OKAY, this is going to ramp up some folks.
FIRST, KEEP IN MIND...
* As a Biblical peacemaker, I am physically non-violent. It is wrong for a peacemaker to act in violence, even against those who are doing violence to them.
* I am not a pacifist. I am expected to support legitimate police and military operations of the State that protect the righteous and punish the wicked, other than taking up arms personally.
* I know that God has given the Sword to the State to punish the wicked and to protect the righteous, through police and military action.
* The State is not the Church and the Church is not the State.
* God has appointed the State as His instrument of human government.
* The State is subject to the rule of God, whether or not it acknowledges His rule, and those who lead will be held accountable for their actions.
* The State is not expected or assigned to do the work of the Church, and the Church is not expected or assigned to do the work of the State, but both the State and the Church are obligated to do the bidding of God.
* I was not raised to be a Biblical peacemaker (see above) and I did not learn it while in Bible college. I came to this position through personal study and prayer, after graduating from Bible college and during my first several years of pastoral ministry.
(and that was not even the part that is going to get the biggest reaction).
SO, HERE IT IS...
* For all of you gun toting; flag waving folks who said "you can have my gun when you peel my cold dead fingers off of it;" those who have said you would die before you let "them violate my rights," I am still waiting for your bluster to make muster.
* For those of you who have ridden me and ridiculed me because I chose the New Testament path of peacemaker rather than the religionists path of violence and retaliation, which you proudly boasted would be your response to the coming attack on faith, family and freedoms, I am still being faithful to my commitment, what happened to you? My directives from God are still in tact, what about yours?
YOU SAID YOU WOULD FIGHT AND DIE BEFORE YOU WOULD BOW OR BEFORE YOU WOULD SURRENDER YOUR RIGHTS OR YOUR FAMILY...
* They have taken away your heritage and forbidden you to remember your history, in the name of tolerance.
* They are turning your boys and girls into homosexuals through laws, schools, social pressure, government programs.
* They are removing the Bible from the public arena and the military.
* They are restricting and eliminating church ministries, including the proclamation of the gospel.
* They are preventing Christians from living out their faith as they make a living (supposedly in the name of tolerance), while they are promoting the homosexual agenda to rid America of family, Biblical, and historical morality.
* They are forcing Christians to pay for the murder of babies (both pre-born and new born) and then they are selling baby body parts, with government approval.
* They are taking away your freedom of speech (taking away your heritage from your children and grand and great grandchildren).
* They are bringing in godless Socialism and destroying the America, which you loved, to which you "pledged allegiance;" and they intend to raise all of your descendants as godless socialists.
* They are teaching and promoting Islam, which is the enemy of freedom, and the Bible and the followers of Christ; Islam is also the mutilator of women, the killer of innocents, the molester of children, the beheader of non-Muslims.
* They are denouncing, demeaning and attacking Christians and the Christian faith openly.
* They are, through the Public Schools, forcing Secularism, Humanism, Materialism, Pragmatism, Christ-less Pluralism, Naturalism, Mother Earth/Mother godism, Feminism, Homosexuality and Revisionist History on your children, undermining and destroying family, faith and freedom.
* They are taking your money and giving it to those who are illegals and criminals and too sorry to work.
* They are breaking ranks with our true allies and giving all manner of support to those who openly threaten to destroy America (and have in fact attacked America).
IF THAT IS NOT ENOUGH TO GET YOU GUN SLINGERS to take up your arms, then you are either dead or hot air (at best). If that is not enough, then there is not anything that is enough.
LET ME RESTATE...
* I have been professing and practicing peacemaking since the 1970's, and I am still living out my faith in Christ in a hostile and corrupted State. I have been consistent and honorable in doing what I said I would do.
* WHERE ARE YOU? What happened to your bravado? Why did you turn out to be all talk and no walk?
DON'T MISUNDERSTAND ME...
* I don't want you to do the un-Christ-like thing.
* I don't want you to take up arms.
* I don't want you to disobey God.
* I don't want you to be un-Biblical.
What I want is for people to acknowledge the narrow and self denying way of being a New Testament peacemaker and then follow Jesus fully, which means putting it all on the line for Jesus. Give your all to the Master, fight the good fight of faith.
IT IS EASY TO SPOUT OFF, but it takes courage to stand for truth, especially when your are only armed with the armor of God, rather than the armor of the world.
Rise up O Church of God,
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength,
To serve the King of kings.
(Willing Pierson Merrill 1911)
Oh, and let me mention:
I knew you were just talk when you BOASTED YOUR COURAGE AND COMMITMENT Of course, if you had the force of tanks, planes and ships behind you, you may take a stand. But the ARM OF FLESH WILL FAIL YOU, AND WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, AND OUR WEAPONS ARE NOT CARNAL OR NATURAL, THEY ARE SPIRITUAL.
BUT THE MAN OF GOD STANDS IN THE ARMOR AND IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT, AND HE IS WILLING TO STAND ALONE, AND HE IS WILLING TO LOSE IT ALL FOR JESUS.
This Is The Bottom Line.
Spiritual battles are won by spiritual people who use spiritual weapons and have spiritual power from the Holy Spirit.
This passage applies here.
Zechariah 4:6
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
FIRST, KEEP IN MIND...
* As a Biblical peacemaker, I am physically non-violent. It is wrong for a peacemaker to act in violence, even against those who are doing violence to them.
* I am not a pacifist. I am expected to support legitimate police and military operations of the State that protect the righteous and punish the wicked, other than taking up arms personally.
* I know that God has given the Sword to the State to punish the wicked and to protect the righteous, through police and military action.
* The State is not the Church and the Church is not the State.
* God has appointed the State as His instrument of human government.
* The State is subject to the rule of God, whether or not it acknowledges His rule, and those who lead will be held accountable for their actions.
* The State is not expected or assigned to do the work of the Church, and the Church is not expected or assigned to do the work of the State, but both the State and the Church are obligated to do the bidding of God.
* I was not raised to be a Biblical peacemaker (see above) and I did not learn it while in Bible college. I came to this position through personal study and prayer, after graduating from Bible college and during my first several years of pastoral ministry.
(and that was not even the part that is going to get the biggest reaction).
SO, HERE IT IS...
* For all of you gun toting; flag waving folks who said "you can have my gun when you peel my cold dead fingers off of it;" those who have said you would die before you let "them violate my rights," I am still waiting for your bluster to make muster.
* For those of you who have ridden me and ridiculed me because I chose the New Testament path of peacemaker rather than the religionists path of violence and retaliation, which you proudly boasted would be your response to the coming attack on faith, family and freedoms, I am still being faithful to my commitment, what happened to you? My directives from God are still in tact, what about yours?
YOU SAID YOU WOULD FIGHT AND DIE BEFORE YOU WOULD BOW OR BEFORE YOU WOULD SURRENDER YOUR RIGHTS OR YOUR FAMILY...
* They have taken away your heritage and forbidden you to remember your history, in the name of tolerance.
* They are turning your boys and girls into homosexuals through laws, schools, social pressure, government programs.
* They are removing the Bible from the public arena and the military.
* They are restricting and eliminating church ministries, including the proclamation of the gospel.
* They are preventing Christians from living out their faith as they make a living (supposedly in the name of tolerance), while they are promoting the homosexual agenda to rid America of family, Biblical, and historical morality.
* They are forcing Christians to pay for the murder of babies (both pre-born and new born) and then they are selling baby body parts, with government approval.
* They are taking away your freedom of speech (taking away your heritage from your children and grand and great grandchildren).
* They are bringing in godless Socialism and destroying the America, which you loved, to which you "pledged allegiance;" and they intend to raise all of your descendants as godless socialists.
* They are teaching and promoting Islam, which is the enemy of freedom, and the Bible and the followers of Christ; Islam is also the mutilator of women, the killer of innocents, the molester of children, the beheader of non-Muslims.
* They are denouncing, demeaning and attacking Christians and the Christian faith openly.
* They are, through the Public Schools, forcing Secularism, Humanism, Materialism, Pragmatism, Christ-less Pluralism, Naturalism, Mother Earth/Mother godism, Feminism, Homosexuality and Revisionist History on your children, undermining and destroying family, faith and freedom.
* They are taking your money and giving it to those who are illegals and criminals and too sorry to work.
* They are breaking ranks with our true allies and giving all manner of support to those who openly threaten to destroy America (and have in fact attacked America).
IF THAT IS NOT ENOUGH TO GET YOU GUN SLINGERS to take up your arms, then you are either dead or hot air (at best). If that is not enough, then there is not anything that is enough.
LET ME RESTATE...
* I have been professing and practicing peacemaking since the 1970's, and I am still living out my faith in Christ in a hostile and corrupted State. I have been consistent and honorable in doing what I said I would do.
* WHERE ARE YOU? What happened to your bravado? Why did you turn out to be all talk and no walk?
DON'T MISUNDERSTAND ME...
* I don't want you to do the un-Christ-like thing.
* I don't want you to take up arms.
* I don't want you to disobey God.
* I don't want you to be un-Biblical.
What I want is for people to acknowledge the narrow and self denying way of being a New Testament peacemaker and then follow Jesus fully, which means putting it all on the line for Jesus. Give your all to the Master, fight the good fight of faith.
IT IS EASY TO SPOUT OFF, but it takes courage to stand for truth, especially when your are only armed with the armor of God, rather than the armor of the world.
Rise up O Church of God,
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength,
To serve the King of kings.
(Willing Pierson Merrill 1911)
Oh, and let me mention:
I knew you were just talk when you BOASTED YOUR COURAGE AND COMMITMENT Of course, if you had the force of tanks, planes and ships behind you, you may take a stand. But the ARM OF FLESH WILL FAIL YOU, AND WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, AND OUR WEAPONS ARE NOT CARNAL OR NATURAL, THEY ARE SPIRITUAL.
BUT THE MAN OF GOD STANDS IN THE ARMOR AND IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT, AND HE IS WILLING TO STAND ALONE, AND HE IS WILLING TO LOSE IT ALL FOR JESUS.
This Is The Bottom Line.
Spiritual battles are won by spiritual people who use spiritual weapons and have spiritual power from the Holy Spirit.
This passage applies here.
Zechariah 4:6
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
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