The Glorious Incarnation

“Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

We are all familiar with the traditional Christmas hymn, "Joy to the World." But how many of us have stopped to consider its meaning.

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Jesus came to earth as the King of Kings. That our King would die for us is the incomprehensible wonder of his love. But as the song indicates, Jesus Christ didn't just die for us. Our Saviour reigns. He rules "the world with truth and grace."

Miracles of miracles. The Creator of all came to earth as the most helpless of creation. His majesty and power was shrouded in the innocence and frailty of a human babe. We call this event, the glorious incarnation.

The glorious incarnation is a time when we celebrate Advent. Advent means the glory of the coming of the Lord, the dawning of God’s salvation light to a lost and darkened world. It celebrates the fulfillment of the many prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the birth of Messiah. It unfolds what had been hidden in times past. It announces from the roof tops that Emmanuel is finally here; God is actually with us and is amongst us. The Word was made flesh.

Christ’s birth breaks forth the divine into human history with unparalleled might and splendor. It introduces the supernatural into the natural, in the highest possible order. It sings from the heavens that the King is born, His Kingdom has invaded the earth, and the world will never be the same again. It makes the invisible God visible through the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The glorious incarnation represents an undying faith that through patience and long suffering expects heaven’s visitation will manifest itself in the earth. His Kingdom has come and now we look to His will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus’ birth not only points to His miraculous entrance into this world, but it also affirms the sacredness of life, particularly the life in the womb. Almighty God humbled Himself and clothed Himself in a tent of human flesh. Jesus was once an embryo, a fetus, and a baby in the womb. Though His conception was supernatural, everything else concerning His development as a baby went according to nature. Thus He completely identifies with every person conceived and born of women in the history of the world.

The truth is, Jesus began His earthly pilgrimage when He was conceived by the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:31). It was at conception where the famous kenosis or "emptying" of Christ began. This "emptying" of course, did not divest Jesus of His deity, but He voluntarily restricted His preincarnate glory and prerogatives as God in order to humbly fulfill His Father’s will on earth. The bottom line is all of Christ’s deity and humanity were fully present at conception(which is why abortion is evil). Christ was no less God or human while in the womb.

May the revelation of Christmas burn bright in our hearts this holiday season. May it shine brighter than the artificial lights of the season and may it inspire our faith, increase our hope, and abound His love to us, our families, and to the world at large. "Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King."

The Battlefront

And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done ? And the woman said , The serpent beguiled me , and I did eat . And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go , and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:14-15).

The war instigated by Satan in heaven was declared by God in the first book of the Bible. Addressing Satan after the Fall in the Garden, God said, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:15). This war continues today, but the battlefront shifts in every generation. It is the same God, the same devil, same truth, same lie, and same heaven and hell, yet the front shifts.

For instance, if you were born 150 years ago, whether you liked it or not, believed in it or not, or participated in it or not, the battlefront of this war was slavery. God used a legal issue, state's rights versus federal power, to judge our nation concerning this grave moral evil. It cost America over six hundred thousand lives before we finally relented and and let the slaves go free. The battlefront was slavery.

The same holds true if you lived 232 years ago. Whether you liked it or not, believed in it or not, or participated in it or not, the battlefront of the war was tyranny versus liberty. Americans longed to be free from the despotism of England.

The battlefronts in America today are abortion and homosexuality. These are the roots of our trouble. Islam is the dangerous fruit. As evidenced in the Bible, God uses our enemies to chastise us and bring His judgment. No nation that ever killed its own babies and allowed homosexuality to flourish has survived to brag about it. These two sins threaten our national security.

It is imperative the people of God discern the battlefront in our generation. We must not only recognize it, we must run to the roar that proceeds from it. As the great reformer, Martin Luther wrote:

If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the Devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that one point.

As Christians, we flinch at abortion. We flinch at homosexuality. We flinch at the lie of Islam. We flinch at political correctness. We disgrace ourselves, our nation, and our God through our inaction. And our failure to engage the enemy on these fronts has caused God to unleash His judgment from heaven.

We have retreated from these battlefronts far to long. Church of God, gather your spiritual weapons and muster beneath the cross. Engage the enemy where the battle is fiercest and the fighting is heaviest. Fight this spiritual battle to give God a reason to show us mercy, even as our nation begs for His judgment. Arise to stop the advancement of lawlessness, lest God arise with flaming fire to take complete vengeance against our spoiled, wicked nation.

Birthed in Battle

And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor : therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence (Isaiah 59:16-18).

In his classic sermon on the role of the church in society, The Church-Conservative and Aggressive, Charles Spurgeon compared the church to a city in need of defense. Rather then hire mercenaries from the world to fight her battles, Spurgeon exhorts, "In the name of the living God let the Church of Christ train her own citizens for the battle of Christ. Let her bring up her own young warriors for the defense and maintenance of the Truth."

The early church was birthed in battle. There were heresies from within and great persecutions from without. Their faith came at great cost. Yet still they persevered. These former Christians were very much "warriors for the defense and maintenance of the Truth."

In contrast, most modern Christians weren't told by the preacher that when they made peace with God through the merits of Jesus Christ, they declared war on an enemy. Most didn't sign up for a spiritual war when they gave their life to Christ. Many signed up to be blessed or to go to heaven when they die. Some signed up to be a better husband and father or wife and mother. Others signed up to obtain peace and prosperity. These are not bad things; just incomplete apart from the larger picture of God's redeeming work in and through mankind.

In my case, it didn't take long after tasting the goodness of God's salvation for me to realize that something or someone out there didn't like me. The war was on, as God began to call me from the playground of modern Christianity to the battleground of biblical Christianity.

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon: and the dragon and his angels fought. But they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world: he was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him(Revelation 12:7-9).

From this passage of scripture, we glean the first sin was actually committed, not in the garden with Adam and Eve, but in heaven by Lucifer. It was there that the kingdom of God suffered the initial split. As a result, God banished Satan and his imps from heaven and confined them to planet Earth.

Don't you find it strange that God created and strategically placed innocent man in the same neighborhood with this sick, perverted, lying, murderer? Was God subjecting man to the wiles of this fallen angel as a cruel joke?

This mystery is revealed in the vision and mission of Jesus Christ. God became flesh and dwelt among us to defeat Satan. Isaiah tells us, it "displeased him that there was no judgment" (Isaiah 59:15).

Based upon this truth, I believe God chose to redeem man so that man could take the victory of Christ and defeat the enemy. The earth is the battleground and man upon it has a God-ordained destiny to repair the breach in God's kingdom in heaven before the world began.

Matthew 11:12 reads, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force"(Matthew 11:12). The violent take it by force.

The Church needs to remember we are in the battle of Christ. Then we must train our young men to be warriors again. Finally, we have no choice but to take the kingdom of heaven by force, through the power of Christ.

As Spurgeon said:

Let the Church of God, when her young men go forth to her battles, put her hand upon their shoulders and say, "Be strong, young man, be strong. Dishonor not the mother [Church] that bare you. But go forth and like the son of a Spartan mother, return not but in glory. Go forth to conquer or to die. Come back on your shield, or with it-a hero or a martyr."

You have been birthed for battle. Yet the weapons of your warfare are not carnal. They are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Wield the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. Unsheathe your glorious Bible in the sin centers of America. Let the clash of blades, the furor of opposing worldviews, ring in your ear. Don't shrink back. You are mightier than the enemy arrayed against you, because you fight under the banner of the King of Kings. Go forth, gentle Christian. Conquer or die.

It's Your Turn Now

Through the years, Elijah Ministries, the umbrella ministry for the Kingdom Leadership Institute, has been on the frontline and in the trenches in the spiritual and cultural battle for the souls of men and the destiny of America. It's an honor to serve the King of Kings. Yet suffering for the Lord is an honor no longer sought or recognized.

The idea of a church militant, of a conquering, battling church advancing the cause of Christ, has become a faded memory for most American Christians. Too often we compromise, concede, cater, and coddle in hopes of winning souls to Christ, instead of conquering evil that enslaves them. In America's present backslidden condition, it's prudent to recall the necessity of conflict.

Dr. Augustus Neander, in Memorial of a Christian Life wrote:

Christians [in history] rejoiced to consider themselves as the soldiers of God and Christ (milites Dei et Christi), against the hostile powers of darkness, against everything which appeared to them as belonging to the kingdom of Satan, against the services of sin and of false gods.

Dr. Neander was a church historian born in 1789. His works include the six volume classic, A General History of the Christian Religion and Church (first published in 1826) and History of the Planting and Training of the Christian Church by the Apostles (1832-1833). He also wrote the famous apologetic, Life of Christ (1837). His understanding of church history makes his remarks all the more compelling.

Dr. Neander wrote:

As the whole of life of the Christian, from the beginning to the end, is a conflict with the world and the powers of darkness, a conflict within and without, the kingdom of God in this world must appear as militant, and must make its way by conflict; so that often, in Holy Writ, the calling of the Christian is compared to that of the military life, and the Christian is represented as the soldier of his LORD.
This image was very clear and familiar to the first Christians. Though Christians, in later ages, may have been led to forget the nature of their calling as one of conflict, amidst the external tranquility and prosperity, yet in primitive times their entire outward condition served to remind them of the spiritual warfare; for the church found itself on all sides in conflict with the heathen world, and the public profession made by Christians compelled them to take a share in this conflict.

Christian men, it's time you took your share in this spiritual conflict. In World War I, when soldiers heard the whistle they knew it was time to rush over the top of the trench and charge the enemy. They knew it was time to die. Young men, The whistle has blown. It's time to die, so Christ can live and reign through you. Run to the roar of battle! The warrior's sword and shield has passed to you. It's your turn now.

The Battle Wages

Life is not a playground. It is a war zone, a clash of worldviews competing for the souls of men and the destiny of nations. The battle of the ages is over who is Lord and whose laws will govern in the affairs of men. Will it be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Or will it be Caesar? Will we live under the flawed laws of men, which legalizes evil and ushers in subjugation? Or will we be governed by the holy, righteous laws of the Lawgiver, which births freedom and protects the very liberty Christ died to secure?

Fundamentally, the crisis of our time is a crisis of leadership. The Bible reveals God judges and restores nations based on leadership. By the leaders he raises up or removes, God curses and blesses nations. In light of this covenantal reality, the demand for godly, righteous leadership is upon us.

Our country was founded on Christ and on the tenets of Christianity. But she has forgotten who she is. Our blessed America is in declension. Our continual silence and inaction enables the powers of darkness to wreck havoc in our beleaguered land. America may not turn around in a decade, but with God's help, she may in a generation. We need spiritual warriors to advance God's kingdom. We need kingdom leaders to take back the gates of the land. We need kingdom leadership!

In this time of moral and spiritual crisis, new leaders are rising. The question is,will it be "sons of Barack Obama" or sons of God leading the charge into the future. Become a kingdom leader God can use. The gentle revolution is on. Will you join?

May God save America and no king but King Jesus!
Rev. Rusty Thomas
elijahmin.com

Media Room

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TYRANNY FROM THE WHITEHOUSE
Expert on Leadership Says Obama’s Style Reminiscent of King George

Waco, Texas—With 58 percent of Independent voters expressing a negative opinion of the federal government, a Waco area pastor and author of a new book on kingdom leadership principles says President Obama’s leadership style is reminiscent of the tyranny of King George. Citing recent polls from Gallup and the Pew Research Center, Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas, founder of the Kingdom Leadership Institute, claims, “In many ways, President Obama is acting more like King Obama.”

A CRISIS OF LEADERSHIP
An ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted by telephone August 13-17, 2009, found, “Views of the country's direction have soured; 55 percent say it's seriously off on the wrong track” while an August 12, USA Today/Gallup poll found 69 percent of Americans are “closely following news accounts of town hall meetings.” Commenting on the findings, Thomas said, “Fundamentally, the crisis of our time is one of leadership. This crisis is seen in our town hall meetings, the Tea Parties, talk radio, Third Parties, the debate over socialized health care, voter cynicism, and a general discontent. It is seen in President Obama’s drop in approval. All this speaks to a crisis of leadership.”

TYRANNICAL LEADERSHIP
Citing the Obama Administration’s pro-abortion policies, support of the radical homosexual agenda, assault on the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, promotion of the “Fairness Doctrine” that targets conservative talk radio, and its attack on Christian liberties through the Hate Crimes bill as examples of tyranny, Thomas said, “Civil government is due our taxes, prayers, tribute, and submission to lawful authority. It is not due our faith, conscience, or thoughts. It has no divine right to regulate our faith, determine our beliefs, or punish our thoughts. The question Americans must now ask is what should our response be to this tyranny?”

KINGDOM LEADERSHIP
Thomas is the founder and director of the Kingdom Leadership Institute, a Christian parachurch organization that specializes in worldview training and Christ centered leadership. He hosts the popular KLI camp, a weeklong leadership program for youth. He is also the author of, The Kingdom Leadership Institute Manual, based on the Bible’s principles of leadership. The back cover to Thomas’ new book reads, “Life is not a playground. It is a war zone─a clash of ideas, philosophies, values, and worldviews. It is a violent struggle for the souls of men and the destiny of nations.” According to Thomas, the destiny of our republic is at stake. “During the tyranny of King George, the cry from the American colonies was, ‘No King but King Jesus!’ The fight for independence was over who was Lord and whose laws reigned. It is the same today. Will we bow and pledge our allegiance to King Obama or will we stand and affirm our allegiance to King Jesus? The demand for righteous kingdom leadership is upon us. “

Published by Tate Publishing and Enterprises, The Kingdom Leadership Institute Manual: Raising Up Leaders a Time Like This Demands identifies and equips the next generation of “righteous leaders.” The Kingdom Leadership Institute Manual addresses the crisis of leadership in post-election America from a biblical and historical standpoint. A perfect supplement to homeschool curriculums, for Bible study class, small groups, or individual study, it retails for $18.99 plus tax. For a complete listing of retail locations, book signings, book readings, and how to order your book on-line, visit Elijah Ministries online.

ABOUT ELIJAH MINISTRIES
Elijah Ministries is dedicated to imparting the biblical worldview necessary to advance the Kingdom of God on earth. It publishes a monthly newsletter and email updates on the current social-spiritual issues of the day. It works in partnership with other pro-family organizations to restore America to her Christian heritage. Founded in 1985 as a teaching ministry, Elijah Ministries has grown to include the Kingdom Leadership Institute, Rachel’s Park Memorial, and Reformation Weekend.
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FOR QUESTIONS REGARDING MEDIA RELEASE
Or to schedule an interview with Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas,
contact: Kendra Thomas, Administrative Assistant, Elijah Ministries
(254) 664-3881/ email: Kendramarian@yahoo.com
For more information on Elijah Ministries, visit our home page: Elijah Ministries





Book cover art




ENDORSEMENTS
“Rusty Thomas’s passionate voice cries in the wilderness of America. His message carries a clarion call that challenges our young to advance the Christian faith and the liberty it secures for our nation.”
William J. Federer, American Minute
Bestselling Author, America's God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations

“My good friend Rusty Thomas doesn't just have a passion and a cause, for passion and cause’s sake. He has a passion and a cause to the see the kingdom of God advance on earth as it is in heaven, as Christ exhorts believers in the Great Commission. Rusty's work over the years standing at the very gates of hell proclaiming God's truth has been a beacon of hope in a culture bereft of the good news. Now, Rusty has assembled his wisdom and insights learned over all these years into book form to help encourage and equip the next generation to ‘take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ’ and ‘having done all to stand’ strong in the day of battle.”
Douglas W. Phillips, Esq.
President of Vision Forum, San Antonio, Texas

“Rusty Thomas’s KLI Manual is a great tool to help awaken our young people to take bold action on behalf of God's truth. I highly recommend it!"
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson
Author, Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America
Founder and President, BOND, Los Angeles, California

“What does it mean to be a Christian? The Apostle Paul adjured us to have ‘the mind of Christ.’ Unfortunately, in today's culture too many of us don't think like Christians. Instead of Christians being the salt of the earth, we have allowed the world to become the salt of the church. It is time we began in earnest to teach our children how to think and act like Christians. No one addresses these issues better than my friend, Rusty Thomas. His new book, based on his work with young people in the Kingdom Leadership Institute, is sure to change the way our children view the world. He is on the cutting edge in the battle for the hearts and minds of Christian children.”
Coach Dave Daubenmire
Author, A Season Ordered By the Lord
Founder and President, Pass the Salt Ministries, Hebron, Ohio

“Today in America, we are engaged in a battle for the very heart and soul of our nation. There are no political remedies, economic bailouts, or educational solutions that will fix us. We are fighting against the devil himself, and the only way to overcome him is by the blood of the lamb, the word of our testimony, and by not loving our own lives so much as to shrink from death (Revelation 12:11). When one perceives the battle in this light, it will change the way he goes about his God-given task. What one perceives the battle to be will determine how he fights it. We serve the kingdom we see (John 5:19) and become like the god we worship (Jeremiah 2:5, Psalm 115:8). The manual you now have in your hands will enable you to see the battle for what it really is and then to fight and win by storming the gates of hell with the gospel of Christ. The gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church of Jesus Christ. My dear friend, Rusty, has learned this lesson well. He has lived it out himself and helped others to bring the theology of the church house into the streets of cities across our nation. He has witnessed firsthand the power of God to tear down the devil’s strongholds.”
Rev. Flip Benham
National Director, Operation Rescue/Operation Save America





RUSTY LEE THOMAS Father / Minister / Author

AUTHOR BIO
Founder and Director of Elijah Ministries, Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas is a nationally-recognized public speaker, author, radio guest, and founder of Elijah Ministries and the Kingdom Leadership Institute. He has appeared on American Family Radio’s program, Today’s Issues. His writing has appeared in publications around the world, and his work has been profiled in Vanity Fair, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and WorldNetDaily. He is a published columnist for Home School Digest.

A veteran pro-life leader, Rusty is the assistant director of Operation Rescue/Operation Save America. He is the founder and administrator of one of the first memorial parks to the unborn in the nation, Rachel’s Park Memorial. He is also as associate pastor to the Gospel of Life Ministries.

Thomas is the author of The Kingdom Leadership Institute Manual: Raising Up Leaders a Time Like This Demands, a spiritual “field manual” for winning the cultural battles of the day. He resides in Texas with his wife Kendra, thirteen home schooled children, and two grandchildren.


Author with family




INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
o What are the three marks of Kingdom leadership?
The three marks are as follows: courage, biblical worldview, and vision. When it comes to courage, I remind the reader of two important truths. First, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but doing what is right in spite of our fears.” Second, “Courage, as a Christian virtue in its rawest form, is a willingness to die if necessary for the cause of Christ. In other words, if forced to choose between one’s life and one’s faith, true courage would inspire the choice of faith.” Christians must get over the suffering and death issues in order to effectually advance the cause of Christ in our poor-fallen world. The second attribute for a Kingdom leader is Biblical worldview. In other words, a leader must view the burning issues of the day through the grid of God’s word, rather than a humanistic standard. Many Christians in America are more influenced in their worldview by their family background, ethnicity, education, political party system, or other profound influences in their lives. The challenge is to hold up those influences to God’s word, if they agree, honor and cherish them, if they don’t, they must be disregarded. Only a Biblical worldview can help a leader successfully navigate through the challenges of life by fitting into God’s reality, rather than hurling themselves against it. The third virtue is vision. God’s word warns, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” (Proverbs 29:18). Without vision from inspired leaders, people cast off restraint. They wander from God’s protective covering and end up in a moral freefall. They become spiritually and morally naked, which makes them vulnerable to enemies from within and from without. Jesus warned that a person can have perfectly functional eyes and yet not perceive reality. Leaders afflicted by this state, end up becoming the blind leading the blind. Thus both leader and follower wind up in a ditch.

o What was your primary goal in writing your book?
First, I felt an obligation to pass on to the next generation all the precious truths that I had learned fighting the battle for the souls of men, the lives of children, and the future of our nation. Secondly, the book was written to reform the church to restore America to its righteous foundations. The premise being: you cannot have a tyrannical state, without the church first veering from the truth and thus fail in its mission.

o Why did you choose the theme of Christian chivalry and knighthood?
Authentic manhood has been greatly damaged by the rise of feminism in America. It has helped to reinforce in the inherent weakness of men, which are passivity and irresponsibility. I chose the knighthood model to hopefully help men reclaim their masculine identity, manly responsibilities, and return to the male Christian ethic, which places women and children first. In other words, men are at their best laying down their lives for God, family, and country. The goal is to inspire men to move from being predators to becoming protectors, defenders, and proper coverings of women and children once again.

o In your book you mention, “The crisis of our time is one of leadership.” Explain. The underlying premise of the book is established upon this fundamental truth: God judges and restores nations based upon leadership. When the sayings and doings of a nation are against the Lord, the consequence is the nation is turned over to weak, inept, and wicked rulers. The culmination of this travesty is discovered in Isaiah 3:12, which states, “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.”

o How would you describe President Obama’s leadership?
Obama is God’s man. The Lord placed him as President of the United States. Unfortunately, it is not for America’s welfare. He is a sign of God’s judgment and displeasure upon a nation that is gone a whoring after other gods and the vain philosophies of men. Obama is God’s ex-ray into the heart of our nation. He personifies the condition of our civil government that has betrayed their sacred truth by codifying evil into law and defending the indefensible, such as, the evil practices of abortion and homosexuality. He is also the Lord’s rebuke to His church that has drawn nigh to God with their lips, but their heart and obedience is far from Him. Obama claims to be a Christian and yet supports policies that violate the commandments of God. It is the height of hypocrisy and our Lord reserved his hottest anger and most biting criticism against it. America is being subject to tyranny and unjust laws as a consequence of our idolatry. Thus, Obama has become the head of a new idolatrous cult, otherwise known as the federal government.

o You also mention, “Life is not a playground. It is a war zone—a clash of worldviews competing for the souls of men and the destiny of nations.” Can you elaborate?
The battle that rages for the souls of men and the destiny of nations is described Biblically as a war between two seeds, the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. The seed of the serpent obeys the lies of the Evil One, which keeps them bound to their natural state, which is to be a law and god unto themselves. In other words, they live life based upon their terms, religious or otherwise, instead of the terms set forth by the God who created them and the Savior who died for them. The strategy of this camp for world domination is to adopt the failed agenda of the Tower of Babel, which is to reach into the heavens and vainly attempt to dethrone the God of heaven and earth and replace Him with totalitarian statism. This explains why all the “isms,” such as Communism, Socialism, and Nazism, which crush freedom and promote tyranny, all have as their foundational premises the vain philosophies of atheism and evolution. The seed of the woman, however, repents of being a covenant rebel, humbly bows before the majesty of God, and receives Christ’s salvation by faith and publicly declares, “not my will, but thine be done.” It is this seed line that underscores the vital nature of our Lord’s admonishment, “You must be born-again to enter or see the Kingdom of God.”

o Patriarchy is a dirty word in today’s culture yet you use the term often in your book. What is biblical patriarchy?
You cannot write a book on leadership and avoid the name or its implications for the family, church, and our culture. According to Weldon M. Hardenbrook, “The biblical term patriarchy is derived from two words in the Greek language. ‘Patria’ is taken from the word pater, father, which means family; and ‘archy,’ which means, beginning, first in origin and to rule. A ‘patriarch’ is a family ruler. He is the man in charge.” I not only agree with the definition, but also add my amen to Mr. Hardenbrook’s exhortation, “But whether we use this word (patriarchy) or not, without its recovery, without its function being made known and its reality working in society, there is absolutely no clear positive way to redeem the male identity.” This particular chapter challenges men to return to their God-ordained position, role, and function to restore divine order and the blessing it provides for women, children, and society.

o In keeping with that question, you also wrote a chapter on Biblical femininity. Can you briefly comment on this chapter?
The two main reasons for these chapters are to reveal the inherent weakness within men and women, which is ignored to the detriment of families and society. The other purpose was to point out the confusion generated by the misunderstanding between function and value as it pertains to women. As stated previously, the sin nature, which manifests in men, typically leads to passivity and irresponsibility. Men are typically passive when it comes to God’s righteousness and aggressive when it comes to wickedness. When the going gets tough and manhood is required, men tend to take off and become irresponsible. For women, the inherent weakness within them is to manipulate, control, and dominate men. The combination of passive males and dominating females has created the sexual confusion that is running rampant in this generation. In value, Christ loves us all the same. Men are not superior and women are not inferior when it comes to the salvation of the Lord. There is, however, a marked difference when it comes to function and the distinctive roles God established between men and women. The divine order is God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of the man, and man is the head of the woman (1 Corinthians 11:3). I know our modern day era chafes against this revelation, but it is true nonetheless. Most of the dysfunction in our families can be traced to ignorance of the inherent weaknesses manifested through gender and violation of God’s order in the marriage covenant.

o In society we hear a lot about freedom─ “freedom of choice,” “freedom of sexual orientation,” “freedom from want.” In your book you define freedom differently. What is the correct definition of freedom?
Our Founding Fathers believed that there were two main enemies to freedom, licentiousness amongst the citizenry and tyranny in civil government. Both are manifesting under our watch. Biblically and historically in America, true freedom was not the allowance to do what we want to do, when we want to do it, and with whomever we want to do it with. Freedom in this case leads to anarchy, which unchecked leads to tyranny. The freedom they fought and died to secure is the freedom to do what is right. John Adams clearly stated, “Our Constitution was made for only a religious and moral people. It is entirely unsuitable for any other.” George Washington asserted that religion and morality were the firmest supports for liberty. Let not any man claim himself a patriot who would undermine them.

o You also explore the issue of education in your book. You look at it more from a jurisdictional perspective. Could you explain?
Education in the Latin means to “pour in and draw out.” When we examine the condition of our youth culture, I believe it is prudent to examine what is being poured into our children by the state-run schools and what is being drawn out. I believe many of our societal woes, such as, illiteracy, moral depravity, and loss of saving-faith that is running rampant in this generation can be traced back to government schools. Most believe, however, that the sources of failure in public education are due to lack of money or the need for better teachers. We have spent billions of dollars pursuing this course of action. Has the quality of education improved? Not hardly, and for one main reason, education at its core is not just a matter of money or teachers, it is a jurisdictional issue. In other words, nowhere in the Bible does God ordain the state to teach our young. Education does not fall within the parameters of their civil functions. The primary government responsible for the education of our children is family government. Parents and not the state are responsible before God to train up their children. When Americans submit their children to the state to educate in their stead, untold damage results: unruly children, parental despair, national calamity, and a major issue for the church, 85 % of Christian young people renounce their faith by their first year in college. What other business can remain solvent, if they failed 85 % of the time? And yet most of America and the church refuse to connect the dots between public education and the failure of our families, church, and nation.

o In your book, you describe your family. How many children do you have? Do you homeschool? What is life like with so many children?
I am a Kingdom man seeking to raise a Kingdom family for the glory of God. We have a multi-generational vision to advance God’s Kingdom in the earth. As a result, we have been blessed with 13 children. From the very beginning, we decided to homeschool our children based upon the teaching found in Deuteronomy 6, which states, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Based upon this passage I state in the book, “loving God is the greatest commandment and the greatest application of this commandment is home education.” Life in the Thomas Nation is never boring. There are many challenges in seeking to raise godly children in today’s world, but it also very rewarding when we see them fulfill what the Apostle John wrote, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth (3 John 4).”

o How can people contact you? The best way to contact us is through our website Elijah Ministries.




TALKING POINTS
o The Bible teaches that when a nation forgets the law of God, God forgets our children (Hosea 4:6). As it stands, the American culture is influencing our children; they are not influencing the culture. Their bodies may be sitting in our church pews but their bodies and minds belong to the secular world.

o The Barna Research Group, a market research firm that focuses on faith and culture, reveals the Mosaic generation, those between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, are “more than twice as likely as all other adults to engage in behaviors considered morally inappropriate by traditional standards. Their choices made even the Baby Boomers─never regarded as a paragon of traditional morality─look like moral pillars in comparison.” Traditional morality is dying.

o “Less than one-half of one percent…in the Mosaic generation have a biblical worldview.” The biblical worldview that framed our country is being dismantled. o And what about Christian young people? The Nehemiah Institute surveys Christian children in secular and Christian schools, comparing their worldviews. According to the Nehemiah Institute, eighty-five percent of youth from Christian homes who attend government schools do not embrace even a nominal biblical worldview.

o These same young people register on the worldview scale one step away from socialism. They register on the lower half of humanism, which is one step away from socialism.

o The majority of Christian youth who attend private Christian schools register in the top half of a humanistic worldview.

o Socialism is being erected on the ruins of freedom. The Obama Administration is merely enacting the “core values” that have been taught in our public schools and colleges for decades.

o President Obama is a product of a secularized America and a sign of God’s judgment. God judges and restores nations based upon leadership (Judges; Isaiah 3:12). Fundamentally, the crisis of our time is one of leadership.




SEGMENT IDEAS
o Interview Questions
o Life is Not a Playground: It is a War Zone
o Why President Obama is a Sign of God’s Judgment
o The Character of a Leader
o Three Marks of Kingdom Leadership
o The Mission of the Kingdom Leadership Institute




STORY ANGLES
o Quiverfull: The Trend Towards Larger Families and the Growth of Conservative Evangelical Christianity in America
o The Return of Biblical Patriarchy
o What Ever Happened to Operation Rescue? The Movement’s Leaders Now
o A Bakers Dozen: A Blended Family and a New Baby Makes Thirteen
o Beauty From Ashes: How Two Hurting Families Became a Testimony of God’s Redemptive Love
o What is the Kingdom Leadership Institute?