Lloyd Phillips

A number of years ago I was spending time in the mountains of Southern Idaho praying and fasting. I came upon a little sign by a stream which said “China Springs” and there was a brief history written about the origin of that name. It said that this was the spot where a number of Chinese prospectors, who had come to the area during the gold rush in the mid 1800s, had been murdered for their gold. I searched for the grave site of these murdered men and, with the help of the Lord and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I found the mounds of rock marking their final resting place. It was surrounded with a zig zag of logs as a fence marking the little overgrown cemetery. It was not simple to find and probably had been made difficult in part to protect the site.

I can’t say why but the history of these murdered men had an effect on me and I wept about the unjust deaths and repented for the evil done in that place. It was at this time that I had a prophetic experience. What I learned from this experience was very interesting, and, to me, quite intriguing. What I received from this experience was that the root of all attacks upon the Second Amendment’s “right to keep and bear arms” is rooted in racism.

I grew up in a household with firearms and learned a respect for them. I understood the right to own and use them which was passed down to me by my forbearers. But I had never heard a connection between racism and the movement against the Second Amendment. In time I began to uncover information which documented what I had learned way up at over 8,000 feet in the mountains.

It seems after the civil war, when freedmen were given full US citizenship, that in many areas of the former confederacy laws were passed to keep blacks and other minorities from utilizing many of the rights of citizenship, including the right to vote and the right to keep and bear arms. These became known as “Jim Crow” laws. These type of abuses were a major reason for the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868 just three years after the end of the Civil War. The Fourteenth Amendment made the Bill of Rights applicable to the States – whereas previously it had only been restrictive to the Federal Government. Perhaps because of the unique way in which I had come into an understanding of the origin of the attacks upon the right to keep and bear arms, I have been very watchful of infringements upon this right.

A few years after this event I was in New York as a guest minister for a predominantly African American Church. While visiting with the church elders I raised a question which I could not get an answer to in Montana. While we were talking about the Jim Crow laws of the past, I asked why they would allow such laws to continue on in our day? They all seemed perplexed and asked me for an example. I mentioned the law put into place by the then current presidential administration requiring any applicant for HUD housing to sign a waiver that they would not have a firearm in the unit provided. Since HUD housing was primarily provided to minorities this was nothing more than a modern Jim Crow law which kept minorities from exercising all the rights of citizenship. The look on their faces was my answer. Not a one had ever thought of this. What seemed like a benefit (cheap housing) was actually a trade for giving up certain rights which were intended to be enjoyed by all citizens.

One would think we had finally passed beyond these types of bigotry, but recent events have shown that we have not. Recently a case was decided by the Supreme Court known as McDonald v. Chicago. Otis McDonald, the African American son of Louisiana sharecroppers, felt the need to purchase a hand gun for protection as crime increased in his Chicago neighborhood, but the city laws prohibited him from doing so. His case eventually made it to the US Supreme Court who in June ruled that the Second Amendment was incorporated to the states and cities through the Fourteenth Amendment. After the ruling Mr. McDonald said, “I was feeling the poor blacks who years ago had their guns taken away from them and were killed as someone wished. That was a long time ago, but I feel their spirit. That’s what I was feeling in the courtroom. It was rough on me that way.”

In much of the Court’s final decision the justices voting in favor wrote extensively on the past Jim Crow laws and how they influenced the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment in order to extend the bill of rights to the States. While we can rejoice that this issue was finally settled, it also revealed how far we still need to go. It might seem to a thinking person that the ruling would be 9-0 in favor of Mr. McDonald having a right to a handgun for self defense, as is the right of any US citizen. But four justices voted against his right. Is it possible that those four allowed their own opinions and bias to darken their judgment, rather than relying solely on the constitution? Perhaps it was in reality racially motivated? At least one of the justices who voted against this has expressed her opinion in the past. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she thought the Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion was intended to aid population control among a certain section of the American population. In an interview she said, “So we have a policy that affects only poor women, and it can never be otherwise, and I don’t know why this hasn’t been said more often. Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of, so that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding for abortion.”

This seems shocking to many people, but why aren’t these things reported more widely? We can be thankful our constitutional rights were recently upheld for all Americans, if only barely. We still have a root of racism and it is at the root of the attacks on at least one of our fundamental rights. As Americans we must all stand together and not give in to tyranny or limitation of fundamental rights over anyone, minority or otherwise.

As you know, if we can change a person’s mind, we will change their actions. One of the most powerful tools a Christian has is the power to pull down strongholds or change beliefs and thereby change actions of people. I have found that the interpretation of Romans 13 repeated in many Christian circles is not helpful to the cause in America currently. In fact, it doesn’t differ much at all from the interpretations used in Germany under Hitler. Hitler considered the following his favorite verse.

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1).

He was able to use this belief to influence and eventually control the church. I have also found this belief to be a hindrance when endeavoring to mobilize church leaders against ungodly immoral or unconstitutional acts or laws of the government. Some interpret the following verse as the limits to obedience.

“For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same” (Romans 13:3).

In other words, once a governing power has ceased to terrorize evil works and reward good works, it has become illegitimate and has ceased to require biblical obedience to such governments or laws. This may have been the dominant view of our founders. However, today you will hear this countered with I Peter 2:13, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme.” However, one will never hear the following verse, which also echoes the second verse of Romans 13, and tends to strengthen that view.

“Or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (I Peter 2:14).

Likewise, almost never do we hear one of the most clearly exhibited verses in the New Testament, the apostolic declaration of Acts 5:29: “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’” Once again we find the church in need of the apostolic direction that the early church had on this issue. Today it is predominantly absent.

The section I referred to earlier in I Peter 2:13-14 ends with the exhortation in verse 17, “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” This puts the honor of the king on the same level of honoring all people, although it is specifically singled out. This does not say to obey the king that you are honoring any more than it says to obey the people that you are honoring. This is significant because when this was written, the person was the law since they had no constitution. Much more than now, they had rulers, not governors. This is a significant difference and is the main stronghold that we must take aim upon to set people free from the bondage of incorrect interpretation and application.

Among the nations, and unlike any nation existing at the time the Bible was written, we have a nation with a unique constitution and a legally binding set of documents presenting what our founders said was the line of authority for legitimate governments. Primary to these, and all of our laws, is what the Supreme Court has called “the organic law of the United States”, known as the Declaration of Independence. It states:

“… to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed….”

This clarifies the interpretation of Romans 13:1, which our Founders held and was different than that of the Europeans. They believed the higher powers receive their God-ordained authority from the Creator (earlier in the same sentence) through the consent of the people! This is an important distinction and echoes Acts 5:29. The Declaration continues, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government . . .” thus showing that their interpretation of Scripture is the less heard, but very legitimate interpretation that when a Government ceases to punish the evildoer, but instead punishes the good, it forfeits its right to the authority granted by God.

Of course, they did not agree with simply disregarding laws or governments just because they weren’t perfect. This was also clarified in the document, “Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses….”

However, their gift to us did not end with clearly placing before mankind the common sense of the subject in terms so plain and clear as to command our agreement, but they also passed onto us a form of government which is very different than any other on the face of the earth until the time of our Constitution. They presented to us a constitutional republic—a form of government not of men but of laws. In fact, the Constitution even outlaws nobility granted by the government, the root of all man-rule in Europe.

This constitution, with its flexibility to be amended, is still, when applied, the greatest terror to evil and encouragement to good the governments of the world has seen since the Law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Yet our strongholds keep us from interpreting Scripture in light of the government which we have been given. When Scripture says “submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme” (see I Peter 2:13), we most often think of a man. Yet in our case no man is supreme; the supreme law of the land is the Constitution.

This is significant since no man, in our form of government, is ever above the law, and no law is above the Constitution. I have heard it said that we have a paper king. Our king—or highest earthly governor—is not a person, but a document. Hence, in order to submit to our sovereign, we must judge all laws and all politicians according to our “higher authority,” which is the Constitution, not a man, platform, or a party. All our oaths of office are to “…support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same….” This is because the Constitution is supreme.

At Lexington Green, Massachusetts, April 19, 1775 was set aside as a day of prayer and public fasting, Rev. Jonas Clarke, a local pastor and militia leader replied to the British officer’s demand that the Minutemen lay down their arms, “We recognize no Sovereign but God and no King but Jesus.” Then followed the shot that would change history and change the course of nations.

Ours is the first nation that effectively recognizes the Creator as sovereign and the people as the wellspring of His authority on earth (see Genesis 1:26, 28). All those who govern in our nation must submit their governance to the supreme law of the land, the Constitution. In our case, clearly, when applying Romans 13:1, the governing authority is that of the Constitution and not a man or men. For Christians to obey the Romans 13 mandate, we must realize that to allow or follow unconstitutional laws is to disobey God by disobeying the supreme law of the land.

We cannot be obedient to submit ourselves to “every ordinance” if we do not submit to the supreme ordinance, which is the Constitution. As Christians, we have a duty to “use our liberty as a bondservant for God” (see I Peter 2:16). In the American Christian context, this means that Christians must get involved in the process of government and insist that our laws and lawmakers are submitted to the Constitution. If we will not do this, then we are obeying man rather than God, which will, and arguably has, brought us under the judgment of God.

The Scriptures tell us that we must honor our fathers and mothers or our land will come under a curse (see Deuteronomy 27:16). Perhaps this is what Charles Finney was thinking when he wrote, “The Church must take right ground in regard to politics . . . The time has come that Christians must vote for honest men, and take consistent ground in politics or the Lord will curse them . . . God cannot sustain this free and blessed country, which we love and pray for, unless the Church will take the right ground. Politics are a part of religion, in such a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to their country as a part of their duty to God.”

Finney seemed to recognize that “such a country as this” demanded things of the church that were different than in the days of the early church when men were rulers. Today, we have a supreme law of the land that recognizes the Creator and the source of His authority in the government and through the people exercised through the Constitution and constitutional laws. Obeying the Constitution and requiring our leaders to do the same is the biblical duty of all American Christians.

On the morning that I had the experience of hearing the word about looking in the mirror to see what is coming I also had my weekly leader’s prayer meeting with other city-church leaders. On the way there I heard on the radio about an accident which took the life of a fellow minister. All the details did not come out immediately but this was a pastor, and husband, and father of thirteen. It was sudden and tragic as he was riding his motor cycle. In fact the details of the accident were not known to me until after I had written the earlier portion of this piece, but the similarities to what the Lord had said to me on that same morning are so close as to be sobering.

As he was riding his motor cycle down the highway, a drunk driver overtook him and ran into him causing him to go out of control killing him almost instantly. Had he seen the person over taking him in his rear view mirror all that would have been necessary to avert the accident would have been for him to change lanes and get out of the way of the vehicle which was overtaking him. While I am in no way implying that the Lord had anything to do with this tragic event, I am saying that the message is so similar to the word I received on that same morning that I cannot ignore the application.

When I was sitting on that log and heard the warning about not allowing myself to be attacked from behind, my first thought after I heard these words was of the brazen laver in the tabernacle of Moses. The brazen laver was where the priests would go to wash themselves from all the blood and dirt that would get on them in the course of ministering to the Lord. The brazen laver was made from the mirrors the women donated (Ex 38:8)! The laver was a representation of the Messiah to come. The symbolism in this for us is quite striking. The laver, representing Christ, was filled with pure water and, as the Priests would wash, it would be refreshed until they were clean. This was symbolic of the exhortation to us to be “washed in the water of the Word” (Eph 5:26 ). Interestingly they would know when they were done washing when they could see their reflection in the mirrors, for us this would represent that we could see our reflection in Christ.

1 Cor 13:12-13: “It is the same with us. Now we see God as if we are looking at a reflection in a mirror. But then, in the future, we will see him right before our eyes. Now I know only a part, but at that time I will know fully, as God has known me.” (ERV)

Most people will associate a mirror with vanity – “mirror mirror on the wall, whose the fairest one of all”? But we are to think of it as a part of our purification process, and “pursue – holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14).

Eph 4:17-18: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart…” (KJV)

The Lord is giving us fair warning about the days ahead because he cares for us. Those who want to know what is coming will need to purify their hearts. Those who will do this will use the mirror to reflect the glory of Christ in them as salt and light, those who walk in vain glory will be in danger of being overtaken by those things which are about to come. If we will be cleansed by the washing of the Word, and walk in humility, looking into the reflection of Christ for clarification on things which are to come, we may only need to change lanes in order to be protected from all which the enemy is preparing. We are not to look back at the things we have done (Phil 3:13), but look forward with a mind toward what may be coming up behind. View the future with a mind toward the past, keeping a pure heart and clean hands (Ps 24:3-5).

There may be some wisdom for us in the words of the statesman Edmund Burke, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” We can learn from the past while preparing to see the Lord, let his glory identify the threats of the enemy, prepare ourselves as we can, and change lanes when necessary.

Eph 5:26: “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (NKJV)

In recent weeks I have been carrying an intercessory burden that will come and go. It’s unlike anything I have felt since the spring of 2001. But I needed more specific definition about the burden I was carrying. As I was out early in the morning praying I asked the Lord for more clarity. As I sat on a log and prayed I heard clearly the words “don’t allow the enemy to sneak up behind you, look into the mirror to see what’s coming.” I actually felt like looking over my shoulder to see if someone were coming up behind me. But in my mind I could see a picture of looking over my shoulder to see anything coming up behind me.

When I got home I told my wife what the Lord had spoken to me and asked her for her impression on what it might mean. She said when I told her what was said she immediately thought of the rear view mirror on her car that says “the objects in the mirror are closer than you think.” We thought that whatever is attempting to “sneak up on us” is closer than it seems.

Interpretation is a very critical part of a revelation and worth spending time, prayer, and council over. I mentioned the word I’d received to a prophetic pastor friend of mine over the phone, and as I did I had a picture of the Greek hero Perseus whom, you will recall, defeated Medusa. Medusa could turn anyone into stone who looked upon her. But by using his polished shield as a mirror he was able to look around objects to “see what was coming” and by seeing Medusa’s reflection in his “mirror”, he was able to safely behead her. He even used that head as a weapon in the future. I had not thought of this story for a possible interpretation before that moment. As soon as I shared it with my friend, he exclaimed that instantly, when I mentioned looking in the mirror to see what was coming, he thought that what is behind us is our history, and the history of our government is Greece, the birthplace of the first republic and inspiration for our republic. When I then brought up an example from Greek mythology he couldn’t keep it to himself.

He thought their history is our history but they have left the balanced blessing of a republic and are suffering grave consequences for doing so. We likewise have left the balanced government of a republic, although much more recently, and are beginning to feel the consequences of doing so. Could it be that what we have been watching in Greece is just around the corner for us, and closer than we think?

I have more to say on this in my next message.

Hos 5:8, “Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, The trumpet in Ramah! Cry aloud at Beth Aven,
‘Look behind you, O Benjamin!’

1 Tim 2:3-4, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

In an interview with a NY Times reporter President Obama recited the Islamic Call to prayer in perfect Arabic, then added, “don’t tell the voters in Alabama, it’ll give them a heart attack.” He learned the call to prayer as he was growing up in Jakarta Indonesia, the capital of the largest Muslim nation in the world. He added that “it is one of the prettiest sounds on earth.”* Whenever I am in a nation which allows or requires the Muslim call to prayer to be broadcast from loud speakers five times a day** I am always amazed that the people accept it. Especially at 4:30 in the morning – it can be bothersome. But I’m thinking of it from a salvation point of view. I am interested in the souls of people. I am also thankful for a God who wants all mankind to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. We have a loving God who cares for all mankind and His teachings throughout scripture teach us how to receive His blessings. When His scriptures direct us to do something or not to do something, it is because He wants us to be blessed. Observing His instructions places us in a position to receive grace.

Not so the God of Islam. Not only is there little in the way of directives on how a follower may be blessed, the teachings actually bring the followers into trouble. One example that usually comes to mind as I hear the call to prayer broadcast at such an early time is Prov 27:14

“He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him.”

By requiring a blessing loudly so early in the morning, according to the Bible, the teachings of this religion causes the practitioners to bring a curse upon themselves. Honestly, we must pray for mercy for them. We want all people to be blessed and come into a knowledge of the truth. We should pray for the curse to be lifted even if it is self-inflicted.

Acts 26:18, “… to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”

* The Words to the call to prayer are as follows – Allâhu Akbar “Allah is the Greatest” (4 times)
Ashhadu an lâ ilâha illallah “I attest that there is no god but Allah” (twice)
Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasûlullâh “I attest that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah” (twice)
Hayya ala’s-salâh “Come to prayer” (twice)
Hayya ala’1-falâf “Come to salvation” (twice)
Allâhu Akbar “Allah is the Greatest” (twice)
La ilâha illallah “There is no god but Allah.” (Once)
** Five times daily by Sunni Muslims or three times daily by Shi’ite Muslims.

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, are sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

I am fond of pointing out that those who wish to be called Christians should be known as such by the fact that they follow the teachings of Jesus and exemplify what He taught. However, I have noticed that one of his greatest students is certainly not a Christian at all, but is our old ancient foe, the devil. Let me explain. Jesus taught His disciples that a kingdom divided against its self could not stand. It is reasonable to believe that He expected us, His followers, to use this as a strategy against that wily old devil. Yet history has proven that satan has been pretty adept at using this strategy of Jesus against the kingdom of light. The apostle Paul dealt with this very issue in the Corinthian church.

“For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it”. 1 Cor 11:18

He went on to explain the total sacrifice that Jesus made so that we could be made one body in Him, and that we would be the bread of life to the hungry world. In explaining the table of communion he was exhorting them on the spiritual significance of understanding the power behind the cup and the bread to our lives. The communion, or “common union,” is representative of fellowship with the Lord and with one another. There is power in partaking of communion, or fellowship with one another, with the elements of Christ’s sacrifice and victory over sin. When we allow the elements of fellowship to influence us we have unity and advanced power over the kingdom of darkness and all its power. When we allow division between us it allows darkness to advance and we feel the effects in the body and in our bodies. We must properly discern the Lord’s body, whose body we are.

“Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world”. 1 Cor 11:27-32

Today judgment hangs on the breeze. The Lord is not slack concerning His promises. If we will judge our ownselves and repent of any of the works of the flesh and the associated effects we will have unity not only with Him but also with one another. We have access to the best health care in the universe which comes from discerning the body of Christ, which is available to all who call upon his name. If we unite, the kingdom of darkness will be divided.

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin”. 1 John 1:7
“And being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled”. 2 Cor 10:6

A short time ago it was pointed out to me that every mention of Israel on the website of the US Embassy in Jerusalem had been removed. Yet Palestinians were mentioned numerous times. There was plenty about the Palestinians and other Arab groups, but not a single mention of Israel on the website of the US embassy in Israel. This says a lot. This caused such a controversy that now you can find mention of Israel again on our embassy web site. However, even now, almost every mention of Israel also mentions the Palestinian’s in the same context. What is going on here?

One of the basic reasons for all of the blessings we have known as a nation is because of the Lord’s promise that those who bless Abraham’s seed will be blessed. However, those who curse Abraham’s seed will be cursed. Cursing, like faith, includes more than words – it is action. This is an ultimate issue for America, not to mention the fact that Israel has been one of the best friends that America has ever had. From one end of Israel to the other, the Jewish people wept after 9/11, while there was dancing and rejoicing in the streets of our Arab “allies.”

Most in America are very sympathetic to the Israeli cause. Yet for the first time we have an administration which is very antagonistic towards Israeli and her sovereignty. This should concern anyone who believes we need God’s mercy and grace for our nation at this critical time in history.

Presently our Vice President is in Israel and his criticism of the people in that nation is in the news. The US President’s strong disagreements with the Israeli Prime minister was in the news not too long ago.

Should you be concerned? You bet you should. Even before there was a modern state of Israel Jews have found a heaven in America. A Jewish businessman by the name of Haym Solomon became a prime financier of the American side during the American Revolutionary War because he felt that the new nation would be a place where Jews would be accepted and not persecuted. He was right.

But times are changing. America and Americans have always been supporters of the right to freedom of religion, and since Israel became a sovereign state, the USA has been among her greatest supporters. The American people still are. But not so the present administration. The current president has even been called the “most hostile president to Israel” in history by some pro-Israeli groups. He has gone so far as to compare the present situation with the Palestinians with the Nazis’ murder of more than 6 million Jews during the Holocaust.

Why are these things important to you? The main reason is that your government represents you, and what that government does can bring peace or turmoil upon the people of a land. We should be aware of what is happening in US-Israeli relations. We should pray for peace for both nations, but we should be crying out for mercy for our nation as we have turned a corner in US-Israeli relations that many would like to turn back.

“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Gen 12:2-3

“Woe is me for I am undone”, thus saith the prophet of old. We’re watching a revolution unfold before our very eyes. This is not the revolution of “76”. Whether it be fascist, socialist, or communist is of little consequence to the battle, although it appears the latter is the direction. But it is totalitarian, this we can see clearly. Liberty was struck at the root with an axe created from our children’s stolen inheritance. Promises of our forefathers were burned in a fire meant to warm the backsides of a few hostile people who are intoxicated with their own vision of a utopia built upon the bones of the republic.

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight! Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man!” Isa 5:20-23

Their revolution is far from complete, and the battle is far from over. It is not yet clear which will prevail – liberty or tyranny. But last night I wept in the knowledge that the stakes just got higher, and the cost that much greater. A friend recently said that it will take the same commitment, fortitude, and willingness to pay the price to retain our freedom that our forefathers paid to give us our freedom. Freedom is never free, but it should never be sold for any price.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage”. Gal 5:1

In a recent discussion between church leaders I had an interesting thought after one of the men suggested that Christian leaders should not be involved in things that seem “political.” I had the thought, “What if we never spoke about political things, or religious things, again?” What I suggest is not to limit speech and discourse about certain issues, but what if we just categorized things into two categories: (1) things that matter, and (2) things that don’t matter.

What if we then just spoke about things that matter. If we would do this, then we, as shepherds and leaders, would have to ask ourselves, “Should we talk about things that matter or things that don’t matter to the church?” I wonder how much we would have to talk about if we limited our speech to only things that really matter. How many of those things in the area called “religious” really matter? How many of those things in the area called the political realm really matter? Now I am not espousing a certain political perspective here, only considering that we categorize things as those that matter or those that do not.

What makes something matter? Perhaps if it has the potential to influence life for the better or for the worse. To say we’re not allowed to speak of God in a public school because it is “religious” is a debate we have been having for a long time. But maybe we should change the question – should we be able to discuss things that matter in schools? What about speaking about issues that seem “political” in church. Are these things that matter?

Actually we have our own form of separation of church and state in the church. It is defined as “don’t talk about issues of state in church.” In fact, we had this view in the church before it got into the Government. I wonder if it spread from the church to the public area and now is hindering the advancement of the Kingdom? Perhaps those who espouse this view are not too different in practice than the secular humanists who want to categorize what can be spoken of in the public area? Perhaps the question should be, “Do these issues of “state” influence the lives (even the spiritual lives) of church members?” I would say that they do, just as issues of the spirit effect the lives of nonbelievers. In an atmosphere of free exchange and compassion shouldn’t we rather speak of things that matter? I would say that if we do not speak of things that matter we will become irrelevant as well as irreverent.

Proverbs 25:26, “ Good people who don’t stand strong against evil are like springs that have been polluted or pools that have turned dirty and muddy.”