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The great false church
lareli:
Lol.. I hear you John.
lareli:
Ray said that he was an ambassador for Christ and an ambassador is not allowed to vote in a host nation. He wrote this in 2 different emails that I've read so far.
He also wrote, as I quoted on page 2 of this thread, that it's not right to support the troops, or to be patriotic.
I can count on one hand the number of times that I've even heard the word 'hell' in the church that I went to for 25 years. I'm not convinced that half the people there really believe it to be honest. BUT.. Loyalty to your leaders is big. Voting is your duty as a good responsible christian. So to me, the great false church is not only comprised of hell and free will doctrine but loyalty to the governments of man. Every church structure with its head pastor or denominational president or whatever.. They're all modeled after mans government just like a pyramid. All the power and authority condensed down to a select few or one and all the subjects underneath holding it up with their tithe dollars. Every church is married to the government but also claim to be married to Christ.. As if she can have two masters.
These are just my observations, please critique.
indianabob:
Friend Largeli,
Military service and home defense are often very touchy subjects for discussion within a Christian forum. We aren't exactly Christians the way most people would define the term from their natural perspective of having learned the dogma or creed of a particular denomination.
Please allow me to partially separate home defense or self defense from either voluntary or conscripted military service.
Start with a basic precept of home defense or defense of ones own family in ones owned or rented house. Suppose that a thief breaks into your home and attacks your wife or child. Would you use whatever force necessary to protect that family member? I think that most parents would automatically do their best to stop the attack no matter how much force it took and with no serious consideration of what injury the attacker might suffer. If anyone breaks into my home and attacks my wife the chances are that one of us is going to suffer great bodily harm and I do not plan for it to be me or my wife. I think that God understands that about me and I do not plan to change myself in that regard. Perhaps God will protect me from having to ever make that decision, I hope so.
On the other hand, if I come home and find a man running from my home and upon entering find my wife injured, bleeding, clothes torn etc. what will I do?
First of course I will see to her needs and call for help. Then I will probably think to call the police to come and protect us from further harm from this same individual. While waiting I may secure a weapon of some sort and prepare to defend ourselves until the police arrive.
All of those choices are natural, normal actions and not prohibited in scripture as far as I can determine.
However, if I become extremely angry and begin to think to seek revenge for the attack upon my family member, that is when I need to fall to my knees and pray for divine guidance, BECAUSE the scripture tells us that vengeance belongs to God alone; God will repay.
Now as I pray for guidance where is my trust? Is my trust in God or in my own strength and my own (sovereign ?) choices as to how to respond?
This is an area where a true believer has to plan for the future and seek truth from scripture and through meditation and prayer. We need to count the cost of our future actions and develop an attitude of careful obedience to what God has shown us is the correct path to follow.
Of course we all may fail to carry out our prayerful plan when the fight or flight adrenalin is pumping through our veins. We may act in anger and have a lot to repent of before God after the incident is over and done, but we cannot in good conscience plan for retribution against another of God's children. Living that way will only eat away at our own spirit.
Now then, how differently should we handle military service?
Should any "true" follower of the Lord Jesus volunteer to serve in their own nation's organized army as a trained killer of the government designated enemies of that nation.
Where does one draw the line? Is there a place for a "bright" line of difference between defense of ones home and family and the planned and premeditated killing of another human being that the President or military authority orders the soldier to kill, by whatever means?
What is a citizens obligation in this situation? What is the obligation of a visitor to the Nation, a citizen of another Nation such as the Kingdom of God, a person who happens to be a law abiding ambassador of what may be seen as a superior sovereign government who's seat is in the heaven of God.
There is a lot to consider in this situation and God knows how difficult our choices are, but in the final analysis God must show us what we must do and the answer may be different for each person.
Pray and seek God's mind and be content to wait until the answer for you becomes evident in your own heart.
Warm regards, Indiana Bob
jeetkunejimi:
Rev 18:4.
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