As I watch the political feeding frenzy taking place in our country just a short time before the midterm elections, I can’t help but put my two cents into the dialogue. I don’t write to address political issues but spiritual ones. It never fails that during an election season that the air is filled with a patriotic fervor that is almost out of control. This fervor and patriotism manifests itself in a number of different ways. One issue that has my attention is that so many people jump on the band wagon of bringing this country back to its “Christian roots.” The problem is that they always consult the Constitution and bylaws as the authority that gives them this mandate. The reason they do this is because they can’t back up their premise, mission or mandate in the Scripture.
It has gotten to the place where the so called “Christianity” of this country is being endorsed and promoted by such illustrious charterers as Glen Beck the Mormon at his political rallies.
When you declare by fiat that “God hath said” that we must take back our nation for Him you are now assuming that the nation that must be taken back was one that was ordained by Him and was totally His in the first place. This is called a theocracy. This is where the danger begins. Only one nation was ordained by God and that was Israel, Gen 12:3. They weren’t even able to live as a theocracy, the only nation that was called by God failed. Where do we draw the line? If you say we must be called back to our “Christian roots” you now have to back this up by scripture. Just because a nation labels itself as a “Christian nation” doesn’t make it so. We see this case all through history. Just look at Nazi Germany.
If we ever where a “Christian nation” then we should be totally governed by the scripture alone. This would give us the power to chastise and rebuke all those who do not follow in the way by means of scriptural discipline. We can’t do that in this country and still claim any form of pluralism. Is this what we want, a country lead by secular leaders who have no training in the word of God acting as if they are able to make decisions on behalf of God? Israel had that authority why don’t we? After all we are a “Christian nation.”
One of the major problems of calling this a “Christian nation” is that we now look at our faith as being one of the collective body. Faith is no longer an individual experience. It now becomes substituted for the national label or collective experience. This is dangerous beyond all that we could imagine because just as we have made the church the building in which we meet we have now made Christianity a national identity rather that a personal experience with a personal savior. (People are the Church not buildings). Which form of Christianity do we embrace as a representation our Christian national identity, Methodist, Pentecostal, Episcopal, Catholic, Baptist, Mormon, Jehovah witness, Seventh Day Adventist, Non Denominational, Greek Orthodox, United Church of Christ etc. I hope you get the picture. In order to keep any form of peace in our country we would have to allow anyone who uses the word Christian as a descriptive into the fold, no matter how unbiblical their doctrine is.
Not only does this threaten the life of the individual and his experience with God it also disposes Israel as the nation that God chose as His instrument to bring forth the Messiah the savior of the world. This new entity called the “Christian nation” somehow finds its way into the psyche of the people as the new chosen people that God wants to use as the nation that He chose to be the light to the world.
The real issue is that God wants to save individuals not nations. God chose only Israel but He saves all who would. God is not in the heavens endorsing our political agenda, he is not a republican or a democrat. He never has been and He never will be. Politicians or political systems have no right to expect that God is going to endorse their agenda.
If we are the new chosen people then it only stands to reason that He endorses all that we do. After all He created us. Did He endorse the murder of 50 million babies since 1973 Roe v Wade? Did He endorse the murder of 2 thirds of the indigenous population of this country? Did He sanctify slavery and human indignity before the Civil War?
No, He didn’t and neither did He endorse it for Israel either. The only difference was that He disciplined Israel based on the standard that He set up, that was His word. If we are a Christian nation then He should be able to discipline us as well. What standard will he use to judge us the word of God or the US Constitution?
To proclaim this as a Christian nation means we have to except the premise that the documents of the founding fathers were inspired by God. I have a problem with that based on the fact that it was those documents which allowed the conditions for those abuses to happen. It is called democracy, or more correctly, a Democratic Republic.
God is not the author of democracy. He already wrote a best seller and there are no democratic principles expounded in it. Democracy comes from the Greco Roman form of government.
So, to sum it up we can’t have it both ways. If we want to be a Christian nation then we must be ruled totally by God and Him alone. He makes the decisions based upon His word alone. He doesn’t consult us and we don’t get to vote on it. Let’s make up our mind people. Which is it? As for me I would rather choose the personal experience with God, not the national pluralistic one which pawns itself off as “Christianity”. I think I will let God be the one to choose the nation He wants to and not make declarations I can’t support.
In our arrogance we declare holy convocations in God's authority and yet ignore the ones that God has already established and declared in His word. We set up religious systems, denominations that assume that they are the Vickers of God’s new or ultimate truth on this earth. We are always trying to usurp God and that which He has declared until it finally infiltrates every aspect of our theology, society and life. We are able to make these declarations because they are all grounded in a very subtle form of replacement theology. But once we make the decision to replace Israel with something else, whatever it is, we now have to fill the void with what? I fear America and its version of “Christianity” as wonderful as it seems, just won’t do.
I write this article in response to something I read last week that so greatly disturbed me. I am including excerpts from the email I received. It is all self explanatory. So to save time and space I will just post parts of the email spelling and grammar errors included.
Dear friends,
Greetings in Jesus' name!
As you know from our last email, the Lord has stirred many pastors and leaders across the six states of New England to call for a Solemn Assembly on 9/25/10, in Plymouth, MA. The theme of this gathering is "Return-Rediscover-Reclaim" God's purposes for America. The number of pastors and leaders who bear witness to this continue to increase on a weekly basis. The signators are many across denominational lines, including Baptists, Pentecostals, Assemblies of God, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Church of the Nazarene, non-denominational churches, as well as many other para-church ministries. They also include a wide ethnic representation such as Russian, Latino, Brazilian, Korean, and African leaders from across New England. (See updated letter below).
As you might recall from the flier and the You tube invitational video, the Lord stirred the organizers of this assembly to begin that day by a morning tour of the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Monument_to_the_Forefathers. This is perhaps the most significant American monument that speaks of America's Christian heritage and covenant with God. The purpose of beginning our Solemn Assembly this way is to "Remember from where we have fallen."
Simultaneously, the Lord has been stirring Christian actor Kirk Cameron (who made the movie "Fireproof") with the same message to call America back to its Christian roots. He is preparing this message through a movie documentary about America's Christian heritage, and a main part of his movie is about the National Monument to the Forefathers. The movie is called "Monumental" http://www.monumentalmovie.com/synopsis/
The Lord somehow connected the movie team with the Solemn Assembly planning team and they both recognized that the Lord is stirring them with the same message at the same time. They both realized that God is clearly saying something to His people for this time. The movie team recognized the importance of the Solemn Assembly and they are letting the nation know about it. They also decided to come film the tour on the morning of September 25th in Plymouth to stir America and record this moment as God's remnant are responding to the stirring of the Holy Spirit.
As a preparation for this gathering, we encourage you to join us for a 10 day fast beginning tonight.
I personally have no problem at all with calling our nation to repentance and the Pastors to collective prayer. The problem is that the prognosis is not a Biblical one. Calling our nation back to it's “Christian roots” is just a smoke screen and a substitute for the real treatment needed. The treatment that is needed is to call the nation back to Biblical Jewish faith of Yeshua (Jesus) , not the white Anglo Saxon American protestant entrepreneurial capitalistic version of “Christianity”.
As I said above Christians will proclaim a sacred assembly but ignore the ones that God has already set in place in the scripture. They will proclaim this as the nation chosen by God to spread the Gospel throughout the earth and ignore Israel's role. They will try and legislate morality, prayer in schools, the sanctity of marriage, the end of abortion etc and yet not preach the Gospel to individuals who most desperately needs to hear. If we want these things to happen in our society then they will only come about through the preaching of the word and discipleship one on one. Let us be mindful of the subtle substitutes that look so good outwardly but are like Jeroboams false Temple, false priests, false sacrifice and Holidays.
1Ki 12:26 Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.
1Ki 12:27 "If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah."
1Ki 12:28 So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt."
1Ki 12:29 He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.
1Ki 12:30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.
1Ki 12:31 And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi.
1Ki 12:32 Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
1Ki 12:33 Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.
1Ki 13:33 After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again he made priests of the high places from among all the people; any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places.
1Ki 13:34 This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.
Are our “Holy Convocations” like the high places erected by Jeroboam. Someone is always trying to usurp the rightful king and replace him with a counterfeit. Let us not be guilty of the same crime that Israel committed. Let's keep the true king on His throne. Let's not celebrate Him in our own way but let us celebrate according to His prescription.
It has gotten to the place where the so called “Christianity” of this country is being endorsed and promoted by such illustrious charterers as Glen Beck the Mormon at his political rallies.
When you declare by fiat that “God hath said” that we must take back our nation for Him you are now assuming that the nation that must be taken back was one that was ordained by Him and was totally His in the first place. This is called a theocracy. This is where the danger begins. Only one nation was ordained by God and that was Israel, Gen 12:3. They weren’t even able to live as a theocracy, the only nation that was called by God failed. Where do we draw the line? If you say we must be called back to our “Christian roots” you now have to back this up by scripture. Just because a nation labels itself as a “Christian nation” doesn’t make it so. We see this case all through history. Just look at Nazi Germany.
If we ever where a “Christian nation” then we should be totally governed by the scripture alone. This would give us the power to chastise and rebuke all those who do not follow in the way by means of scriptural discipline. We can’t do that in this country and still claim any form of pluralism. Is this what we want, a country lead by secular leaders who have no training in the word of God acting as if they are able to make decisions on behalf of God? Israel had that authority why don’t we? After all we are a “Christian nation.”
One of the major problems of calling this a “Christian nation” is that we now look at our faith as being one of the collective body. Faith is no longer an individual experience. It now becomes substituted for the national label or collective experience. This is dangerous beyond all that we could imagine because just as we have made the church the building in which we meet we have now made Christianity a national identity rather that a personal experience with a personal savior. (People are the Church not buildings). Which form of Christianity do we embrace as a representation our Christian national identity, Methodist, Pentecostal, Episcopal, Catholic, Baptist, Mormon, Jehovah witness, Seventh Day Adventist, Non Denominational, Greek Orthodox, United Church of Christ etc. I hope you get the picture. In order to keep any form of peace in our country we would have to allow anyone who uses the word Christian as a descriptive into the fold, no matter how unbiblical their doctrine is.
Not only does this threaten the life of the individual and his experience with God it also disposes Israel as the nation that God chose as His instrument to bring forth the Messiah the savior of the world. This new entity called the “Christian nation” somehow finds its way into the psyche of the people as the new chosen people that God wants to use as the nation that He chose to be the light to the world.
The real issue is that God wants to save individuals not nations. God chose only Israel but He saves all who would. God is not in the heavens endorsing our political agenda, he is not a republican or a democrat. He never has been and He never will be. Politicians or political systems have no right to expect that God is going to endorse their agenda.
If we are the new chosen people then it only stands to reason that He endorses all that we do. After all He created us. Did He endorse the murder of 50 million babies since 1973 Roe v Wade? Did He endorse the murder of 2 thirds of the indigenous population of this country? Did He sanctify slavery and human indignity before the Civil War?
No, He didn’t and neither did He endorse it for Israel either. The only difference was that He disciplined Israel based on the standard that He set up, that was His word. If we are a Christian nation then He should be able to discipline us as well. What standard will he use to judge us the word of God or the US Constitution?
To proclaim this as a Christian nation means we have to except the premise that the documents of the founding fathers were inspired by God. I have a problem with that based on the fact that it was those documents which allowed the conditions for those abuses to happen. It is called democracy, or more correctly, a Democratic Republic.
God is not the author of democracy. He already wrote a best seller and there are no democratic principles expounded in it. Democracy comes from the Greco Roman form of government.
So, to sum it up we can’t have it both ways. If we want to be a Christian nation then we must be ruled totally by God and Him alone. He makes the decisions based upon His word alone. He doesn’t consult us and we don’t get to vote on it. Let’s make up our mind people. Which is it? As for me I would rather choose the personal experience with God, not the national pluralistic one which pawns itself off as “Christianity”. I think I will let God be the one to choose the nation He wants to and not make declarations I can’t support.
In our arrogance we declare holy convocations in God's authority and yet ignore the ones that God has already established and declared in His word. We set up religious systems, denominations that assume that they are the Vickers of God’s new or ultimate truth on this earth. We are always trying to usurp God and that which He has declared until it finally infiltrates every aspect of our theology, society and life. We are able to make these declarations because they are all grounded in a very subtle form of replacement theology. But once we make the decision to replace Israel with something else, whatever it is, we now have to fill the void with what? I fear America and its version of “Christianity” as wonderful as it seems, just won’t do.
I write this article in response to something I read last week that so greatly disturbed me. I am including excerpts from the email I received. It is all self explanatory. So to save time and space I will just post parts of the email spelling and grammar errors included.
Dear friends,
Greetings in Jesus' name!
As you know from our last email, the Lord has stirred many pastors and leaders across the six states of New England to call for a Solemn Assembly on 9/25/10, in Plymouth, MA. The theme of this gathering is "Return-Rediscover-Reclaim" God's purposes for America. The number of pastors and leaders who bear witness to this continue to increase on a weekly basis. The signators are many across denominational lines, including Baptists, Pentecostals, Assemblies of God, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Church of the Nazarene, non-denominational churches, as well as many other para-church ministries. They also include a wide ethnic representation such as Russian, Latino, Brazilian, Korean, and African leaders from across New England. (See updated letter below).
As you might recall from the flier and the You tube invitational video, the Lord stirred the organizers of this assembly to begin that day by a morning tour of the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Monument_to_the_Forefathers. This is perhaps the most significant American monument that speaks of America's Christian heritage and covenant with God. The purpose of beginning our Solemn Assembly this way is to "Remember from where we have fallen."
Simultaneously, the Lord has been stirring Christian actor Kirk Cameron (who made the movie "Fireproof") with the same message to call America back to its Christian roots. He is preparing this message through a movie documentary about America's Christian heritage, and a main part of his movie is about the National Monument to the Forefathers. The movie is called "Monumental" http://www.monumentalmovie.com/synopsis/
The Lord somehow connected the movie team with the Solemn Assembly planning team and they both recognized that the Lord is stirring them with the same message at the same time. They both realized that God is clearly saying something to His people for this time. The movie team recognized the importance of the Solemn Assembly and they are letting the nation know about it. They also decided to come film the tour on the morning of September 25th in Plymouth to stir America and record this moment as God's remnant are responding to the stirring of the Holy Spirit.
As a preparation for this gathering, we encourage you to join us for a 10 day fast beginning tonight.
I personally have no problem at all with calling our nation to repentance and the Pastors to collective prayer. The problem is that the prognosis is not a Biblical one. Calling our nation back to it's “Christian roots” is just a smoke screen and a substitute for the real treatment needed. The treatment that is needed is to call the nation back to Biblical Jewish faith of Yeshua (Jesus) , not the white Anglo Saxon American protestant entrepreneurial capitalistic version of “Christianity”.
As I said above Christians will proclaim a sacred assembly but ignore the ones that God has already set in place in the scripture. They will proclaim this as the nation chosen by God to spread the Gospel throughout the earth and ignore Israel's role. They will try and legislate morality, prayer in schools, the sanctity of marriage, the end of abortion etc and yet not preach the Gospel to individuals who most desperately needs to hear. If we want these things to happen in our society then they will only come about through the preaching of the word and discipleship one on one. Let us be mindful of the subtle substitutes that look so good outwardly but are like Jeroboams false Temple, false priests, false sacrifice and Holidays.
1Ki 12:26 Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.
1Ki 12:27 "If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah."
1Ki 12:28 So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt."
1Ki 12:29 He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.
1Ki 12:30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.
1Ki 12:31 And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi.
1Ki 12:32 Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
1Ki 12:33 Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.
1Ki 13:33 After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again he made priests of the high places from among all the people; any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places.
1Ki 13:34 This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.
Are our “Holy Convocations” like the high places erected by Jeroboam. Someone is always trying to usurp the rightful king and replace him with a counterfeit. Let us not be guilty of the same crime that Israel committed. Let's keep the true king on His throne. Let's not celebrate Him in our own way but let us celebrate according to His prescription.
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