The Prophetic Call of the Church

“Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience (James 5:10).”

The book of James is an interesting and controversial book. The German Reformer, Martin Luther, viewed it as “chaff amongst the wheat.” To the mind of Mr. Luther, Brother James drew too heavily from the wisdom of God’s Law. Perhaps, he thought this New Testament epistle was more suited for the Old Testament, rather than the New. Regardless, he thought James lifted up the Law of God to the point that it cast too great a shadow over the grace of God to suit his theological tastes. To Mr. Luther, this constituted “chaff amongst the wheat.”

BACKGROUND

Most scholars agree the epistle of James was written by the step-brother of our dear Lord. If so, clearly, he had a privileged position to observe our Lord not only based upon His public persona, but by being brought up in the same home. Apparently, he was not always a fan of his big brother. He participated in the family taunt to provoke Jesus to go the Feast in Jerusalem, knowing full well that there were enemies seeking our Lord’s death (John 7:1-9). I imagine living with “Mr. Perfect” had the potential to produce a dangerous jealousy.

Thankfully, James grew older and became wiser. He eventually came to understand the true nature of his elder brother. He was God in the flesh. Through the years, James rose in prominence. In the church and throughout Jerusalem, he was known as James the Just: The Safeguard of the People. He was also called Camel Knees.

One day the city fathers of Jerusalem came with a request. They asked James to climb up to the pinnacle of the Temple and address the city. They hoped James would help quell the rumors that were circulating concerning the teaching and preaching of Jesus Christ. James honored their request and took his position high above the gathering crowds. He then proceeded to assure everyone there that everything they had heard about his elder brother concerning the Gospel of the Kingdom was absolutely true. He was indeed the promised Messiah. Obviously, this message was not received anon with joy by those who asked James to “set the record straight.”

Betrayed by the truth, the city fathers called to those near the brave man of God. “Throw him down,” they cried. James hit the ground with a thud. Amazingly, the great fall did not kill him. Living up to his name, Camel Knees, he rolled over on his knees, presumably to pray for his persecutors like Jesus and Stephen before him (Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60). The frenzied crowd at this point took up stones to pelt him to death. The barrage of stones failed in their deadly mission. One can only presume God desired the people to hear more of James’ prayers for them. Finally, a fuller, who makes cloth bulkier by dampening and beating it, smashed the man of God in the head with his iron instrument. James, the brother of Jesus, mercifully succumbed to death and received a martyr’s crown.

James is writing to “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad.” These were Jewish Christians under the boot of religious and civil tyranny. His purpose was to reach from Jerusalem as a faithful elder of Christ to care for their souls and encourage them to press on in the faith. In our opening verse, James 5:10, he wraps up his epistle to encourage the fledgling church to draw strength, inspiration, and encouragement from the prophets who had gone before them. In other words, he was seeking to tie the church to the prophetic realm of Almighty God.

Where would he get such a notion? Perhaps, he paid attention to his brother’s famous Sermon on the Mount. Maybe the Beatitudes helped to lead him in this direction. Matthew 5:10-12 states:

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

The connection our Lord is seeking to make here is irrefutable. Once again, the witness of God’s word seeks to bind the church to the prophets of old. In other words, the plight of the prophets would be similar to the plight experienced by God’s people. In other passages, Jesus declared, “Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city (Matthew 23:24).” He further warned the religious leaders of His day in a parable found in Matthew 21. He told them that the Kingdom would be taken from them and given to a nation worthy to bear the fruit thereof. All this was due to their rejection and mistreatment of the prophets and Himself (Matthew 21:33-46).

Jesus as Prophet

In Matthew 16:13-15, Jesus asked two profound questions. God’s word states:

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

It is interesting to observe the view of Jesus by the people of His day. They related His ministry to the prophets of old. All the men mentioned were bold, righteous men of God. They were rough, tough and hard to bluff in their service to the Lord. Apparently, there was something in our Lord’s manner, perhaps, it was the fire in His eyes or the thunder of His voice that reminded the people that someone like Elijah, Jeremiah, or John the Baptist was in their midst. We know Jesus confronted Israel’s evil just like Elijah (1 Kings 18; Matthew 23). He wept over the city of Jerusalem like Jeremiah (Jeremiah 9:1; Luke 19:41). He even warned the Jews not to trust in being the physical seed of Abraham as the basis for their salvation like John the Baptist (Matthew 3:9; John 8:39).

Besides this, remember how Jesus defined John the Baptist? He asked the people:

What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

Jesus reminded people of John the Baptist. This view was so strong that Herod the tetrarch erroneously believed Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead (Matthew 14:1, 2). Obviously, this view of Christ is conspicuously absent in the modern day church and the corrupt culture we have failed to impact. Most folks today view Jesus as an effeminate guru that wouldn’t harm a flea and His bloody cross as a good citizenship award. The civil and religious leaders of His day knew otherwise.

Obviously, this modern view of our Lord is a far cry from the people of Jesus’ day. And whether consciously aware of it or not, the people back then were adding their amen to a prophecy given by Moses. God promised to raise up a prophet similar to him. Acts 3:22, 23 records:

For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

The Nature of the Prophetic Call

Jeremiah 23:22 states, “But if they had stood in my counsel, (false prophets) and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.” The prophetic realm is the realm of reformation. It is a call to reform our ways, thinking, and behavior that is out of step with God’s righteous and holy character. Mankind tends to forget and go astray. God, in His faithfulness, raises up prophetic witnesses to bring us back into remembrance. He faithfully calls us back to the ancient paths we abandoned to our own demise (Jeremiah 6:16). The New Testament counterpart to this divine calling would be our Lord’s admonishment for the church to be salt and light in our perverse and corrupt world. Ultimately, this call is to protect people from the idolatry and immorality, which invokes God’s wrath upon disobedient men and nations (Deuteronomy 28).

Parable of the World’s Hill

To illustrate the importance of prophetic ministries in our day, consider this modern day parable. I call it the Parable of the World’s Hill. It seeks to distinguish the difference between mercy ministries and prophetic ministries in our crooked nation.

Picture, if you will, the world as a hill. The masses of the world gather at the top and by their foolish, sinful behavior cast themselves headlong off the cliff. At the bottom, some of the Church waits for the inevitable thud. Thankfully, a mercy ministry ambulance picks them up and whisks them away. Christians then work feverishly to try to piece back together again the broken lives impacted by the fall.

Prophetic ministries, however, make an extra effort to climb up to the top of the hill and place itself between the foolish, sinful behavior and plead with the world, “DON’T JUMP.” Prophetic ministries seek to intervene before the world mangles itself by hurling their lives against the reality of God and His moral commandments.

A good example of this difference is the battle against the culture of death fueled by abortion. Thank God for post-abortive, mercy ministries that help women cope with the aftermath of the grievous sin and crime they committed against their own offspring. Prophetic ministries seek to intervene in order to spare men, women, and children the horrors of abortion. Thus, the more we have prophetic ministries, the less we have need of mercy ministries. Both are important, however, when it comes to serving our Lord and loving others in His name.

As a wise man once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure,” especially, when it comes to the many issues in this life mankind will inevitably experience. Whereas mercy ministries seek to provide a cure after mayhem and disaster strike, prophetic ministries seek to prevent disaster from happening in the first place. Mercy ministries bind the wounds, while prophetic ministries seek to prevent the wounds. In other words, it is better to avoid disobedience, idolatry, and immorality, which devastates lives and ruins nations. How will men and nations know what is the source of their calamity? God raises up and sends forth prophetic witnesses.

Typically, the world will not manifest bulging veins and secular denunciations if the church exercises mercy ministries. In fact, the world may even render reluctant praise towards those in the church who feed the poor or clothe the naked. On the other hand, the world and even segments of the church will bear “tooth and claw” and howl against those who have the courage to “stand in the counsel of the Lord to turn them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.” This situation is responsible for the majority of the church supporting mercy ministries while distancing itself from prophetic ministries. Our nation is bearing the fruit of this lopsided emphasis by the American church, which seeks to sever the tie between us and the prophets of old, our Lord and the Apostles sought to establish.

Conclusion

Lastly, in order for the church to be effective in the prophetic call, we must get over the suffering and death issues. As Christians, we must get use to the idea that we will suffer for two reasons. We will suffer for doing what is right and we will suffer for doing what is wrong. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). There is a connection between sin and suffering. In fact, Peter taught, “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin (1 Peter 4:1).” The Psalmist would concur, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word (Psalm 119:67).”

If we suffer for being a true Christian, however, God’s Spirit and glory rests upon us and is working for us an eternal weight of glory (1 Peter 4:14; 2 Corinthians 4:17). Revelation 12:11 sums up the prophetic call to the church to defeat Satan and evil, God’s word declares, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” So be it!

A Spiritual and Moral Attack that Hurt America

The following is Rev. Rusty Thomas's response to an article entitled, A Political Attack that Hurts Women, by Felicia Chase Goodman, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Central Texas.

Click here to watch as Rusty pleads the cause of the fatherless at a Planned Parenthood in Florida.


“The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17).

The Planned Parenthood abortion empire must be feeling a little vulnerable in these days of economic collapse facing our nation. Like most organizations on the government dole, they expect the gravy train to continue forever, no matter how many lives are ill affected by their demand for more tax dollars. Case in point is the recent comments by Felicia Chase Goodman, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Central Texas.

Goodman is concerned that the defunding of Planned Parenthood will leave women without basic care. She proceeds to list the various services that Planned Parenthood provides: cancer screenings, contraception, HIV testing, STD testing, treatment and annual exams. If this were all that Planned Parenthood was involved in, except in the case of contraception, I would be the first to commend them for promoting the Christian ideal of relieving suffering in this poor-fallen world. Conspicuously missing from Goodman’s list, however, is the practice of child-sacrifice, the shedding of innocent blood, which they euphemistically call abortion.

In stating this support, I would still be inclined to question Planned Parenthood’s socialistic expectations. Why should taxpayers, through the government dole, be forced to provide these services? Especially, when a majority of Americans are mortified by the criminal acts committed by the leading advocate and provider of abortion in the world. According to Walter Williams, economist at George Mason University, “Two-thirds to three-quarters of it (the government budget) is for purposes of benevolence.” In other words, most of our government budget has no Constitutional basis for these expenditures. This violation of “Enumerated Powers,” however, does not seem to alarm our bloated, inefficient government. It does not seem to convince them to abandon the Marxist, redistribution of wealth schemes taxing Americans to death. Nor does Planned Parenthood seem bothered that the average American citizen is suffering economically to keep their abortion business in the black.

Whether or not anyone wants to admit it, our nation is facing a show down between the producers in America versus the entitlement mentality that ill affects a large segment of our population. Political party systems that have handed out government goodies for years in order to increase their political power are swiftly facing their day of reckoning. America’s binge with loose fiscal policies is proving untenable. Our government is going broke by trying to play “God” for far too many of Americans. Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of England stated it best, “Socialism works, till you run out of other people’s money.” America is learning this lesson the hard way.

Tragically, not all that glitters at Planned Parenthood is gold. In an article entitled, A Political Attack that Hurts Women, Goodman unashamedly admits, “Planned Parenthood does more than any other U.S. organization to encourage the use of contraception.” She bears this statement as a badge of honor. No small wonder why. Before Margaret Sanger, the patron saint of the abortion industry, changed the name of the organization to Planned Parenthood, it was known as The Birth Control League.

One of the reasons Margaret Sanger started The Birth Control League is discovered by this quote, “[Our objective is] unlimited sexual gratification without the burden of unwanted children.” She desired a world where mankind could experience all the pleasures of sex with no responsibility. Under her tutelage, the sexual act could be divorced from marital procreation. In fact, she stated, “The marriage bed is the most degenerate influence in the social order.” Thus, it appears that sexuality, to her, could be reduced to a mere act of recreation and the person who dies with the most conquests wins her hedonistic prize. Faye Wattleton, a former president of Planned Parenthood, concurs, “We re not going to be an organization promoting celibacy or chastity.” If this be true, then what exactly, are they teaching our children in their sex education classes with our tax dollars?

As a minister and a student of history, it is clear that the introduction of birth control in America is what fueled the sexual revolution. Since its inception, what has been the fruit of the “free love” expression made possible by the “contraception invasion” of the 1960s? Simply put, all the calamities Goodman and Planned Parenthood seek to treat with more tax dollars. The problem is they never seem to want to connect the dots to what they espouse and the consequences they produce. They refuse to admit that it has been their promotion of sexual immorality and child sacrifice, which created the environment, which riddles human bodies with STDs, HIV, AIDS, and various forms of cancer that have exploded under their watch.

In this sense, Planned Parenthood acts like a drug rehabilitation center that supports the local crack house. They need people addicted to crack in order to justify the existence of their drug rehabilitation centers. Put another way, Planned Parenthood is like a dentist that encourages children to eat nothing but candy. The dentist is therefore assured that there will be many people who will experience “unwanted” cavities and desperately need his care.

Since the advent of contraception, so heralded by Goodman and Planned Parenthood, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, and other sexually deviant behaviors are off the charts. Child molestation, pornography, sexual human trafficking, and pedophilia have exploded as well. Does this concern Planned Parenthood and their push to peddle more birth control? Not in the least. For those who can stomach it, check out Lisa Rose’s Live Action sting operations. Her website exposes Planned Parenthood’s collusion with pimps, underage prostitutes, sex-slave traffickers, and statutory rapists. Tragically, when Planned Parenthood is informed of the ages of the children (14 and 15), they send the underage children back to their abusers unprotected. Without notifying the authorities, Planned Parenthood offers to kill the babies of these underage children and supply them with birth control. And who pays the tab for these atrocities? The American taxpayer.

Jesus taught:

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them (Matthew 7:17-20).

Texans must understand this universal truth that has been demonstrated throughout mankind’s bloody and idolatrous history: Whenever pagan sexual immorality is accepted by nations, child sacrifice always follow in its wake to vainly remove the fruit of our sin. Planned Parenthood is a master organization that utilizes our tax dollars to make sure these evils persist.

Goodman and Planned Parenthood, as with all people who have an over inflated idea of themselves, believe that women’s health care will disappear unless Planned Parenthood is there to provide it. In her article, Goodman proceeds to list all the “good” Planned Parenthood does. As the case with all evil, one must highlight all the good in order to justify the evil one commits. In other words, there is always a “good reason” for those who are involved with evil.

This delusional syndrome is like an abuser who assures his victim over and over again that he beats her because he loves her. In fact, even Hitler believed he was performing a good service for mankind by ridding the world of “useless eaters.” In this instance, Planned Parenthood is like rat poisoning. Ninety percent of rat poison is “good” for the rat. It is just that ten percent that kills him.

According to Goodman’s hyperbole, womanhood will not survive without Planned Parenthood’s services. Goodman is making an absurd assertion. There are churches, hospitals, crisis pregnancy center, clinics, and many other charitable organizations that do not encourage sexual immorality and child killing that will help women to make the right choices in life, choices that lead to life and not death, blessing and not cursing (Deuteronomy 30:19). They will teach, love, mentor, and help guide women to avoid the many snares, pitfalls, and challenges that Planned Parenthood exploits to peddle their birth control and kill babies for profit.

Judging by Goodman’s last gasp for our tax dollars, mercifully, it appears that Planned Parenthood’s house of horrors may end soon in Texas. Planned Parenthood is going the way of every other oppressive regime in mankind’s bloody history. It is my sincere prayer that soon our tax dollars will no longer support the culture of death defiling our beloved land. May justice be led to victory and Planned Parenthood’s “wolf in sheep’s clothing” organization collapse like a house of cards in Jesus’s name!

The Declaration of Independence

On July 4th each year, America celebrates Independence Day. By acknowledging our independence from England to become a separate and distinct nation in the earth, we also acknowledge our dependence upon Almighty God. John Adams, our second president declared:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.

John Adams considered the signing of the Declaration of Independence as a holy Day, not just a holiday.

Samuel Adams considered the father of the American Revolution, commenting on the signing of the Declaration, stated:

We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.

This was not a revolution that just changed men to be ruled by other men. This was the fulfillment of the battle cry, "No king, but King Jesus!" It was in effect the pronouncement to the world that America would be One Nation under God. Ronald Reagan warned, "If we ever forget we are One Nation under God, we will become one nation gone under."

On November 20, 1772, in the section of The Rights of the Colonists entitled, "The Rights of the Colonist as Christians," Samuel Adams declared:

The right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, the rights of the Colonists as Christians may best be understood by reading and carefully studying the institutions of The Great Law Giver and the Head of the Christian Church, which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament.

In other words, our rights and responsibilities as Americans were first revealed in the Scriptures and later established into our Founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. This is a notion rejected by many Americans today, but it is true history.

Another indication of this view comes from John Quincy Adams, our sixth president. In a speech 50 years after signing of the Declaration he stated:

Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Saviour of the World, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day. Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the Progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Saviour and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets 600 years before.

The Declaration acknowledges God Almighty in four different capacities. First, it acknowledges God as Lawgiver. It states, "To the laws of nature and nature's God." This appeal to higher law became the basis for Independence. To comprehend the magnitude of that particular phrase utilized by Thomas Jefferson, one must look to Sir William Blackstone who was the first one to coin it.

Sir William Blackstone was a renowned English jurist who wrote the highly influential work called, Commentaries on the Laws of England. Blackstone defined the laws of nature and of nature's God as:

Man, considered as a creature, must necessarily be subject to the laws of his Creator, for he is entirely a dependent being ... And, consequently, as man depends absolutely upon his Maker for everything, it is necessary that he should in all points conform to his Maker's will ... this will of his Maker is called the law of nature. These laws laid down by God are the eternal immutable laws of good and evil. This law of nature dictated by God Himself; is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times: no human laws are of any validity if contrary to this... The doctrines thus delivered we call the revealed or divine law, and they are to be found in the Holy Scriptures ... {and} are found upon comparison to be really part of the original law of nature. Upon these two foundations, the law of nature and the law of revelation (Thomas Jefferson penned of nature's God as a substitute for the law of revelation) depend all human laws; that is to say, no human laws should be suffered to contradict these.

According to Blackstone, the inspiration behind the laws of nature and of nature's God, the creation itself testifies and teaches man there is a Supreme Designer that created the universe. The immutable laws contained within nature reveal a Creator that man is to be subject to by virtue of being a dependent creature. In this, Blackstone was in complete agreement with the Scriptures.

Romans 1:20 states:

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

Psalms 19:1 affirms this truth, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." But because man's reason is corrupted by sin, according to Blackstone and the Bible, the Lord did not leave revelation to chance; He made a direct appeal to mankind through what Blackstone called the law of revelation. The Ten Commandments, God's moral Law, was God's way of appealing to man objectively to confirm within man what he instinctively knows to be true, but because of sin man suppresses that truth and exchanges it for a lie. Therefore God sent His most perfect revelation of Himself to mankind via the second person of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the expressed image of God (Hebrews 1:3). He is the Word of God made flesh. He is Emmanuel, which interpreted is, "God with us!" That is why Jesus could honestly say, "If you've seen me, you have seen the Father." In other words, Jesus was the visible manifestation of the invisible God. According to Blackstone, unless laws were based upon these two premises, they were not laws at all and "no human law should be suffered to contradict these."

Our Founding Fathers acknowledge God as Creator:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

This was a radical departure from the Beast, pagan rule, centralized power, and divine rights of kings, which leads to statism and civil government as god mentality that threatens us today. No, according to our Declaration, rights come from God and it is government's duty to protect those rights.

This statement also rebukes two other notions modern America has embraced to our harm. First, our rights as Americans are not derived from evolution. Why? If evolution is true, nothing can be wrong. Why worry about truth or lies, tyranny or freedom, if evolution is true? Random selection and cosmic chance, which constantly evolve cannot provide a fix standard to judge anything. You can never reach sensible conclusions, if life is in a constant state of flux. It is like building a house on a foundation of shifting sand.

Secondly, our Founding Fathers believed in self-evident truth. This is anathema in today's society. We live in a post modern age, which believes there is no such reality as truth. So, America has turned to relativism, tolerance, diversity, and multiculturalism instead. Without truth, however, there is no basis for freedom, liberty, science, logic, and morality. All truth is God's truth and if we know and embrace truth, it has the power to liberate. This is the promise of Jesus, the belief of our Founding Fathers, and one we must act on today.

David Barton demonstrated recently that if politicians do not have this foundation right, they will be wrong on all other issues. If they do not defend the right to life, they are incorrect on both foreign and domestic issues.

Our Father's acknowledged Almighty God as "the Supreme Judge of the world." To hold public office before the Constitution most Colonies had to take an oath based upon a belief of future rewards and punishments. In other words, to justly rule amongst men they had to take an oath based upon the realization that God's justice would ultimately triumph in both time and eternity. They had to acknowledge that man, even if he escaped justice on earth, would ultimately be judged and held accountable in eternity. The thought being, if God did not judge sin and reward righteousness amongst men and nations, no incentives to guard against corruption and injustice exist.

Our Constitutional Fathers believed the same. George Mason, Father of the Bill of Rights stated:

Every master of slaves is born a petty tyrant. They bring the judgment of heaven upon a country. As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins, by national calamities.

This helps to explains the string of calamities that are striking America with increased intensity and frequency. Every idol America now looks to is being judged by a Holy God. Environmentalists that worship the earth are in a state of mourning as the oil continues to decimate their idol in the Gulf. The idolatry of worshipping the almighty dollar is being smashed as God is draining the wealth of our nation. In short, God will not be mocked. We have sowed to the wind and we are reaping the whirlwind.

They ended the Declaration with these immortal words, "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

Brethren, those who signed this Declaration, in essence, signed their death warrant. It was considered an act of treason. In lawless times, those who keep the law are considered the outlaws. They ran their lap of the race and passed to us a legacy of freedom and a heritage of liberty.

The same forces of tyranny at work in their day are threatening us in our day. Foes within our American household and enemies from without seek our demise. Those who signed this document are dead and it is our turn now. It is time that we look to the same God they did and pledge our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to secure a future and hope for our children and grandchildren so help us God!

Rusty's Radio Interviews

Rusty was interviewed on American Family Radio's program, Today's Issues yesterday. To listen to the MP3 click here.

Today's Issues is heard on over 200 stations in 34 states. Rusty was blessed by the incredible opportunity to reach so many listeners and by the graciousness of the guest hosts, Ray Pritchard and Kathy Coats. Pitchard and Coats were filling in for Tim Wildmon and Marvin Sanders and did a fantastic, balanced job of vetting the Kingdom Leadership Institute Manual , asking pertinent questions that allowed Rusty to share the truth of the Gospel and the principles of godly leadership contained within his book. They even made reference to his recent press release comparing Obama to King George, an example of poor tyrannical leadership.

The morning before, while in California, Rusty was privileged to be interviewed by Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, President and Founder of the Brotherhood of a New Destiny. BOND is dedicated to "rebuilding the family by rebuilding the man." Rev. Peterson reaches out to men and youth in major urban areas to help them overcome unbelief, hatred, and racism while rebuilding the traditional family and fostering moral values and positive, honest race relations. While on The Jesse Lee Peterson Radio Show, Rusty was given the perfect platform to share the book with an audience looking for the principles of kingdom leadership. To hear the March 15th podcast, click here.

Rusty thanks both radio programs for the opportunity, and especially thanks Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson and Ray Pritchard and Kathy Coats for their professionalism and inspiration in broadcasting.

Rusty's Television Interview

Recently, Rusty was privileged to appear on Truth in History, a television program on Sky Angel. He spoke a powerful, four part message on the declension of our country. To watch the television segment entitled, "America's Downward Spiral," go to Truth in History.

To listen to the audio version of Truth in History ,

Second segment Truth in History

Third segment Truth in History

Fourth segment Truth in History

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."