Volume 11 Issue 2 - February 1996

THE MICAH MANDATE

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8)

Through the years, this particular Scripture has become more near and dear to my heart with each passing day. It is without question the driving force, the burning passion, and the Scriptural mandate that guides Elijah Ministries. In fact, I love this passage so much, I named my sixth child after the prophet who under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost penned these powerful admonishments. Admonishments that contain the great Biblical definitions of true religion, and the triad virtues that are summed up in the Law, the prophets, and most importantly, in the life of our Saviour.

Jesus boldly confronted the religious leaders of His day for neglecting the "Micah Mandate" that transcends dispositions and dispensations. He denounced their religiosity for rendering useless the virtues of justice, mercy, and humility which the mandate required. He cried out, "Woe unto you, scribes, and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." (Matthew 23:23)

In light of this, one has to wonder what Jesus would say to the Evangelical Church of today concerning this very matter. Have we pursued money, reputation, and comfort at the expense of justice, mercy, and humility? Do we by our silence, neglect, and abandonment of the culture strengthen the oppressors in our society? Do the poor, the needy, the afflicted, and the dying take a secondary role as a priority in the church? Has the pursuit of theological escapism, cultural retreatism, and feel good religion within the church help to contribute to the demise of our culture? Are we violating and rendering useless the "Micah Mandate" like our religious predecessors of Jesus’ day? I believe it is vital we answer these questions honestly and make the necessary adjustments to fulfill what was to be the foreshadow of the New Testament, the "Micah Mandate".

What is interesting about the term "Micah Mandate" is that it was a phrase first coined by one of our greatest godly statesman of the twentieth century, President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1917, when American troops were preparing to sail across the seas to fight in the First World War, the New York Bible Society asked the former president to inscribe a message in the pocket of the New Testament that was to be issued to each soldier. The great God-fearing man graciously complied. He started his text by quoting Micah 6:8 as the theme he wanted to impart to those who were about to risk their lives on the battlefields of France and Belgium. The following is the brief message he encouraged the soldiers with who were going off to war.

"The teaching of the New Testament is foreshadowed in Micah’s verse, "What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.

To do justice; and therefore fight valiantly against those who stand for the reign of Molech (The demon idol used for child-sacrifice. Another little side note, Theodore Roosevelt was also an out spoken opponent against Margaret Sanger the founder of Planned Parenthood.) and Beelzebub on this earth.

Love mercy; treat your enemies well, suffer the afflicted, treat every woman as though she were your sister, care for the little children, rescue the perishing, and be tender with the old and helpless.

Walk humbly; you will do so if you study the life and teaching of the Savior, walking in His steps, and remember, the most perfect machinery of government will not keep us as a nation if there is not within us a soul, no abounding of material prosperity shall avail us if our spiritual sense is atrophied. The foes of our own household will surely prevail against us unless there be in our people an inner life which finds it’s outward expression in a morality like unto that preached by the seers and the prophets of God when the grandeur that was Greece and the glory that was Rome still lay in the future.

George Grant who just recently authored a book called the "Micah Mandate" explains Roosevelt reasoning for choosing Micah 6:8 to encourage the troops going into battle. "Roosevelt believed that the ultimate security of men and nations depended on a faithful adherence to Micah’s threefold demonstration of biblical balance: a commitment to justice, a concern for mercy, and a reverent humility before Almighty God. He was certain that even with the deployment of superior forces in superior numbers with superior armaments, the American armies would ultimately be defeated during the war if they took to the field without this kind of spiritual integrity. And he was convinced that if we as individuals and families take only our limited material resources into our daily warfare, we to will be defeated and destroyed." The last thirty years painfully prove his premise was right and his warning true.

Brothers and sisters, if there was ever a time for us to embrace and recapture the balance, the virtue, and the activism of true religion contained in the "Micah Mandate", that time is now. We must begin to act justly. The word for justice that Micah used literally means, "the way prescribed" the rightful action, or the appropriate mode of life." In other words, do we live our lives governed by Biblical precepts and the principles prescribed? Do we respond correctly with love and deeds to intervene against injustice? Is justice simply another word or some ethereal concept in the Bible or is it our lifestyle in the midst of tyranny? I believe a lost and dying nation called America is desperately waiting for us to answer those questions in a timely manner.

Particularly at this time when our judicial system seems to be content to listen to the "experts" who follow political trends and contemporary fads instead adhering to the time honored fixed standards of Biblical justice. As God’s people, I am convinced, we must arise immediately and unashamedly herald from the roof tops these unchanging standards of justice that flows from the fountain of God’s wisdom. It is God’s justice alone that defines what constitutes oppression, who are true victims, the concept of restitution and the call for intervention that His justice requires from all those who name His name. Only God’s word provides an equitable standard for all people, at all times, and in every nation. Only God can judge what is a crime and what should be the appropriate punishment for those crimes. Our nation has abandoned these truths to the point that good is now evil, darkness has magically become light, and bitter is sold as sweet. The fact is many victims are dead or continue to suffer injustice by a system that released their attackers. These malevolent thugs are freed to roam about again to stalk others while making millions by simply selling their bizarre, morbid, and bloody tales to tabloid T.V. The bottom line is, there is something wrong here, something terribly wrong and if peace will ever again find its way back to our streets then we must work to implement God’s justice in our society.

We must love mercy again. Especially those of us who have been on the front lines of this cultural battle for the soul of our nation. Subtly our hearts can become jaded, our consciences callused, and before we know it, we find our selves with a root of bitterness that ends up defiling the work of God instead of promoting it. I know so many who started out to fulfill the "Micah Mandate" whose lives are shipwrecked today because they forgot mercy. The Bible is clear, only the merciful can obtain mercy. We must remember from whence we came. God extended mercy to us when we didn’t deserve it and He fully expects us to extend mercy to others in return.

George Grant provides an excellent example of mercy as it relates to true godly leadership in our culture. "Leadership in society is earned—it is earned by faithful, compassionate, merciful service. No theology or political activism can adequately replace the principles and actions of mercy. This truth is based upon a Kingdom principle. Jesus states in Matthew 20:27, "And whosoever will be chief (the leader) among you, let him be your servant."

Servanthood is the ministry of exercising mercy. The problem is, it seems to have become a casualty and a largely forgotten practice amongst Christians who have been tainted by America’s number one Idol, self. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a coalition of humanists who are trying to usher in utopia apart from Christ have gained the moral high ground and the hearts of the people by champion the causes of the hurting, the poor, and the outcasts. These things ought not to be, especially when you consider the impotence, inadequacy, and the untold damage these programs from hell have wrought on the people. The point is though, these social liberals at least made a pretense of mercy which propelled them into leadership throughout our land. Unfortunately, that leadership has led us to the brink of moral anarchy and social collapse. It behooves us then to regain our Christian legacy of mercy which we find in hospitals, orphanages, relief agencies etc. so we can be in a position to lead this nation out of the darkness of pagan policy into the principles of God’s marvelous light.

Finally, we must humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt us in due season (1 Peter 5:6). As George Grant so aptly put it, "Worship of Him, fellowship with Him, service to Him, and communion with Him must be the center of any and all other activities." The Catechism of the Westminster Confession properly begins with this assertion, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." The English reformers who composed it rightly recognized the sublime truth that any effective service to God must necessarily be rooted in humble and holy fear of our Gracious Almighty God. Biblical faith derives its source in the humble fear of the Living God. That is its essence and from it springs lasting fruit that is well pleasing to God. Amen and Amen!

THIS CLINIC IS CLOSED!

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:9)

I am pleased to announce that another infamous death camp has suddenly come to a grinding halt in the city of Dallas. I’ve just returned from there to celebrate the closing and to participate in a press conference with Flip Benham, the National Director of Operation Rescue. Flip publicly stated, "The demise of this killing center is a testimony to the power of God and the faithfulness of Christians. The only weapon brandished outside this mill was the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hundreds of children have been saved at this location by the faithful witness of ordinary Christians. This marks the second mill that has been closed within a year in the Dallas area."

As Flip was preaching about faithfulness, I was struck by the commitment of those who stood in the gap for those who were being led away to the slaughter. For six and a half years peaceful pro-life Christians lifted up the name of Jesus at that now defunct death camp. Many of them were arrested, fined, beaten, jailed, and maced for following in the footsteps of the Master who said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Our brethren in Dallas certainly serve as a powerful example of the truth found in Galatians 6:9. They simply chose not to give up till they saw the Lord arise with His mighty outstretched arm to overthrow the altars of Molech that was set up at that abortion mill. Perseverance and a never give up faith is vital in driving child-killing back to hell from whence it came. Press on brethren, the Lord is victorious and we are winning this battle for life.

MINISTRY ‘96

The following is just a brief overview of what your investment of time, prayer, and finances will support this year. We are part of the leadership team of Operation Rescue National and will continue to serve as a "John the Baptist" to help prepare the way of the Lord at the national events. Elijah Ministries will continue to travel imparting a Biblical world view in the churches and challenge Christians everywhere to pray, believe, and work for revival, repentance, and reformation to sweep through America. Christ in Action, our local ministry outreach will continue its pro-life work, dramas, evangelism, and benevolence to advance the cause of Christ right here in Waco. We’ve just been recently named the Chairman of the newly formed Christian Coalition of McLennan County. We are also serving as March Organizer for the March for Jesus scheduled for May 25, 1996 in Waco. Besides that, Liz and I will continue to teach our kids at the University of Righteousness located right in our home.

Your prayers, your participation, and your financial support is indispensable if these ministries are to succeed in advancing the Kingdom of God in our nation. Please consider your part in helping us to fulfill the "Great Commission throughout our land. The Lord richly bless you and yours! Thank you!

IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE,

Rusty Lee Thomas