Church and State.

I would like to touch on a topic that will impact Seventh Day Adventists prophetically more than any other. The issue of separation/union of church and state in the United States.We are currently observing a burgeoning relationship between the church, represented by various Pastors, priests, and lay leaders of the Christian faith in the U.S., and government, represented primarily by those ruling from the White House, particularly the former President of that nation, Donald Trump. Of course, not all churches are okay with this arrangement. Many are very opposed to any union whatever between the Christian faith and the civil power, including our own church.

Liberally represented among those Christian leaders that were formerly attending White House events, (including Bible studies, prayer breakfasts etc) were those in support of Zionism, the re-establishment of Israel in the Middle East. (Interesting to note that there is a large segment of Jews not in favor). These Christian Zionists firmly believe that the recently established (1948) nation of modern Israel is a prophetic event, the major sign of the second coming of Jesus. Anything less than full political support for Israel in providing arms, and finance, and global support in the U.N., is considered rank heresy by these Christian leaders. This seems to be a very convivial relationship thus far. Israel has never been stronger, the only nuclear armed country in the Middle East, a nation that is far more of a threat to all her neighbours than vice versa, both political parties in the U.S. awash with Jewish money, and a former U.S President more than willing to reciprocate evangelical support in the voting booths with political moves on the world stage, such as moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the Israeli capital, Jerusalem. The promise given by the President to evangelicals in the lead up to the 2016 election seems to be coming to pass. “I will give you power”. The church to my mind is not in need of political power, but spiritual. However, the church, reluctant as it seems to take a stronger hold upon Christ and trust Him to deal with the deficiencies in society and the glaring moral decay that is so rampant, seems set to use political power… That is law… In order to”bring the nation back to God”.

The Way

The Way

The following lesson is intended as a means by which the reader may gain a perspective of God’s plan of salvation that gives him an understanding of the ‘bigger picture’.  The intent is to form a picture of history, of God’s purpose for mankind, and relate it all to the gospel using the Old Testament sanctuary as the model. The following is not an’ optional extra’ to the Christian faith, it is an essential understanding by which all may know that they are on the right path, for God Himself drew the plans.  In order to gain this better appreciation of our way to life, we must start at the beginning. At the very beginning of the conflict between good and evil, to the place where sin and rebellion had its woeful genesis.

From Blindness to Freedom to Hope.

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6,7)

The principles and concepts that under-gird promises such as quoted above echo across the pages of the Holy Bible from the first book, Genesis, to the final pages of Revelation. They reveal a Creator God who, despite being despised, maligned, ignored, disobeyed, and/or being treated presumptuously by every living creature upon the planet (“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23) , in contradistinction to what many religions portray and what most individuals believe, is earnestly and passionately awaiting the slightest reason, the most meager of excuses, to forgive, to show mercy, and to pardon.

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:16-18)

Over 45 years ago at age 24, after too many years spent in quiet but determined refusal to acknowledge or consider God, His ways or His people, and imbibing in practices and substances and a lifestyle which pleased me well, but impinged greatly on other’s rights and freedoms, I was asked a question that challenged me to the core.

“Do you think the life you are leading is pleasing to God?”

Today, after all these years, I like to think that my immediate response was a humble expression tending toward the negative, however, in light of what transpired later in the evening, I think that possibly my response initially may have been more of a non-committal grunt. To be honest, I can’t even remember how I responded at first, if at all.

Close, very, very close.

Matthew 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled:for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

There is a great escalation in verse 7 from the previous verse where war was simply rumour and hearsay. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the world was full of confidence and great expectation of a coming millennium of peace and safety brought about by very recent remarkable advances in scientific knowledge in industry and medicine. Christianity was held dear by the vast majority of those living in the world, before communism took over in Russia, before the Chinese shut out the missionaries from the west, before Japan turned away the church from their doors.

Don’t be afraid…..

Phil. 3:12-14;

12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

 

1 Cor. 9:24-27;

24 ¶  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
26  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

 

2 Tim. 4:7.

7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

The above reveal that Paul likened his Christian walk to a race. This race however was not a race to win, but one to finish. Satan’s focus is to stop us from finishing the race. Fear is his greatest weapon, for fear negates faith, and without faith, it is impossible to please God.

We are living in a time of immense uncertainty, and peoples hearts are even now failing them for fear of what is to come upon the earth. Fear of the unknown is bringing stress and perplexity not only to individuals, but also to governments, and most have abandoned historical solutions and are blindly following ideologies for answers, but finding none.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy?

The American evangelical/conservative movement speaks often of their fears for the future of American democracy in the face of left wing extreme woke politics, and the deleterious impact such policies will have on the nation. Will the political pendulum swing to the right however turn out to be a self -fulfilling prophecy?

I first wrote the following over 10 years ago when living in NZ, and have no reason to retract anything I’ve said here, in fact, the appearance of PROJECT 2025 and it’s threat to the constitution and American Republicanism, has fully vindicated the arguments I was making. Here is a word for word repeat, with no changes.

I am no expert on American constitutional law, nor am I so familiar with the first amendment that I would dare to proclaim myself an expositor of truth when it comes to interpreting it. Add to that the fact that I write from several thousand miles away in about as remote a part of the south Pacific as you can get, and some may wonder that I would dare to comment at all.
I am aware that there are many and varied arguments that permeate the debate on how the first amendment should be understood, especially at the base level of church/state union. So what qualifies me to dare comment on an issue that is so, ummm…American? Well, first off, I am a Christian. And second, American political decisions do tend to have an effect that creates ripples and collateral damage far removed from her own borders. And thirdly, and most importantly, Biblical prophecy tells us that there is going to come a time when religious freedom worldwide becomes a mere idea and a long lost hope of the persecuted. It is my belief that prophecy indicates that religious freedom first becomes an endangered species in the United States, despite the intents and purposes of her founding fathers, and the resulting constitution and Bill of Rights. This of course will surprise many, not only because of the deep respect for the constitution most Americans have, (and rightly so…it is a unique document …although I have heard it said that rather than written in stone as many believe, it is but lightly written upon paper with a very erasable pencil), but also because the United States is not actually named in the Bible thus it is only with some interpretive study that she can be found. Such a course is of course highly debatable and controversial, yet I will stand by what I’ve said.

Atheists in the U.S. have of recent times decried religious freedom rallies as promotions for theocracy. I do have some sympathy with their view. Throughout history religious ‘freedom’ has often been promoted with the intent that the majority religion have the right to enforce their beliefs on the minority, as happened in medieval Europe, both in Protestant and Catholic countries. It is not without a little fear that I see the current strength of the religious ‘right’ in America using its great leverage to promote her pet candidates at all levels of American politics, with the intent no doubt to bring about a ‘Christianised’ nation through its civil or secular authorities.

One must remember that although the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were written and signed by and large by godly people, those documents were specifically designed to ensure freedom of conscience and religious liberty, even liberty for unbelievers. The US government as a political entity is not, nor ever was , a “Christian” government. And the only true hope for America, and the rest of the world, is not in the “Christianizing” of the government, but in the heartfelt deep life-changing repentant soul-searching conversion of the individual American people.

I think that what we must acknowledge is that historically, America was embarking on a brand new revolutionary concept. Religious liberty, freedom of conscience. A civil rule without a king, a religious nation without a pope. Coming from a Europe that was just emerging from over 1000 years of papal tyranny the founding fathers of your nation were establishing a nation with an exclusively protestant ethic, even though it took some time for even protestants to learn.
We as Christians have far more to fear from governments with a religious agenda (including ‘Christian’ agendas…read again Revelation 13:11-17) than any secular government. Interestingly, history tells us that Christian communities thrived very well under the rule of such as Genghis Khan, because he was neutral in matters of religion. (Although he was certainly less than tolerant with those who opposed him politically.)

Let us not however forget the past, the price paid for the freedoms we enjoy, and out of frustration or lack of faith in God’s power, or His willingness to establish His kingdom among us, let us not resort to government legislation to reinstate those virtues which we may deem lost or in danger of being eroded, as it seems so many in the churches seem to be espousing recently. That my friends, will be a greater calamity than any could imagine.

Christian Nationalism, Zionism, and the Answer to the Impending New World Order

We are approaching another new year. Christmas is upon us, and many, at least momentarily, give consideration to the significance of the birth of that child of Bethlehem, and how the church as a corporate entity has presented Christ and His mission to the world.

The “good news”, ie the gospel, seems to mean different things to different people. Before I comment further, have a listen to the following. Some of you may have heard this already…

https://youtu.be/Wdc3-Khe9fQ?si=mySsdQ71zVhKU_n-

There is so much truth in those lyrics, and it applies not only to the US. It’s just as bad (depending on your worldview), if not worse in New Zealand, and heading that way fast in Australia. Britain, and Europe have their issues as well. There is a global crisis, at least from my Christian perspective, of immorality, godlessness, political narcissism, and ideological craziness. Particularly in the western world. Praise God for the great moving of the holy Spirit in places such as Africa and Asia where hundreds of thousands are being converted and baptized.
The question however, what we do about it in the west, particularly in the US where Christianity and politics can be so intertwined, is very much open to debate. The topics of Christian nationalism, Zionism, and the separation of church and state, are subjects often treated and discussed with much reluctance in the church, similarly to the reluctance of secular people to discussing politics and religion… Reason being that no-one seems to be able to talk about these things without losing tempers, abusing one another, and losing friends over it. So they shut up.

The answer to the ills of our world as we all know, theoretically, is the gospel. Jesus and Him crucified. Preaching the gospel won’t literally turn the world upside down, and may not avert impending disasters, but in the midst of turmoil and strife, the gospel does offer individuals the opportunity to have their lives changed for the better, sometimes radically. On that all Christians at least, tend to agree.

How that plays out, and how the gospel is taught and preached and implemented, well, that’s another story. I thought, perhaps naively, to dedicate a post to discuss such matters, but surely we are all pondering on these things, whether it’s over our coffee or our Bible, or both, for where and to what the direction the world is heading is of great concern to anyone with half an eye open.

I have mentioned several times on other sites PROJECT 2025. No-one it seems wants to talk about that. Why not? Or have you not heard of this? Would anyone like to discuss it? Is it good or bad? Basically, it is evangelicanism and the conservative right’s answer to the nation’s perceived need of a change of mind and heart in response to the current spiritual malaise and political antagonism toward Christianity in the US. The question is, is this the correct response? Very interested in people’s thoughts on this.

Personally, I believe it is dangerous, anti freedom, and unconstitutional. Superficially, and from the Christian perspective,, it may seem a good thing to undo all the ‘evil’ that had been foistef upon society over the last 10 years or so. But is politics and Christianizing the nation through law and statute the right way to go? Is righteousness by politics a thing? Is righteousness by faith now a defunct concept? History is written in the blood of its victims through eras wherein religion was implemented by law. It seems the pendulum, having of late been hanging out on the extremities of the left, is now trending to the other extreme. Are we about to enter once again into the dark ages? We shall soon know.

Pale Blue Dot

Carl Sagan. Astronomer.
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”

And yet , that help did indeed come. And hints, even promises, there were in abundance.
Into the world where Satan claimed dominion God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted Him to meet life’s peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.

The Pale Blue Dot

The word gospel means ‘good news’. The good news is that God is good. Very good. And He loves you. With a passion. And nothing you can do or say will ever change that. That’s the good news to a world that believes God to be an overbearing tyrannical control freak. A world that has been informed by a church that God is angry, looking for any excuse to punish, and is only held back from destroying everyone by the love and intercession of Jesus. But God was in Christ redeeming the world to Himself. That’s good news. That’s the gospel.

We aren’t alone. We have not been abandoned. The planet and it’s inhabitants is not in danger of becoming extinct, our Creator had not wandered off into the vast universe to tend to other business. This planet is His business. We are His business. Christmas and the birth of our Saviour was but one step in the grand plan of redemption. God is not finished with us yet, and He is not going to allow mankind to destroy itself before the job is done. We need have no fear of tomorrow. Tiny, seemingly insignificant in comparison to the universe, yet the Son of the Almighty God thought we were worth dying for. That is the value of our existence. The price God was willing to pay for our redemption, and the risk He took in sending His only begotten Son to become a helpless baby in a backwater town in a small nation controlled by a foreign power.

The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Romans 11:33. We marvel at the Saviour’s sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall. Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life. DA 48.6

We are not alone. A pale Blue Dot we may be. But we are loved. Unconditionally loved.

Some Folk are Worth a Quote or Three

I do not advocate political activism as an answer to the ills of society. Nevertheless, as the article here reveals, there are times and circumstance that compel one to take a stand. To do so takes courage and self sacrifice. It takes conviction and a love for truth. Truth as a principle in the life. Truth as an absolute concept to be exalted and honoured.

Bill Muehlenberg of Culture Watch here speaks of one such hero, a man of passion, of conviction, and courage.

https://billmuehlenberg.com/2023/12/04/a-review-of-good-people-break-bad-law-by-topher-field/

Unlimited Energy?

If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time?

Interesting question. Wishful thinking may not however become actual practise. I would like to think I would pray more. Study the Bible more. Write more. But would I? Would I do those things, or just waste more time? I would also like to learn more. But to be honest, I wonder if I ought not be asking, why can I not do those things now? And conversely, if I actually got more sleep, would I not have more physical energy and intellectual capacity to accomplish more today?

The Absolute Cost of Discipleship.

I had never previously considered this topic seriously. Not until I read the notes on this week’s Sabbath lesson, expanding on ones commitment to missions and the work of witnessing and testifying to the work of the gospel to our communities.

The cost of Discipleship is absolute. Jesus did not say that we can sort of follow Him. He did not say that we can retain those things we want, but give up those things we don’t want. Jesus did not say that if we keep some habits, God would understand and let them go. No. The costs of following Jesus were nothing short of complete self denial. I know we’ve heard this before, but how deeply and how seriously do we consider them?

KJV Luke 14:26,27,33…

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

is clear… And absolute. There is no room for half-way half-hearted commitment. It’s all or nothing. We cannot second guess, down play, minimise how serious Jesus is in telling us these conditions and criteria of acceptance.
Jesus demands a devotion and commitment that surpasses our instinct to preserve our own lives. Taking up our own cross is no less than what Jesus, and many more after Him, were willing to do. The difference between everyone and Jesus is we don’t have to bear our sin. But we need to die. If not physically, at the very least emotionally. It’s a sign of submission. It’s a recognition of His true Lordship.
In Luke 14, two absolutes are mentioned in connection with the cost of Discipleship. The first is ‘anyone’, in verse 26, and ‘whoever’ in verse 27. So the costs of Discipleship as detailed by Jesus don’t apply to a select few special holy “saints”. They apply to everyone. Regardless of class, background, social status, financial status, ethnicity.
The second absolute is the essential “renouncing all” … Forsaking all…of verse 33. This does not just mean physically throwing away stuff, but emotionally renouncing all emotional and spiritual connection to those things. They cannot be possessed, or you possess, them at all. There can be nothing that stands in the way of total surrender to the will of God for your life. This is challenging. Your agenda, or His? It is also a warning not to make Christ the means to your own ends. This is what it means for self to die. And it must be done daily. It isn’t a recommendation. Those are absolutes…KJV Luke 14:33
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

What is a Protestant?

The definition of ‘Protestant’ isn’t just about protesting as is generally thought, although that’s an important component, and there’s certainly very few doing that these days. At least in the traditional sense of nailing thesis to church doors etc.

The other essential part of the definition of Protestant is the mindset of being pro, or for, the testimonies of scripture: that is being in full agreement with the protestant reformation tenet of sola scriptura, and the teachings thereof. Dare I suggest that that concept is as rare as the first. But let not anyone deceive you into thinking that the Reformation is over, and that there are no longer any protestants around any more, as claimed a few years ago by the Pope, the late Bishop Tony Palmer and Kenneth Copeland and friends.

I shall put my hand up, even though I be accused of being a fundamentalist and a violent terrorist as Francis described Bible believing Christians.

However, though I may claim to be a Protestant, and the two important facets of Protestantism is to protest heresy and uphold the scriptures, are there nuances to those activities that make the middle ages version of Protestantism outdated or redundant, and the modern version of Protestantism an entirely different beast altogether? I know I said earlier that the protest isn’t over. I will stand by that but I think it’s also true that it’s very rare and difficult to find.

Originally, Protestantism was established as a foil and counter to Catholicism. The questions then must be, has Catholicism changed? And has Protestantism advanced any further in promoting scripture alone and it’s clearly biblically derived doctrines, or has it reverted back to tradition and superstition that so affected religion 400 years ago? Why is it that so many who identify as protestants, have virtually converted to Catholicism via ecumenism, or have ceased calling themselves Protestant and joined that popular denomination known as non denominational? What is going on the Christian world? Is there anyone out there making any progress at all toward the goal as laid out by the Apostles, to be conformed into the image of Christ?

In other words. Was bishop Tony Palmer right a few years ago when he and Kenneth Copeland together declared the protest now over? Or is there a pocket of Protestant or Catholic Christianity that is advancing in holiness and exhibiting the character of Christ to the world?

Mmmm. Or maybe, perhaps, everyone has compromised and think they are all good where there are, and holiness, righteousness, overcoming sin…all goals that not long ago all branches of Christianity extolled, albeit by way of different journeys… Are now redundant, unnecessary, too ‘zealous ‘, and extreme?

What think you?

Project 2025

The most portentous end time event currently is the impending paradigm of righteousness by politics as opposed to righteousness by faith to be implemented by the conservative right in an incoming Republican government… If that eventuates. As one can imagine, left wing secular groups and news sites are spitting tacks , so it’s no secret what the plans are. Their own web site boasting of a 180 day time span to implement their 2025 manifesto. This union of church and state will have serious implications throughout the nation and beyond.
It begs discussion.

Christian Dominionism

While we are considering the impact of Christian nationalism on the American experiment, I thought I would include this excellent presentation.