We Are at War 

     What a topic to start the new week. Iran? No, not them. 

     Our headline might better read, "in a war." And what might that be?

     Two groups that hate each other are joined in battle against Christians and Jews: 1. Islam. Their "certainty" (not faith) is based on Mohammad, who died in 632 A.D., and 2. communists, Marxists and socialists (any or all of these). When and if America crumbles and Christians and Jews cannot survive, the millions of Muslims and Marxists will duke it out for total control.

     Of course, Satan is their sponsor, but they don't know it. God threw Satan and other angels out of heaven. And He could end this war today, but He has great plans still to come. (See the New Testament).

     Christians might attend church, while we have other matters today and throughout the week. But we are in God's war. He wants our prayers. Then his Spirit will work. It will matter to each of us now and when/if we enter heaven.  

Ephesians chapter 6. 

     Our war is not against Muslims or communists, but against spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. Paul lists the "full armor of God: Belt of truth. Breastplate of righteousness. Feet fitted with readiness. Shield of faith. Helmet of salvation, and Sword of the Spirit." 

 A Decaying Culture 

     "Make no mistake about it; there is a truth war in our culture. God's truth is under attack. Nothing in all the world is more important or more valuable than the truth of Jesus Christ. 

Jack Graham, Texas pastor

     "Solomon's wise advice in Proverbs 23:23 has never been timelier. Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding. This spiritual war between truth and lies is being waged in the hearts and minds of people, particularly in the church. Too many Christians are being shaped by the culture rather than being shaped by the Savior and the Scripture. 

     "They are compromised when it comes to the core teaching of the Christian faith. Many churches are throwing in the towel when it comes to the culture wars and social issues. Too many pastors compromise their calling in the pulpit, watering down their messages from the infallible Word of God, for fear of offending. 

     "People are offended too easily these days. The Bible speaks absolute truth for all generations. There is not much wrong in our country that cannot be made right if spiritual leadership would rise to the challenges and crises of our times. It is our responsibility as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ to disciple people, because if the church doesn't disciple them, the world will...and the world is good at it.

     "Now more than ever in our country, we must not relent. We must be bold and courageous and stand strong for the Lord Jesus, our King. God has called us to fight the good fight of faith." 

 Sunday: we are at war right here

Fight for Freedom 

     The Declaration says "all men are equal" in their claim to justice, that governments exist to give them that justice, and that their authority is for that reason just. Those rights are being threatened by a culture increasingly anti-God and anti-Christian. 

Gary Hamrick, pastor in Virginia

     "Pastors were at the center of the American Revolution. They led the fight for religious freedom and recruited men from their churches to join the fight. Several pastors made up the 'Black Robed Regiment,' the most feared by the British because of their influence. The British placed bounties on their heads, burned their homes and churches, and would execute wounded ministers rather than take them prisoners of war." 

     "We've witnessed government overreach with mandates to close churches during COVID, while liquor stores and hardware stores were called 'essential' and remained open. We've witnessed school boards stripping parental rights. Churches, Christian schools and Jewish synagogues have been the target of violent attacks, ranging from arson to mass shootings." 

     "We must not allow the slow creep of an anti-Judeo-Christian bias in our culture to smother religious freedoms we have enjoyed for 250 years. It is still a battle worth fighting. It will only be won if pastors are courageous, and Christians are engaged. Jesus said in John 8:36, 'So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.' Freedom is a gift - both spiritual freedom from sin, and religious freedom to worship the Lord and live fearlessly for Jesus." 

     Pastor Hamrick urges, "Let us do all we can to keep that light of religious freedom shining brightly in America." 

                                                                                                              Thursday

Our Challenges Today

     A message about America from then to now to beyond, by Jason Thomson, Utah house of representatives. 

     "Our challenges differ from those of 1776, but the fundamental question is similar. Can free people govern themselves? The answer will come not solely by leaders and the wealthy. It will come from citizens who do the quiet necessary work of self-government." 

     "That responsibility is where the founders intended it to be...the people. For 250 years the explosion of human progress has been unlike anything the world has known. The average person today carries more information in a smart phone than heads of state possessed only decades ago."

     "America has not always lived up to its highest ideals. There has been injustice and achievements, failures and triumphs. Our story is way beyond Mount Rushmore. From our beginning, unknown people accomplished the amazing and the necessary to make our nation and even the world a better place."

Search 'Mount Rushmore' for Thomson's message.

If you can find it, he names ordinary people who provided 

success that leaders like those on Rushmore get the credit.  

Opinions Then and Now

George Washington 

     "Be courteous to all but intimate with few and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence."

Elizabeth Powel, Philadelphia, 1787

     "Self-government requires ongoing vigilance and civic responsibility, virtue and moral character." 

Dr. Ben Carson 

     "Our 250th year is an extraordinary milestone, worthy of celebration, reflection and gratitude. We are not perfect. We have made mistakes, faced decisions and endured great challenges." 

     "Despite our imperfections, there remains something exceptional about this nation that continues to inspire people around the world." 

Tomorrow: more about our 250th

American Revolution 

  Continued

     "Thomas Jefferson received the same invitation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of American independence. Like John Adams, he was too ill. In his last letter of record, he wrote from Monticello a reflection on the Declaration, of which he was the famous author. He wrote, May it be to the world. 

     Both men died on the Fourth of July. 

     Webster wrote, "No age will come in which the American Revolution will appear less than it is, one of the great events in human history." He believed, "The highest attainment of all future generations would be to understand and live up to the greatness of the American Revolution. The essence of that greatness - was the idea of independence itself - the idea of political freedom.

     During the 200th-year celebration, Harry Jaffa wrote, "Nothing threatens the future of human freedom more than the failure to keep alive the understanding of and attachment to its principles."       

     John Adams made the same point, "Fellow citizens," he said after telling the biblical story of the children of Israel's entry into the promised land, "the ark of your covenant is the Declaration of Independence." 

     "All their blessings," Adams continued, "would come from adherence to the Declaration's principles, and all of their curses would come from departure from those principles."   

     Then he charged the people with a flurry of actions that reminds us of God's charge to the Israelites on their long march to freedom. There is a reward for obedience to the law of God.

PS. Democrats want to destroy our Constitution and start over with communism. Forgetting our history will help them do it. 

  

The American Revolution 

     John Adams, 40 plus years after the Declaration of Independence, knew that the risky choices, acts of daring and heroism would long be remembered and deserve serious study. 

     In 1818 he wrote, the Revolution took place "in the Minds and Hearts of the People"...the real American Revolution. "In the 1760s and 1770s, a revolutionary generation learned to think and act like the Americans they were becoming." 

Christopher Flannery, Claremont Institute

     "All the actions and documents leading to the Declaration express the American idea of political freedom. Returning to such again and again is a way by which succeeding generations can continue to experience the Revolution for themselves. The Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776 proclaimed, 'a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality and virtue, and a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.' 

     "So abundant is this gift that to live up to it is the most fulfilling thing we can do. The daily activity of free people is the 'pursuit of happiness,' being good sons and daughters, good parents, neighbors, secretaries, teachers, artists, farmers, plumbers, mechanics, business owners and citizens. Benjamin Franklin put it: 'Pitch upon that course of life which is most excellent, and Custom will make it the most delightful.' 

     "As we celebrated America's 250th, John Adams was invited to attend the 50th anniversary celebration. He wasn't well enough. Later, with the committee visiting, he was asked to make a toast. Adams proposed, I give you 'Independence Forever!' Asked if he would like to add anything, he replied: "Not a word." 

Continued Tuesday