My Own Private God

There is no God like the God of the Bible. He has laid his heart out before all mankind, nakedly describing his love like a mother shielding her chicks, his rage resounding like thunder in the night skies, his crimson passion staining a rugged cross. The Lord welcomes with open arms those who dare to challenge him like Abraham, wear him out with complaints like Job, or drench their couch with tears like David. No one can honestly read the Psalms without knowing that this is a God like no other-open, honest, listening. There is no comfort like he can provide.

And yet, when I open up to the first page, I read "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," and I wonder what else he's not telling me. What happened before that first day of creation? What did Jesus draw in the sand when the woman was caught in adultery and brought before him? What does heaven really look like? What are those mysterious things that Daniel and John were forbidden to tell, that no man can know?

What I am saying is, God cherishes his privacy. Heaven is by invitation only. In the creative genius by which God invented dirt and air and  the entire universe are sacred recipes never to be shared. We'd call that intellectual property in its highest sense, just as the entire universe is property in all its vastness. Of all the worlds in the expanse, God has sublet earth to man. We are to care for the earth and tend it and make it flourish.

Man's authority over the earth has two parts, hand in hand-right and responsibility. He has the right to work the ground, build upon it, improve it and the responsibility to care for it and not cause undue damage to it. It is property. God has seen fit to parcel this property into nations and states and parishes and estates and subdivisions and tribal lands and shopping centers and rights-of-way. At times past and present he has upended leases and driven peoples to flee his wrath, bringing in new tenants. Just like an apartment landlord, God has chosen to take a gamble on various tenants, some who meticulously tend their own plots while others use crayons on the walls.

In this great enterprise called life God has let us buy in. From owning your first baby toy to leading a great superpower nation, we have the right to own, to claim, to protect. Life. Liberty. Property. Pursuit of happiness. "Mine" is not a dirty word. It would be preposterous for God to call us to be generous if he did not first allow us to have things of our own to CHOOSE to share!

Our first, most treasured and inviolate property is our inmost being. Not even God will violate a man's will. We were given the choice in the beginning to love and obey God or eat the forbidden fruit, for love without a choice is no love at all. I say this not to preach the gospel at you, but to point out our first freedom is of the soul. The gospel is offensive because it reaches so deep and so personally, to our most basic right to decide who we are. The man who is free in his mind can never be imprisoned. This extends to religious thoughts, to philosophy, to love, to creative genius and art. This is the pursuit of happiness. One does not need health, sight, hearing, a tongue, or even physical freedom to have liberty in the mind. Indeed, life is most precious to the man who is at liberty in his inner being.

Of course, these freedoms within are useless to a man without a vehicle for the practice of them. Hence God has granted man the right to life, and a strong curse upon those who shed the blood of man. He also has the right to property. Whether it be the justice of his cause to keep the stone knife he has carved with his own hands, or the force of law behind his sale of millions of copies of his invention,  or the right to his own address if he can raise the money, God has blessed man with the rights to a home country, a home, a home appliance.

As I write, the more I understand the miracle which our forefathers wrought upon this new land. They put quill to scroll and crafted a shelter for natural rights. The pen is indeed mightier than the sword, because in our nation the pen was given charge over the sword. The founders included patent rights to protect the property of one's mind, the right to retain one's life and liberty and property, and the right to pursue one's happiness. The shelter they built became the most fertile garden of liberty in all of history.

The freedoms were given by God, but they were first and best protected by the Constitution and Declaration. Suddenly, there was a thinktank a continent wide, property available for anyone willing to work for it, a No Trespassing sign pointed at the government. A church on every corner; something we take for granted. Because this nation was conceived in liberty, with man's highest good in mind, man was able to achieve his greatest accomplishments here. Government, primarily, stayed out of the way and guarded the shelter so the citizens could tend it.

That era is no more.

In the land where freedom fighters crafted the Declaration of Independence, it is now dangerously close to illegal to repeat the process. Most recently, Martin Luther King, Jr. demanded that our nation pay up on the promisory note of unalienable rights. Now is the time, once again.

The US Patent Office was created on Constitutional authority for the purpose of creating a safe deposit box in which a citizen could place their new idea for protection. The inventor could market and sell their product so as to pay for the great investment in creating it without theft, and thereby be encouraged to continue to innovate. It is the closest thing to a security fence for the mind and the pursuit of happiness.

This concept has been replaced by license plate scanners, fingerprinted ID cards, fusion centers, unwarranted surveillance of our computers, nude airport scanners and TSA molesters, and government spies watching us right now, live. If you doubt their malicious intent, remember that there were live feeds of the Bengazi attack and nothing was done to rescue their own.

The problem is not the use of technology by government. I am excited that the US remain the greatest source of invention and advancement the world has ever seen. I wholeheartedly bless any and all efforts to use the greatest technology to perform all the proper roles of government with greatest efficiency and effectiveness. The Constitution and Declaration fully support this action, creating just such the environment to develop these capabilities. However, our founding documents were conceived to restrain government's power.

I said earlier that God cherishes his privacy. He cherishes ours too. He honors the privacy of the marriage bed, the darkest extremes of your inmost thoughts. The Lord grants you solitude in your soul and a sanctuary so you can be free from within. The 4th Amendment says it best: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

To add my inadequate words to those of the founders, the government DOES have the right to do everything in its power to pursue justice and prosecute criminals, even to the point of depriving them of life, liberty, and property through due process of law, as the 5th amendment says. Clearly, though, they must have probable cause. There can be no doubt that the kinds of surveillance activities currently being performed and pursued by the government at all levels are the same as what were called general warrants, performed by the redcoats, and unconstitutional.

From the 5th: ...nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself; nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

From the 14th: No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

To our president, governors, mayors, police chiefs, sheriffs, and school officials, I say pursue justice vigorously. You are forbidden to surveil We the People in any way without probable cause and warrant.

God's Environment

I've written the following to help my kids. It's not exhaustive, but covers some important questions. 

Dear beloved children, I put this together for you to help give some perspective. It's long, but I tried to keep my words as few as possible and let God speak for himself.

God’s Biblical Instruction on the Environment

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the Lord.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. ISA 55:8-9NIV
God created the world in six literal days. He created all living things according to their kinds at that time. There have been no new species to appear since then; in fact, samples of all the kinds of animals were preserved in Noah’s ark. The kinds of animals are different classifications than our scientific classifications of phylum, genus, species, etc. These kinds were created and none added to them by any evolutionary process. This original world was perfect, sinless, and free from death; man had responsibility over the creation to study, understand, and care for the environment. Genesis 2:15 "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 1:28 "…Be fruitful and increase in number…."
The fall of Adam and Eve brought sin and death into the world; permanent fundamental change, increased difficulty in agriculture-though the world was all vegetarian until after the flood:
Genesis 1:29: Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." Man’s ever-increasing wickedness brought God’s punishment and the most thorough house-cleaning in all of history-worldwide destructive flood. This flood was the greatest erosive and geologic event ever, thoroughly erasing and resculpting the face of the planet with flooding worldwide on the order of 10-30 feet per hour for 960 hours straight upon a world that had never even seen rain before.
God’s covenant with Noah brought the promise of continued seasons, a rainbow as the sign that this flooding would never happen again, and the fundamental change to the world bringing the eating of meat into the diet of man and predators. Genesis 8:22 "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." He continues in GE 9:
1 "Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. 7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."
12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
17 So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."
As can be easily seen on a simple bar graph of the lifetimes of the people listed in Genesis, human life expectancy rapidly plummeted after the flood until it went from over 950 years down to 120, and later [as God mentions in Genesis], down to 70. Only in modern times, with the invention of modern medicine, has that expectancy returned to 70 and above-it was actually down into the 40’s before then. Rare individuals would live to be over 100, but the majority of lives have been cut short by violence and disease throughout history.
Books such as Job briefly describe Leviathan and Behemoth, enormous dinosaur-like creatures which the people of their day were obviously quite familiar with, and frequent mention of dragons both in the Bible and elsewhere indicates their existence in some form in the past.
Job, as well as Psalms and other passages, describes the work of God in personally caring for and feeding the creatures in the wild.
Job 38:41 "Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?"
PS 147:9 "He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call." Israel, the promised land for the Israelite people, was described as a land of milk and honey, but more importantly a land of giant fruit and races of giant people. Perhaps we have not only lost length of days, but the ability to grow very tall and the opportunity to eat much larger produce and enjoy the wonders of great creatures of the past as the world has declined in health since the days of Adam.
　Apparently, the world has changed a great deal since God created it perfect, but since some time after the Israelites settled Canaan it seems to have remained somewhat static. There is little to indicate any other big change since that time, though Revelation describes severe changes in store for earth’s future.
Some important scientific descriptions of our universe from the Bible:
Isaiah describes the water cycle 2,000 years before modern scientists understand it:
Isaiah 55:8-11 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."Note from the followings verse, the earth is not flat, and the apparent expansion of the universe has an explanation [this stretching of the fabric of space-time may explain what scientists believe to be the expanding universe with the appearance of billions of years in age; God perhaps was, and still is, stretching the fabric at more than the speed of light!]
Isaiah 40:22 NIV
"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in." When the Israelites inhabited and subdued Canaan, wild animals and enemies were gradually reduced in number. 
From Leviticus 26 we see a long description of how God will manage the entire environment with consequences for the Israelites if they obey or disobey him. A few relevant words from the chapter:
"If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.
6 "‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, …
9 "‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers… [may I note that God is not concerned about human overpopulation?]
14 "‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands… You will plant seed in vain… I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. 20 Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.
‘If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me,… I will send wild animals against you,…." The New Testament describes creation groaning in its agonizing wait for things to be made right and all the death, hunger, and suffering to cease: Romans 8:18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."
Finally, the earth will be renovated by God for its cleansing, a renovation by fire:
2 Peter 3:3 "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, "Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." This passage summed up not only the history of the creation as I’ve described, but the lesson we are to learn of it! In the end of time, God will restore creation to the state in which he created it, and all will be perfect. The environment will be forever restored.
Death will no longer be a part of the world: Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the Lord.
We are to respect and care for the earthly environment, to be sure, but we must also remember that the spiritual environment within the human soul is eternal.
Additional information from a scientific perspective:
The law of conservation of mass/energy; essentially that mass and energy cannot be created or destroyed, only change form [essentially interchange with each other with nothing lost]. However, a Creator had to create all that mass and energy in the first place; it is utterly impossible for the universe to come into existence any other way. This law guarantees that this universe isn’t going anywhere.

The second law of thermodynamics is the idea of entropy, a fancy word for saying that if you work, you get tired, everything is winding down like a windup clock, everything is getting old and wearing out and dying. This is obvious in life, but also a matter of scientific law. Everything breaks down and becomes less useful; it is utterly impossible for something simple to evolve into something more complex. Only creative activity, by a God or a designer, can turn dirt into people or scrap metal into an airplane. Going back to the law of conservation above, God created the dirt from nothing at all! Then he formed the man out of the dirt. Evolution is impossible because that dirt will never become a living thing with its immeasurable complexity any more than you can unmix a cake mix into flour, eggs, water, etc. What is the missing piece? The Creator who made the dirt and then made it into living creatures with minds, souls, love, and the ability to turn around and worship that Creator. If we ignore the existence of the Creator, and we pretend there is no law of sin and death, we can pretend that we can do whatever we want and we don’t need a Savior to forgive our sins.

Something from nothing

I would like for you to take a moment to think about, well, nothing. Imagine you don't exist, neither do your friends, family, home, planet, sky, or even heaven. It used to be that way. There was just God. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. He-they-were complete, sharing thoughts, each others' company. Then, as the Bible describes in one little sentence, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." God had decided to invent, well, inventing! There was absolutely nothing at all except God, and he decided to invent dirt. Air. Dark. Light. Life. Impossibly invisible particles and vast galaxies, all made from the same raw material-all made from nothing. God even invented time itself! From an unimaginable beginning, we have what you see today. As the saying goes, anyone can count how many apples are in a tree, but only God knows how many trees are in an apple!

In an 'apple' in a garden was the power to live forever, but God also trusted his plan enough to include an 'apple' that would bring death-and the opportunity to choose. With God's love for us, he gave us freedom to choose not to return his love. With one bite of that apple, death and decay and sin entered the world. The clock has been winding down ever since.

A few observations: we used to be able to live forever, eating fruit and walking with God. Sin, decay and death brought huge changes-such that God destroyed all life in a flood and started over. Suddenly living things could eat each other. It is beyond all comprehension what life must have been like originally-the very laws of physics were different; maybe light was faster, gravity stronger. Perhaps friction and radioactive decay and corrosion and rot didn't occur, nothing was poisonous or had fangs. No disease, no fatal injuries. Evil itself wasn't allowed to run the world; there was just one snake in the grass. The pervasive destruction of the flood has utterly and fundamentally changed the oceans, land, and sky in unimaginable ways, leading rapidly to much shorter lifespans.

There were a few promising signs. Enoch and Elijah never died. Many were raised from the dead and healed of diseases. Other miracles appeared. God promised that the seed of the woman would be victorious over the serpent, meaning Christ over the devil. When Christ died, many righteous people were resurrected.

A few exciting things are still to come! Many more people will never die,  joined by many more resurrected people who will ascend into heaven. Jesus will come back. God will fundamentally change the universe again, back to perfection, and there will be a new heavens and a new earth, renovated by fire.

I am deeply moved to worship my Creator. From nothing he created it all, the huge from the invisible. The dying from the living, and life from death. He will fix all we've wrecked. More importantly, he created this whole plan with us in mind because he loves us with an everlasting love and will grant the willing the opportunity to live in his presence forever!

The following verses were my material for this essay. Read on; you'll find some amazing supernatural occurrences and inspiration to worship!

Hebrews 1:1-3 KJV: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, ² Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; ³ Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, ...."

Heb 1:3 NIV84: "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." 

Genesis 2:9: ^"The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

3:15 KJV:  "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

Genesis 9:3: " Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."

GE 5:23: "Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away."

2 Kings 2:11: "As they [Elijah and Elisha] were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind."

MT 27: 50: "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. ⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. ⁵² The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. ⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son^[e] of God!”

2 Peter 3:3: "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁴ They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” ⁵ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. ⁶ By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. ⁷ By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Revelation 21:1 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.^[a]
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.^[b] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation,...."

1 Thessalonians 4:15: " According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage each other with these words."

So you wanna be salt and light?

 I came across a lively discussion on Facebook last week on the subject of Christians being involved in politics. There were sentiments of discouragement and frustration with the process on the part of some of the Christians as well as offense on the part of some non Christians who felt preached at. 

I am reminded that Paul said that the cross is offensive to those who are perishing, so we can expect as Christians to offend at times-but we must be ever vigilant to never offend when we can avoid it, speaking the truth in love. We must also remember that Jesus said that those who aren't against us are for us [within reasonable limitations] so we must be open to working shoulder-to-shoulder with those who don't share our faith if they share our principles and our cause. This is particularly true in political or governmental service and activism.

...But I'm not writing here to preach at you. Politics is a dirty business with lots of corruption, but then so is just about any other setting in our society :). Politics is, after, all, government service and is a necessary part of any society. It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it! Whether you choose to be a government employee, elected official, a member of the press or an activist trying to keep government accountable, there can be honor in that. I would say that there are very few segments of society which Christians should avoid because of the sin necessary to participate-let's say, organized crime, the sex industry,....

I, for one, am glad that many principled Christians worked together to found our great nation at the risk of life and liberty. Not only were they Christians, but they built our founding documents and the doctrines upon which they built our government upon many biblical principles.

Here are a few choice phrases from the Declaration of Independence proclaiming the religious motivation of our Founders:

*the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them,

*a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

*We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. —

 *That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —

*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, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. 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 and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.

*...appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, 

*And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

*The Preamble to the US Constitution: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Clearly the Founders followed Christian motivations not only to influence and alter, but abolish government when it was wrong and then build one of, by, and for the people so as to establish the most successful government in all of history.

One critical principle upon which our nation was founded is that God, being sovereign and the one who endows us with unalienable rights, ordained the individual people themselves to be sovereign. We ARE government! We choose the members of government to perform its functions as our servants. It is our responsibility as sovereigns to perform our duty-choose our government through voting, but just as importantly by informing ourselves and others, keeping government accountable, and standing for righteousness. We are each uniquely called by God to serve in some sector of society, and politics/government may not be yours, but ignoring the government we are to choose to rule over us is not justifiable.

I have been somewhat wordy, but let me get to my point: I wrote this essay to speak to one who asked specifically for scriptural justification for Christians being involved in politics. In a desperate attempt to limit my natural wordiness, I will try to shorten this!

Jesus called us to be salt and light and a city on a hill [MT5:13-16]. Government is ordained by God [RO13:1-7, Acts 17:24-28, Exodus through Deuteronomy]. Israel's laws were given by God; Moses was their leader and judge. Thanks to his father-in-law speaking to influence government we have the principle of divisions of jurisdiction [Ex 18]. God called many great government leaders like Samuel, David, Gideon, Solomon. Every Old Testament prophet was called by God to preach to the governments of the nations and to decry the corruption of the people, whether it be religious idolatry or oppressing the poor and stealing from the upright[references too numerous to mention]. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel were important government officials, as were Esther and Nehemiah. John the Baptist was beheaded for being bold enough to speak up[MT 14:4]. God even ordained that the crucifixion of Christ be through the actions of government, petitioned by the people. Yes, that is a horrible example, but evil governments are influenced by evil people just as good governments are influenced by good people.

The book of Acts is full of Christians dealing with government, from the Sanhedrin and priests to the Romans. Peter's speech in Acts 3 was to the people both as individuals needing salvation and as part of a government that had unjustly participated in the crucifixion of Jesus. Acts 4:19-20 are the cry of a man of righteousness influencing the people. Vs. 29-30 are our rallying cry to bold actions. Chapters 5 and 7 exhibit the persecution they endure and Stephen's bold speech decrying the evils of the Israeli government. 16:35-39 illustrate Paul's shrewd use of his rights as a citizen [also in 22:22-29]. The Occupy movement is even described in scripture-19:23-41, especially 32 and 40! Chapters 23-26 detail his dealings with the Roman government, using his rights to obtain opportunity for testimony. Paul finishes up with chapter 28:31: "Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." Of course, Paul's mission was not to change government, but he was unhesitant to exercise his rights as a Roman citizen to advance the gospel, even before kings [Acts 9:15-16]. The book of Philemon is the seed which flourished into the worldwide abolitionist movement, freeing untold millions from slavery. Revelation 11 tells of the two witnesses prophesying to the nations, and the rest of the book tells of God's judgment upon the nations of the earth and finally the establishment of his kingdom on earth.

Our mission as Christians is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. If we participate in society as a means of doing so, then so be it!

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2Cor3:17

When in the course of human events...

On the hallowed occasion of Independence Day, I wish to remind all of us that the United States of America was founded a nation upon the bedrock of faith in the Christian God and Scriptures. From her Declaration of Independence I have excerpted certain statements to that effect which shall clearly demonstrate the legal contract which the Founders had established before Almighty God.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary,
            the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle us to establish a new nation upon certain truths.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — 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,

under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

[of King George]
He has refused his Assent to Laws,
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly,
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone
 He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
For abolishing the free System of English Laws

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens ...[ ]to bear Arms against their Country

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms

a Tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in general Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

The American colonists at one time declared, "We have no king but King Jesus!" The King of England was usurping God's place as ruler over men. This free people were compelled to return things to God's order, for they were doing his bidding and would receive his protection. It is their right, it is their duty- rights, as well as duty, come from God and therefore We, the People of the United States of America were and continue to be bound by this Declaration to uphold our rights and duties.

Signed, this 4th of July, 2012 in the year of our Lord,

James W. England, Jr.

God has no choice

I believe in a God who is all-powerful and who is, in fact, love. He is all-knowing and he is everywhere. He is perfect, righteous, just, and holy. He can do anything he wants-or can he?

Sacred secrets

I believe with all my heart, as may you, that we can know God personally and hear his guiding Spirit and receive revelation and wisdom that can only come from the Creator. In my Bible study recently, however, I have been reminded that God still remains an unsearchable mystery! I find this rather exciting. Here are a few examples of holy mysteries:
Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end.
Hebrews 11:32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Sampson, Jephthah, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength;  and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
2 Corinthians 12:1 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.
Revelation 10:4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”
This reminds me of  Isaiah 55:6-11. Study that mystery! Better yet, go to a Bible website like biblegateway or youversion and go on your own mystery tour of the Word of God.
Remember the greatest mystery of all-Jesus will come again!

Why am I writing this blog?

I dearly love the United States of America.  She is in grave trouble ; you know this. I believe the Lord has the best view of her problems and her future, so it's best to seek his answer.  In my Bible study, I came across the Lord's answer to Daniel's prayer when he knew that Israel's time was almost up. DA9:22-23"Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision : ..."  I will not be innocent of men's blood if I do not share what God puts on my heart. Please keep reading.