Ottumwa City is a small town in the great state of Iowa. The governing body, the city council, opens its council meeting with an invocation, a prayer. Former council member Matt Dalbey was invited to invoke the prayer, and to the shock of council members, invoked a prayer to SATAN.
The words of his invocation are chilling:
“LET US EMBRACE THE LUCIFERIAN IMPULSE TO EAT OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE. THAT WHICH WILL NOT BEND MUST BREAK, AND THAT WHICH CAN BE DESTROYED BY TRUTH SHOULD NEVER BE SPARED ITS DEMISE.
HAIL SATAN!”
The members of the city council were both surprised and shocked at the satanic invocation. In America, founded upon Judea-Christian principles, public glorification and the practice of satanism was extremely rare and never mentioned in the public square, much less at the start of a city council meeting. And yet, indeed it happened, and in an America with ever-growing anti-Semitism and anti-Christianity viewpoints. The Dalbey city council outburst, in favor of satan, and evil, and abortion, and everything which this fallen angel represents, was just another anti-Christian incident.
In fact, Dalbey and his satanic invocation were defended by two councilpersons, one man and one woman. Council member Cara Galloway said the council allows opening invocations, and therefore they have an obligation to be neutral and allow various viewpoints, including, apparently, even championing satanism. Fortunately, for the right-thinking people of Iowa and the city council, there was a pastor in attendance, Rick Bick, a pastor at New Life Center Foursquare Church. Bick stood up for the Lord he loves and against the enemy of his faith, satan, and he confronted Dalbey who said to him:
“IF YOU CAN SAY, ‘IN THE NAME OF JESUS,’
I CAN SAY, ‘HAIL SATAN.’”
Pastor Bick stared him down and said:
“NO, YOU CAN’T DO THAT HERE, NOT HERE.”
There, my fellow Americans, was a man and his actions which stood up for his Lord, his faith, and against satan and evil, courageously and no matter the cost. In the spirit of his righteous indignation, Pastor Bick went on to say:
“WE’VE BEEN PRAYING FOR OUR CITY, FOR BLESSINGS, FOR GOOD THINGS TO HAPPEN. THIS (SATANIC PRAYER) IS NOT HAPPENING HERE. WE PRAY EVERY MORNING FOR OUR CITY. WE ARE GETTING AGGRESSIVE ABOUT TAKING OUR CITY BACK FOR GOD.”
And this, my fellow Christians, is exactly what the real church of Jesus Christ, the real Christian must do. We must become aggressive in every way possible, and stand for the truth of the Gospel, and for the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. There can be no compromise. The Stand must be complete and fully UNCOMPROMISING. Just like it was with Pastor Bick.
Dalbey, like so many other satanists, recognizes the existence of the dark father. The recommendation to “embrace the luciferian impulse to eat of the tree of knowledge” is a direct confrontation and contradiction of the expressed commands of God the Father NOT to eat of the tree of knowledge. Dalbey went on to say, “That which will not bend must break.” By this, he meant the authority in Christianity is old-fashioned, rigid, outdated, and should be destroyed by the truth (incredible!) of satanism.
“HAIL SATAN,” said Dalbey. Out with the Triune God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Out with him.
Pastor Bick went on to say he felt Dalbey had put a curse upon the city, and the curse had to be reversed immediately. Bick said publicly:
“THAT GUY (DALBEY) JUST CURSED OUR CITY,
AND WE NEED TO STOP AND BREAK THAT CURSE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE THAT’S NOT WELCOME HERE.”
Said one Christian leader who was commenting on the stand of Pastor Bick:
“IT WAS BILLY GRAHAM WHO SAID THAT
‘WHEN ONE MAN STANDS UP,
IT STIFFENS THE SPINES OF EVERYONE ELSE.’”
Said another:
“EVIL IS BEING EMBOLDENED,
AND NOTHING BUT THE MOST AGGRESSIVE COUNTER ATTACK WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO DESTROY IT.”
In the last days, said Jesus of Nazareth, evil will run rampant, the church will be persecuted, the gospel will be corrupted, and satan will hold more power than ever. My fellow Christians, don’t let it happen. Stand up against evil everywhere, now more than ever, and for the saving love of Jesus Christ.
Socialism is anti-Christian. Communism is anti-Christian. Dictatorship is anti-Christian.
Now more than ever we should say as loud as our voice will allow:
I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST!
I AM NOT ASHAMED IN ANY WAY!
I WILL STAND STRONG FOR THE LORD I LOVE,
NO MATTER THE COST!
If, in fact, you know your Christian faith, what you believe, your salvation, the gospel you adhere to is, in fact, the power of God unto salvation, then:
STAND FOR YOUR LORD WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT,
AND NEVER, NEVER, EVER COMPROMISE.