true at this point.

TODAY I want to a show you through Ecclesiastes chapter 8 that as such, we need to be strong in our faith, take care of our physical health and feed our spiritual growth on a daily basis. The rest is up to God according to His will. I am confident that while He takes us THROUGH the current national and international mess. When we will come out the other end looking nothing like when we entered. And that may just be a very good thing from a biblical, truly spiritual perspective. Let's get started.

LOOKING AT THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER 8, King Solomon, the Preacher makes some bold claims. I want to point out SIX of those bold claims that give us clear instruction, wisdom, guidance and a road map of how we can prevail in this wicked time in human history. Let's start with WISDOM.

1) WISDOM from God is good and makes a man's face shine (v1).

2) DO NOT TAKE A STAND IN AN EVIL CAUSE-FOR OR AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT-Even if the government mandates it. This I would assert pertains to societal violence, participation in unjust/unbiblical wars, eating lab grown meat, killing your baby for population control, etc.

3) There is a proper time to act in the face of evil; Don't act too soon and remembe that God is in control of the big picture, not us. BUT, be ready to do the right thing for the right, biblical reasons should that time come (v.6).

4) "...the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way" to handle or act in an ungodly world.

5) And remember, "NO MAN HAS POWER TO RETAIN THE SPIRIT, OR POWER OVER THE DAY OF DEATH". In other words, life is a dress rehearsal, and it's God not us who know or have control over the day that we leave this world in bodily form. The day of death is the day the authentic Christian starts truly living.

6) REMEMBER: Nobody knows what WILL BE as the world unfolds (v.7), the government is going to do whatever they please (v.3). But the whoever keeps God's command and avoids doing evil things is a person with a wise heart and will know the proper time and JUST WAY to ACT according to God's will.

Remember, there is a time and a way for everything despite the trouble that lies on our hearts in the present situation. We don't know what is to be, only God does. In the end, it's true as Solomon stated in verse 9, "ALL THIS I OBSERVED WHILE APLPYING MYHEART TO ALL THAT IS DONE UNDER THE SUN, WHEN MAN HAD POWER OVER MAN TO HIS HURT" (vs.9). Simply put, while on this earth, we are and always will be subject to human authority. Human authority will ALWAYS be corrupt to one degree or another and cause HURT to other human beings. I think we can all see that this is true at this point. As such, let's be strong in our faith, take care of our physical health and feed our spiritual growth on a daily basis. The rest is up to God according to His will. I am confident that while He takes us THROUGH the current national and international mess-we will come out the other end looking nothing like when we entered. And that may just be a very good thing from a biblical, truly spiritual perspective.

Keep the King's Command (ECCLESIASTES 8:1-9)

² I say: Keep the king's command, because of God's oath to him.^{[b] 3} Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. ⁴ For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” ⁵ Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.^{[c] 6} For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble^[d] lies heavy on him.⁷ For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? ⁸ No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. ⁹ All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt."