Thomas Jefferson on Religious Freedom

There is no more complex man in American history that Thomas Jefferson. He issued conflicting comments of several issues. Some conclude he was hostile to Christianity. He was not. He was cool toward organized religion, but not Christianity. An evidence of this is his close friendship with Baptist minister John Lelland a dynamic voice in the issue of religious freedom. As Leland’s gratitude for Jefferson’s friendship and support for his endeavors on behalf of religious freedom Leland did a most uncommon thing. An ardent supporter of Thomas Jefferson, Leland became famous for his media-savvy strategy to signal the Baptists’ support of the newly elected president in 1801: the gift of a giant wheel of cheese. Reportedly made from the milk of 900 Republican cows, the cheese measured 4 feet in diameter, 13 feet in circumference, and weighed 1,235 pounds. Emblazoned on its red crust was Jefferson’s favorite motto: “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” As the giant cheese made the month long journey from western Massachusetts to Washington, D. C., pundits lampooned, ridiculed and celebrated the “mammoth cheese.” On Jan. 1, 1802, Jefferson welcomed Leland and his flamboyant gift into White House. Two days later, Leland delivered the Sunday sermon to the church which regularly met in the House of Representatives, with the president in attendance.

As an aside, Jefferson reputedly gave more money to more churches in Washington than anyone. He often attended the church that regularly met in the House of Representatives. Another church met regularly in the Supreme Court building.

Jefferson’s letter to the Baptists, of which Leland was one, was to assure them there would be no state supported church and all churches would be equal.

So much for separation of church and state.

The Rapture 1/9/00

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

JESUS CHRIST said, “I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again…” (John 14:3).

Just when we had snuggled into our warm comfortable world, along comes messengers alerting us to needs in our lives for the coming of the Lord. The uncertainty of the last couple of years has abruptly revealed that the god of materialism is an unstable and inadequate idol.

This is a time to search the Scripture for certain answers in an uncertain time.

Read the New Testament and your ears will ring with the footsteps of Christ’s return.

Two major events are spoken of in I Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5.

One is referred to as the rapture. The word itself isn’t found in the Bible. It comes from the word RAPTO meaning a sudden seizing or snatching away. It speaks of Christ coming in the air for His people. The suddenness is emphasized by Christ who said:

“I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.” (Luke 17: 34 – 36).

The ones taken are those with faith in Christ as Savior. Those left to endure the horror of the tribulation are those who have rejected Him.

The other is the tribulation. This is a term used to describe a period during which a man of peace, known as the anti-Christ, will emerge and rule on earth. This seven year period which begins after the rapture is defined in Daniel 9: 26, 27 as consisting of three aspects:

A PERIOD OF PREPARATION FOR THE COVENANT OF PEACE

A PERIOD OF PEACE FROM THE COVENANT OF PEACE

A PERIOD OF PERSECUTION FORM THE COVENANT OF PEACE.

Two things now emerging are setting the stage to enable this man of peace to gain power in order to persecute.

1. Biblically we are told in II Peter 2:1 that churches will become apostate. That is, most of them will cease to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. There will be little Bible preaching. Already we have seen many churches turn often to good things in the neglect of their primary mission. Many have turned to social ministries. Others have been diverted to health, wealth, and prosperity theology. A church where the Bible is taught is becoming an increasingly rare oasis.

Many good people remain in apostate and dead churches because they have always been a member of it and all their friends are there. By doing so they are supporting apostasy.

2. Biblically the second essential according to Revelation 7 and 13 is a one-world government. The U.N., the United States of Europe, and New Age aficionados are all encouraging such. Europe has approved a common currency that will rival the American dollar. They are now talking about a Euro-judicial system as a prelude to an authoritative world court.

Many of the recent millennial themes related to “One World.” All of this hints of the coming cultural environment in which the anti-Christ can easily persuade the public to let him become the global leader.

This is how we are currently seeing the principle work that will eventuate in a one world government. Marietta has good fiscal policies, but Cobb County doesn’t. [This is only hypothetical.] Therefore, we need a county law. Cobb County has good money regulations but some counties do not, therefore we need a state law. Georgia has good economic policies but some states don’t so we need a national law regulating it. America has a good form of currency but not all nations do. Hence, we need an international law controlling it. Bit by bit national sovereignly is to be eroded in favor of a one world government.

In I Thessalonians there are three thrilling themes:

– There is the faith-engendering story of the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

– There is the courage-infusing of Christ’s presence and power with us.

– There is the fear-dispelling good news Christ will come back a victorious Lord of history.

On this occasion I want us to study the RAPTURE.

Subsequently I want us to study the TRIBULATION.

The first of these is spoken of in I Thess. 4 and the second in I Thess. 5. Let’s consider the RAPTURE.

I. A STARTLING REVELATION Vss. 13 – 16
Paul had been with this church previously and apparently taught about Christ’s coming again. Since having been away, he learned of two confusing concepts that had gained support in the confused congregation.

In anticipation of Christ’s coming, some had quit work and were just sitting around idly waiting for His return. Ironically, there are still some Christians who excuse their laziness by saying Christ is coming at any moment so why work.

A second bit of confusion revolved around those Christians who had died before Christ’s return. What about them?

In verse 13 Paul said he didn’t want the people to be ignorant concerning these things. Therefore, he wrote to address the issues.

A. A reality = Vs. 13 “…those who have fallen asleep.”

When the figure of sleep is used for death, it never refers to the soul but to the body. It is used to picture the peacefulness of death for a believer. How different this is from our modern concept of death. We are taught that we work through several stages from denial to acceptance. The Biblical view is to accept death as a natural part of living. For the believer, the experience goes far beyond mere acceptance. It means “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (II Cor. 5:8). This is the Biblical view of death and dying.

B. A return = Vs. 16: “For the Lord Himself shall descend…”

The verb form of the word translated “shout” is KELEUO and it means “to order,” “to summons,” or “to command.”

The Bible is quite clear that no one knows the time of Christ’s return. Christ Himself did give us signs of the time in which He will return. Note them and see if you think our era qualifies as the time for His inevitable return.

They are found in His address recorded in Matthew 24:
Verse 4: “Be not deceived…” This is a day of great deception. The proliferation of the occult and the rampant growth of the New Age philosophy have combined to deceive many.
Verse 5: There will be counterfeit Christ’s.
Verse 6: There will be wars and rumors of wars. In the last 100 years there have been over 225 major wars. Presently there are over 15 raging today.
Verse 7: Famine will be rampant. More than 10,000 persons starve to death each day.
Verses 9, 10: Martyrdom will increase. Nearly 1,000,000 Christians have been martyred in Africa.
Verse 11: False prophets will proliferate.
Verse 12: A loss of love. America experiences nearly one million divorces a year. There are 1.4 million abortions annually.

C. A resurrection = Vs. 16: “the dead in Christ shall rise first.” Being asleep implies future awakening. As awakening from sleep is to be expected, so the coming resurrection of the body is to be expected.

II. A SUDDEN RAPTURE Vs. 17a “we…shall be caught up.”

Various theories prevail regarding when the rapture will occur. Some say mid-tribulation others say after. I believe the Bible teaches it will occur before the tribulation: “… to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (I Thess 1:10).

“God has not appointed us to wrath” (I Thess. 5:9).

The question is sometimes asked, “Why are the dead caught up first?” It is because they have six feet further to travel.

The expression “caught up” has several Biblical usages that can be applied here.

• “To rescue from danger” (Acts 23:10). This meaning implies, as we are taught in I Thess. 1:10 and 5:9, that we will be rescued before the great tribulation.”

• To claim for one’s own self.

• To move to a new place. Jesus has said He has gone to prepare a place for us. When He comes He will take us to this new place.

III. A SWEET REUNION Vs. 17b: “to meet the Lord in the air.”

Death for the believer is a revival of sacred friendships.

IV. A SUPERB REASSURANCE Vs. 18: “Comfort one another…”

Cheer and encourage one another with these facts.

Death is no novel thing for “It is appointed for men to die once” (Heb. 9:27). Death isn’t an accident, it is an appointment.

Death for the believer is merely a summons into the Lord’s presence. Flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Ps. 116:15).

In an ancient graveyard near Windsor Castle this inscription can be found on a gravestone:
Pause, my friend, as you walk by;
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, so you will be.
Prepare, my friend, to follow me!

A visitor who read that epitaph is reported to have said:
To follow you is not my intent,
Until I know which way you went!

You owe it to your Lord and your friends to leave no doubt about which way you are going. Prepare now for the inevitable. Give them the comfort of knowing where you are going. Leave your friends with hope.

Emile Brunner, Swiss theologian, not one of my favorites, nevertheless, said, “What oxygen is for the lungs, such is hope for the meaning of life.”

Our current false gods have left us without hope. No longer is there an attitude that everything is going to work out OK. In this pessimistic society we have reason to share reason for authentic hope. Authentic hope must have an ultimately reliable source. Only a personal, intimate relationship with Christ affords this dependable hope.

Some ask why those who have died and been in heaven will be bodily resurrected from the grave. It is because every great historical spiritual period of history has been ushered in by a major cataclysmic event. For example, the resurrection of Christ ushered in the new age known as “the church age.” The return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead will be an introduction to another period known as “the great tribulation.”

The fact that His coming could be at any moment, and those who have not received Him will be left behind to endure the tribulation, is a primary reason to get ready NOW.

Christ spoke of calling out of this world those who belong to Him. Revelation 20 clearly teaches the tribulation will follow this.

Comfort yourself and your loved ones with the knowledge you are ready for His return or your death. Then, with that hope, you can really get on with truly living to the fullest.

Legitimately the question is asked, “How can one get ready for the rapture?”

We get ready for the last day by living for the King in His Kingdom today. Those with such a lifestyle are ready for Him today, tomorrow, or in the distant future. They live in a state of readiness.

Sir William Osler, the great pioneer Christian doctor, once said, “If we throw all of our energy, intelligence, and enthusiasm into doing superb work today, there will be nothing to fear tomorrow.”

During the uncivil Civil War Atlanta fell to General Sherman’s army, July 1864.

General John B. Hood, commander of the Confederate army in the area marched westward to attack the communications of General Sherman with Chattanooga. By doing so he hoped to draw Sherman’s army out of Georgia. One of his principle attacks was Allatoona Pass, commanded by the courageous General Corse. Sherman himself went back with part of his army as far as Kennesaw Mountain. From the summit he signaled to the beleaguered garrison: “Hold the fort! I am coming!”

Our beloved Christ has given us this hope:

“I will come again and receive you unto myself.”

Freedom of Religion

Protestants from Europe streamed ashore in North America seeking freedom. England had a state church which restricted their freedom of religion. They sailed across treacherous seas and fought the formidable English army in search of such freedom. Overcoming such hazards, they sought to have amendments added to the new Constitution.

To do so James Madison and Baptist minister John Leland opposed each other in the race for a Congressional office. Leland was running ahead of Madison when the two met in Richmond at the corner of what is now Madison and Leland Avenues. Leland offered to withdraw and support Madison if he would assure him he would work to add amendments to the Constitution guaranteeing certain freedoms. Madison’s support for freedom of religion greatly influenced Leland and he agreed to withdraw and support Madison.  Madison, Leland, and Thomas Jefferson formed an alliance known as the “Virginia Experience,” based on their shared passionate belief in religious freedom. With the support of Leland and Jefferson, Madison was elected. Madison saw to it that the following First Amendment was proposed and approved. It reads:

“Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievance.”  

Settlers felt these new rights worth the risk of their lives. Not all were devout Christians, but Christian dogma was strong among them and influenced their system of law and the laws themselves. Unfortunately these principals have paled in our current culture.

Given our nation’s history, including the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act that passed the Senate unanimously, some may be surprised to learn that the US does not rank highly on global measures of religious freedom. According to the latest Pew Research Center data, there are 117 countries that place fewer restrictions on religion than the US.

There is even international concern regarding religious freedom. “Religious freedom” is defined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion…”

Recently Supreme Court Jurist Samuel Alito, in addressing the Federalist Society, opined regarding the “…assessment of individual rights. This is especially evident with respect to religious liberty. It pains me to say this, but in certain quarters, religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right.” He continued, “For many today, religious liberty is not a cherished freedom … it can’t be tolerated, even when there is no evidence that anybody has been harmed.”

Supreme Court Jurist Neil Gorsuch recently observed, “We are also deeply concerned with preserving the promise of the free exercise of religion enshrined in our Constitution,” he wrote, “That guarantee lies at the heart of our pluralistic society.”

The Biden administration is being asked to divest Christian colleges, schools, churches, and Christian organizations of lawful rights if they discriminate.

The right of members of the LBGTQ must under law be valued, (and I do). However, that gives no right to abridge the long held meaning of the First Amendment.

Our predecessors paid a price to gain for us our First Amendment rights. What price are  you willing to pay to maintain it? Get well informed on what is meant by “bigotry” and “discrimination,” and how to defend yourself against such charges that are sure to come.

Remember,  “Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion….”

What Is Faith?

What is faith? A study of words used to describe it will help our understanding  how we should understand it.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11: 1)

The Bible tells us how we are to live by faith.

“The just shall live by faith.” (Hebrews 10:38)

Our faith is based on the loving life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Confidence in Christ’s character is the basis of  ALL faith.

“Belief” and “trust” are two words used frequently in Scripture to identify how we should respond to the Lord.

One Hebrew word for “believe” is amen. It means “to use God as a foundation; to lean on Him.” Saying we trust God is one thing, but when we really trust Him and lean on Him, we enter His rest. 

Another word translated “trust” is batak. It was originally a wrestling term meaning to “body-slam” or in modern parlance “suplex.” Applied to our faith-life, it means to pick up your problems and body-slam them before the Lord. That is trust.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for.

Our word “substance,” hypostasis, is made up of two words meaning: “to stand” and “under.” Substance is that which stands under.  It is the superstructure of life.

“Substance,”  is a scientific term opposite of theory or hypothesis.  It is used to describe a chemical which settles to the bottom in a test tube. It is the primary element in the formula. Thus, faith is seen as primary to all of life.

Substance also means “the title deed.”

New Testament believers had faith in God that was so strong they had such “assurance” that they responded as though the things promised were already a reality.

“Evidence,”elegchos, carries this further.  It is the outward evidence of the inward assurance.  The life is committed to what the mind believes.

Faith is not just a way to please God.   A lack of it is modern man’s way of attempting to deny God. In recent years man has become the measure of all things. Everything outside man’s experience or understanding is denied. Yet, who can understand how a sheep, cow, pig, and goose can eat grass in the same field and one grow wool, another hair, another bristles, and the other feathers?

Do you understand how a brown cow can eat green grass growing out of black soil and give white milk? No! Yet, we believe it.

I spent five painful weeks in the hospital recently. Faith did not vanquish my pain, but it enable me to endure it and eventually thrive.  God, His Word, and your faith are the formula for victory. 

Faith is belief God is as good as His Word, and His Word is as good as God.

Got a problem or need? Reflect on assurance given by God’s Word, employ it, and dependently relax in His grace. That is faith applied. If you do, don’t expect an answer to all your problems. Faith often means acting without answers, but with confidence God does have. Get comfortable not knowing. Get confident is acting by faith. Most tend to want to know now how things will work out. Faith is knowing they will work out. God has a plan.

Faith is a vitamin for the soul essential to your spiritual health. It enables you to bear your burdens, and thrive. Without it you suffer spiritual anemia resulting in weakness keeping you from bearing your burdens.  

There is a beautiful old hymn with this truth. “Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there.” A modern expression with the same meaning is body-slam your burdens before the Lord and leave them there. Thus, you win.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight..” (Proverbs 3:5-8)

Go on, do it.

Affliction

Reflectively the Psalmist wrote: “I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.” (Psalm 119:75)

There was no whiney, ”Why me.” Surely he didn’t understand, but he trusted the Lord. He knew there was a reason.

He also wrote, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes”  (Psalm 119:71).  Wooo! 

That is faith applied where it hurts — when it helps.

The Psalmist did not become bitter because of his afflictions. He realized they made him better. He was so convinced of God’s goodness that he asked the Lord to teach him more. That is an implied request for more affliction that would teach him more. He said, “You are good, and do good.” This reveals who God is, “You are good,” and what He does, “and do good.”

The focus is not on affliction, but on God’s character and conduct.

Today many people speak of the goodness of the Lord in good times, but switch emphasis in bad times to a complaining mode. These lines from a modern chorus need to be converted into conduct:

“God is good (all the time) And all the time (God is good).”

I have a similar quote of assurance of His goodness,

“Water is always wet, fire is always hot, God is always good. It is their nature, they can’t be any other way.”

God cares for each of us and wants to reveal Himself to us even through adversity. He wants to use our adversities to develop a better relationship in order to help us get through difficult times; to help us overcome adversity.

Adversity is designed to be a cure for flaws within our nature. David said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now I have kept Thy Word.” That is the case with many of God’s servants. They were inclined to one peculiar temptation, and though they may not have seen it, the chastening hand of God was aimed at that special weakness of their character.

Even Jesus learned through suffering: “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.”  (Hebrews 5:8)

We can only learn experientially what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” That is not a pretty, painless picture.

All alike suffer. The difference is one learns from suffering and the other doesn’t. The suffering of one draws the one suffering closer to the Lord, and the other more distant. 

Martin Luther put the process in perspective when he noted: “I bless the Lord for the correctives of his providence by which, if he has blessed me on the one hand with sweets, he has blessed me on the other hand with bitters…I never knew the meaning of God’s word, until I came into affliction. I have always found it one of my best schoolmasters.”

We are all going to suffer adversity, it is part of the pattern of life. Therefore, why not learn from it. It is not good, but from its result we can learn from it.

Getting out of adversity is not as important as what we get out of it. Resolve to learn from your adversity. These benefits of affliction have been noted by Dr. D. Dickson:

1. It tries and calls forth the exercise of faith.

2. It enables us to exercise patience.

3. It tends to produce humility.

4. It makes us dependent and prayerful.

5. It tends to secure our obedience.

6. It teaches us to value our mercies.

7. It tends to make heaven very desirable. 

The prophet Isaiah is the bearer of this good news. “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13) Extend your right hand confidently, He will help you.