This week Michael writes: The distinctive about Christianity is that there is no discrimination according to God's righteous standard. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. For the Will of God is that all would be saved and come unto the knowledge of the Truth. Although there is discrimination and exclusion in the world, God is no respecter of persons. He is, however, a respecter of His holy Word. The condition is that we approach the throne of grace on His terms, not ours. His terms are according to His righteous Word. We are Christ-centered, faith-based and grace-driven. The sacred Word of God is our sole source of truth and practice, for Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man cometh unto the father but by me.”
History provides evidence that America was founded as a Christian nation. Our nation is unique in that it was formed, not by a specific ethnic heritage or geographic territory, but upon an ideal enshrined in our nation's founding documents; The Declaration of Independence. That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, resulting from virtue. These are ideals based upon the Word of God. Freedom to worship God according to the dictates of the heart (of Christ in us) is the foundation of our great nation. The Declaration of Independence was actually our nation's "Declaration of Dependence" on Almighty God. As the Founding Fathers signed with unwavering hand: "unto these ends, in firm reliance upon divine Providence, we pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor." The Founders understood the "Puritan" doctrine of divine Providence. It means that our Lord God Jehovah will provide. That all I have needed thy hand hath provided. They understood that "blessed is the nation whose strength the Lord is."
Nations rise and fall. The vicious cycle of the rise and fall of worldly empires continues according to the Word. When the spirit of unbelief pervades a nation and the nation rebels against God's righteous standard, the fall is inevitable. When a nation turns its heart against God's prophets that speak on behalf of God, He will respect the standards of his Word, for God is no respecter of persons. Today we are engaged in a cultural war that has caused great division in our nation. America has been decoupled from her Christian heritage. The root cause is “spiritual warfare”, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the powers of spiritual darkness, against spiritual wickedness from on high. Our prayer is not that God is on our side, but rather that we are on God's side. The prayer of a righteous man is not God, take sides, but rather, God take over.
As Christians, our times are in His Almighty hands. We may be citizens of the United States, however, as sons and daughters of God, we hold dual citizenship. According to Philippians 3:20, “For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:” As citizens of heaven, Peter said, “We are an holy nation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people for his own possession.” As American citizens, we lament not because of the results of man's election, rather we rejoice because we are the results of God's election.
Let's continue Michael's message on "Dependence on God" on the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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