BY PASTOR MIKE TAYLOR
Psalm 2:1 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?
2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
2:3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”
2:4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.
2:5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure:
Deuteronomy,
8:18 “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
8:19 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish
8:20 As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.
I was implored by a brother in Christ to assemble a message on our 1st Amendment rights of freedom of speech and religion that is guaranteed in our Constitution and written down in our Bill of Rights to that Constitution and the loss of those freedoms, which are coming. As he is, so am I, tired of hearing the words “separation of church and state”. No where in our founding documents that birthed this nation as a land of freedom can these words be found. I challenge anyone to show them to me. Why? Because they are not there.
A NEW NATION FORMED
In the beginning of forming this nation, men of conscious, men of faith, and men of determination came to an agreement on what this nation would be based upon. And what was the foundation that formed this nation and which we stand upon? In the opening words of our Declaration of Independence, we find the source of our freedoms:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (emphasis mine)
It was the opening salvo of our war of independence from British tyranny and to break away from being ruled by one man and to being subject to him, as our benefactor, instead of relying on our source of our freedom, being Almighty God.
So where did this phrase of separation of church and state come from, in the first place, if not found in our Constitution or Bill of Rights in any of its language? Now as a preface, note that this nation was formed out of a desire to escape persecution, besides that of tyranny and a dictatorship of a king, but to have religious liberty to choose how an individual was to acknowledge the God of our Fathers in his/her own life and not have a state religion dictate your beliefs according to their definitions and against your own convictions. Note that during this time period, Europe was going through several rounds of Catholic Inquisitions fostered by the likes of the Jesuits and were persecuting all who would not bow to the rule of the Catholic Church. That’s history written down and cannot be refuted. That is what the Catholic church was doing, and men of freewill longed for the right to choose according to their own convictions.
Down through history, the issue was debated from antiquity until even the time of British rule and Henry VIII creating his own religion or the Church of England, thus breaking ties with the Roman Catholic Church over a dispute of marriage. The King became also the High Priest of the nation and many perils befell the population because of state run religion, but it was Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence who attempted to define what was undefined in our Bill of Rights. What are the words of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution? Quote:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” endquote.
I ask you, do you see anything in that phrase that says that the name of God shall be eliminated from the halls of every state institution, or that a free person can’t say the name of Jesus in a prayer, or prohibit prayer according to your convictions at a school function, the Ten Commandments displayed outside a courthouse, or a nativity scene banished for view during the month of December? So where did it come from?
In English, the exact term is an offshoot of the phrase, "wall of separation between church and state", as written in Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. In that letter, referencing the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, Jefferson writes:
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."
And from a letter written, not law mind you, was the order of the Supreme Court that in a case of Reynolds v. United States that the ruling added to the Bill of Rights something that was not ratified by the people of the USA. Here is their “opinion”.
"Congress cannot pass a law for the government of the Territory which shall prohibit the free exercise of religion. The first amendment to the Constitution expressly forbids such legislation." Of federal territorial laws, the Court said: "Laws are made for the government of actions, and while they cannot interfere with mere religious beliefs and opinions, they may with practices."
There were many instances where cults or perversion was based on “religious beliefs” contrary to the welfare of the majority or in violation of current law and that is a broad subject that I will not cover here. But the problem began when the state began throwing the baby out with the bath water. From the 1960s, beginning with Madeline O’Hare’s suing the Board of Education about school prayer, has the slide of everything anti-God been promoted as “separation of church and state”…Every mention of God, or our Savior Jesus Christ was banned and challenged by minority population of atheist and those that would change the foundation upon which this country was formed, namely the Ten Commandments and the exercise of every man’s conscious whether to worship or not to worship a Divine Being, was being overturned. Now instead of the 1stAmendment identifying “Freedom OF Religion”, it has morphed into “Freedom from Religion” devoid of any mention of what this country has stood for some 237+ years of her existence.
SO WHERE ARE WE HEADED?
So we know where we have been and what we have fought and died for, since the beginning of the 20th Century. Of such are Marxist-communism, fascism, and nazism. For all their differences, each of these three totalitarian systems deny democracy and the rule of law. They all—though fascism to a lesser extent—get their intellectual underpinnings from Karl Marx. So what is the end result of a nation that throws God or His mention from the halls of their laws and government of the people, by the people, and for the people?
Many doomsday prognosticators feel that a nation that falls is a result of social economic indicators, or political upheaval, but their prognosis is correct, but their diagnosis misses the mark and is wrong. What causes a nation to fall into ruin, as other nations before us have fallen, such as Rome, Greece, or the British Empire? Yes, the future is bleak. But our problem is not ultimately political, economic, or even social, as these doomsayers would have us believe.
The decline of this nation (just as the decline of every other nation) is due to spiritual factors. The political, economic, and social problems we encounter are the symptoms of the spiritual deterioration of a nation, not the cause. Just as our Bible gives us example after example of when Israel was putting God first in all that she did, such at the time of Solomon’s reign during his first years of being king. Now contrast that to when his sons who attained the throne after him, followed not with their whole heart after God falling into idolatry, did God finally send them into exile not once, but twice for the Southern Kingdom (and total annihilation of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians) with the last one being almost 1900 years by Rome, until against all odds, God made them a nation again. Now, my reader, we are NOT Israel and we are NOT God’s chosen people, but of the Christians of this nation, we are people He called as a special people called out for Himself. A people who were not His people, through His grace and His mercy.
How can we think or even believe that if we stay on the same course that we are on and expect God to do anything but what He said He would do in Deuteronomy :
8:19 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish".
Notice the word “perish”…to mean destroy utterly. Have we gone too far? Has the Christian majority that has the label “Christian” about them, allowed this nation to descend to a point of no return? Have our multitude of sins that have been made politically correct destroyed our very foundation? We could make a multitude of the laundry list of our abominations that I can only imagine “stinks” in God’s nostrils…I would like to quote an article I read about the stages and the rise and fall of a nation from Kirby Anderson “Decline of a Nation”…I quote:
“History has shown that the average age of the great civilizations is around two hundred years. Countries like Great Britain exceed the average while other countries like the United States are just now reaching the average age.
Each of the great civilizations in the world passed through a series of stages from their birth to their decline to their death. Historians have listed these in ten stages.
The first stage moves from bondage to spiritual faith. The second from spiritual faith to great courage. The third stage moves from great courage to liberty. The fourth stage moves from liberty to abundance. The fifth stage moves from abundance to selfishness. The sixth stage moves from selfishness to complacency. The seventh stage moves from complacency to apathy. The eighth stage moves from apathy to moral decay. The ninth stage moves from moral decay to dependence. And the tenth and last stage moves from dependence to bondage.”
Let us look at where we are, based on this scale of 1-10 stages. Looking at our daily news and reports of the economic, political, and yes, the spiritual condition of this country, I would say we are somewhere between 9 and 10…The powers that be starting with this present “administration” are working feverishly to destroy what is left of this nation, and you my reader, are a facilitator of that moral decay by your silence, your apathy, and by being only concerned with self…It’s all about me, right?
Do you see what I’m speaking of here? The land of the free, and the home of the brave is perilously close to extinction. Extinct to say from what we knew and enjoyed in abundance…that is FREEDOM to choose. That freedom is dangerously close to be snuffed out in the name of political correctness and the love of unrighteous behavior.
I ask you, where are the righteous men and women of this nation that have yet to rise up and scream at the top of their lungs and take action to take this country back?…again, is it too late? In times past, I have postulated that indeed, it may be too late. Our doom is sealed in my mind, but my heart longs for the nation I thought I knew…I am reminded of what God said of the wicked that will make up much of this country in the near future. Psalm:
11:5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
THE COMING 7 YEAR TRIBULATION
There is coming a time of unspeakable horror that all will face that do not call on the name of our Lord and Savior in repentance and ask forgiveness of their sins and do so, truly in their heart of hearts. That time may be just around the corner. In that period of 7 years, the USA and the whole world for that matter, will be but a shell of what it was. There will be a brutal master over the whole world that will rule with death, destruction, and terror. In him will be the ultimate separation of church and state, as the One World Religion that he uses to his own gain will be destroyed.
Revelation:
13:14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which he had received to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
13:15 And he received power to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to die.
13:16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
13:17 and he provides that no one can buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
13:18 Here we find wisdom Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number represents that of a man; and his number adds up to six hundred and sixty-six.
Until he does away with this false church, and desire only worship of himself, being the supreme false god over the state:
17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore (false church), and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
It will be the most awful time of the end of this age of the rule of man over himself, as Jesus said that “unless the time be shortened, no flesh would be saved”. Matthew 24:22a
So my reader, how is your religion? Is it rooted in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Do you call upon the name that is above every name, Jesus, the Son of the Living God? If you have followed any of my previous messages concerning the coming tribulation, then my friend, if you be of that crowd who wants a separation of church and state, you will get your wish in all its horror when religion is centered on one man, and you will worship him on pain of death. Much like Augustus Caesar during Rome’s rule and their subsequent Caesars. Sounds delightful, right? I’m sure that will be the last thing on your mind, as you attempt just to stay alive, as living free on this earth during that time coming will be a scarce commodity for all who live a mortal life during those years. Separation of church and state is coming and it’s nothing you bargained for or able to envision. God help you.
This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying you make that decision for Jesus Christ before time runs out. If you need counseling, prayer, or just a listening ear, email me at realteam1999@sbcglobal.net, or visit me online atwww.churchofgod-usa.org. God bless you all, TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET
Comments
Diana
12/28/2013 5:36pm
Thank you for this ever-important information. It saddens me how the words of our forefathers are twisted into something that would surely make them angry were they alive to witness it. Unfortunately, so many have hardened hearts and refuse to see the truth; never mind that the truth is all around them!
Everyone needs to hear this message - and I pray that many will - and will listen.
Everyone needs to hear this message - and I pray that many will - and will listen.
mike pentycofe
12/28/2013 6:49pm
Well said Pastor Mike, It seems the vast majority of those in power have gone to great lengths to remove God from every facet of our American culture and from our lives. Our nation was founded on Christian principles and the word of God . THE BIBLE. We have the most corrupt politicians in our countries history from obama to the congress, and the senate as well as the supreme court. These people will have alot to answer for at the great white judgement . For all the pain and suffering they have brought to the American people they will indeed pay a terrible price. I almost feel sorry for them .They will answer to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY !!! Look up for our redemption draweth nigh Amen and Amen !!! Your brother in Christ mike pentycofe
12/28/2013 6:54pm
Too late to save America and the rest of the world.... but never to late to save a soul
http://www.simplicityinthegospel.com/2013/08/can-we-stop-rain-from-falling.html
http://www.simplicityinthegospel.com/2013/08/can-we-stop-rain-from-falling.html
Ron Rush
12/30/2013 7:19am
For all who read this please pass this along in your e-mails and facebook posts and to your Brothers and Sisters in Christ. If we don't or can't do anything else to turn things around, at least we can leave our country a parting blow by showing them the Truth about our Constitution. Our Constitution was designed to allow us to have our individual faiths and openly express them in government, our schools, colleges, and public. The only thing we couldn't do was say this courthouse, town, or nation will be Baptist, Catholic, or establish any government office as being only of a particular religion. But since they have chosen to throw God out, God will give them anti-religion shoved down their throats for shoving their beliefs down ours. And as Mike said Quote: "Separation of church and state is coming and it’s nothing you bargained for or able to envision. God help you." They will all wish when it is said and done: "I wish we had the nice and loving Christians just sharing their beliefs with us again" I hope 2014 is the year we go home. God really blessed you with the writing of this article Mike. God Bless You, YBIC. Ron
Ron Rush
08/14/2014 10:26am
Here is the first 2 and most important US Constitutional copy and paste them you will notice the words "Separation of Church and State"
Are Not There! It makes me mad to hear that when someone can easily Google the US Constitution on the Web.
AMENDMENTS
TO THE CONSTITUTION
OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Amendment I.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Are Not There! It makes me mad to hear that when someone can easily Google the US Constitution on the Web.
AMENDMENTS
TO THE CONSTITUTION
OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Amendment I.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Pastor Mike
12/30/2013 10:07am
The following comments are being posted with the permission of one of my members, who is a frequent reader of this website and others...God bless you, Brother Ed.
Hi Pastor Mike.
First of all, Happy New Year to you and kin.
Second, it is my view that if Christians had made a stand and persisted in doing so for the past 50 years (the anniversary of the Supreme Court kicking god out of our schools), this nation never would have fallen to where it is now.
Third, I recently wrote a letter to the local paper which I think you will find has certain commonalities with your message.
************
New Haven Register
December 27, 2013
To the Editor:
"More Work Ahead for Same-Sex Marriage." "California Schools Prepare for Transgender Rights Laws." "Holdouts in Utah Now Letting Gay Couples Wed." Not only are these the titles of the offerings on pages A10 and A11 of the December 27, 2013 New Haven Register, but, I fear, very much a sign of our times.
A look back into the history of the great empires of Greece and Rome unmistakably paints a picture of both former world powers embracing a similar "anything goes" culture in which the standards of morality become whatever society thinks they should be. In other words, "right" and "wrong" become fluid things and instead of providing a framework on which daily life is based are built upon whatever the current trends happen to be.
The problem with relative morality is that in the long run, it never works, as the wreckage of the aforementioned historical world empires clearly attest. When the division between right and wrong breaks down in one area, the result is that this failure soon carries over into every other aspect of a nation's existence. Witness the growing carnage even in our schools where our youngest residents or their teachers are no longer assured of coming home alive at the end of the day, if you don't believe me.
Perhaps the most prominent examples of societal collapse in modern times was Hitler's twisted morality which swept up Germany in the past century which declared it was a good idea to persecute and kill millions of its own citizens based totally on their ethnicity. Or that Stalin used to justify the deaths of his own countrymen and women in his ruthless efforts to put the needs of the state over those of the people who comprised it. Or Mao Tse Tsung or Pol Pot and the all-too-many other despots of the world who defined right and wrong based on their own lusts for power.
Unless a society accepts that there is an overriding "law above the law" and that there truly exists absolutes of right and wrong on a fundamental level, it will not stand the test of time and America has no special protection which will allow it to survive if it continues its current path. Unless it once again embraces the values that caused its founders to recognize that there was a Creator to whom it was subject who defined right and wrong before the first human being ever walked on Earth, the decline this country is already experiencing will not only continue but accelerate until it, too, becomes yet another story of a civilization which threw away its potential to make a good and lasting difference in the record of human life on Earth.
Perhaps Dr. Martin Luther King said it best in his letter from a Birmingham jail:
"How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law."
Maybe I should have just started and ended this letter with that.
Edward W
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
to brother Ed, I replied:
Ed,
please, my brother, allow me to add that to the comments on the website, or do me the honor of posting it yourself. You hit it squarely, and I attempted to speak to the subject with this article, but as you and I know, this subject is too broad and complex and cannot be addressed in less than 3000 words for print on a RR website, or my own...Our nation is falling through the cracks into the abyss. We see it, you and I, but I wonder how many other see it?
I read where the Rose Parade will not be subject for family viewing this year, as they will have a homosexual couple "wed" on their parade float, and was the same in our Thanksgiving Parade of drag queens strutting their "stuff"....Makes me sick to my stomach and if it makes me sick, I know it must make my Heavenly Father angry to see such perversion. This country is going the way of Sodom and brethren who belong to the Lord God must stand and make as much noise as we can. I pray somebody, anybody will listen even if it's just one to snap them out of the jaws of Hell Fire and eternal death...May God richly bless you, as you stand firm in the Laws of God, His righteousness, His grace and love to proclaim the hour of His c
Hi Pastor Mike.
First of all, Happy New Year to you and kin.
Second, it is my view that if Christians had made a stand and persisted in doing so for the past 50 years (the anniversary of the Supreme Court kicking god out of our schools), this nation never would have fallen to where it is now.
Third, I recently wrote a letter to the local paper which I think you will find has certain commonalities with your message.
************
New Haven Register
December 27, 2013
To the Editor:
"More Work Ahead for Same-Sex Marriage." "California Schools Prepare for Transgender Rights Laws." "Holdouts in Utah Now Letting Gay Couples Wed." Not only are these the titles of the offerings on pages A10 and A11 of the December 27, 2013 New Haven Register, but, I fear, very much a sign of our times.
A look back into the history of the great empires of Greece and Rome unmistakably paints a picture of both former world powers embracing a similar "anything goes" culture in which the standards of morality become whatever society thinks they should be. In other words, "right" and "wrong" become fluid things and instead of providing a framework on which daily life is based are built upon whatever the current trends happen to be.
The problem with relative morality is that in the long run, it never works, as the wreckage of the aforementioned historical world empires clearly attest. When the division between right and wrong breaks down in one area, the result is that this failure soon carries over into every other aspect of a nation's existence. Witness the growing carnage even in our schools where our youngest residents or their teachers are no longer assured of coming home alive at the end of the day, if you don't believe me.
Perhaps the most prominent examples of societal collapse in modern times was Hitler's twisted morality which swept up Germany in the past century which declared it was a good idea to persecute and kill millions of its own citizens based totally on their ethnicity. Or that Stalin used to justify the deaths of his own countrymen and women in his ruthless efforts to put the needs of the state over those of the people who comprised it. Or Mao Tse Tsung or Pol Pot and the all-too-many other despots of the world who defined right and wrong based on their own lusts for power.
Unless a society accepts that there is an overriding "law above the law" and that there truly exists absolutes of right and wrong on a fundamental level, it will not stand the test of time and America has no special protection which will allow it to survive if it continues its current path. Unless it once again embraces the values that caused its founders to recognize that there was a Creator to whom it was subject who defined right and wrong before the first human being ever walked on Earth, the decline this country is already experiencing will not only continue but accelerate until it, too, becomes yet another story of a civilization which threw away its potential to make a good and lasting difference in the record of human life on Earth.
Perhaps Dr. Martin Luther King said it best in his letter from a Birmingham jail:
"How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law."
Maybe I should have just started and ended this letter with that.
Edward W
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
to brother Ed, I replied:
Ed,
please, my brother, allow me to add that to the comments on the website, or do me the honor of posting it yourself. You hit it squarely, and I attempted to speak to the subject with this article, but as you and I know, this subject is too broad and complex and cannot be addressed in less than 3000 words for print on a RR website, or my own...Our nation is falling through the cracks into the abyss. We see it, you and I, but I wonder how many other see it?
I read where the Rose Parade will not be subject for family viewing this year, as they will have a homosexual couple "wed" on their parade float, and was the same in our Thanksgiving Parade of drag queens strutting their "stuff"....Makes me sick to my stomach and if it makes me sick, I know it must make my Heavenly Father angry to see such perversion. This country is going the way of Sodom and brethren who belong to the Lord God must stand and make as much noise as we can. I pray somebody, anybody will listen even if it's just one to snap them out of the jaws of Hell Fire and eternal death...May God richly bless you, as you stand firm in the Laws of God, His righteousness, His grace and love to proclaim the hour of His c
Pastor Mike
12/30/2013 10:09am
Ed's reply to my request:
Hi Mike,
Yes, by all means, I would welcome and be honored by your using of my letter, all or in part. The Bible is crystal clear about God's intentions for human sexuality and our country was founded by men who, whatever faults they may have had, were wise enough to know that there was a Creator and that he had defined right and wrong before we ever existed.
One of the arguments I make to support this is that there are the immutable physical laws which control the operation of our universe. The speed of light in a vacuum is always 186,000 miles per second, gravity is directly proportional to mass in a fixed amount, etc. If one believes the idea that God created the universe with such established laws, then it is entirely consistent with his nature that he would also have fixed and unchanging laws concerning right and wrong.
Of course, for a atheist who believes it all happened randomly, then morality become totally subjective. The consequence of this is that "anything goes" and that we all define "right and wrong " for ourselves. What this really means is that there is no right or wrong, only each person's arbitrary definitions of the same. In other words, your ideas of morality aren't better or worse than mine, because all they are is a personal opinion, if we follow this logic. This result, of course, leads to the extreme examples I gave in my letter.
My real problem is more with so-called Christians who give say they believe in God and then in the next breath tell us his Bible is flawed and unreliable. The truth of the matter is that they think they can have it both ways, that they can believe in God and then do what they want. I have yet to see them produce the evidence backing up their claims.
This is but one symptom of a spiritual blindness that becomes all encompassing, including the inability to recognize the signs of these times, much as Noah's generation obviously didn't recognize theirs. I think that is EXACTLY why Jesus made that very reference in his Olivet discourse.
Because you and I have studied, and, most importantly, believe in the authority and reliability of Scripture, this gives the Holy Spirit the tools he needs to allow him to give us the discernment we could never achieve on our own. I know for a fact there are things I would have never figured out on my own that I believe were shown to me, as if God was whispering in my ear. (Even though I am far from being a paragon of virtue!!)
So, God bless, my friend and keep looking up!!!
Ed
Hi Mike,
Yes, by all means, I would welcome and be honored by your using of my letter, all or in part. The Bible is crystal clear about God's intentions for human sexuality and our country was founded by men who, whatever faults they may have had, were wise enough to know that there was a Creator and that he had defined right and wrong before we ever existed.
One of the arguments I make to support this is that there are the immutable physical laws which control the operation of our universe. The speed of light in a vacuum is always 186,000 miles per second, gravity is directly proportional to mass in a fixed amount, etc. If one believes the idea that God created the universe with such established laws, then it is entirely consistent with his nature that he would also have fixed and unchanging laws concerning right and wrong.
Of course, for a atheist who believes it all happened randomly, then morality become totally subjective. The consequence of this is that "anything goes" and that we all define "right and wrong " for ourselves. What this really means is that there is no right or wrong, only each person's arbitrary definitions of the same. In other words, your ideas of morality aren't better or worse than mine, because all they are is a personal opinion, if we follow this logic. This result, of course, leads to the extreme examples I gave in my letter.
My real problem is more with so-called Christians who give say they believe in God and then in the next breath tell us his Bible is flawed and unreliable. The truth of the matter is that they think they can have it both ways, that they can believe in God and then do what they want. I have yet to see them produce the evidence backing up their claims.
This is but one symptom of a spiritual blindness that becomes all encompassing, including the inability to recognize the signs of these times, much as Noah's generation obviously didn't recognize theirs. I think that is EXACTLY why Jesus made that very reference in his Olivet discourse.
Because you and I have studied, and, most importantly, believe in the authority and reliability of Scripture, this gives the Holy Spirit the tools he needs to allow him to give us the discernment we could never achieve on our own. I know for a fact there are things I would have never figured out on my own that I believe were shown to me, as if God was whispering in my ear. (Even though I am far from being a paragon of virtue!!)
So, God bless, my friend and keep looking up!!!
Ed
Ron Rush
08/12/2014 4:58pm
It really rubs me the wrong way when I hear someone call themselves a Christian and then you discuss The Bible with them and say something about God doing some miracle and you have them say to you..."Oh I don't think He could do that!" Truly amazing they claim to believe in the Bible but don't think God could heal someone, or perform some easy task! Ugh! I cannot believe any Christian who says they have read The Bible and only believe certain parts of it. You either believe all of God's Word or none, you cannot pick and choose which parts you will believe. I believe anyone who is a Born Again Believer who has The Holy Spirit of God will believe The entire Bible is God's Word and it is "All True"
The Day I got saved I said in my Heart along with a lot of other things but this was a key one I remember is..."I believe Everything in The Bible all of it is true!" I had only read bits and pieces before that moment of time and at most a few verses and chapters in The Bible. Yet the moment I got saved I was saying in my mind "I believe every word in The Bible!" A person doesn't receive The Holy Spirit at Salvation to have doubt about God's Word The Bible. IMHO
The Day I got saved I said in my Heart along with a lot of other things but this was a key one I remember is..."I believe Everything in The Bible all of it is true!" I had only read bits and pieces before that moment of time and at most a few verses and chapters in The Bible. Yet the moment I got saved I was saying in my mind "I believe every word in The Bible!" A person doesn't receive The Holy Spirit at Salvation to have doubt about God's Word The Bible. IMHO
01/04/2014 11:50am
I'm going to reprint this email from a reader. I pray she doesn't mind:
Dear Pastor Mike,
The timing of your article, "Freedom from Religion?" (ie separation of church and state) is perfect for me, as it is always with God's timing. Last night I wrote the following letter to my church Pastoral staff. As you will see I am plagued by the expected action of the church by our God in this age. We people in this local body of believers know that we are being immensely blessed by the preaching in our pulpit. Our Pastoral staff are Faithful men of God, true to the whole word of God as the infallible and inerrant Word of God in its original context, who seek nothing but the will of God and are extremely faithful to the preaching of God's word with the principal factors being salvation, growth in the spiritual life of the christian, and planting churches. They know we are living in the last days, and our pastor plans to teach the book of Revelation in the near future. Our church is only seven years old and is made up all ages and all stages of spiritual maturity. Our pastor's emphasis in the past five years since he became our pastor has been, " Our Identity is found in Christ Jesus...This is who we are." I believe for the most part he has brought us as a church body to the place of maturity and strength of faith to know what it is to trust Christ in our daily lives. His ending statement every week is "Through Grace Alone, By Faith Alone, In Christ Alone, and there is no problem or circumstance you will face this week that is bigger than our God."
I have put my burden to them in this letter which I am sending today. In light of your article, what would be your advice for our pastors and for me personally. I have been praying about this for a long time. I read your articles and visit your site often and I believe we are one in the Spirit. Thank you for your faithful teaching and for taking the time to read my letters.
The Lord Bless you,
Mrs.Charlon W
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regarding the article, "Christians Awaken For Duck Dynasty Flap" by Chuck Baldwin, December 31, 2013 (included below)
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/Articles/tabid/109/ID/1115/Christians-Awaken-For-Duck-Dynasty-Flap.aspx
Dear Pastor Jon, Pastor Skip and Elders,
I am sending you an article below that pierces my conscience and I seek counsel regarding God's position. Perhaps you might read the article first to better understand where I am coming from. I read Chuck Baldwin and have read him for a number of years because of his love God, for our Country and for our Constitutional Government. Also he is a moral man who seeks to do right and has made personal sacrifices as a Pastor to live by what he says. He hits at Pastors and Church Leadership very hard as to put the blame of the loss of our God Given Liberties at the feet of the Church. I do know that the Great Commission of our Lord is to preach and teach the Gospel and Jesus Christ and this is at the heart of my soul and I believe yours.
I am writing to you because of the confusion this issue gives me. I know with out a shadow of a doubt that this world is not my home and I am heaven bound and yet I was blessed to be born in a country where we have lived with abundant freedom of the issues that Chuck is dealing with. I am filled with gratitude with the blessings that God has blessed us with and am not a little appreciative of the sacrifices our Military has made from the beginning of declaring our independence from totalitarian government. In fact I am overwhelmed with gratitude of the price that has been paid for my freedom as I am at the price paid by My Savior for my reconciliation to the Father through His sacrifice. In the past 40 years I have watched the attitude of this country deteriorate with great sadness. I know God tells us in his word that these things will happen in the end times and we are seeing it before our eyes. I have asked myself many times what can I do to help awaken Christians to be more concerned about abortion and the other atrocities that have become common place. I volunteered at the Pregnancy Center for four years and have been dedicated to teaching Moms Of Pre-Schoolers about being Christian Wives and Mothers for about 8 years through programs like MOPS and three of us more "mature" ladies have co-led a small group of moms as mentors for the past six years. These involvements have been an enormous blessing to me; however I am plagued by what seems to be apathy as well of moral bankruptcy of the American people.
My confusion comes from trying to understand what is the roll of the church and individual Christians in taking a stand in these matters. Is it as simple as removing the Government influence from the Church by for example withdrawing our income tax exemption status? Would Christians give to the Lord without this incentive? Would this produce more liberty in the pulpit?
Dear Pastor Mike,
The timing of your article, "Freedom from Religion?" (ie separation of church and state) is perfect for me, as it is always with God's timing. Last night I wrote the following letter to my church Pastoral staff. As you will see I am plagued by the expected action of the church by our God in this age. We people in this local body of believers know that we are being immensely blessed by the preaching in our pulpit. Our Pastoral staff are Faithful men of God, true to the whole word of God as the infallible and inerrant Word of God in its original context, who seek nothing but the will of God and are extremely faithful to the preaching of God's word with the principal factors being salvation, growth in the spiritual life of the christian, and planting churches. They know we are living in the last days, and our pastor plans to teach the book of Revelation in the near future. Our church is only seven years old and is made up all ages and all stages of spiritual maturity. Our pastor's emphasis in the past five years since he became our pastor has been, " Our Identity is found in Christ Jesus...This is who we are." I believe for the most part he has brought us as a church body to the place of maturity and strength of faith to know what it is to trust Christ in our daily lives. His ending statement every week is "Through Grace Alone, By Faith Alone, In Christ Alone, and there is no problem or circumstance you will face this week that is bigger than our God."
I have put my burden to them in this letter which I am sending today. In light of your article, what would be your advice for our pastors and for me personally. I have been praying about this for a long time. I read your articles and visit your site often and I believe we are one in the Spirit. Thank you for your faithful teaching and for taking the time to read my letters.
The Lord Bless you,
Mrs.Charlon W
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regarding the article, "Christians Awaken For Duck Dynasty Flap" by Chuck Baldwin, December 31, 2013 (included below)
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/Articles/tabid/109/ID/1115/Christians-Awaken-For-Duck-Dynasty-Flap.aspx
Dear Pastor Jon, Pastor Skip and Elders,
I am sending you an article below that pierces my conscience and I seek counsel regarding God's position. Perhaps you might read the article first to better understand where I am coming from. I read Chuck Baldwin and have read him for a number of years because of his love God, for our Country and for our Constitutional Government. Also he is a moral man who seeks to do right and has made personal sacrifices as a Pastor to live by what he says. He hits at Pastors and Church Leadership very hard as to put the blame of the loss of our God Given Liberties at the feet of the Church. I do know that the Great Commission of our Lord is to preach and teach the Gospel and Jesus Christ and this is at the heart of my soul and I believe yours.
I am writing to you because of the confusion this issue gives me. I know with out a shadow of a doubt that this world is not my home and I am heaven bound and yet I was blessed to be born in a country where we have lived with abundant freedom of the issues that Chuck is dealing with. I am filled with gratitude with the blessings that God has blessed us with and am not a little appreciative of the sacrifices our Military has made from the beginning of declaring our independence from totalitarian government. In fact I am overwhelmed with gratitude of the price that has been paid for my freedom as I am at the price paid by My Savior for my reconciliation to the Father through His sacrifice. In the past 40 years I have watched the attitude of this country deteriorate with great sadness. I know God tells us in his word that these things will happen in the end times and we are seeing it before our eyes. I have asked myself many times what can I do to help awaken Christians to be more concerned about abortion and the other atrocities that have become common place. I volunteered at the Pregnancy Center for four years and have been dedicated to teaching Moms Of Pre-Schoolers about being Christian Wives and Mothers for about 8 years through programs like MOPS and three of us more "mature" ladies have co-led a small group of moms as mentors for the past six years. These involvements have been an enormous blessing to me; however I am plagued by what seems to be apathy as well of moral bankruptcy of the American people.
My confusion comes from trying to understand what is the roll of the church and individual Christians in taking a stand in these matters. Is it as simple as removing the Government influence from the Church by for example withdrawing our income tax exemption status? Would Christians give to the Lord without this incentive? Would this produce more liberty in the pulpit?
pastor mike
01/04/2014 11:54am
continued from above:
I agree with Chuck about being disturbed by the fact that Christians rise up and protest intensely regarding entertainment while at the same time seeming to be asleep on the issues of abortion, homosexual behavior and same sex marriage, etc. Chuck makes his point by saying, "If Christians really wanted to boycott the institution with the biggest pro-homosexual agenda in the world, they would boycott paying taxes to the IRS. Through the US State Department and Pentagon, the homosexual agenda is not only being advanced domestically but internationally. Our State Department hires open homosexuals as diplomats and sends them to countries that hold deep religious and cultural aversions to that lifestyle. More than one country has the homosexual lifestyle thrown in their face through the diplomatic corps of the US State Department. The Pentagon has put homosexuals in the closest of confines with US troops in virtually every military assignment and theater. Various agencies and departments of the federal government spend billions of taxpayer dollars advancing or even demanding a militant homosexual agenda." This is true and they also use our tax dollars to pay for abortions. So my question is what is God's answer to the pulpit being used to preach and teach against all of these things that God hates in relation to our activation? When I read one of these articles by Chuck, I think perhaps the answer for me is to stop reading his articles. That makes me feel like I am sticking my head in the sand. I even at one point wrote to him and defended my pastor as being called by God to preach the Gospel, only to feel like we are in one sense on a sinking ship. I want to see in God's word where He tells me that we are living in the "time" where God has completely given America over to Satan for judgment of our atrocious sins, and we Christians are to put all of our energy into the "eternal" literally and exclusively. Or will we be held accountable for not stemming the tide?
I pray I am not putting my burden at your feet when there is no real answer to my delima. Thank you for reading my thoughts and God Bless you all for the faithful and dedicated lives that you live before us.
In Christ, Charlon W/
P.S.
My wonderful and faithful husband sympathizes with me but is probably as befuddled as I am. He will read this and let me know if I have his blessing to send it. (Sometimes the 'man' in me will just not sit down.)
I agree with Chuck about being disturbed by the fact that Christians rise up and protest intensely regarding entertainment while at the same time seeming to be asleep on the issues of abortion, homosexual behavior and same sex marriage, etc. Chuck makes his point by saying, "If Christians really wanted to boycott the institution with the biggest pro-homosexual agenda in the world, they would boycott paying taxes to the IRS. Through the US State Department and Pentagon, the homosexual agenda is not only being advanced domestically but internationally. Our State Department hires open homosexuals as diplomats and sends them to countries that hold deep religious and cultural aversions to that lifestyle. More than one country has the homosexual lifestyle thrown in their face through the diplomatic corps of the US State Department. The Pentagon has put homosexuals in the closest of confines with US troops in virtually every military assignment and theater. Various agencies and departments of the federal government spend billions of taxpayer dollars advancing or even demanding a militant homosexual agenda." This is true and they also use our tax dollars to pay for abortions. So my question is what is God's answer to the pulpit being used to preach and teach against all of these things that God hates in relation to our activation? When I read one of these articles by Chuck, I think perhaps the answer for me is to stop reading his articles. That makes me feel like I am sticking my head in the sand. I even at one point wrote to him and defended my pastor as being called by God to preach the Gospel, only to feel like we are in one sense on a sinking ship. I want to see in God's word where He tells me that we are living in the "time" where God has completely given America over to Satan for judgment of our atrocious sins, and we Christians are to put all of our energy into the "eternal" literally and exclusively. Or will we be held accountable for not stemming the tide?
I pray I am not putting my burden at your feet when there is no real answer to my delima. Thank you for reading my thoughts and God Bless you all for the faithful and dedicated lives that you live before us.
In Christ, Charlon W/
P.S.
My wonderful and faithful husband sympathizes with me but is probably as befuddled as I am. He will read this and let me know if I have his blessing to send it. (Sometimes the 'man' in me will just not sit down.)
Charlon
01/04/2014 12:43pm
I agree with the comment by Edward W. "Second, it is my view that if Christians had made a stand and persisted in doing so for the past 50 years (the anniversary of the Supreme Court kicking god out of our schools), this nation never would have fallen to where it is now." So True, many of us have, but not enough...
I don't mind that you shared my e-mail here, I hope my pastors read their mail before they hear about it from this posting. (Smile). To God be the Glory and may He come Quickly! Charlon
I don't mind that you shared my e-mail here, I hope my pastors read their mail before they hear about it from this posting. (Smile). To God be the Glory and may He come Quickly! Charlon
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