by Terry Laughlin | May 1, 2016 | Proclaim Freedom
1 Peter 2:16, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. The King James Bible translates 1 Peter 2: 15-16 as, “For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.”
In Romans 6, you are told to “Consider Something” – the wages of sin, eternal death vs. the gift of God, eternal life. In Romans 8:6 we read, “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the [Holy] Spirit is life and peace.”
At the very moment life is conceived an eternal soul is created. The fact is everyone will live forever, in hell or in the very presence of God, with Christ and all who enslaved themselves in service to the King of kings.
Proclaiming freedom in Christ before those who live in the United States of America requires Christians to live responsibly before God and the eyes of mankind. It begins with proclaiming and enjoying the liberties God has given us through our “Founding Fathers” and by changing our enslavement from being in bondage to sin to becoming Bond Servants to the Lord Jesus Christ.
While attending a slave auction, President Abraham Lincoln took notice of a beautiful black lady who was standing upon the auction block. Men were bidding aggressively hoping to purchase this beautiful woman. Lincoln was convinced that the men were not interested in anything but making her their plaything, a person on whom they could indulge their lust. According to Dr. Rogers, President Lincoln was able to purchase the woman, even though it was not her will to be purchased and owned by anyone. After laying down the price, President Lincoln took the lady aside and told her she was now free to go, she would no longer be in slavery to man’s abuses. Instead of exercising her freedom to leave, in her freedom, she chose to stay with Mr. Lincoln and serve him freely. Even though she did not ask him to make this gesture, she stayed to show her thanks.
Everyday our spiritual heart is on the auction block, and Satan who takes mankind and does with them whatever he chooses, is bidding for our soul. Jesus Christ paid the highest price possible for our freedom to choose whom we would be enslaved to.
Be like the beautiful black lady on the auction block in President Lincoln’s time. Because of his purchase of her and the giving of her freedom, she chose to serve Mr. Lincoln. Christ purchased your freedom with His own blood. Choose to be enslaved to Him.
by Terry Laughlin | May 1, 2016 | Proclaim Freedom
Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He chose for His inheritance.” Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
The Founding Fathers of the United Sates of America knew that the fear of the Lord was needed before they could enjoy liberty. In regard to the genuine faith of our founding fathers, only the Lord knows for sure who was or wasn’t a born again Christian. What is known is that the writings of many of our early political leaders reflect some kind of belief in God and a good knowledge of the Bible.
Through the hard work and sacrifices made by the Godly influences of our Founding Fathers and because the Lord is true to His Word, we are a nation that has been truly blessed and protected by God’s mighty hand. The Lord put upon the hearts of our Founding Fathers to be a nation that gives people freedom. Our Founding Fathers’ faith in God and His Word laid the original foundation which was girded with a reverent fear of the Lord.
In a message, “Let Freedom Ring,” Bible Teacher David Mains points out some of those freedoms or liberties we have in America because of the faithfulness our “Founding Fathers” had in the truths of God’s Word. They are:
1.) “Political Freedom” – We have a voice in our government, as well as the opportunity to take part in its decisions. We can even speak freely in praise or share our opinions without fear of being arrested.
2.) “Social Freedom” – We have the right to exchange ideas about what we believe. For example because of freedom of the press, you can publish facts, ideas and opinions without government involvement. This also includes TV and radio programming.
3.) “Economic Freedom” – For the most part you can pick the job you want to interview for and through hard work train for any field or trade. For the most part the harder you work the farther you can go. You can save money, invest, spend your money on what you want.
4.) “Freedom of Religion” – The fact is in this country you can choose your religion, choose to ignore any kind of religion and choose not to believe in God if you so desire. There is no law stating you must have any kind of religious belief.
Let the Holy Spirit of Christ probe your heart with these questions. Does your life express praise to the Lord for His sovereign control over this nation? Are you thanking the Lord for statesmen who were hungry for the righteousness of the Lord and faithful to do all they can to lay a solid foundation for this nation based on the truths of God’s Word? Do you express your love for the Lord by walking in accordance with the Word of God as King David and Solomon did?
by Terry Laughlin | May 1, 2016 | Proclaim Freedom
Freedom in a nation that proclaims worship to God and Christ begins with a life expressing praise for the freedoms He has already established. True freedom is responsible Christian living involving a new enslavement. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34) Galatians 5:13-15 says, “You, my brothers were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature…”
When Jesus spoke truth, “…everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34) He was speaking to a group of people who were claiming to not have been slaves to anyone. They were finding their righteousness in the fact they were from the seed of Abraham and they said God was their Father. (John 8:33;39;41) These Jews assumed they should have all the liberties or freedoms that come with being the children of God, through the blood lines that trace back to Abraham. Jesus boldly showed them that they did not have the faith of Abraham because they did not do as Abraham did, and He exposed the truth that their real father was the Devil. (John 8:39-47) Originally the Jews were meant to be a nation of people reflecting a life as being holy to the Lord. (Deuteronomy 26:16-19) They needed only to obey His commandments.
The people the Lord is speaking to in John 8 are like those the Apostle Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians 3. When the Law of God was read a veil covered their hearts and it was there because only Christ can take the veil away. They were rejecting the claims of Christ. Therefore, the unbelieving Jews remained in their oppression of spiritual blindness. (2 Corinthians 3:13-16)
It must be noted, there is not one man on this earth who has not and cannot slip into sin. Therefore, whoever slips into sin is not a slave to sin. If this was so the Lord would have no servants. The Lord is not speaking to those who slip into sin here. (Matthew Henry Commentary: The Pulpit Commentary)
The type of people the Lord is referring to have spiritual hearts like the people of Jeremiah’s time. God had given the Prophet Jeremiah a message to be spoken for the purpose of calling the people of God out of Idolatry. Listen to their response to His message, “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the Name of the Lord! We will certainly do everything we said we would: Will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and [we] were well off and suffered no harm.” (Jeremiah 44:16-17)
A depraved heart leads to an inability to understand God’s spoken Word and this hard heart toward the Lord moves unrepentant mankind into idolatry. This causes people to say, “I will do it my way and I do not care what the Word of the Lord says. We are enjoying all that we have and we will worship the god we feel provides for our wants.” Idolatry causes men and women to act as the people who lived in the time of
the prophet Jeremiah and it is just as dangerous today. Everyone is enslaved to someone or something. Who are you enslaved to?
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Patriotism
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech…” (excerpt from Amendment I, U. S. Constitution)
If our United States Constitution actually commands Congress to protect the “free exercise [of religion]” and explicitly protects freedom of speech, how on earth did this phrase “separation of church and state” get such common usage? The phrase is not in the Constitution nor, according to the Congressional Record, was it ever even mentioned during the framing of that document in 1789.
The phrase is not Constitutional at all! It has been wrenched out of context from a private letter written in 1802, 11 years after the First Amendment was ratified. There was a widespread rumor going around at the time that one particular denomination was to become the official national religion. This concerned the other denominations a great deal since some had fled religious persecution by the official church of England. President Thomas Jefferson wrote to the concerned Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut assuring them that under the Constitution the federal government would not, and indeed could not, establish a national Christian denomination. In other words, the United States Congress could not legislate that all Americans had to be Lutherans, or Episcopalians, or Baptists, or whatever.
It is clear from Thomas Jefferson’s letter that the “wall of separation” he spoke of was to be one-directional. This wall was to keep government interference out of the church and out of believers’ lives. It was never meant to keep the church, or believers in Jesus Christ, out of the federal government, states, municipalities or schools. It certainly was never intended to mean that believers could not speak of their faith openly, or pray openly in Jesus’ Name at public events.
The historical record clearly shows the Founding Fathers of our country truly had freedom of religion in mind when they framed our Constitution. The courts, media and special interest groups have convinced the American people that we must have freedom from religion in the public square. Nothing is further from the truth.
As a nation, we have been increasing the judicial and public approval and practice of shedding innocent blood of the littlest human beings, flaunting all sorts of abominations and sexual sins, forsaking our marriage covenants, calling good evil and evil good, and now pushing even the mention of God’s Holy Name out of public life under the false guise of “separation of church and state.” Are we still arrogant enough to think that the Lord will rescue us from our enemies time and time again? Perhaps we are that arrogant. But, maybe we’ll be surprised some day to find that His patience has run out.
The prophet Isaiah says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Are we willing to repent of our national sins and be forgiven and be spared God’s judgment?
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord…” (Isaiah 55: 6, 7a)
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Patriotism
What do you hear in so many places around America when a student wants to pray in Jesus’ Name? “No way, Constitutional separation of church and state, you know.” What do you hear when a county wants to put a Nativity scene on their courthouse lawn at Christmas? “We can’t do that… Constitutional separation of church and state, after all.” What do you hear when a judge wants to post the Ten Commandments on his courtroom wall? “What?!? Everyone knows that the Constitutional separation of church and state prevents that.” Or does it? Just what “Constitutional separation of church and state” is being referred to here? This is usually said by groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and People for the American Way (PAW), groups which many of us would argue are obstructing many of our civil liberties rather than protecting them and whose attitudes in many instances are more anti-American than American.
Now, having said all that, I dare you to find the phrase “separation of church and state” in our official United States Constitution. In fact, I dare you to find the words “separation” or “church” in the Constitution. “Religion” is referenced in the Constitution, Amendment 1. This is part of our Bill of Rights, which were immediately enacted to protect citizens from the government, not government from the citizens.
Let us quote this section for you. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (emphasis ours)
First, please notice the two emboldened phrases in the quote. Our Constitution actually commands that CONGRESS (not schools, not local governments, not even States) “shall make NO LAW…” Again, it doesn’t say anything about not praying, or speaking Jesus’ name, or having Christmas celebrations, or posting the Ten Commandments, but about making laws.
Second and most important, Congress as an arm of the federal government is Constitutionally and strictly forbidden from EVER preventing the free exercise of religion.
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord… the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him.” (Psalm 12a, 18a)
Individually, and as a nation, we must give our God more than lip service. We must give Him the glory and honor due His Name. We must seek to obey the entirety of His Word. We must extend His grace and mercy to all, but never allow His justice and Truth to be compromised in our hearts or in our homes. May His Name be praised, and not profaned, in this country. Let us truly be “one nation, under God.”
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