THOUGHTS FROM THE OTHER SIDE

 

Just a thought on this election and some presumptions that are taking place in an era of social media.

I do not believe that one side and their reaction is indicative of the possible reaction if the tables were turned. Let me show what I mean by some explaining of my thoughts and reactions.

I live in the state where president Obama was an organizer and Senator. I followed his commission that he was head of that made decisions on abortion measures. I prayed as the decision was made that a baby that was aborted and lived would be laid some where and ignored until it died. Here is a baby fully formed and crying, that had beat the abortionist and sentence has been passed that that baby must die.

As a Bible believer and a preacher, believing that God gives life and God takes life, this was violently against what I knew the Bible to teach. There are many Bible believing people that knew of this injustice and we stood and lost at the ballot box. There was no one in the streets. We purposed to educate those that voted based upon emotion. We had some leaders in congress that made “bold” statements so that their constituents would feel better, then these leaders bent over backwards to accommodate the president. For 2 years the house, the senate, and the presidency was democrats holding the majority.

We still did not run out into the streets and demonstrate and riot and start fires because we are law abiding people. We continued to educate people about “character” and “Godliness” and aligning our thoughts and desires with Biblical standards.

The Clinton’s have a history that they cannot ignore. The white water scam reveals that they are an unethical people. Then we have Bill Clinton and rape and affairs and all the threats that go along with immorality. My father preached the funeral of a teenage boy that happened up on a drug deal and ended up dead. The coroner ruled the deaths of these two teenage boys was an accident. The call went out to an independent coroner and the rule was murder. This drug incident was traced through Mena Arkansas and to the governor’s mansion in Little Rock where Bill Clinton was governor.

After two years the aroused silent majority saw that the problem we were experiencing was not “color” but was character and “purpose”. The Clinton’s did not have the “character” to be put in the White house again. The “purpose” of Obama was not to govern by the constitution but by “fiat”, a pen and a phone. There for the silent majority, having been prodded out of slumber went into the streets to make a change at the ballot box and took the house and made it a republican bastion. Still weak and indecisive, yet some progress was made. Next, the senate was captured not because of rioting and burning but ballot box voting.

Oh what a primary the Republicans had. So many to chose from. I had several to chose from that were christian and conservative and promising. Scott Walker, Huckaby, Carson, and Cruz. Some others were Republican in name only. That is a nice way of saying they were to liberal for a true conservative to vote for. Some would say, but…but….Rubio. He was with the gang of 8 that pushed a bill where companies such as Disney could hire illegal aliens and fire their American workers. He also was with the gang of eight to oppose a border wall. You understand, the silent majority are law abiding people. They believe that all others should be law abiding. We are strange and different that way. We simply believe in the rule of law. I chose Cruz because he claimed to be a christian and he was a strong constitutionalist. I lost in the primaries. Now I have a decision to make on my vote. I did not care the brash, abrasive and obnoxious Trump. Do I write in a vote? That is a question that prayed about and labored over. As I saw the situation and did research, there were things I came to realize. The maledictions uttered by the main stream press were very inaccurate. I replayed Trump speeches and statements. He was not a racist until he ran for president. He stood with Rosa Parks and Ali in a ceremony. He uttered some profane statements and I hated that cavalier attitude. He apologized. Bill Clinton never apologized for rape and affairs and Hillary never apologized for threatening those rape or the Whitewater scam. The more I research, the more I found. The Veritas tapes were so revealing about how far the democrats would go to try to create conflict at Trump rallies. Creamer, a democrat in contact with the democratic party paid people to disrupt Trump rallies. A truly despicable thing to do. The main street media did not investigate these disruptions because they were complicit in pushing Hillary Clinton’s agenda.

At a womens conference in New York, Hillary Clinton made this statement. “Cults and religions are going to have to change what they believe.” This would be part of her agenda if elected president. I, a Bible believer could not accept this. I would immediately become a law breaker.

Now let us talk emotions. The Bible teaches us, we are to rule our emotions and not let our emotions rule us. Our emotions are to be based on fact and not whimsy. My Bible says “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” II Timothy 2:15. We should learn to make this application to all of our life and not just Bible study. John 8:32 – “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. I enjoy the freedom of knowledge. Trump didn’t rile emotions. The media riled emotions because they mis-stated the things Trump said to turn the people against him. Honesty is the best policy and the silent majority seek honesty and reject the lies of main street media.

May we come together, not in the idea of compromise but in truth, lawfulness and civility. Compromise is right and wrong coming together in the middle and both becoming wrong. May we ever dwell together in truth thereby garnering unity as the result.

PEOPLE’S POLITICAL PLATITUDES

PEOPLE’S POLITICAL PLATITUDES 

William Andrew Dillard
Parson to Person

Every four years, the country suffers the deluge of political platitudes in sufficient quantity to ensure voter weariness. But, it is expected, and among those who actually think, most of the grand promises are taken with a grain of salt. However, in this context, it is troubling to note an apparent lack of understanding about the history of the nation and its relationship to God. It is oft heard that “America needs to return to God!” or some similar statement of the same import, except in recent political rallies where He has been booed. Really?
Looking back, in the early days of this country, Baptists were imprisoned for nothing more than preaching Bible truth. They were taxed against their will to build church houses of Protestant denominations. To be sure, the Lord’s churches have enjoyed a tremendous degree of freedom here, and flourished therein, but most of those freedoms came about because God blessed the consistent, pressing efforts of His people. Moreover, this also was not without undesirable repercussions.
So, in the general context of religious life, America is noted as a “Christian” nation. However, the persistent rejection of foundational ethics of Judeo-Christian origin, moral, ethical, and religious standards have been in more of a nose dive than on a slippery slope.
The bottom line is that as a nation, America has never been in step with God. The platitude of “America needs to return to God” would better be stated, “America needs to turn to God.”
It is still true that Satan is the god of this world. His power is such that he offered the kingdoms of this world to Jesus if only He would worship him. Was the offer legit? Surely it was, and had to be in order for it to be a temptation.
But it is demonstrably true that God had and has much to do with this country, much more than the country has to do with Him! It is lamentable, but Bible students have read the last chapter of the Holy Book. The sinking of nations into the cesspools of sin is a precursor to the return of Jesus. Meanwhile, how nice it would be if leaders would learn that “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people!” Prov. 14:34 Still, it is not recommended that anyone hold his breath until this happens. When the voting is done reality continues until the next four year period. Truly, those who know God should pray for our country.

When Democracy Ceases To Be

A very good friend of mine posted this and I think it is extremely relevant today. My concern is not for myself over these developments. I have a home in Glory that has been promised me and shall never be taken away. My remaining time on this corrupt earth is a short time and then I will be with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My concern is for my children, grand-children and great grand-children. If the Lord delays his coming, they will be in this ever increasingly corrupt world, subjected to un-imagined immorality, ethically devoid deviants. This breaks my heart for my loved ones.

 

The Library of Congress attributes the following to Professor Alexander Tytler, writing about democracy in the ancient Athenian pattern. It is amazingly relevant!

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the Public Treasury.
From that moment on the majority always votes for candidates promising the most benefits from the Public Treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy always followed by dictatorship.
The average of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence.
From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty.
From liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency.
From complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependence back into bondage.

— copied

HEBREW HONEYCOMB – HOOKS IN THE JAWS!

Author: Wiiliam Andrew Dillard

 

Several decades ago I was sitting in my doctor’s waiting room when a mother with two small boys came in. All attention was riveted on one boy who had a fishing lure with grab hook in it in his mouth with two of the hoods penetrating his lip and jaw. Later I learned that his story was this: “My brother and I were playing fishing and it was my turn to be the fish!” Painful? Oh yes! A little humorous? Indeed! Needless to say hooks in his jaw rendered him totally ready for medical help.
Perhaps the illustration is a little crude, but in Ezekiel 38:4, God says of Gog, the chief prince of Mesheck and Tubal that He would put hooks into his jaws to bring him forth, an exceeding great army. Moreover, in verse 16 God says that it is He Who brings Gog down against His people in the end time of the age, so that God may be sanctified by the nations; that they might know Him.
This is so reminiscent of what God did in Egypt in the days of the Hebrew Exodus. It was God Who hardened the heart of Pharaoh that the plagues might continue upon the Egyptians, and that He might be acknowledged by them that He is GOD! The world may choose to ignore God, but He will be sanctified in them. He is the Creator whether the world wants to acknowledge that or not. The day comes when they will do so to the man.
It is interesting to note that some of the greatest military and political minds that are given to strategy now acknowledge Putin as the meanest, most resolved, headstrong, and powerful leaders in the world, stopping at nothing to get what he wants. In recent days, the world has stood by while his forces simply marched in and claimed Crimea of the Ukraine. The prediction now is that he will not stop there since there is no resolve among the nations to seriously challenge him. They see him taking all of Ukraine eventually, and then for some reason that is not presently clear, most likely political, he will make his move on Israel. The sea merchants and young lions (western nations) will say, “Are you come down to take a spoil….. verse 13. Perhaps, they will once again threaten to close his western bank accounts! But is this to be lamented? Let Christians be biblically literate and wise. God Himself is doing this. He is putting hooks in the jaws of Gog. He will be sanctified of the heathen. Some bible scholars see this as a pre-Armageddon battle. Others think it is Armageddon. It is difficult to see this as clearly as one would like, but the greater picture shines through powerfully. Nations have forgotten and ignored the very idea of the Creator God. In time, He will put hooks in the jaws of Gog, and He will be sanctified of the heathen. The wise realize they do not know all things, and they are very slow to make definitive predictions or judgments. Rather they keep these things in their heart and ponder them as they coalesce the wonders of the Holy Word.

48 – February-17 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST

 

 

Elder John Leland

The original “BIG CHEESE”

1801 – JEFFERSON WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT ON FEBRUARY 17, 1801 WITH THE SUPPORT OF MOST BAPTISTS WHICH LED TO THE ORIGINAL “BIG CHEESE” – Thomas Jefferson was elected the third President of the United States of America by the House of Representatives on the thirty-sixth ballot on February 17, 1801.  Aaron Burr who finished 2nd, automatically became Vice President. Elder John Leland had come to VA from Mass. to preach the gospel and to work hard for religious liberty.  He was a neighbor of James Madison and Jefferson.  Leland was active in the political arena and also expressed Baptist views of liberty of conscience while rallying Baptists in support of Madison as a delegate to the VA Constitutional Convention and later in his election to the House of Representatives.  Madison had promised the Baptists that if elected, he would introduce a Bill of Rights early in the first session of Congress.  Upon his return to Cheshire, Mass. Leland continued to support Jefferson, believing that America, at last, had a “people’s president” who understood the common man.  To further celebrate this event, one day all of the milk from nine hundred local, loyal Republican cows was collected and brought to Cheshire, where the population gathered to sing hymns, socialize, and make cheese.  They made a gigantic cheese wheel 4 ft, four and one-half inches in diameter, fifteen inches thick, and weighing 1,235 lbs.  Leland and Darius Brown, loaded it up and set off for Washington, D.C. by sleigh, horse and wagon, and sloop on the Hudson River, where they embarked for Baltimore.  Leland took advantage of the crowds that gathered to see the cheese and preached the gospel to them.  Upon arrival Jefferson warmly welcomed the Baptists to the executive mansion.  Leland said that the great cheese “was not made…with a view to gain (us) dignified titles or lucrative offices, but by the personal labor of freeborn farmers, without a single slave to assist, for an elective president of a free people.”  Leland stayed for several days having arrived on Jan. 1, 1802.  On Sunday the 3rd he preached at a religious service that was held weekly at the Capitol during Jefferson’s administration.  Federalist congressman Manessah Cutler, also a minister complained that he had to sit and  listen to such a “poor, ignorant, illiterate cheesemonger” and later wrote that Leland’s sermon was “a farrago bawled with stunning voice, horrid tone, frightful grimaces and extravagant gestures.”  The cheese graced White House parties for many months.  One source said that it lasted until a presidential reception in 1805.  Rumor says that the remainder was dumped in the Potomac.  Thought the Cheshire Cheese is small compared to the modern record of 34,591 lb. cheddar displayed at the N.Y. World’s Fair for the WI Cheese Foundation, it will always remain as the Original Big Cheese that coined the phrase.  It is memorialized in concrete near the post office on Church Street in Cheshire, Mass.  Baptists influenced statesmen to stand against state-established religion, but never did they favor a wall of separation between the state and the influence of biblical principles.
Dr. Greg J. Dixon, from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins Thompson /, pp. 65.

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19 – January 19 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST

 

Baptists the Authors of Liberty

 

1776 – The Virginia Statue of Religious Liberty was passed. The struggle was so intense that it took ten years of lobbying and petitioning the legislature (the Baptists had three representing them at one time). Thomas Jefferson stated that it was the most fiercely contested piece of legislation of his entire political career. There was also great contention relating to taxation for the support of state church clergy. At one point, Baptist preachers, Jeremiah Moore, Jeremiah Walker, and John Young, delivered a petition with 10,000 signatures to the Virginia legislature in Richmond opposing the general assessment plan for the support of religious teachers. It was the defeat of this legislation that finally paved the way for Jefferson’s statute. William Warren Sweet, in his Story of Religion in America, is justified in saying, “Religious freedom had triumphed in Virginia and was soon to spread throughout the nation and a few years later, in the form of the First Amendment to the Federal Constitution, was to become a part of the fundamental law of the land. Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom was so proud of those accomplishments that he asked that it be recorded on his gravestone. But justice compels the admission that Jefferson’s part in the First Amendment was not as great as James Madison, because of the fact that he was in France during that period. Neither were the contributions of either or both as important as was that of the humble people called Baptists.  The Baptists preached, petitioned, and suffered persecution. God used these humble people to have religious liberty as a fundamental principle of our society in the two great documents mentioned above.
Dr. Greg J. Dixon; adapted from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins Thompson /, pp. 25-26.

 

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God’s True Prophet

 

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him,” Deuteronomy 18:19.

 

Political campaign strategists may not be quick to admit it, but deep down, when it comes to winning elections, sometimes there is more concern about the candidate’s image and perception than the actual content of his message. During the campaign, a candidate might say many things to persuade voters and will make many promises, but I’m not sure if any candidate has ever fulfilled every promise made during a campaign. It is human nature to promote ourselves and our own agendas to preserve our own well-beings and legacies. That is why, when it comes to truth and eternity, we need a messenger—a prophet—who is above human nature and who actually follows through on his word.

 

God promised His Son would be a true prophet, not a shady politician. Our verses state that the Messiah would speak the words of God and anyone who did not listen and obey His word would be held accountable for his own soul. Every word Jesus speaks is true and will come to pass, therefore He is trustworthy and authoritative. Because I know myself and my own tendency to self-promote, I sometimes find myself skeptical of other people and take their words lightly. That is not always a bad habit when dealing with mere humans, but when it comes to Jesus, every word of His is right and true and brings life and death. Take Jesus at His word, listen and obey. Obedience brings joy and abundant life. Disobedience brings heartache and chastisement.

 

 

JUST A THOUGHT

 

Will you take Jesus at His word today?

 

Mark Clements

 

 

235 – Aug. 23 – This Day in Baptist History Past

 

Scourged – Not Ordained by State Church

 

1771 – James Greenwood preached the gospel in the Middlesex County Jail to a number of friends who had come to encourage the prisoners. In a letter, written by John Waller from the jail he said, “Bro. Thomas Wafford was severely scourged, however because he was not ordained, he was released and did not have to serve time in prison. The early Baptist preachers in the Common Wealth of Virginia were despised by the political and religious leaders that were under the control of the Anglican Church/State system of government. These men, as the early Apostles as recorded in Acts Chapter four and five, had not been trained in the recognized seminaries of the day, and also refused to take a license to preach the gospel, but rather preached under the authority of Christ alone. This principle is made clear at Act 4:13 – Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Because of this, until American Independence was won, they were fined, whipped, and jailed but they would not bend, bow or burn. [Robert C. Newman, Baptists and the American Tradition (Des Plaines, Ill.: Regular Baptist Press, 1976), p. 32. This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: Greenville, S.C. 2000 A.D. pp. 460-462.]   Prepared by Dr. Greg Dixon

 

151 – May 31 – This Day in Baptist History Past

 

151 – May 31 – This Day in Baptist History Past

 

A preacher who was a lawyer

 

Elder John Bryce was born of Scotch parents in Goochland County, Virginia, May 31, 1784. He was confirmed in the Episcopal Church but became convicted of his sin under the powerful preaching of Andrew Broadus, at the age of 21, and united with a small Baptist church. About the same time he was admitted to the bar, and for some time practiced law and preached the gospel in Richmond, VA. At this time he was master in chancery for some years under Chief Justice John Marshall. He was also active in the American Colonization Society, liberated forty of his slaves and sent them to Liberia. Bryce moved to Georgetown, KY, where he practiced law and participated in the political affairs of the state. He then located in Crawfordsville, IN and practiced law and preached for ten years and also served in the state legislature. In 1844 he was appointed the surveyor of Shreveport, LA and later was elected mayor. When he arrived in Shreveport there was not a Baptist preacher within 200 miles, but when he left in 1851 there were

 

20 Baptist churches. This was accomplished though opposed by Catholic Bishop Polk. Bryce returned to KY in 1851 and pastored the church in Henderson where he invested the latter years of his life.  His calling as a preacher constrained him to obey these words, “As you therefore go, make disciples.” Because of men like John Bryce, as settlers moved westward so did the gospel, and Baptist churches were planted adds a permanent testimony throughout the land. Bryce also helped establish Concordia College in Washington, D.C. and Georgetown College while he was in Kentucky.

 

Dr. Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins Thompson /, pp. 222-223.   

 

 

Amazing Speech at Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast

Amazing Speech at Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast.