(no subject)
Found this on a Compuserve message board...
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To you Christians--
Hear the Word of Lord! Woe be unto you! Tremble in your fear of the Lord, for you have incurred His righteous wrath! “Thou shalt not make any graven image ”, saith the Lord. That is exactly what you have done!
This thing, this piece of rock, was called by its creator a “representation of the sovereignty of the Christian God.” God’s sovereignty cannot be separated from God. A representation of His sovereignty is a representation of Him. It is the idol He prohibits. Our God is a Spirit and anything that symbolizes any of His attributes is a symbol of Him. Do you think the stone the Egyptians carved into a hawk-headed man was their god? It was not. It was a SYMBOL of their god. Yet, like the Egyptians, you carve symbols of our God. Woe unto you Christians!
God gave us His Holy Scriptures and told us to test all things by the Scriptures. Who among you tested this rock by the Scriptures? None of you! Does the placing of this rock in this courthouse ensure your salvation? No, it does not! What in Scripture assures your salvation? By your acceptance and faith in Jesus Christ and by baptism into His life and death. Does the removal of this rock ensure your damnation? No, it does not! By what will you be condemned according to Scripture? By your own personal sins. If this rock does not affect your salvation, then why are you concerned with it? Does not Scripture say, “Put not your thoughts on the things of this world, but on the things that are in heaven”?
Who tested this man Moore by the Scriptures? No one! God spoke to His prophet Jeremiah and said: ““let him who glories, glory in this, that in his PRUDENCE he knows me, Knows that I, the Lord, bring about KINDNESS, JUSTICE, and UPRIGHTNESS on the earth; FOR WITH SUCH AM I PLEASED.” Seeking his own glory for his own purposes, Moore aroused strife in the land. This is not prudence. To puposefully give offense and to arouse discord is not kind, just, nor upright. It is not godly! God, then, is displeased with us. God tells us in Scripture that we can discern the godly from the ungodly by the fruits they produce.
God sent us His Son, and you ignore him. Jesus said to His disciples, and us, : “your light must shine before men so that they may see GOODNESS in your acts and give praise to your heavenly Father.” The men who must see an act as good is ALL men, not just the privileged members of the Christian Club. Jesus came “not to call the rightgeous but the sinner” and God “wants all men to come to salvation.” Moore, by his unjustifiable act, and you Christians who defend him, turn men away from Christ.
Jesus blessed the meek, the pure of heart, and the peacemaker. But you Christians act in prideful arrogance for devious political motives and cause conflict in the land.
Jesus told you to “render unto Ceasar the things that are Ceasar’s, and unto the Lord the things that are the Lord’s.” But you blind yourself to the difference.
Chistians, you cry like spoilt children claiming your “rights” are denied you. Jesus said that if your enemy strikes you on the cheek, “turn ye also the other.” If you are, in fact, being denied your rights then listen to the words of Jesus: “Blest are those persecuted for holiness’ sake; the reign of God is theirs, Blest are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you because of me, Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven”. It is better to have rewards in heaven than rights on earth. Why take you then to the streets demanding your “rights” rather than rejoicing in the reward to come?
Jesus gave you an example when He drove the corruptors of His Father’s House from the Temple. But you permit corruption in your churches. Drive out the false teachers who know not the ways of Jesus and the false prophets who use you to gain political power for themselves. Put men in your pulpits who will teach you of Jesus and lead you in his ways. Cleanse your own house, Christians!
Jesus died upon the Cross so that you may be saved. Your freedom is in that redemption, not in some piece of paper written by men. Your cry for “Rights!” denies the redemption bought by Jesus with His blood.
Jesus sent His apostle Paul to us. You ignore him as well. Paul told us that Christian conduct is notable by mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. There is not any of these in you. You have matched the unbeliever insult for insult, injuryfor injury, rudeness for rudeness. Shame on you Christians!
Paul tells you to obey the civil authority in all its rules, not just the ones you find agreeable. Yet you applaud a judge who refuses to obey a legitimate judicial order. You threaten any one who seeks to comply with that order or who seeks to assist
the compliance to that order. Perhaps you should live in chaos rather than the order of respected law so that you would be subject to the swords of those who would bring you down.
Paul tells you to pray for “those in authority, that we may be able to lead undisturbed and tranquil lives in perfect piety and dignity. “ But it is you who raise the uproar and threaten the domestic tranquillity. It is you who violate the Scriptures of God. One of your leaders prays that judges he doesn’t like may leave the bench rather than that they may rule with wisdom and fairness that our lives may be undisturbed.
You apply the Scriptures to the unbelievers as if your threats will cause them to comply. God gave His Law to Moses for the nation He would establish in Canaan. All in that nation were subject to that Law. But no other nation was subject to that Law.
Christians are the new Israel as the inheritors of the promise to Abraham. God made a new convenant in Jesus. Only those who accept Jesus are under the new covenant and in the new Israel and, therefore, subject to the Scriptures. The unbelievers must be left to God. Why should they comply with Scripture? You don’t.
Christians, you better stop worrying about what this “nation” does collectively for Scripture assures us that on the day of judgment we shall be accountable for our personal, individual acts. Salvation and damnation are solely dependent upon our individual acts, not the collective acts of a “nation”.
Consider whether you want a “Christian nation” or a nation that is Christian. If you want a “Christian nation”, we can do it. We’re 80% of the population. We’ll elect the right people to the legislature and impeach any noncomplying justice. We’ll change all necessay laws so that only Christians can hold office. We can pass laws that will drive the unbelievers underground. But let’s go all the way. Let’s round them up into camps, run them through gas chambers, and burn up the bodies. We can do that. We’re 80% of the population. Then we’ll truly have a “Christian nation”.
There is only one slight problem here. As soon as we start passing these laws we are encoding religious dogma. Encoding dogma will bring on denominational conflict. We will find that we can’t burn just the unbelievers, we’ll have to burn the uncompliers also. Who do we start with, and where do we stop? Those who established “Christian nations” by statute in the 16th century faced this very problem, they just didn’t have the ovens.
I would propose instead a nation that is Christian. A nation whose people are prudent, kind, just, upright, merciful, pure of heart, meek, humble, peaceful, pious, patient, and dignified. I propose a nation not so much of Scripture quoters, but of Jesus followers. I propose a nation of example setters, not law passers. The kind of nation that will lead the unbelievers to knock down the doors of churches to get in because they want what we’ve got. This kind of nation can’t be legislated.
A song sung in some churches contains the words “let it begin with me.” I challenge you Christians, do you really have such love for God and such courage of spirit that you can really walk in the paths of Jesus rather than just talk about Jesus? For those who have such love and such courage, it will have to begin with us. Nobody else will do it. Who’ll volunteer to take the first step?
---
To you Christians--
Hear the Word of Lord! Woe be unto you! Tremble in your fear of the Lord, for you have incurred His righteous wrath! “Thou shalt not make any graven image ”, saith the Lord. That is exactly what you have done!
This thing, this piece of rock, was called by its creator a “representation of the sovereignty of the Christian God.” God’s sovereignty cannot be separated from God. A representation of His sovereignty is a representation of Him. It is the idol He prohibits. Our God is a Spirit and anything that symbolizes any of His attributes is a symbol of Him. Do you think the stone the Egyptians carved into a hawk-headed man was their god? It was not. It was a SYMBOL of their god. Yet, like the Egyptians, you carve symbols of our God. Woe unto you Christians!
God gave us His Holy Scriptures and told us to test all things by the Scriptures. Who among you tested this rock by the Scriptures? None of you! Does the placing of this rock in this courthouse ensure your salvation? No, it does not! What in Scripture assures your salvation? By your acceptance and faith in Jesus Christ and by baptism into His life and death. Does the removal of this rock ensure your damnation? No, it does not! By what will you be condemned according to Scripture? By your own personal sins. If this rock does not affect your salvation, then why are you concerned with it? Does not Scripture say, “Put not your thoughts on the things of this world, but on the things that are in heaven”?
Who tested this man Moore by the Scriptures? No one! God spoke to His prophet Jeremiah and said: ““let him who glories, glory in this, that in his PRUDENCE he knows me, Knows that I, the Lord, bring about KINDNESS, JUSTICE, and UPRIGHTNESS on the earth; FOR WITH SUCH AM I PLEASED.” Seeking his own glory for his own purposes, Moore aroused strife in the land. This is not prudence. To puposefully give offense and to arouse discord is not kind, just, nor upright. It is not godly! God, then, is displeased with us. God tells us in Scripture that we can discern the godly from the ungodly by the fruits they produce.
God sent us His Son, and you ignore him. Jesus said to His disciples, and us, : “your light must shine before men so that they may see GOODNESS in your acts and give praise to your heavenly Father.” The men who must see an act as good is ALL men, not just the privileged members of the Christian Club. Jesus came “not to call the rightgeous but the sinner” and God “wants all men to come to salvation.” Moore, by his unjustifiable act, and you Christians who defend him, turn men away from Christ.
Jesus blessed the meek, the pure of heart, and the peacemaker. But you Christians act in prideful arrogance for devious political motives and cause conflict in the land.
Jesus told you to “render unto Ceasar the things that are Ceasar’s, and unto the Lord the things that are the Lord’s.” But you blind yourself to the difference.
Chistians, you cry like spoilt children claiming your “rights” are denied you. Jesus said that if your enemy strikes you on the cheek, “turn ye also the other.” If you are, in fact, being denied your rights then listen to the words of Jesus: “Blest are those persecuted for holiness’ sake; the reign of God is theirs, Blest are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you because of me, Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven”. It is better to have rewards in heaven than rights on earth. Why take you then to the streets demanding your “rights” rather than rejoicing in the reward to come?
Jesus gave you an example when He drove the corruptors of His Father’s House from the Temple. But you permit corruption in your churches. Drive out the false teachers who know not the ways of Jesus and the false prophets who use you to gain political power for themselves. Put men in your pulpits who will teach you of Jesus and lead you in his ways. Cleanse your own house, Christians!
Jesus died upon the Cross so that you may be saved. Your freedom is in that redemption, not in some piece of paper written by men. Your cry for “Rights!” denies the redemption bought by Jesus with His blood.
Jesus sent His apostle Paul to us. You ignore him as well. Paul told us that Christian conduct is notable by mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. There is not any of these in you. You have matched the unbeliever insult for insult, injuryfor injury, rudeness for rudeness. Shame on you Christians!
Paul tells you to obey the civil authority in all its rules, not just the ones you find agreeable. Yet you applaud a judge who refuses to obey a legitimate judicial order. You threaten any one who seeks to comply with that order or who seeks to assist
the compliance to that order. Perhaps you should live in chaos rather than the order of respected law so that you would be subject to the swords of those who would bring you down.
Paul tells you to pray for “those in authority, that we may be able to lead undisturbed and tranquil lives in perfect piety and dignity. “ But it is you who raise the uproar and threaten the domestic tranquillity. It is you who violate the Scriptures of God. One of your leaders prays that judges he doesn’t like may leave the bench rather than that they may rule with wisdom and fairness that our lives may be undisturbed.
You apply the Scriptures to the unbelievers as if your threats will cause them to comply. God gave His Law to Moses for the nation He would establish in Canaan. All in that nation were subject to that Law. But no other nation was subject to that Law.
Christians are the new Israel as the inheritors of the promise to Abraham. God made a new convenant in Jesus. Only those who accept Jesus are under the new covenant and in the new Israel and, therefore, subject to the Scriptures. The unbelievers must be left to God. Why should they comply with Scripture? You don’t.
Christians, you better stop worrying about what this “nation” does collectively for Scripture assures us that on the day of judgment we shall be accountable for our personal, individual acts. Salvation and damnation are solely dependent upon our individual acts, not the collective acts of a “nation”.
Consider whether you want a “Christian nation” or a nation that is Christian. If you want a “Christian nation”, we can do it. We’re 80% of the population. We’ll elect the right people to the legislature and impeach any noncomplying justice. We’ll change all necessay laws so that only Christians can hold office. We can pass laws that will drive the unbelievers underground. But let’s go all the way. Let’s round them up into camps, run them through gas chambers, and burn up the bodies. We can do that. We’re 80% of the population. Then we’ll truly have a “Christian nation”.
There is only one slight problem here. As soon as we start passing these laws we are encoding religious dogma. Encoding dogma will bring on denominational conflict. We will find that we can’t burn just the unbelievers, we’ll have to burn the uncompliers also. Who do we start with, and where do we stop? Those who established “Christian nations” by statute in the 16th century faced this very problem, they just didn’t have the ovens.
I would propose instead a nation that is Christian. A nation whose people are prudent, kind, just, upright, merciful, pure of heart, meek, humble, peaceful, pious, patient, and dignified. I propose a nation not so much of Scripture quoters, but of Jesus followers. I propose a nation of example setters, not law passers. The kind of nation that will lead the unbelievers to knock down the doors of churches to get in because they want what we’ve got. This kind of nation can’t be legislated.
A song sung in some churches contains the words “let it begin with me.” I challenge you Christians, do you really have such love for God and such courage of spirit that you can really walk in the paths of Jesus rather than just talk about Jesus? For those who have such love and such courage, it will have to begin with us. Nobody else will do it. Who’ll volunteer to take the first step?