Sounds about right now doesn’t it?
History has a funny way of getting twisted by people who weren’t there to live it. The most dangerous distortions are the ones that have had centuries to fester. So lets take a look at the Danbury Baptists.
Picture Connecticut in October of 1801. The Congregational Church, the old Puritan establishment, is the official religion of the state, and it will remain so until 1818.
If you are a Baptist, a Methodist, or an Episcopalian, you must petition the local justice of the peace for a certificate to worship separately and that justice can refuse you.
Your taxes still flow to the Congregational coffers. You are, in every civic sense that matters, a second-class citizen.
The Danbury Baptist Association, representing twenty-six churches in western Connecticut, is living under this regime, and they’re getting nervous.
They aren’t sitting around worrying that the Church is going to take over the federal government. They are terrified that the government…state and, potentially, federal is going to crush their way of worship.
They needed to know that the heavy hand of the federal magistrate wasn’t coming for their altars.
So they write to President Thomas Jefferson and he writes back on January 1, 1802. He agrees with them and paraphrases the First Amendment, telling them that the American people had 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 & State.”
—
Modern secularists love that phrase They’d hang it like a neon sign over every courthouse and school board meeting in America if they could.
But they have the nature of it completely backwards.
Jefferson wasn’t building a prison to keep God out of the public square. He was building a fortress to keep the State out of the sanctuary. It’s a shield for the Church, not a muzzle.
Now, the left will protest that this letter was no private musing, and on that narrow point, they are correct. Jefferson drafted his reply in consultation with two Cabinet members, Attorney General Levi Lincoln and Postmaster General Gideon Granger, and the letter was published in newspapers across the country.
He intended it to be a political statement. Fine. Lets take it as a political statement. What does it actually say? It says that the wall protects the citizen from the government.
Every clause in that letter places the restraint on the magistrate, not on the minister.
—
The First Amendment is a negative right. It doesn’t tell you what you can do; it tells the government what it can’t do. It’s a chain on the wrist of the State.
When the founders wrote those words, they were acknowledging that power seeks to devour, and the conscience must be guarded against the appetite of kings.
By twisting Jefferson’s letter to mean that religious expression must be scrubbed from public life, the modern Left is actually doing the very thing the Danbury Baptists feared…using the state to dictate the terms of our existence.
The Congregational establishment of Connecticut taxed dissenters and denied them full civic standing. Today the mechanism is different, cultural pressure, legal threats, and administrative exclusion…but the coercion is still the same.
—
For those of us walking the narrow path, this goes deeper than constitutional law.
We don’t demand religious liberty just because it’s written on parchment. We demand it because coerced faith is spiritually dead. God is the ultimate author of liberty. Go back to Genesis.
When God placed Adam in the Garden, He placed the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil right there in the middle. He didn’t put a high-voltage fence around it. He didn’t strip Adam of the ability to rebel.
If God wanted a world of automatons, He would have created robots, not people with the gift of free will and the dignity to choose. As it says in 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
A government that tries to force religion… or force the absence of it… is acting against the nature of God Himself.
Any ruler who exceeds his mandate and reaches into the domain of the soul has ceased to govern and begun to tyrannize.
—
The wall exists to ensure that when we say “Yes” to God, it’s our own voice speaking.
It ensures that our worship is an offering and that we come to God as servants…not slaves
We fight for this wall not to hide from the world, but to keep the world from corrupting the sacred space where man meets his Maker.
We must tear down the myth and rebuild the wall as it was intended: a rampart against tyranny, ensuring that the State remains the servant…
and God remains the King.
….. let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1).
The writer (Paul) makes an allusion to the Olympic games. As those who ran in the Olympic races would throw aside everything that might hinder them in their course, in a similar manner Christians, desiring to go to heaven, must throw aside everything that might hinder them in their Christian race.
Let us start, run on, and continue running (press on) until we get to the goal. Some claim one only has to start the race and then it has already been won. Scripture clearly indicates otherwise; one must constantly continue to exert the effort to become more and more like the Christ in all our ways, thoughts, words, and deeds.
I. We Think
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7).
A. Many dwell on the negative side. Their pessimism brings disappointment to themselves, discouragement to others, and displeasure to God.
Bad tempered people never seem to learn, and as a result bring troubles upon themselves repeatedly.
Moral uprightness is more important than wealth, and wise action is more important than hasty action. People are foolish, very foolish, when they blame God for the trouble they brought upon themselves through their own mistakes.
B. We must think positively, crowding out negativism with thoughts of faith, hope, and love (Phil. 4:8). Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
The object of the apostle is to recommend holiness and righteousness to them in every point of view; and to show that the Gospel of Christ requires all its professors to have the mind that was in Christ, and to walk as he himself also walked. That they were not to attend to one branch of righteousness or virtue only, but to everything by which they might bring honor to God, good to their fellow creatures, and credit to themselves.
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
II. We See
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith”
(Heb. 12:2).
Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Bad examples and false teachings have corrupted thousands, and are still making desolation in the world and in the Church.
Be a good example; you can do it!
1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
This verse does not start with Mark’s favored word of action because nearly a year in the ministry of Jesus was skipped. Matthew and Luke deal with that year. Perhaps Peter skipped it because he felt it could have bogged down the pace of his narrative by having to take time to explain to his readers that the rejection reflects our ability to choose to accept or reject Christ at this point in his account.
Part of what was happening with the teaching from Jesus was that He was teaching Scripture, not tradition of men; He was teaching them what God said, not what some famous Rabbi of bygone days had said. The Wesleyan quadrilateral is important but it must never be forgotten that the Scripture part of that is the preeminent portion, yet too many times tradition gets elevated above its proper place.
1:23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
1:24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
1:25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
1:26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
1:27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.
1:28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
The whole subject of demonology is a difficult one, but no more so than the problem of the devil. The devil is an unclean spirit, because he has lost all the purity of his former nature, therefore he acts in direct opposition to the Holy Spirit of God, and by his suggestions defiles the spirits of men. There are many in our assemblies who quietly attend under merely formal teachers; but if the Lord comes with faithful ministers and holy doctrine then by his convincing spirit, they are ready to say, like this man, What have we to do with thee! There is potentially a hint of dishonesty in what that demon said in that it probably was well aware of the fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and therefore it likely was attempting to cast doubt or deflect Jesus from what it feared Jesus might be about to command to happen.
No “disorder” could enable a man to know Jesus to be the Holy One of God. He desires to have nothing to do with Jesus, for he despairs of being saved by him, and dreads being destroyed by him. Consider whose language they speak, who say to the Almighty, “Depart from us”. This unclean spirit hated and dreaded Christ, because he knew him to be a Holy One; for the carnal mind is enmity against God, especially against his holiness. People who cannot stand to attend a Bible-believing/Bible-teaching Church here on earth should not expect to be able to tolerate Heaven.
When Christ by his grace delivers souls out of the hands of Satan, it is not without tumult in the soul; for that spiteful enemy will disquiet those whom he cannot destroy. This put all who saw it to considering, “What is this new doctrine?” A work as great often is accomplished now, yet men treat it with contempt and neglect. If this were not so, the conversion of a notorious wicked man to a sober, righteous, and godly life, by the preaching of a crucified Savior, should cause many to ask, “What doctrine is this?”
The student in the university may be so surrounded by an environment so polluted by the forces of darkness that he or she feels forced to compromise core beliefs in order to thrive or even survive. It is difficult to shine in an atmosphere heavily polluted by the forces of darkness, especially if the professors happen to be deeply under the sway of those forces. We are told, by their fruit ye shall know them. The business person, likewise, is often under immense pressure to compromise ethical and legal standards in order to satisfy the greed and dishonesty of associates or maybe even in an effort to keep the business afloat, “Just this one time…” which is a subtle snare that leads to further compromise.
Unless the Christ follower is prepared for evil assaults on his mind and heart, he will have great difficulty maintaining a Christian witness of personal holiness. Our reaction to the sinful world around us, however, must be more than just defensive. We must be concerned not only for our own purity of mind and heart, but also for the eternal destiny of those who would pollute us.
–pastorwardclinton
Charlie Kirk was assassinated while exercising his first amendment rights at a gathering of mostly similarly minded individuals.
His honorable legacy includes engagement with students as well as the promotion of civil discourse. Some believe that he can’t be replaced but he mentored many people along the way and some of those individuals will pick up the torch he had lit for them and go boldly forth; it may be that some of them may do so timidly at first but they will become bolder and shall move forth also as workers who are approved by God for such a time as this.
May it be that more and more of those on the right who are also people of faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob shall pick up the shield of faith, and the rest of the Armor of God, and begin to more fully engage in the battle against “Wickedness and principalities in high (and low) places.” True it is, that the left, for the most part, has no clue that they have aligned themselves with the forces of evil and darkness but those of us on the right, especially people of faith, must now begin moving forward in faith and assurance.
Assurance that God has not abandoned America yet. Part of the proof can be seen in the fact that God miraculously spared President Donald Trump from the assassin’s bullet for such a time as this.
There is no need to ask why Charlie’s life wasn’t spared as that is something that can be considered at a later time of God’s own choosing. It might very well be that Isaiah 57:1-2 comes into play {he, Charlie, being spared from the evil that is coming} or that it is time for those who have been touched and/or inspired by Charlie to boldly go forth and push back against the evils being pushed by the leftists in the land and helping them to come to the light of God.
-pastorwardclinton
A friend recently asked me if I could logically explain Christianity. I said absolutely not. I typically reside on a mental plane of logic and reason, and the entire concept that forms the foundation of what Christians believe is illogical. The construct of Christianity is built on the existence of an Entity that has no beginning or end, exists in all times simultaneously, is so purely perfect that the radiance of His goodness would instantly kill any non-perfect living being in His presence, has the power to create an infinite universe, the expanse of which is beyond human comprehension. Light years and billions and billions of planets without end, and yet on this tiny insignificant rock He chose to create life? Beautiful life, with unfathomable intricacies of all sorts. And then, of all things, chose to become a virtual insect by comparison and live among his creation to save the very beings that he created from the sins that separate them from His presence and secure their inevitable eternity in a place called Hell. A place devoid of all things that are good, unending pain, fire and anguish. And at the precipice of it all, as if that were not difficult enough to rationalize, this same Entity with all of this power chose to be horribly tortured and killed by the creations that He came to save by becoming a blood sacrifice Himself. Thereby returning them to their originally intended perfect state and providing a means for them to reside eternally in a place called heaven. Why? Because He loved us?
How can anyone find logic in that? It is simply unbelievable. Which is exactly why I find no difficulty in believing it. Everything about our existence is unbelievable. I need look no further for empirical evidence than literally everything around me. I am not a scientist, but I do know that everything we see is energy. Numerous forms of energy with magnificent power. One of the core concepts of Quantum theory is the possibility of everything. Multiple dimensions and space-time continuums boggle the sharpest of minds. Think about the inherent randomness and variety of all of the earthly creations. The microscopic world of neutrons, protons, electrons and quarks. DNA and chromosomes that make billions of humans unique. If every planet, or any other planet within the scope of our exploration housed any form of life I would find it more logical. But why just one, seemingly random planet that sustains life while all the others appear to be emptiness? And what about life itself? Nothing intrigues me more than pondering the very essence of life. Einstein’s E=Mc2 formula calculates the amount of energy in mass. But what about the energy that gives this vessel life and consciousness? It has no mass but it’s certainly energy. Your body has mass (For most of us, much more mass than we care to have!) but your lifeforce does not. A fundamental law of thermal dynamics is that energy can neither be created or destroyed. It can only be transformed from one form to another. So where then does your lifeforce go when you die? It can’t be destroyed, and it has no mass so it can’t be transferred back into the earth. But it has to be transferred somewhere. And what about love? Could there be a more illogical thing than love? Nothing about love is logical or rational. Love causes us to willingly do wildly irrational and illogical things. Even to the point of death. Doesn’t the knowledge of that truth alone explain why the God, that is Himself love did what he did? The more I try to understand anything, the more I realize how pathetically little that I know about it. It is my contention then, that faith is not simply a choice to believe in something without proof. But lack of faith is an inability to see the very proof that we are currently immersed in. The proof of God is all around us. It lies in the illogical randomness and impossibility of everything that we see and think we know. There can simply be no other explanation for me. None of this is happenstance or coincidence. It can’t be. It has to be the result of someone so fantastically superior and so far beyond our comprehension that we will never be able to explain it. Therein lies my faith.
Long but worth the read🥰
A member of the church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going.
After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.
It was a chilly evening.
The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.
Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.
The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.
After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent.
The host watched all this in quiet contemplation.
As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more.
Soon it was cold and dead.
Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.
The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave.
He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire.
Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.
As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, ‘Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the firey sermon.
I will be back in church next Sunday.’
We live in a world today, which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.
The Lord is my Shepherd —– that’s a Relationship!
I shall not want —– that’s Supply!
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures —-that’s Rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters —–that’s Refreshment!
He restoreth my soul —– that’s Healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness –that’s Guidance!
For His name sake —– that’s Purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death–that’sTesting!
I will fear no evil —– that’s Protection!
For Thou art with me —– that’s Faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff comfort me —–that’s Discipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies——that’s Hope!
Thou annointest my head with oil —–that’s Consecration!
My cup runneth over —– that’s Abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life—-that’s Blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord —–that’s Security!
Forever —– that’s Eternity!
Face it, God loves you!
What is most valuable is not what we have in our lives, but WHO we have in our lives! ❤🙏🏼
-from a friend
pastorwardclinton 