Voluntary Slavery

by Brian J. Hennessy

            It is often difficult for Americans living in the late twentieth century to relate to some of the patriotic fervor of our founding fathers. Their impassioned cries for liberty and self-government seem almost melodramatic today. We hear Patrick Henry, for example, shouting from the pages of our textbooks, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" - and we want to say: "Yo, Patrick, get a grip! There must be a more reasonable solution to this problem then skewering yourself on a British bayonet!"

            Yet, when we study more closely the history of our beginnings, we discover our forefathers really had no alternative. Britain had made it quite clear she would never give the American colonies the right to self-determination. For over a hundred years the colonies had been part of the British Empire, and although they'd enjoyed a large measure of autonomy, Parliament was now tightening the screws. Either the colonies submitted to the Crown's sovereignty, or they'd be made to bow by force of arms.

            But Britain underestimated the resolve of the colonies. Times were changing. America was coming of age. Home rule was something that more and more Americans had now determined was their God-given right. Of course, there were a number of people who felt, given the alternative of a bloody, frightening war with the most powerful empire on the globe, that a little submission wasn't all that bad. After all, no colony in those modern times had ever successfully broken away from its mother country. These voices of rationalization became fewer and fewer, however, as events quickly progressed. After "the shot heard round the world' was fired at Concord Bridge, it was too late to turn back. The revolution was on.

 A Word for Us Today

            I was drawn to this decisive period in American history when I came upon a quote in the newspaper attributed to Thomas Jefferson. The quote, as I later learned, had been taken from a treatise entitled, "Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms," published on July 6, 1775. In this treatise, Jefferson was urging young America to press forward and throw off the shackles of the British Empire. The quote read:

"We have counted the cost of this contest, and find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery. Honor, justice and humanity forbid us to tamely surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them... Our cause is just. Our union is perfect. Our internal resources are great...We gratefully acknowledge, as signal instances of the Divine favor towards us, that His Providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy until we had grown up to our present strength...with one mind (we are) resolved to die (as) freemen rather than to live as slaves."

             As I read those noble words of Jefferson, I immediately sensed they were more than just a rallying cry for young America against the British Empire. I felt they were also a divine challenge to the church of Jesus Christ today. For they could just as easily be applied to the chronic struggle that the people of God have had with another Empire that has lorded itself over the body of Messiah for centuries. Namely, the institutional Christian Church.

            This Ecclesiastical Empire, which dominates almost every expression of Christianity today, rules through a form of government that was first instituted by the Roman Catholic Church. Unlike so many other Roman Catholic beliefs and practices which were found to be unscriptural and jettisoned during the Reformation, the government of the institutional church system was allowed to be carried over almost in tact. That government is a direct rejection and replacement of the government established by God as revealed in the New Testament, which is Jesus alone ruling His people individually through the Holy Spirit. If such a complete overthrow of established authority had taken place in the kingdoms of this world, it would have been immediately considered high treason. The question is, by our continued allegiance to this unauthorized form of government, will we not be held just as accountable? "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

            One reason God's people have tolerated the usurped rule of this Empire over our lives for these past eighteen centuries is because most of our gifted members have been a part of its established hierarchy. If the most spiritually mature among us act as if this is the way things are supposed to be, what are the rest of us to think? As a result, our corporate resolve to recognize and confront this problem has been continually undermined. But there are strong winds stirring today that suggest this may at last be changing.
 

 The Great Uprising

            As we know from our history books, the church has not always passively submitted to the reign of this Empire. In preceding centuries, when the abuses of the Empire were much more flagrant, a number of bloody confrontations erupted. These culminated in the Great Uprising of the sixteenth century known as the Reformation. The names of Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, Calvin and Tyndale are almost as well known and revered today by American Christians, as Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, and Henry. There were also many other unsung heroes who stood up in one way or another against the tyranny of the Empire, armed only with their courage and biblical truth. Many - if not most - paid for their brazen insubordination with their life's blood.

            Although this Great Uprising indeed brought forth a large measure of freedom from this tyranny, nevertheless, the church never did gain her full independence. Like prisoners who had broken out of their cells, but who still remained within the confines of the outer prison wall, the Reformers took possession of the key to their individual spiritual freedom, but did not press forward to obtain full corporate freedom. They had won a great victory to be sure. Now any man by the free exercise of his faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross could know true forgiveness from sin and taste the heady wine of eternal life. Yet they were unable, or unwilling, to apply the Word of Scripture to bust through the man-made outer wall of the organized church, and experience a full deliverance from this worldly system of government. Instead, they simply modified and adopted the traditional and unscriptural Roman Catholic concept of organized church life for their own purposes and settled down again. From an organizational standpoint, it truly was just a re-formation of the same old thing.

Tragically, they didn't see how essential the form of the church is to the gospel.
 

Everybody Needs Some Body

            While the message of salvation through faith in God's work at Calvary (called soteriology by the theologians) is the heart of the gospel, it is not all there is to the gospel. For just as a human heart cannot exist by itself, but was designed to be part of a human body, so too, a spiritual heart redeemed by the message of salvation needs the true spiritual body of Messiah to function in. If you transplant that heart into a body it was never designed for, it will not function as it ought to. And sooner or later the body will reject it. That's why a correct understanding of the form of the church (called ecclesiology) is so vitally important because it teaches how each Believer fits into and functions within that spiritual Body. That means first realizing that the body of Christ isn't an organization with an ascending hierarchy of leadership (as in Satan's Kingdom) - but an organism requiring a different type of leadership and relationship between members.

            The headship, of course, was reserved for no one else but Jesus operating through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It was not given to Peter. Or Paul. Or Martin Luther. Or Henry the VIII. Or the Pope. Or a local pastor. Or indeed, any man but God Himself. All the members of His body would be considered as equals before Him. Yet each would have uniquely different roles to fulfill with varying degrees of anointing and authority. This body would increase in stature as each part assumed its proper place and function in the body, taking pains to maintain a loving relationship with the other parts. "Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Messiah, from whom the whole body being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love" (Eph. 4:15,16).

            To help build up this body of interdependent members - all of whom are ministers of the most High God - God sent extra help. He called and equipped some members of the body to act as apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists. We could think of them as playing coaches. And the rest of the body as the "team." These coaches (who are also part of the team) are not to introduce their own plays but follow the lead of the Head Coach, Jesus. Nor are they to gather individual players around themselves and cause divisions on the team. Nor are they to ever lord it over the players the way the coaches of Gentile teams do. If they want to be successful coaches, they should just go about their work with diligence, zest, and humility. They should, without compromising their God-given authority, treat all members of the team as more important than themselves. They should do the work of an apostle, teacher, prophet, etc. - but leave the titles aside and let others use them if they wish. Their work will soon reveal who they. In short, they should put the team first, and their own careers and reputations second.

It is a far cry, I'm afraid, from the way things have turned out.
 

The Second Great Uprising

            Soon after the Reformation stalled under the leadership of Luther and Calvin, a second uprising against the Ecclesiastical Empire erupted in Europe. It is usually referred to as the Radical Reformation. Although less known, it is no less important. It was comprised of scattered groups led by believers who had dug deeper into the Scriptures and discovered an even sweeter freedom than the Reformation had attained. These groups are generally lumped together and referred to by historians as 'Anabaptists,' meaning "ones baptized again."

            The main issue that set these Anabaptists apart was their desire to truly live the Christian life, not just talk about it. If Luther put the emphasis on "faith alone" to get into the Kingdom, they took it the next step and realized the importance of "working out your faith with fear and trembling." What became the focal point of this serious commitment to live a Christ-like lifestyle was the rite of baptism. They saw that their infant baptism, although a nice gesture of intent, was not a valid baptism. They understood now that for water baptism to be meaningful it has to follow, not precede, the conversion of heart by faith. Infants were too young to believe anything. Baptizing them did little more than initiate them into a Christian denomination. In truth, infant baptism was just another religious carryover from paganism which had a similar rite, which taught the water, literally cleansed the soul. That teaching led to the belief among Christians that baptism caused you to be "born again."

            Having been truly "born again" through faith, however, these Anabaptists now wished to be baptized into Christ as adults. They wished to make the public confession that they acknowledged they had died with Christ at Calvary, been buried with him and been raised with Him to sit with Him now on heaven’s throne. However, by disavowing their infant baptism they came into direct conflict with both the state and the state churches. The state relied on infant baptism as an official act that declared a person to be a "Christian citizen" of that country. At the same time the churches taught that it was infant baptism that made a person a member of Christ's body, which the Anabaptists of course rejected.

            The fruit of their courageous faith, which persevered in the face of vicious persecution from both Roman Catholic and Protestant Reformers (who had now grown cozy with the status quo), ultimately influenced the enactment of the First Amendment to our Constitution. For it was this radical form of Protestantism that was most prominent throughout the Thirteen Colonies. Its adherents, having seen the evils of state-enforced religion before immigrating to our shores, were not shy to voice their opposition to every attempt to marry a particular denomination to the state. Or allow the state any say in the regulation of private religion whatsoever. As a result of their influence and others, a citizen of a predominantly Christian nation did not have to face the civil authorities if he or she disagreed with a particular doctrine or Biblical interpretation. This had not existed since the Fourth Century when Constantine paved the way to impose Christianity on the populace as the official religion of the Empire.

            It was a new and happy day! But even this second shaking of the Empire's rule, which eventually birthed such groups as the Pilgrims, Puritans, Quakers, Swiss Brethren, Mennonites, Moravians, Baptists, etc., did not bring down the empire's ecclesiastical wall.

            Nevertheless, their efforts did result in the next best thing: the disarming of the guards who patrolled the wall.

Then Till Now

            To review then, the first Reformation restored to the Church the message of salvation by "faith alone." This allowed all those who were truly seeking to know God to enter into the finished work of Jesus and be reconciled with God. And all of this was now possible without the necessary sacramental mediation of the organized church. The arrogant claims of the Empire that they were the sole possessors of the keys to the Kingdom had been debunked. And all men, great and small, rushed to drink freely from the fountain of Living Waters. The words of Isaiah the prophet beckoned them to come: "Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without price..." (Isa. 55:1).

            The first reformation also brought about a decentralization of the Catholic Church (as the Christian church came to be called). But that was a mixed blessing. Yes, the all-powerful Roman monopoly had been broken, but now there were many smaller versions of the same system. Mother had simply given birth to many daughters, each one becoming wedded to a particular nation. Germany tied the knot with Lutheranism. Switzerland fell in love with Calvinism. England eloped with the Anglican Church. And so on. Since the very thought of separating the church from the powers of the state was still inconceivable at that time, the ability and willingness of each nation to punish unorthodox religious speech was still very much intact. It only awaited the right amount of shove before it would suddenly open wide its maw and clamp down hard on its innocent victim with "iron teeth." (Dan 7:19)

            On the other hand, the second reformation that followed finally precipitated the separation of the church from the state. The relentless determination of the simple people involved in that movement, who wanted only to follow Jesus according to the Scriptures as they understood them, had brought the body of Messiah one step closer to complete liberation. But that wasn't the end of it. Jesus kept knocking. There were other "rebellious" moves of God's Spirit in the Church after the sixteenth century, each having its own liberating effect. Each designed to re-establish His total Lordship over the church.

            In the 1700s, when the Church in England and America began to nod off as it sat in more comfortable church surroundings, God provided The Great Awakening - sparked by the outdoor preaching (as in outside the walls of the institutional church) of Jonathan Edwards, the Wesley brothers, and George Whitfield. When this upheaval subsided and began to harden into Methodism, God sent forth men like Dwight Moody, George Mueller, and Charles Finney. Then at the start of the twentieth century, a Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders restored lost power to the church. As a result, hundreds of thousands of "tongue-speaking, holy-rollers" left, or were forced to leave, their traditional Christian denominations - only to reform later as Pentecostal denominations.

            Over the last hundred years we've seen other powerful, individual ministries of healing and evangelization, as well as new moves of the Spirit in the Charismatic Movement, the Word of Faith Movement, the Messianic Jewish Movement and Promise Keepers.

The Wall Remains

            Nearly 1900 years have now come and gone since the church began its slide into captivity. And sad to say, after all the smoke from all the battles has cleared, the Empire's religious wall remains standing. Built of numerous stumbling stones and mortared by centuries of tradition and ignorance, it imprisons us and blocks us from accomplishing the work of Messiah to this very day.

 Upon close inspection, you find the wall includes the stumbling stone of ecclesiastical government that excludes and stifles the Spirit of God from having little to no say in the running of the ecclesia.

It includes the stumbling stones of tradition and dogma that nullify or compromise the inspired word of God in the Bible.

            It includes the clergy/laity boulder that divides the body of Christ into a two-caste system, nullifying God's establishment of a royal priesthood of all Believers, and makes us all dependent upon paid professionals.

            It includes the stumbling stones of religious holy days and festivals that we are expected to observe (like Easter, Christmas, and Sunday) - times that God never instituted.

It includes the stumbling stone of rote religious rituals that require no dependence upon God.  

            It includes the stumbling stone of sanctioned physical temples, which hinder us from truly comprehending that we are His only earthly tabernacle – a tabernacle made of "living stones" that is growing in the Lord.

            And there are many more such man-made stones embedded in this wall.

But this wall... this enduring monolithic sentinel... this crushing collection of dead orthodoxy, is only a wall of words. It is a virtual wall that has been kept real and unassailable in our fearful imaginations by those who have the most to gain from its continuation. It is nothing more than religious smoke and mirrors designed to keep us all in awe. And in our place. And whenever we get too close and see how all too human the system really is, we are told - as in that revealing scene from the Wizard of Oz - to "disregard that man behind the curtain!"

            The fact is, this religious government of man, with traditions drawn even from pagan antiquity, is without a shred of Divine authority or power, and rules only by our permission. It's high time we withdrew that permission.
 

Voluntary Slavery

            The term Jefferson used to describe America's continued compliance with British rule was "voluntary slavery." It was a condition he found so dreadful and deplorable he could think of nothing worse. Unfortunately, there is no more apt term for describing the church's present relationship with the organized church.

            Our affiliation with this system could certainly be termed "voluntary," because there are no longer soldiers pounding at our door demanding to know why we didn't show up for church last Sunday. A rude awakening that our spiritual forefathers in Europe often experienced. The worst we suffer today for "missing mass" is a raised eyebrow from a fellow parishioner who we might pass on the street the next day. Or perhaps a friendly call from a deacon or the pastor's wife inquiring as to the state of our health, and saying how much they're looking forward to seeing us again in church next week. Maybe, if we are a no-show for two or three weeks in a row, we might warrant a visit from pastor himself. But even then he will try to be understanding while he explains the value of "our gathering together." After all, he knows he is in competition with the church down the street for our name on the membership role and cannot be too abrasive.

            In the heyday of Roman Catholicism, pastors didn't have to worry about numbers. Or even being nice. There was no pressure to grow the church as today, because basically everyone who lived in a pastor's geographic region (called a parish) was required to be a member. If the church did grow it was due mostly to an increase in the birth rate. As the pastor moved up the corporate ladder, he was transferred to a more populated area - hence a larger parish. If he got to pastor a big city church, for example, he could become a bishop.

            It wasn't until after the Reformation (which worked something like deregulation) that pastors suddenly had to compete with other pastors or denominations for membership. This has definitely led to a kinder, gentler church. The free enterprise system has kept church management accountable to the customer - and kept the amount of mayhem in the name of God to a minimum. Emotional and sexual abuse may abound, but as bad as that is, at least nobody has been burned at the stake in awhile.

            Yet as "voluntary" as our attendance at a church might be today, it's still a form of "slavery." By meekly turning over the spiritual control of our lives to the professionals, and accepting the status of "laity," we surrender our freedom (not to mention our royal priesthood) in Messiah. Consequently, only a few ever really experience the freedom of flight and learn how to follow the leading of the Spirit for themselves. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom" (2 Cor. 3:17). Without this freedom to learn by trial and error, it is impossible to mature. We remain as babes in Messiah, continually dependent upon the trained clergy to feed us the Word, fight our spiritual battles, give us spiritual direction, and keep things kosher between us and God. As Paul declares to the Galatians, "As long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything" (Gal. 4:1).

            This weakened condition of dependency has its parallel in the political realm, also. With almost prophetic insight, Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in his two-volume “Democracy in America” in 1835 that America herself would eventually embrace the same sort of velvet-gloved despotism. He suggested a “Big Brother” governmental power would arise one day promising to secure all our materialistic comforts for us. “That power [would be] absolute, minute, regular, provident, and mild. It would be like the authority of a parent if, like that authority, its object was to prepare men for manhood; but it seeks, on the contrary, to keep them in perpetual childhood: it is well content that the people should rejoice, provided they think of nothing but rejoicing. For their happiness such a government willingly labors, but it chooses to be the sole agent and the only arbiter of that happiness; it provides for their security, foresees and supplies heir necessities, facilitates their pleasures, manages their principal concerns, directs their industry, regulates the descent of property, and subdivides their inheritances: what remains, but to spare them all the care of thinking and all the trouble of living?” (Chapter VI: What Sort of Despotism Democratic Nations Have to Fear).  

            The bottom line for the ecclesia is that we have not been obeying the voice of the Lord our God. By listening to the voice of men and their traditions instead, we are serving other masters and other agendas. It matters not how spiritual and benevolent these other masters may be. Or how worthwhile their agendas. We are supposed to be Messiah's, and Messiah's alone. Jesus set us free from the unfruitful religious ways of this world so we could follow Him as the Way. He is our only Shepherd (pastor). No man or woman, board or bishop, tradition or creed is to have the final say on how we are to follow Jesus. It is a very intimate, personal, one-on-one relationship.

            When a brother or sister, or someone with true spiritual authority in the church does have a word of direction for us from the Lord (recognizing these true "leaders" is part of the discernment of the Holy Spirit), we are never to just act on that information - no matter how "spiritual" the person may be in our sight. No, we are to seek the Lord and His Word about it. As a general rule of thumb, any personal direction from God that comes to us through other believers will either be confirmational or preparational. Never operational. That means if the message truly is of the Lord, He has either already spoken it to our hearts and this word was given to confirm it. Or this word is given to prepare our hearts to receive it directly from Him later on. Even when we receive a loving exhortation concerning some part of our walk, unless we are clearly sinning or promoting a false Gospel, it should be taken to God first before responding. (If the charge is true, the Holy Spirit will surely convict us of it and we need to repent.) Sometimes the preparation and confirmation from the Lord are simultaneous. But the point is, without His explicit seal of approval spoken to our heart we should not be too quick to respond. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me," Jesus said. "...and no one shall snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27, 28).

            If only the followers of David Koresh and Jim Jones had been aware of that truth. But then again, they were doing no more or no less than any Christian congregation which treats their pastor as the head of the church. Or any pastor who treats his bishop as the head of the church. For all, the error is the same, though the consequences might be greater for some.

 "Awake, Awake!"

            The freedom to follow Jesus one-on-one, without having our spiritual lives co-opted by a religious hierarchy, was understood and practiced by the first-century Church. However, when the wolves dressed in sheep's clothing infiltrated the sheepfold in the second century, the rules got rewritten. If we hadn't had the God-inspired writings of the early Jewish leadership to refer back to (which we now call "The New Testament"), we would have never been able to get free of the chains.

            When the Scriptures were finally wrested from the exclusive control of the clergy who had managed to keep them under lock and key for many centuries, the truth of the Gospel (and the truth about the errors of the organized church) began to spread quickly. Those who were called of God were given "eyes to see and ears to hear," and by their courageous faith helped put us back on the road to freedom.

            The Reformation period was truly a wake-up call from the Spirit of God, nudging and prompting the sleeping church to rise from its long captivity. This in preparation for the promised final "restoration of all things," as was spoken by Peter in Acts 3:21. But because the deception was so great, and the bondage so complex, the Spirit knew it would take more than that Reformation, or the ones that followed, to set the church completely free. The full awakening and deliverance would have to be left to another generation. That generation, I believe, is ours.

            The words of the prophets are ringing out like the set time on our alarm clock, saying, wake up! That "...it is the Lord's time to favor Zion, yea, the set time is come" (Ps. 102:13). Listen to this word from Isaiah:

             "Awake, awake, clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city. For the uncircumcised and the unclean will no more come into you. Shake yourself from the dust; rise up, O captive Jerusalem. Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion" (Isa. 52:1-2).

             Isaiah lists four steps we should take after awakening. First, quickly "clothe yourself in your strength...your beautiful garments." We must put on our "robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10). If you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ you must know you are completely righteous in God's sight (2 Cor. 5:21). And can walk in it before God without guilt or condemnation.

            Next, Isaiah says, "shake yourself from the dust." We need to put aside whatever dusty religious traditions we have been obeying that "...make void the word of God" (Mark 7:13). Don't let those traditions rule over you and rob you any longer.

            Then - "rise up!" Take a step of faith as the Lord leads. As you move, God will move. Fear not - He is with you! Take a stand for the Word of God! And be healed!

            And finally, "loose yourself from the chains around your neck." The religious chains that bind you ARE NOT LOCKED! You're free! Jesus set you free the moment you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. You were deceived into thinking you had to submit yourself to the Empire. Take courage now and walk forth. Watch those chains drop off like they were made of papier-mâché. Shout for joy! You're free! Don't let anyone talk you into going back into your cell again. "It's for freedom that Messiah set us free; therefore keep standing firm, and DO NOT be subject to a yoke of slavery again" (Gal 5:1)

We the People

            The genius of America's constitutional government, so wisely crafted by our forefathers, is seen in the way it limits the power of government. It made sure that final authority was not left in the hands of those who ruled, but in the hands of those who are ruled. Nothing like it had ever been conceived - much less tried - in the history of national governments. Even in Great Britain where our forefathers gained much of their wisdom and experience, they had never taken it this far. In fact the document is so wisely crafted I don't doubt for a second it was greatly assisted by the Spirit of God.

            But in the same way that the Constitution of the United States protects the freedoms of all Americans from unrepresentative, despotic government, the New Covenant of the Bible also protects God's people from would-be religious dictators. It declares "we the people" are the Church. That is, Jesus did not interpose between Himself and us a government of religious leaders with authority to control our spiritual lives. He interposed only the Holy Spirit, giving Him to each of us, with the freedom to follow Him accordingly.

            However, as personal freedom in America has eroded because we allowed more and more unconstitutional power to be appropriated by a burgeoning central government, the same occurred in the body of Messiah. We too grew lazy and allowed men to do for us what we should have been doing for ourselves all along. Men who liked to "dress up as mother and be called Father," as one honest Episcopalian priest jokingly described himself. And before long our "servants" had become our masters. They were now the "clergy" - and we mere "laity." We were no longer the church - they were! The Scriptures now belonged to them also. And only they could correctly interpret and teach them. All our sovereign freedom to follow Messiah according to the individual leading and revelation of the Holy Spirit was surrendered. They now decided what was truth, and what was not. They now determined when we would worship, how we would worship, and where we would worship. And because for a time they had the power of the state plus tradition behind them, we had to comply.

            But just as America has finally started to realize it has allowed an elitist "nanny" government to arise in violation of many Constitutional protections, just as Tocqueville so astutely predicted, so must the church of Jesus Christ. Ultimately it is not the individual men and women who serve as clergy who are the real problem (although there are certainly plenty of exceptions to that statement). Nor is it the wicked principalities and powers in heavenly places that we know lie behind all this religion. It is we who are most at fault. For all authority in heaven and on earth was given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Not even the gates of Hell should be able to prevail against us! What did we do with all this power and authority? We gave it away - as naively as Adam gave away the keys to Paradise! Well it's time we reclaimed that authority. It's time we rose up and became the true church of Jesus Christ that God intended!

The Empire Strikes Back

            A battle lies ahead. In preparation, let us listen carefully again to the words of Jefferson: "We gratefully acknowledge, as signal instances of the Divine favor towards us, that His Providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy until we had grown up to our present strength."

            More than 450 years have passed since the Reformation. It’s been over 200 years since the Constitution of the United States proclaimed the birth of this nation and declared us free from the tyranny of state religion. This inspired document entrusted us with the responsibility to follow our own conscience under the leading of the Holy Spirit. Yet, with all our God-given freedom, Believers have been content to abide quietly, and we think quite safely, within the massive Wall of the Empire. Surely we would do well to take a lesson from the battle-weary Israelis, those who know in their heart that until Messiah comes, what is presently being termed "Peace," is really only a lull between wars.

            Those Protestant denominations that still see themselves as vigil defenders of the Reformation, standing guard against the incursion of Papist doctrines, don't realize they've already been outflanked. Even though Rome itself is no longer the superpower it once was, as a system it has permeated the entire Christian Church with numbing effect. Evidence of this was seen recently by the efforts of several well-known Evangelical leaders to get the Protestant churches to reunite with Rome. As if the Reformation was a mistake! A reunited church they say would allow us to present a stronger front against atheistic humanism while improving efforts of evangelism. It can happen, they assure us, if we will just focus on our commonly held beliefs, and not on our historic differences (meaning, I presume, Rome's many idolatrous practices, grossly unbiblical doctrines, and murderous history against true believers).

            I have no doubt, that sooner or later, the ecclesiastical remnants of the empire will reunite (possibly incorporating other religions as well) and strike again. For the same religious spirit that killed our forefathers so mercilessly and so self-righteously still inhabits its inner sanctums. In fact, the present Pope, Joseph Ratzinger (nom de guerre -Pope Benedict XVI), was the former head of the ‘Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,’ formerly the office of the Inquisition. It even resides in the same building where the unspeakable tortures took place.

           However, the Lord is faithful and patient. Just as He held back mighty Britain until young America was ready for battle, so too, He has waited all this time for us to reach sufficient maturity. Time was needed so that we might be properly trained and equipped in the use of spiritual weapons to meet this final end-time challenge successfully. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the pulling down of fortresses. We're destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised against the knowledge of God, and we're taking every thought captive to the obedience of Messiah" (1 Cor. 10:3-5).

            As we prepare to enter this conflict, let us remember with a deep sense of pride and indebtedness, that those who went before us paid a heavy price to bring us to this point. Never was it more truly said, "that we see as clearly as we do, because we stand on the shoulders of giants." And if the words of Hebrews 12:1 be applied, this "cloud of witnesses" will surely be on their feet shouting and cheering us on to victory. To quote Jefferson again, we owe it to them, "our gallant ancestors," as well as to "our innocent posterity," not "to tamely surrender that freedom which we have received." We need to fight the good fight and finish the race!

A Time of Separation

            Make no mistake, this challenge facing us will be primarily one of separation. We need to remember that not all separation is bad (just as not all unity is good). Jesus said there would be a separation of the tares from the wheat and the sheep from the goats. The separation of the Israelites from Egypt was a godly separation. So was the Reformation. So even was the American Revolution. When those who are in the driver's seat refuse to follow God's roadmap, and won't listen to the cries and warnings of the passengers that the bus is heading towards the cliff, then often the only choice left to you is to get off the bus. Plus, nothing will speak louder to those still on the bus that something is really wrong than your actual departure. You can talk all you want about the evils of organized religion, but your step of faith out the door will speak volumes more. Leaving is really an act of tough love.

            The type of separation that is involved here, is the central teaching communicated in the Hebrew word for "sanctification." The more I choose to listen to the Holy Spirit and separate from that which is opposed to God's word, the more "at one" with God I become. "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23). And the more "at one" I become with God, the more I find that I am being united with others who are also cooperating with the leading of the Holy Spirit. Through this process of continual separation, the Body is actually becoming more united. How else will He have a single Bride that is without spot or wrinkle?

            This massive and final separation from the institutional church, that I believe will soon take place, will certainly divide us from those who'll continue to cling to that church for security. Many will be relatives, friends, neighbors, and other Christians. They will think us heretics for wanting to separate from what they suppose to be the historic church of Jesus Christ. But what do the Scriptures say? "For we are the Temple of the Living God...therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord...and I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:15-18).

            Whether we feel ready for this conflict or not is unimportant. Circumstances will impel us soon enough into its midst and we will discover His timing is always perfect. We would do well, therefore, to remember again these inspiring words of Jefferson in the days ahead: "Our cause is just. Our union (in Messiah) is perfect. Our internal resources (of the Spirit) are great."

 Cutting the Unbiblical Cord

            In the days of 1776, the world witnessed the birth of a unique nation, a nation that actually foreshadowed in many ways the holy nation yet to come. America became the great melting pot of humanity and showed the world that men of all colors, cultures, and nationalities could sublimate their original heritage and become known as "Americans." So too, this new nation that is soon to appear on earth will blend together those from every walk of life.

            "All who will..." the Scriptures invite. And all who do - have clothed themselves with Jesus and become one body. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Jesus" (Gal. 3:28). One new corporate Man.

            However, unlike this once proud nation which began with such promise, but has now succumbed like all nations to the greed and malevolence of the human condition, the coming Israel of God, the New Jerusalem, will be holy and righteous and perfect and filled with God's glory. It will be a nation of priests - the kingdom of God made manifest - ministering God's love to the world. It shall be a kingdom on earth that will never pass away, but will rule forever. (See Dan. 7:27.)

            It is this concept of receiving a righteous homeland that drove Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to wait on God for what He had promised. “All these died in faith, without receiving the promise, but having seen them and welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear they are seeking a country of their own... a better country, that is a heavenly one [one from heaven]. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them” (Heb. 11:1-16).

But before a birth comes the labor pains. And just as Israel was brought forth from the Egyptian Empire, and America from the British Empire, so too will the church be delivered from this worldwide Ecclesiastical Empire. "Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?" Isaiah asks almost in disbelief at what he has seen in the spirit. "Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons" (Isa. 66: 8).

            We have come full term. Let us not delay at the womb and miss the hour of our delivery. Now is the time to cut the unbiblical cord to Mother, "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, that you may not partake of her sins, and receive of her plagues'" (Rev. 18:4).

1995 (updated 2009)