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A Life Changing Message
By Pastor Dan Gayman
FOREWORD
The Biblical road to peace with Jesus Christ is a long and difficult journey. Living in a world consumed with a spirit of antinomian lawlessness, for anyone to give careful attention to the subject of rights, responsibilities, and expectations is most difficult. The spirit of rebellion is abroad throughout the land, and the spiritual and moral decline of the American nation is the bitter harvest of this lawlessness. Only when God-fearing men, women, boys and girls are willing to repent and turn to Jesus Christ can we expect to see a reconstruction of the Christian faith that is so essential for the survival of this country and our covenant family of Israelite people.
If mature men and women are ready to study the contents of this booklet and apply the truths therein, the remnant can be spared many bitter tears of sorrow in their personal, family, and church lives; they may even exercise a strong impact on the moral, spiritual, and social status of the communities in which they live. Only free men under the headship of Jesus Christ can provide direction for the future Christian survival of our covenant people. Free man status cannot be known apart from repentance and turning to Jesus Christ. Until we become free men in Jesus Christ and walk in responsible obedience to His Law, our status as bondslaves to sin and death will remain a fixed point of law.
A glorious new light can break upon your pathway if you are ready to make proper application of rights, responsibilities, and expectations. In the assurance that there will be men and women of the stock of Abraham, called to be Christians, who will apply these truths in their lives, this booklet is written. With all praise to Jesus Christ and with much gratefulness to the Israelites who have made this publication possible, we humbly submit this study to the Christian Israelite remnant living in America and the Israelite nations abroad. Please do not keep this booklet on the shelf and allow it to gather dust. Give it to another Israelite, born into this world of the stock of Abraham and genetically programmed of God, to have the truth of His Law written into the intellect and inscribed upon the tablet of the heart. The hour is late! For the Kingdom of Heaven's sake, let us understand the truth about rights, responsibilities, and expectations.
The primary focus of this study is to correctly divide between rights, responsibilities, and expectations, and thereby to bring about a life changing experience to those whose hearts are warmed and turned to Jesus Christ in the spirit of Godly repentance. May this study move the Church to spiritual perfection in Jesus Christ, enlarge the work of the ministry, and edify those who seek to make their lives relevant to Scripture and prepare to live one day in the eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ on this earth.
NOTICE
TO THE READERS OF THIS BOOKLET
The Church Of Israel Missionary and Literature Room has additional booklets available on the general subject covered in this booklet. Each of these booklets approaches the problem of rebellion versus repentance, civil disobedience, and how Christians are to respond to Unscriptural commands of a Civil Authority. You may want to carefully consider one or all of the following booklets that are available. Each in a different way provides a lot of good Biblical instruction that is difficult to come by in this generation. The booklet in your hands, together with the ones mentioned below, represent hundreds of hours of intense Biblical research over many years.
You are encouraged to send for any one or all of the following booklets that are available at the Missionary and Literature Room of the Church of Israel.
REBELLION OR REPENTANCE,
Which Way Modern Israel?
CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE TOWARD GOVERNMENT
ROMANS 13, A PRIMER IN GOVERNMENT
FOR PATRIOTIC CHRISTIANS
THE BIRTHING OF AMERICA
You may also wish to order cassette tapes which cover all of the above areas in oral presentation. For a complete listing of cassette tapes that are available from the CHURCH OF ISRAEL, write to P.O. Box 226, Schell City, Missouri 64783.
RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND EXPECTATIONS
There are three life changing goals that this study claims in the name and blood of Jesus Christ.
1) That Godly men and women may understand their status with respect to rights, responsibilities, and expectations.
2) That Godly men and women may repent of rebellion and see the need to focus on personal responsibilities and self-government as the grand design of this earthly pilgrimage.
3) That as Christians, called of the seed of Abraham, we shall purpose to pay the debt of love owed to Jesus Christ by fulfilling our responsibilities under God and His Law and thus insuring the "rights" of free men under Christ.
It is imperative that each of the following Scriptures be studied carefully to establish a mindset for this Bible study. II Corinthians 13:5 reads, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"
Romans 13:8 reads, "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."
In Ephesians 4:11-12, Paul says, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:"; next. I Corinthians 3:18, 19 says, "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness."
THE ROOT OF OUR PERSONAL CONFLICTS
The root causes of daily conflicts, arguments, anger, wrath, frustration, hostility, tension, malice, and envy result from our confusion and ignorance over rights, responsibilities, and expectations. A vast majority of all our conflicts in the home arise from the failure to distinguish between rights, responsibilities, and expectations. Church disputes and conflicts stem from the same root problem, and even the break down in civil government at all levels of operation arises out of the failure to make proper application of rights, responsibilities, and expectations in the lives of our Israelite people.
Three errors that frequently are made by most people, including many who consider themselves Christians, are as follows:
1) Living life with a proud heart and an unbroken spirit that seeks self-love.
2) Living with a focus on rights that are believed to be owed by others and God.
3) Placing great expectations upon those people with whom I associate in the family, church, and community.
As you work your way through this study, purpose before Yahweh to repent of the above errors and resolve to make changes in your life. The one grand theme of the Bible, Genesis to Revelation, is repentance. The first words out of the mouth of John the Baptist when He appeared out of the desert to His Israelite people were: "...Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). The first public preaching of Jesus Christ called Israel to repentance: "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). Keep the call to repentance in mind as you make your way through this study on rights, responsibilities, and expectations.
AN EXAMINATION OF RIGHTS
Firstly, consider what the world humanist view of "rights" is. From the pulpits of liberal clergy, humanist teachers and professors in public schools and universities, the media, newspapers, television, and a vast array of public opinion, we receive our impression and understanding as to what constitutes "rights." The humanist secular view of "rights" will differ radically from the Christian and Biblical view. Human reason apart from God and Scripture will present a very distorted view of rights. The humanist interpretation of "rights" is that man is born free into a state of innocence. Man born into this freedom has unalienable rights, among which are the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The humanist declares that sin is acquired and not inherited. Man is corrupted by his environment. By nature, the world declares that man is inherently good. Man is born with natural rights, and it is the right and duty of every man to assert them. When carried to the extreme, the humanist views man as having the status of a "sovereign" who lives accountable to no one. In essence, the humanist mind denies that man is born a bondslave into the law of sin and death as the Bible teaches. The humanist believes every man is born free, with absolute rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.
However, the Bible teaches us that man is born into sin and that consequently, man is under the sentence of death (Romans 5:12).
Sinful man, with no repentance and no salvation in Jesus Christ, is by nature self-centered and filled with self love. He places the focus of life on his own person. Sinful man does not focus his life on fulfilling his responsibilities. Rather, he places all emphasis upon his rights and what is good for his person. He lives for self-gratification. He thrives on self-love, pride, and selfish desires. His focus is on serving himself--not others. He views others as his servants. Sinful man, without repentance, lives to exercise and demand the rights which he believes are owed to him by the family, the church, and civil government at all levels.
Sinful man has a distorted vision of rights, and this distortion comes not only from the fact that he is born into a state of sin and death (Romans 5:12). but also from the fact that the world system reeks with the same distorted view of "rights" in every forum of life...the home, the educational system, the church, the media, and all other spheres of life. His mindset about "rights" is programmed by a humanist world vision that can be traced to the Garden of Eden. There Satan sought to program the mind of God's children to believe that they could become as gods, knowing good and evil, by declaring human reason to be autonomous and beyond God and His Word.
The current view of "rights" can be traced in our time to the Age of Rationalism. This philosophy argues that human reason (the mind or intellect of man) is the final source of all knowledge. Philosophical rationalism in the 1600's emphasized the power of human reason as opposed to sense experience. Rene Descartes, Gottfried Leibnitz, and Baruch Spinoza claimed deductive reasoning for their philosophical systems. Cultural rationalism in the 1700's relied expressly on human reason rather than faith in creating a theory of man and his destiny. In the late 1700's, rationalism and the elevation of human reason above God and Scripture were ripe in Europe and becoming popular in America.
The Age of Reason is more commonly associated with European history, where human reason was accepted as the sole test of truth. By the early 1700's, rationalism had become well established in the courts of Europe, and particularly in France. Many people reached a point where they worshiped human reason. Altars to the Goddess of Reason were common in portions of Europe. All of this was reflected in the philosophy, art, and literature of the time and had wide impact upon political, social, and economic developments of Europe and America. The Age of Reason, often known as the Age of Rationalism, flowered in 18th century European culture and gave birth to the French Revolution.
The elevation of the human mind in rationalism reached full development in France in the late 1700's. The French National Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man on August 27, 1789, as a preamble to their new constitution. This declaration had been drawn up in committee from twenty-one projects, projects that had been the work of Marquis De Lafayette, Jean Joseph Mounier, Honore Gabrield Mirabeau, and others. Article I says that "men are born and remain free and equal in their rights." Article II defines these rights as "Liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression." The remainder of the Declaration further defines and guarantees these rights.
The full Declaration contains seventeen articles and about 500 words. The Declaration has had great influence on most Bills of Rights in Europe. In France, the Declaration has been a symbol of the rights of individual citizens, like the Declaration of Independence in the United States. There are some who believe that the French Declaration is borrowed from the American Declaration of Independence, while others hold that it stems from the teachings of Jean Jacques Rousseau.
It is important to examine these words in the American Declaration of Independence written in 1776. primarily from the pen of Thomas Jefferson. "...We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness..."
The basis for this declaration of rights was widely circulated in Europe long before Thomas Jefferson made them a part of the American Declaration of Independence. At this point, we can better understand the humanist position on "rights" by pausing to examine the leading exponets of rationalism in 18th century Europe and America.
John Locke (who died in 1704) was an English philosopher who exerted great influence upon his and subsequent generations of thinkers. Locke believed that knowledge comes through experience through the external world by way of the five senses. Impericism is the idea that truth comes through experience by way of the five senses. Locke believed man's mind was likened unto a blank piece of paper and that the five senses, by way of experience, gave man knowledge. Locke did not see truth as coming through Jesus Christ and His Word. Truth was received by means of the five senses.
Voltaire (died in 1778) was the pen name of Francois Marie Arouet, one of the most well-known writers of 18th century France. Voltaire attacked Christianity and advanced the idea of human reason above God and the Bible. The true happiness of man was to be fulfilled through science, art, and reason -- not repentance and reaching out to God. The prodigious writings of Voltaire did much to lay the foundation for the French Revolution.
Jean Jacques Rousseau (died in 1778) was a leading spokesman for human reason in the Age of Rationalism. His writings flamed the fires of revolution in America and in France. Rousseau believed in the natural goodness of man. Man was not born into sin. Instead, sin was acquired because of corrupt political and social institutions, In his Emile (1762) and The Social Contract (1762), he set forth ideas that helped lay the foundations for revolution in America and France. In The Social Contract, he discussed the ideal state. "We have a duty to obey only legitimate powers." The only rightful rulers are those whom the citizens freely choose for themselves. The monarch's right to rule, he claimed, was given to him by the people, not by God. The idea of one man, one vote democracy was the brainchild of Rousseau.
Rousseau argued against self-discipline, self-government, or restraint. He emphasized the value of feelings, acting on impulse, and spontaneity. Rousseau sought to bring down all authority and envisioned every man as doing that which was right in his own eyes. His writings were read far and wide on the continent of Europe and by many American statesmen in the years prior to the American Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Thomas Paine (died in 1809) was a famous pamphleteer, agitator, and writer on politics and religion. His writings had powerful impact upon the political thinking of the Revolutionary War leaders in America, and he was a famous figure in Paris during the French Revolution. Paine arrived in America about 1774 at the encouragement of Benjamin Franklin, who was in England at that time. By 1776, Paine was publishing his pamphlet "Common Sense," and this effort was hailed as a brilliant exposition of the philosophy behind the American cause. Paine called for a complete break with
England and the establishment of a strong federal union of the colonies. Thomas Jefferson was an avid reader of everything Paine wrote.
After the American War of Independence, Paine went back first to France and then to England. While living in England in 1791 and 1792, he published his famous Rights of Man which defended the French Revolution. William Pitt's government suppressed this work, and Paine was charged with treason. Before he could be tried, he had fled to France where he became active in the French Revolution. The amount of blood being shed in France so shocked Paine that he called for restraint on the leaders of the Revolution. This led to his expulsion from the National Convention; he was ordered deprived of his French citizenship and was imprisoned for more than ten months. During this imprisonment, he wrote The Age of Reason, which soon became known as "The Atheist's Bible."
Paine was quite willing to trade the Holy Bible for human reason.' The ideas unleashed in his Rights of Man and The Age of Reason clearly solidified the thinking that Paine had gleaned from the rationalist philosophers on the European continent. Thomas Paine brought to America on the eve of the American Declaration of Independence the ideas that flowered in the writing of the Declaration of Independence. That all men have an unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was imported to America direct from the masters of rationalism in France.
This philosophy traces its roots to Genesis Chapter 3 where Satan sought to gain the dominion of the earth by denying God and Scripture. Satan sought to circumvent God and His Word by means of a three-fold attack on Adam man and his household.
1) Firstly, he challenged God's original jurisdiction over Adam and the earth. His statement "...Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Genesis 3:1) was a direct challenge to the sovereignty of God and the jurisdiction of His name and Word over the earth and man.
2) Secondly. Satan sought to assert man's sovereignty over God and His Law by declaring "...ye shall be as gods..." (Genesis 3:5). By elevating man to the status of a god, the sovereignty of the true and Living God would be surrendered to mortal man.
3) Finally, Satan sought to establish man's autonomy from God and His Word by elevating human reason, the new god, to know "...good and evil..." (Genesis 3:5). Through experimentation with evil, man would now be in charge because he would know both good and evil. The human mind could now be worshipped as the new god.
The humanist definition of "rights" denies the reality of original sin and asserts the innocence and natural goodness of every man. Man is born free and arrives on planet Earth with unalienable rights to life, liberty, property, and all else necessary to make one happy on this earth. In such a state, sinful man's total preoccupation with life is focusing on his rights. From the cradle to the grave, his primary concern is the rights that others owe him. The family, the church, and the civil government exist to meet his every demand. It is this very definition of "rights" that has influenced millions of people, including many that in our generation call themselves by that illustrious title "Christian patriot."
The Age of Rationalism let loose a flood tide of humanism in the Western Christian culture, and the first major harvest of this in America erupted in the political arena in the American War for Independence. This spirit of independence from authority, restraint, and law did not stop at the end of the war, however. It continued until it had swept through the churches of our land, rending the country into hundreds of religious schisms. Finally, it brought about a total transformation of the American family by removing the father as the leader, protector, and provider of his home.
We now turn to a Biblical and Christian examination of "rights." What is the status of Adam man under God and Scripture? This is the question which every Christian must resolve. Do we believe God and Scripture and build upon the solid rock, or do we run with human reason and build our lives and thinking on sinking sand?
The Bible teaches us that man is born into death. Man is not born into freedom but is a bondslave to the law of sin and death (Romans 5:12). Man is born without natural rights because he is born into the bondage of the law of sin and death. Apart from the saving and redeeming power of Jesus Christ, sinful man has only the right to the justice and punishment of sin, which is death. To examine more in particular the Biblical meaning of rights, let us establish this truth on a proper Biblical foundation.
MAN'S ORIGINAL STATUS UNDER GOD
The Christian world view of man before sin entered the world is established in Genesis 2. Here, the Bible places God as the absolute sovereign over all of heaven and earth. Yahweh holds original jurisdiction over all His creation, including Adam man. This perfect world was governed by the absolute standard of God's holy and immutable law. Into this perfect world God placed Adam man and hedged him about with His perfect Law. Adam was a covenant man under God and was charged with the dominion of the earth. The dominion mandate was to proceed forward with Adam under the headship of God and in obedience to His law. Under God Adam man was delegated authority to take dominion of the earth; this authority was ministerial before and under the rule of God and His law, and Adam was to be held accountable to God for the stewardship of his covenant standing in law.
Man's status was one of covenantal obedience to God and His law. Obedience to the covenant would insure man's perpetual freedom .and enjoyment of life, liberty, property, and the dominion of the earth. Adam man was promised that disobedience would result in death (Genesis 2:17). This subsequent death meant loss of freedom and the end of dominion; happiness and enjoyment of liberty would end in bondage and servitude. The status of man would be radically transformed should disobedience to God and His Law occur.
Genesis 3 documents the fall of man into sin with Satan's grand entry into the Paradise of God. Satan purposed to accomplish the fall of Adam and his loss of dominion by challenging God's original jurisdiction of the earth, by asserting man's sovereignty over God and His Law, and by elevating human reason, (man's mind), as the new God. Genesis 3:1-6 chronicles the grand design of Satan in the fall of Adam and Eve, and this ethical fall into sin resulted in a total change of "status" for Adam and his future descendants (Romans 5:12).
Genesis 3:7-19 records the new status of Adam man under the law of sin and death. Adam has now lost his "free man status" to sin, and now under the bondage of death, he has lost his dominion of the earth to Satan. Genesis 3 is the watershed of the total Bible. Everything that happens after Genesis 3 takes place because of what happened in the Garden of Eden. Note carefully how sin changed the status of Adam man in sin.
1) In Adam all have sinned and passed under the bondage of sin
and death (Romans 3:70-23. 5:12, 1 7, Galations 3:22, and II Corinthians 5:14).
2) The fall of Adam left man a bondservant to sin and sentenced to death without a remedy to restore himself to God's divine favor (Romans 6:6-23. Romans 8:2, Genesis 6:5, Genesis 8:21, Psalm 14:2,3 51:5. 53:2, 58:3, Jer. 17:9-10, Isaiah 58:1 and 59:1,2).
3) Sinful man is the enemy of God--morally depraved. Apart from God, the natural man is void of the Holy Spirit and cannot know God and truth (Romans 8:7, I Cor. 2:14, Eph. 2:1-3).
4) Man, when in sin, is a slave to the lust of the flesh; without the effectual power of the Holy Spirit he cannot overcome the lust of concupiscence (Galations 5:16-21, Romans 8:8-14, Col. 3:1-10).
5) Man, being a bond servant to sin and having sold himself into the slavery of sin and death, cannot will himself into a state of freedom in Christ apart from the calling and election of Jesus Christ (John 1:12,13, Romans 9:16, Titus 3:5, Eph. 2:8-10, Dent. 9:5, and John 6:44, 65).
God and Scripture place sinful man under the law of sin and death (Romans 7 and 8), and only Jesus Christ can effect a change of status for man from that of bondslave to free man under God, the Father Almighty. To understand how sin holds man under the status of bondage, examine these Scriptures. John 8:34 declares: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." Romans 6:16 asserts: "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" II Peter 2:19 records: "...for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is brought in bondage."
When man fell into sin, he went from the status of free man under God the Father to that of bondslave to sin and death (Genesis 2:16,17, Isaiah 64:6-7, Ezekiel 18 (all). Psalm 14:2-3,1 John 1:8, and Romans 8:7). In this condition man is born into sin and without any rights--except the right to see the punishment of God justly inflicted upon disobedience. Every man is born into the earth under the penalty of death and is sentenced to death unless he comes to repentance in Jesus Christ, is baptized, and walks in obedience to the perfect Law of God as established in the Bible. Only in Jesus Christ does man have access to life, liberty, property, and a state of peace and happiness (Romans 5:1-11). Man is not born with unalienable rights to life, liberty, happiness or anything glorious in this earth. He is under the awesome sentence of death and is without hope unless He come to Jesus Christ and is justified from his sins.
Man's change of status from bondslave to sin to freeman in Jesus Christ cannot come except a man be born anew, born from above, or be born again (John 3:3-5). His spirit must be quickened and made alive in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. His soul, that is his will, his intellect, and his emotions, must be made obedient to God and Scripture, and his body must be placed under the dominion of the spirit controlled mind. See II Cor. 5:17, Eph. 2:1, 8-10, 4:22-23, and Romans 6:1-6, 9-11, and 13.
When man is born anew in the image of Jesus Christ, He becomes Christ's free man (I Cor. 6:19,20, I Cor. 7:22,23). In Jesus Christ, sinful man is liberated from the bondage of sin. He is exempted from the bondage of death and is set free. Jesus Christ died in the place of sinful man. He took our place under the penalty of law. which was death (Galations 3:13). We are no longer a slave to sin and death. We stand in innocence and life through Jesus Christ and His shed blood. We now are the bondslaves of Jesus Christ. We are his prisoners. He has purchased us with the price of His blood (I Cor. 6:20), and we are now his property, his bondslaves.
Standing under the Headship of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 11:3). we are free men in Jesus Christ. The life, liberty, and happiness that we enjoy as Christ's free men come as gifts from Jesus Christ. As Christians, our rights are gifts received through Jesus Christ. Our life, our liberty, our property, and all else belongs to Him. We are stewards over that which is entrusted to us as the servants of Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ we do have life, and He may allow us to be stewards over property and thereby take dominion in His name and for His glory in this earth. We are made rich in this world through Jesus Christ. Our free man status comes by being servants to Jesus Christ. As bondslaves to the one that purchased and redeemed us from sin, we are now made his servants unto freedom and righteousness.
A NEW VIEW OF RIGHTS
The reader is now ready to examine a new and Biblical understanding of rights. As freemen in Jesus Christ, our rights are those blessings which we as Christians expect to have from other Christians and from the promises made to those who are heirs of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. These rights are lawful demands which one Christian would expect to receive from another. These blessings would be part of all Scripture which renders the benefits of those living in a Christian state. For example, in Ephesians 5 and 6 the following rights ordinarily would be expected between persons living as Christians under Jesus Christ.
1) Ephesians 5:18; Christians are not to be drunk with wine but are to be filled with the Hah' Spirit.
2) Ephesians 5:20. Christians are to be a thankful people giving glory- unto God our Father and to Jesus Christ His Son.
3) Ephesians 5:21: Christians are to submit to one another in the fear of God.
4) Ephesians 5:22: Christian wives are to submit into their own husbands as unto Christ.
5) Ephesians 5:25; Christian husbands are to love their wives even as Christ loved the Church,
6) Ephesians 6:1; Christian children are to obey their parents in Christ for this is right.
7) Ephesians 6:4; Christian children are to be raised in the nurture and admonition of Godly fathers as unto Christ.
8) Ephesians 6:5; Christian employees are to be obedient to their employers and serve them as unto Christ.
9) Ephesians 6:9; Christian employers are to treat their employees as Christ would.
As you read through the Bible, you can see what "rights" Christians arc to expect from pastors and Church leaders. You can find what "rights" pastors and other Church leaders are to expect from the congregation. The Holy Scriptures will reveal what "rights" civil authorities are to receive from the people and what "rights" the people are to expect from civil rulers.
We end our discussion of rights by emphasizing that the focus of a Christian is not on rights, but on responsibilities. To focus only on rights reveals self-love and a desire for self-gratification. Self-denial (St. Luke 9:23) is the call of Jesus Christ to His disciples. To focus on rights is to focus on selfish motives of the heart. It is a revelation of sin in our lives, a confirmation that we are living life unto ourselves and are not living as disciplined soldiers of Jesus Christ. Jeremiah 17:9 reveals that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately indeed, who can know it?" It is important that we guard our heart and mind (soul and spirit) against focusing on rights. Our goal should be to focus on our responsibilities as free men under Jesus Christ. We are now ready to examine responsibilities as the freemen of Jesus Christ.
RESPONSIBILITIES DEFINED
Responsibilities are the obligations which God places upon us as His covenant children in order to fulfill the rights of others. The more we focus upon the responsibilities which belong to us as freemen under Jesus Christ, the less importance we place upon rights. Rights are gifts and blessings which accrue to those living by faith in Jesus Christ and walking in obedience to His law. A heart that is right before Yahweh will seek to fulfill the responsibilities which belong to those who will be Christian. A rebellious heart is focused on "rights." A repentant heart is focused on responsibilities.
It is at this point that every Israelite must confront his own heart and search his conscience. II Corinthians 13:5 calls us to a time of self-examination to determine if we are really in the faith and if we are truly the servants of Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 11:31 declares: "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." If we fail to examine our lives and make the necessary corrections, the Scripture promises us that we will be chastened of Yahweh. "But when we are judged, we are chastened of Yahweh, that we should not be condemned with the world" (I Corinthians 11:32}. If we persist in our rebellion and fail to correct our lives, Scripture promises us that we will be severely dealt with even to the point of suffering death (Proverbs 29:1 and 15:10).
Most all of the conflicts that you now suffer in your personal, family. and church life result from failure to focus on the obligations which God placed upon you as a Christian. Moreover, a reformation of civil government would occur if men would focus on responsibilities instead of rights. For the Christian, life is learning to practice self-denial and focus on the debt of love owed to Jesus Christ. This debt of love is paid by yielding rights and fulfilling our duties to God and His covenant children. Our concern should be with love of God and in service to those around us. We are not a Christian until we learn to pay the debt of love (Romans 13:8) that we owe to Jesus Christ as His free man. "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."
Consider briefly some of the responsibilities that belong to those who seek to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Here the reader would need to truly explore the limits of Scripture to understand the full scope of our duties as a Christian. The following is a mere outline form of what the total Bible contains:
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE FATHER:
A good Biblical foundation for understanding the responsibilities of the man is found in J b 29. Without going into great detail, the following Scripture citations will outline the basic responsibilities of the father.
1) The father is to be under the headship of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 11:3). Christ is the head of the Church, which means that to be under Christ the father should be under the cover or headship of the Church." Every father should be a churchman and his household should be under the cover of the ChurChapter The father should focus on his responsibility of being a good churchman and thereby becoming the spiritual leader in his home.
2) The man has the duty of raising up a good headship for the woman (I Corinthians 11:3).
3) The husband is to cleave to his wife (Matthew 19:5) and live with her according to Godly knowledge (I Peter 3:7).
4) The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25).
5) The husband is to cleanse his wife with the washing of water by the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26). The husband should lead his wife in reading and studying the Bible.
6} Husbands are not to be bitter against their wives (Colossians 3:19).
7) The man should be the husband of only one wife (I Corinthians 7:2).
8) The husband should give honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel (7 Peter 3:7).
9) The husband should remember that the wife belongs in the home caring for the children and guiding the house (I Tim. 5:14).
10) The husband needs- to honor the marriage and keep the bed undefiled (Hebrews 13:4).
11) The husband must remember to have no physical intimacy with his wife during the seven day monthly cycle (Leviticus 15:19, 18:19, 20:18).
12) The husband should refrain from physical intimacy with his wife for forty days following the birth of a male child and for eighty days following the birth of a female child (Leviticus 12).
13) The husband should refrain from physical intimacy with his wife on the Holy Sabbath and on Holy Festival Days (Leviticus 15:31 and Exodus 19:15).
14) The father has the responsibility of providing for the needs of his household lest he be worse than an infidel (I Timothy 5:8).
15) Fathers are to be careful not to provoke their children to wrath by excessive teasing and other types of unchristian behavior (Ephesians 5:4, Colossians 3:21).
16) Fathers are to bring their children up in the nuture and admonition of Christ (Ephesians 5:4).
17) Fathers are to protect their daughters from being defrauded (Exodus 22:16,17).
18) Fathers are to protect their daughters from binding oaths, committments, and unchristian engagements for marriage (Numbers 30).
19) Fathers are to provide counsel and instruction to their sons (Proverbs 1, 2, 3, 4, and all the book of Proverbs). Fathers should teach the book of Proverbs to all children under their cover.
20) Fathers are to abstain from alcoholic beverage (Proverbs 23:29-32,20:1, 31:3,4, Ephesians 5:18, Leviticus 10:9, I Cor. 3:16. 1 7,
21) Fathers have a responsibility to instruct their children and provide a Biblical education for them (Exodus 12:26.27. 13:14. Deuteronomy 6:7, 11:19).
22) Fathers have a responsibility to work six days a week and to remember that work is a calling of God (Genesis 1:28, 2:15, Exodus 20:9, II Thess. 3:10, Eph. 4:28).
23) Fathers have a responsibility to counsel their sons in me selection of a wife and their daughters in the state of marriage (Genesis 24, 27:46, .28:1,2, 34:1, Judges 14:3, II Cor. 6:14-14-18).
24) Fathers have a responsibility to counsel their married children, pray for them, and seek after their spiritual welfare (Genesis 18:19, Job 1:5).
25) Fathers have a responsibility to live under the headship of Church leaders and to be accountable to them (II Thess. 3:12, Hebrews 13:7.17. Ephesians 4:11,12).
26) Fathers have a responsibility to know sound doctrine and avoid being carried about with every wind of doctrine that comes their way (Eph. 4:14. Hebrews 13:9, Titus 2:1).
27) Fathers have a duty to know the Word of God (II Timothy 2:15, 3:16,17).
28) Fathers have a duty to live in peace with civil authorities and to stay out of the courts (St. Matthew 5:25.26, I Cor. 6:5-7).
29) Fathers have a duty to pray for civil rulers, including kings and all that are in authority (I Timothy 2:1,2).
30) Fathers have a responsibility to obey magistrates, to be subject to principalities, to submit to the laws of man when they do not violate God's law, to acknowledge civil rulers as ministers
of God (Titus 3:1, I Peter 2:13-21, Romans 13:1-7), and to render tribute when tribute is due (Romans 13:6,7, and St. Matthew 22:21).
The office of the father is the central authority figure in God's plan for the dominion of this earth. The home furnishes membership for the church and the civil realm. When the family structure of government is in right relationship with Jesus Christ and His Word, the church and the state will bear the image of Jesus Christ and the Bible. When the fathers fail to walk under the headship of Jesus Christ and in terms of His law, the church will wither, and the state will rise up to arrogate unto itself powers which belong to the family and the church. The powerful growth of the state in contemporary America can be traced in a straight line to the loss of the Christian fathers in the homes of this nation. When we restore the office of the father under Jesus Christ and His Law, a transformation of American society will occur.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE WOMAN:
Proverbs 31 gives the Bible foundation for the responsibilities of the Christian woman in the original design of God and Scripture. The more pertinent areas of responsibility belonging to the woman are summarized as follows:
1) Every woman is under headship. The married woman is under the headship of her husband, and the unmarried woman is under the headship of her father (I Cor. 11:3, Numbers 30).
2) The woman was created to be the help meet for the man, and in this capacity, she was uniquely designed with respect to body, soul, and spirit (Genesis 2:18).
3) The woman was designed to be the perfect compliment to the man and was to become her husband's best friend and companion (Genesis 2:24).
4) The woman's primary call is to be the help meet to her husband (Genesis 2:18.24). while-the bearing of children and guiding the house follows in immediate succession (I Timothy 5:14, Titus 2:4).
5) The woman is to obey her husband (Ephesians 5:22), and she must live under his headship (Ephesians 5:23).
6) The woman is to be subject to her husband in all areas of life (Ephesians 5:24) and to find peace and protection under this headship.
7) Women are to bear children (Psalm 128) and guide the house (I Tim. 5:14).
8) The Proverbs 31 woman is not a wallflower who exists for the pleasure of her husband. The Proverbs 31 woman is busily engaged within the walls of her home with various types of industry that will enhance and aid the families' material needs. The home cottage industry spelled out in Proverbs 31 would be indicative of the talents exercised by a Godly woman.
9) A Godly woman does have a responsibility to her God and husband to guide the house, care for children, and be engaged in home cottage industry for the material benefits of her family.
10) A Godly woman will be a virtuous woman, faithful to her husband, devoted to her children and her home, and her price will be far above rubies.
Behind every good man stands a good woman. If we are to build Godly homes, we must have God-fearing women who will assume their God-given responsibilities. The willingness to stand under headship and become obedient to a Godly husband is the focus of a Christian woman. In that capacity she will flourish and grow in every aspect of her Christian life.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHILDREN:
1) Children and youth are to obey their parents and honor their elders (Ephesians 6:1-3, Colossians 3:20).
2) Children and youth are to stand under the headship of their parents in every area of life to gain God's favor and protection (see Proverbs).
3) Children and youth are to receive and heed the counsel, instruction, and discipline of their parents (see all of Proverbs).
4) Young people should cultivate the habit of reading the book of Proverbs through each month, for several years, until the teaching and instruction therein are deeply etched on the minds and hearts. The instruction of this book will prepare youth for almost every area of life.
5) Learning obedience, first to parents, is central to the responsibility of children and youth. The first commandment with promise (Ephesians 6:2) is the command to "honor thy father and thy mother" (Exodus 20:12).
6) Children and youth are to make no decisions in life without the counsel and permission of their parents. When an Israelite is old enough for marriage the counsel and consent of the parents is mandatory.
7) Children and youth are to use their time wisely and are not to engage in any kind of riotous living.
8) Young men should learn how to work with their hands (II Thess.3:10-12), and young women should learn from their mothers at home.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYEES:
1) Employees are to be obedient to their employers as the servants of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 6:5-6).
2) Employees are to render a good job unto their employer and work as unto Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:22,23).
3) Employees are to be content with their wages (St. Luke 3:14) or perhaps cultivate an improved job classification.
4) Employees are not to strike since there is no Biblical precedent for doing so.
5) Since the Bible declares that an employee works as unto Jesus Christ, he will work just as hard in the absence of his employer as when the employer is present.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYERS:
1) Employers must treat their employees as they would have Jesus Christ treat them (Ephesians 6:9).
2) Employers are to treat their employees justly and equally, knowing that as you treat your workers, so you will be treated by Jesus Christ, your Master (Colossians 4:1).
3) Employers are not to withhold wages from their employees but are to pay them on a timely basis (Deuteronomy 24:15).
4) Employers are not to defraud their workers but are to give them fair and reasonable wages for their services (Deut. 15:12-14).
5) An employer seeks to govern his employees as Jesus Christ governs the members of His body, the Church.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF MINISTERS:
The Word of God places great liability upon ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When ministers focus upon their responsibilities, revival and reformation occur in the Church of the Living God. The Church retreats from Christian dominion and the Holy Spirit is quenched when ministers focus upon rights and shun their responsibilities. A bare outline of the more important duties of ministers is herein established:
1) Ministers have a duty to teach the knowledge of God's Law and administer the Holy Sacraments to the children of Israel (Deut. 33:10, Mal. 2:7, Jer. 2:8, 23:22, Nehemiah 8:2,3, Exodus 40:15).
2) Ministers have a responsibility to be a watchman unto the House of Israel and cause them to repent and turn to their God (Ezekiel chapter 3 and 33).
3) Ministers have a duty to preach against sin (Ezekiel 20,1 John I, Isaiah chapter 1, 58:1).
4) Ministers have a responsibility to study and rightly divide the Word of God (II Timothy 2:15).
5) Ministers have a duty to gather the sheep, feed the sheep, and shepherd them as per the Word of God (Ezekiel 34. John 10, 21).
6) Ministers have a duty to abstain from all alcohol (Leviticus 10:9, Ezekiel 44:21, I Timothy 3:3).
7) Ministers must marry a virgin of his own people (Lev. 21:14, Ezek. 44:22).
8) Ministers must guard against taking filthy lucre (I Peter 5:2).
9) Ministers are to rule in the fear of God and are not to be lords over the congregation (I Peter 5:2, 3).
10) Ministers are to preach and teach sound doctrine (Titus 2:1, II Timothy 4:1-3, II Peter 2:1-3, I Tim. 4:16).
11) Ministers are to distinguish between the holy and the profane and the clean and the unclean (Ezekiel 44:23).
12) Ministers are not to close their eyes to the Sabbath laws (Ezekiel 22:26).
13) Ministers are to stand in the gap and stand in the battle in the day of Yahweh (Ezekiel 13:5).
14) Ministers are to preach repentance, faith, and baptism to the people (Matt. 3:2, 4:17, Acts 2:38, Romans 10:17).
15) Ministers are to preach Jesus Christ crucified, resurrected, and coming again (/ Cor. 15:3-4, I Thess. 4:13-17).
16) Ministers are to preach the total Word of God, Genesis to Revelation (II Tim. 3:16,17).
17) Ministers are to lead the way in confession of sin and repentance from dead works (Leviticus 4, Joel 1, Joel 2).
18) Ministers are to protect God's sheep from wolves and hirelings (John 10:11-13, Acts 20:28).
19) Ministers are to communicate the body and blood of Jesus Christ to baptised believers (Luke 22:17-20, John 6:53-58, I Cor. 11:23-32).
20) Ministers are to stand in the fear of God and give account unto God for the souls entrusted to their charge (Hebrews 13:17).
Ministers who fail to discharge their responsibilities to God will stand in the first degree of judgment in the day of God's wrath (Lev. 4). Only when ministers focus upon duties rather than rights will the Living Church move forward in spiritual power against the kingdom of Satan and his minions. The Living Church can take ground from Satan's kingdom only when ministers focus upon their duties and yield rights unto Jesus Christ.
DUTIES OF CIVIL RULERS:
We live in an age when civil magistrates and civil authorities at every level of government focus upon rights instead of responsibilities. Someone has said that we have the best politicians that money can buy. When the focus of civil rulers and magistrates is upon the benefits of the office and the economic plunder available through that office, a nation is in great spiritual danger. Civil rulers in this generation would do well to examine their responsibilities in the light of God's Word before they stand at the awesome judgment that is soon to come upon the world.
1) Civil rulers are to be men of truth, hating covetousness and living in the fear of God (Exodus 18:21)
2) Civil rulers must be just, ruling in the fear of God (// Samuel 23:3).
3) Civil rulers, especially kings, are not to multiply unto themselves wives, silver, or gold (Deut. 17:1 7).
4) Civil rulers, especially kings, are to rule in the fear of God, study his Law, meditate in this Law, and keep all the words of this Law in his personal life (Deut. 17:18-19).
5) Civil rulers, especially kings, are to be humble and rule as servants of the people (Deut. 17:20).
6) Civil rulers, especially judges, are to judge in the fear of Yahweh and by the standard of His law; they must not judge in the fear c man and man's law (II Chronicles 19:5-7).
7) Civil rulers and magistrates are not to take gifts or bribes of any kind (II Chapter 19:7, Exodus 23:8).
8) Kings, judges, and civil rulers are to remember that they are the servants of Yahweh and are to rule in fear of Him (Psalms 2:10,11).
9) Kings, judges, and princes rule by authority of Yahweh (Proverbs 8:15,16).
10) The promotion and deposing of civil rulers is the work of a sovereign God (Psalms 75:6,7).
11) Civil rulers are to praise righteousness and punish wickedness (I Peter 2:14).
12) Civil rulers are to serve as ministers of God and rule in the name and fear of God (Romans 13:3,4).
13) Civil rulers, especially kings, are not to drink strong drink (Proverbs 31
14) Civil rulers are not to take the inheritance of the people (Ezekiel 46:18) by any means, including eminent domain.
15) Civil rulers and kings are to remember that Yahweh is the only Lawgiver and that they are bound to rule by the authority of His Law (Isaiah 33:22, Deut. 17:18, 19).
16) Civil rulers, as ministers of God, are duty bound to rule in the fear of God and by authority of the Holy Scriptures (II Chronicles 34:21-33).
17) Civil rulers need to remember that Yahweh removeth kings, setteth up kings, (Daniel 2:21) and that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will (Daniel 4:25).
18) Civil rulers need to remember that they are the servants of God and that He rules the high places of the earth (Jeremiah 27:6, Deut. 2:30, II Chronicles 21:16-18, Proverbs 21:1).
19) Judges and civil rulers must hand down sentences and decrees that are righteous and based upon God and His Law (Deut. 17:9-13, Isaiah 1O:1).
20) All civil rulers must remember that they are under the headship of Jesus Christ and that one day they will bow the knee in reverence to His holy name (Phil. 2:11, Rom. 14:11).
Christians living in a time of great national wickedness and sin should keep in mind that civil rulers will be judged in due time. It is also important to remember that politics are the administration of the religious tenets of a people. Civil rulers tend to reflect the hearts of the population at large. When the hearts of the people are wicked and turned against God, civil rulers will reflect this wickedness in the forms of unrighteous decrees and increased oppression and tyranny. Christians living in such a time are given a word of instruction by St. Paul in Philippians 2:15: "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"
EXPECTATIONS DEFINED:
Expectations are mental obligations that we assign to another person. This becomes an anticipated benefit which we believe is owed to us based upon various assumptions that we have drawn from what that person has said or from what we perceive that person's responsibilities to be. Many people tend to dwell on the expectations that they expect from other people. Husbands dwell on expectations which they perceive are owed them by their wives. Wives focus on what they expect from husbands. Children concern themselves with expectations from parents. Employees focus on expectations anticipated from their employers. People focus on their expectations of those in positions of Church leadership and civil authority.
This continuous focus on expectations leads to great frustration at all levels of our personal relationships with other people. As Christians, we should purpose to give all of our expectations unto God. Instead of dwelling on expectations and exercising our rights in anger and frustration, let us purpose to yield our rights and give all of our expectations to God. Psalm 62:5 declares: "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." When we focus on our responsibilities and give our expectations to God. all things will work according to His plan; all the blessings that we desire will ultimately come our way.
Husbands should focus on the office of the wife and not on the woman you married. If your wife does not please you. give your expectations to Yahweh and concentrate on the responsibilities of being a husband. Wives may need to focus on the office of the husband and not on the man filling that office. Give your expectations to God, concentrate on your duties as a wife, and see how God. in time, will bless you. Young people should not focus on the parents, should fulfill their responsibilities as children, and see the blessings flow. Ministers should attend their duties before God and His Word, give their expectations to God, and live in the promise of His blessing. Citizens should focus on the office of the magistrate not on the man, and in fulfilling their duties as Christians God, give all their expectations to Him and wait for His blessing a judgment to fall.
ARE YOU READY TO REPENT?
If you are ready to focus on your responsibilities, yield your rights and give your expectations to Jesus Christ: then you are in a state of repentance. Repentance is never that until you have changed something in your personal life. Repentance is not repentance if all you desire is to change someone or something around you. Repentance demands that you fulfill your responsibilities as husband, as father, as mother, as Churchmen, and as a citizen in this American fatherland. If your focus in life has been one of focusing upon your "rights," you are living in rebellion -- the sin equal to witchcraft (I Sam. 15:23).
If your life consists of one constant effort of seeking life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and other forms of self-gratification at the expense of other people, you are walking in pride and rebellion has blinded your eyes to the high road to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. If you want life, if you desire liberty, if you seek happiness, then yield your rights to aU o these things and become serious about fulfilling your responsibilities as a husband to your wife, as a father to your children, as a churchman in your local church, and as a good citizen to your community and country. Focus on what you can do to serve others. Commit your heart to fulfilling your duties to those under your authority. Perceive yourself as being under authority rather than in authority. Give your expectations to Jesus Christ. Stop feeling sorry for yourselves. Change the world about you by changing the condition of your heart. Stop looking for the silver bullet and get right with Jesus Christ.
Instead of finding fault with your wife, build a check list of your duties as a husband and get with it. Instead of unloading on your children, open your Bible and find out what God teaches about being a father; then get on with it. Instead of condemning the preacher and forsaking the church, find out what a good churchman should be doing and go after it. If you do not tithe to the work of Jesus Christ and His Church, focus on the tithe (your duty) and leave your financial expectations in the hands of Almighty God. Instead of spewing hate and expletives at local, state, and national rulers, try going before Jesus Christ and asking Him to forgive you of all your trespasses, to quicken your spirit, and give you a new heart. Then begin to read the Bible, make check lists of your responsibilities as a husband, a father, an employee, an employer, a churchman, and a citizen, and go after it with all your heart, mind, and soul. Stop chasing the silver bullet. Quit reading the Declaration of Independence, dwelling in self-pity, and memorizing the Constitution. Instead read your Bible and find what you as a bond servant to Jesus Christ ought to be doing on this earth.
Notice that a free man in Jesus Christ lives to serve and does not live to be served. As bondslaves to sin and death, we were born without rights. As redeemed men in Jesus Christ we now live to fulfill our responsibilities and give our expectations to Him. As we fulfill our duties to God and our neighbors, our churches, our communities, and our country, those rights which free men covet will be given as gifts and blessings from Yahweh. There is nothing to be gained from standing on the steps of the local courthouse or the nation's capitol and reading so called rights under the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Bondslaves to sin and death are not born with rights. Free men in Jesus Christ receive life, liberty, and the happiness of serving others as the free gift of Jesus Christ. The more we serve God and fulfill our duties to those under our cover of authority, the more "rights" we will receive as gifts and blessings from God.
Israelites, we live in the time of Jacob's Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), and the judgment of God is abroad throughout the land. Our concern at this late time in history is not to focus on the "rights" which we believe should be coming our way; rather, we should be on our knees confessing our sin, asking His forgiveness for our neglect of His Law Word, and moving forth to fulfill our duties as free men in Jesus Christ. Until we arc reborn in the image of Jesus Christ arid are made a new creation in Him, we are bondslaves to the law of sin and death. That law is simple and to the point. If you sin, you die! Jesus Christ, as the sinless Lamb of God, took our sin upon himself, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of God should come upon all those Israelites who believe Him and live to serve Him and His Law word.
If you are ready to yield rights and take your responsibilities, you are ready to enter a new life. As you deny self (your rights) and take up the cross of Jesus Christ (your responsibilities), you will lose your life, (serving others instead of self) and in so doing, you will find your life (St. Luke 9:23,24) in Jesus Christ. Turn in your Bible to St. Luke 15 and read the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Visualize yourself as being the Prodigal Son. All the rights that you have sought you have not gained. Like the Prodigal Son, you have spent your life in riotous living, you have spent vast sums seeking to obtain your rights in a nation of oppression and tyranny, and now you are living in the pig pen of despondency, depression, and financial debt. Here are the seven steps that the Prodigal Son took, and these are the very steps that you must now take. Instead of chasing the silver bullet, walk the road of the Prodigal Son. That walk will take you to Jesus Christ, and as His free man, you will find life, liberty, and the high road that will lead you to the Kingdom of God.
1) Firstly, the Prodigal Son came to Himself (Luke 15:17). He became conscious of his sin. Have you become conscious of your sin? A man is not sane until he becomes conscious of his sin and the need to be cleansed by the saving power of Jesus Christ.
2) Secondly, the Prodigal Son worked a confession (Luke 15:18). He realized the need to confess his sin in real words. Are you ready to confess your sin before Jesus Christ (/ John 1:9)? The Prodigal Son wrote his confession with carefully chosen words. Can we do any thing less?
3) Thirdly, the Prodigal Son had to go before the one he had offended (Luke 15:18). "I will arise and go to my father" were the sobering words of the Prodigal Son. Are we ready to get on our knees and go to our Heavenly Father?
4) Fourthly, the Prodigal Son had to confess his sin. The words "I have sinned" fell from the lips of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:18). As a bondslave to sin. you need to make this confession to Jesus Christ and be born anew in His image.
5) Fifthly, the Prodigal Son had to acknowledge that his sin had offended God and his earthly father (Luke 15:18). Are you ready to confess that your sin has been an offense to God and to those you have failed to serve as husband, father, employee, employer, churchman, and citizen of this nation?
6) Sixthly, the Prodigal Son had to acknowledge his unworthiness before God (Luke 15:19). Are we ready to humble ourselves and acknowledge that we are not worthy of the blood of Jesus Christ? Are we willing to acknowledge that we have done little to deserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness on this earth?
7) Finally, the Prodigal Son wanted to be a servant. "Make me a servant" (Luke 15:19) were his sobering words. He wanted to be used of God. He wanted his life to count. Do you want your life to count for great things? Then resolve to become the free man of Jesus Christ and live to serve others.
Israelite sinner, your Father waits to welcome you to His throne. Even now He is preparing the fatted calf and preparing for your return to His presence. Rights, responsibilities, and expectations! This day become the free man of Jesus Christ by placing all your focus in life in fulfilling your responsibilities to God, your family, your church, your community, and your nation.
AFTERWORD
FOR THE PRUDENT WITHIN THE REMNANT
"A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished," Proverbs 22:3 "Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so Yahweh, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that Yahweh God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph." Amos 5:13-15 "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." Phil. 2:15
Prudent Christians understand that we are now entering into a very perilous time of history when Christians can expect to be persecuted. Genuine Christianity will be validated by suffering various forms of persecution and our generation is no exception. We can expect to suffer for Christ's sake in this generation. Let us pray that our suffering results from our Christian faith and not from foolishness on our part (I Peter 4:15). That Christians in every generation will suffer persecution is evident from the words of Jesus Christ (John 15:18-21, 16:1-4, Matthew 10:34-36).
We live in a time when sin is being legalized and immorality legislated into law at every level of government. Christians will be targeted for persecution for their Biblical morality and attention to Biblical law. The police powers of an antiChristian State will seek to target Christians who stand for God and live by Biblical Law. The Living Church of Jesus Christ will become a prime target for ruthless persecution in this day of evil and great wickedness.
Of special interest to all Christians will be the laws flowing out of public policy administrative bodies that will seek to police Christians and bring them into court. Included among these public policy police actions will be "hate laws" intended to be used against Christians charged with hate crimes. In view of the intense persecution that can be expected in a time of great evil Christians need to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). Christians are the sheep and the enemy wolves will be seeking to fleece them. It is important for Christians to remember that they are living in wolf country and sheep do not attack wolves.
It is vital that Christians know the proper course of action when they are brought into the court of man and charged with a variety of violations ranging from hate crimes to home schooling their children. It is important to remember that Christians in the main are Preamble Citizens of the Republic of the United States, and are protected by State and Federal Constitutions. Article I, Section 8, Clause 17, of the U.S. Constitution created another Nation within the Republic known as the District of Columbia. Out of these two "United States" arises two different jurisdictions, one known as that of the common law jurisdiction and that of equity jurisdiction wherein compelled performance to public policy regulations, rules, and laws are imposed upon the populace. It is important during this time of history to know how these two jurisdictions operates in the judicial system of the United States. For further information please write for more specific information on Courts of Law versus Courts of Equity. This information may be vital to your future.
WARNING: Let no one believe that any power beyond Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit can bring deliverance from the Lion's Den. The information which we refer to above is to be held in a meek and humble spirit and all to the glory of Jesus Christ.
ORDER FROM:
The Church of Israel
Missionary and Literature Room
Schell City, Missouri 64783
NOTICE: There is no price placed upon this booklet. The Word of God cannot be merchandised. This booklet has been paid for by tithe donations given by faithful Israelites to this ministry. May Jesus Christ be praised and His people blessed in the publication of this booklet. That the Israelite remnant living in this time of history grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and the truth of His Kingdom is our prayer.
PRINTED AUGUST, 1990
(3,000 copies first printing).
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