Volume 13 Issue 4 - April 1998 LETTER FROM THE LYNCHBURG JAIL Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." (Hebrews 13:3) Unfortunately for most of the Church in Lynchburg, they have forgotten this admonishment from the Book of Hebrews. Not only are most of the "Christians" silent over this travesty of justice that jailed our precious brother, Flip Benham, they actually have swallowed the biased spin of the media and believe Flip got what he deserves. In essence, they are actually defending the corrupt system that abandoned God and His Laws (government and -public schools). Thus, inadvertently the Church, is participating in perpetuating the atmosphere that jailed our brother for preaching the Gospel at a public high school. Their silence and condemnation of Flip gave credence to this miscarriage of justice and is partly responsible for this generation of young people becoming a prey to evil, violence, and perversity. God forgive us, for we surely do not know what we are doing. Going to Lynchburg was like living in a Frank Peretti novel. I’ve never witnessed such gross darkness shrouded by a "good-ole’-boy" religious system. Thinking they were doing God service, the religious and political system conspired to crush the man of God. God help us! In a private meeting with the mayor of Lynchburg (who is a born-again, spirit-filled believer) I poured out my heart to him on the behalf of Flip. I shared with him that Flip’s great crime was that he disturbed and interrupted the status-quo. We then discussed the case and the Scriptural implications. I urged the mayor (who is a good, godly man) to consider that both Biblically and historically it was the religious community that crucified our Lord and has persecuted the Truth throughout the centuries. We must remember who it was that stoned the prophets, that mistreated God’s servants, and that rejected the pleas of God’s message of reformation by destroying God’s messengers. Brethren, my heart is breaking for the Church, for while we sleep, an enemy is sowing the seeds of our destruction. It seems we have been enslaved for so long by legalized evil, we now give honor to our Babylonian masters who despise God and mistreat His servants that stand for righteousness in the public square. I cried out to the Church in Lynchburg to awaken, so that they could see that a government, calloused enough to dictate where and where we cannot preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, is a government that will soon reach into our pulpits to dictate what we can or cannot preach (see "Hate Crimes" article last issue). We must realize that our apathy, cowardice, the surrendering of first principles, passive leadership, and the lost of a Biblical worldview is crippling the Church’s response to the tyranny and injustice that threatens to swallow us whole in our nation. By our pursuit of theological escapism, cultural retreatism, and a refusal to stand up and speak out, we are literally forging the chains that will enslave our children and destroy this nation. How Long, Oh God, How Long? How long, Oh God, How long? Upon leaving Lynchburg, saddened by the response (or lack thereof) of the Church, the Lord reminded me that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). As Providence would have it, someone gave me a copy of Martin Luther King’s "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" to read as I journeyed back home to my family. I read in astonishment as Dr. King wrote an apologetic defending his theology and nonviolent direct-action to the clergymen of his day. It amazed me how relevant his struggle for justice for our black brethren was and how powerfully it speaks to the current struggles of injustice that we are facing today. There was major resistance by the mainstream Church against Dr. King. Then, as now, the Church was squeamish when it came to confronting injustice and evil head-on with the Gospel. The Church of that day accused Dr. King of being an "outside agitator" which disturbed the status-quo. Those in Operation Rescue know that same accusation today by those who defend the status-quo of child-killing, child pornography promoted by Barnes and Noble, and the homosexual agenda. Dr. King responded by saying, "Just as the prophets of the eighth century left their villages and carried their ‘thus saith the Lord’ far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my home town." He went on to rebuke the Clergy for expressing outrage about the peaceful demonstrations that exposed the injustice of his day and then pointed out their failure to express a similar concern by what brought about the demonstrations in the first place. He challenged them not to just deal with effects, but the underlying causes. I see this principle in the abortion battle so vividly today. People are more upset about pro-life Christians holding signs of aborted babies that expose the horrible truth hiding behind an unjust law, than the fact that this brutal act is performed every day in America. Dr. King also addressed the anxiety the Clergy had over Dr. King’s willingness to break laws. Before I left Lynchburg, we had a meeting with some of the most influential pastor’s in the city who expressed the same concerns. In fact, that was their justification for not getting involved and crying out on Flip’s behalf. They viewed us as lawbreakers, instead of Law keepers. Pastor Bill Shanks from New Orleans with tears in his eyes told them that the Church might as well close up shop and all preachers become plumbers if they truly believe their rhetoric, because half the world says it is illegal to preach the Gospel. Dr. King told the pastors of his day, "The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws, just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibilty to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibilty to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that, ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’ Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the Law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." The American Church would do well to remember these distinctions. For thus far, we have continually bowed the knee and kissed the image of the unjust laws that have subjected us to legalized evil, thereby, inadvertantly granting this nation consent to continue to trash the Laws of God. I will end this article with these words by Dr. King. In them, are the exact sentiments and emotions that flooded my soul after leaving Lynchburg. "In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. Yes, I love the church. Yes, I see the church as the Body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists. There was a time when the church was very powerful - in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power be came disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being ‘disturbers of the peace’ and ‘outside agitators.’ But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were ‘a colony of heaven,’ called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be ‘astronomically intimidated.’ By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. Things are different now. So often the contempory church is a weak ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church’s silent - and often even vocal - sanction of things as they are. But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century." God forbid that statement and assessment from ever coming true! DADDY’S GIRL "Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children is their fathers." (Proverbs 17:6) Just before I left for Lynchburg my oldest daughter Shekinah wrote me a letter that the Lord used to minister to me. When I first read it, I was touched by my daughter’s affection for me, but when I read it again, I was struck by her comprehension and understanding concerning the call of God upon me and our family. As you read this, keep in mind, this is written by a ten year old girl. I pray each one of you (especially the fathers) who have children will also be touched by my daughter’s love for her father and God will use this to touch you and turn your heart towards home and your children. Dear Daddy, I love you very much! I’m going to miss you very much, too. I hope you’ll be able to get Flip out of jail. I’ll pray for you always. I pray that God gives you peace and courage to do this. It’s going to be hard without my Daddy, but, you have to do God’s work and I’m glad. I’m sorry for all the things I’ve done and how I’ve been doing bad things. I just want you to forgive me, just in case you have to stay longer, or if you have to go to jail. Oh, but I don’t want you to go to jail! You’re the best Daddy anyone could ever have! I love you, Daddy, as long as I live and I love Jesus with all my heart. I’ll keep doing my school and Bible study while you’re gone and I’ll obey Mommy, I promise. Well, I’ll pray you to have a safe trip. I’ll miss you, Daddy! Thank you for everything! Your always loving Daughter, Shekinah P.S.00XX0X00X0XX00 My Daddy has to go away. But he’ll return most any day. Any moment I may see, my Daddy coming back to me. The government is seeking an order preventing the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue National and nine named defendants, including the leader of Operation Rescue, and several unnamed defendants from blocking access to reproductive health clinics anywhere in the country and from coming within a certain distance of the Ohio clinics. -Department of Justice- INDICTMENT "And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: And the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor..." (Isaiah 59:14-16b) Praise God, we are really on a roll. O.R.N. is being sued under the R.I.C.O. statute along with Joe Scheidler by the NOW Gang in Chicago. Flip is in jail in Lynchburg and may be extradicted to Florida on a bogus charge. There is another case pending in Dallas and now we have just been notified that Flip and I, along with seven others have been indicted by the Department of Justice under the tyrannical F.A.C.E. bill for our participation in our national event last year in Dayton, Ohio. We are completely surrounded and God has them right where He wants them. At this point, I do not know what charges or penalties we may face. Please just pray for our families, our churches, and those who may be adversely affected by this prosecution by an Administration that promotes and defends the slaughter of the innocent. They think by silencing and imprisoning us, they will be able to kill God’s children in peace. They would be more successful in trying to stop the wind from blowing. We may go down, standing up forJesus, but they will never overthrow the Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ. There have been greater dictators than the Clintons who have tried to crush the Church and stop the truth of God from spreading. They are dust today and Jesus is still at the right hand of God just waiting till His enemies are made His footstool (Psalms 110:1). AMERICA UNDER SIEGE "At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them." (Jeremiah 18:7,8) Just recently a friend of mine helped me to fax this cover letter and a copy of "America Under Siege" tract that I wrote to expose the homosexual agenda. If you would like a copy of the tract, "America Under Siege," just request one with the return envelope. The Lord richly bless you! Dear Honorable Congressmen, I am deeply saddened and quite disturbed over the course this nation is taking. There seems to be an abject ignorance of, or a blatant disregard for God's civil and moral Laws. How much longer can our nation afford to reject the righteous rules of Heaven by which men are to govern themselves in relationship to God and one another? I stand appalled by the incessant pursuit of political correctness and moral cowardice that is crippling this nation's response to the moral anarchy and perverse barbarism that is savaging this generation. It appears we have lost our moral compass and in so doing, we have lost the principles and values that once made our nation great. I'm referring to this nation's promotion of the hideous act of child-killing (abortion) and the perverse "deathstyle" of homosexuality. How many more lives will be lost and destroyed in this nation until we humble ourselves and admit, "You cannot make straight what God has called crooked? We cannot continue to make moral wrongs into civil rights. We must not tolerate what God deems intolerable according to His Holy Word." Can anybody name for me one nation or empire who killed their own children and allowed homosexuality to run rampant and then thrived as a people? The Bible is clear and history confirms that these two abominations, unchecked and unchallenged, will decimate our culture. This truth is indisputable, and yet we continue legalizing evil and blindly chanting political correctness while our nation spirals down the primrose path to self-destruction. Can we not see the correlation between the government sponsored and societal's acceptance of these two grievous sins and the bitter fruit we are now experiencing as a people? We have sowed to the wind and we are reaping the whirlwind. America is like a physically powerful athlete on the outside that is dying of a deadly disease on the inside. The writing is on the wall, while we strut about in our rebellion, pride, greed, selfishness, and unbridled blood-lust, our nation is dying of moral sickness. How can we then, in good conscience, continue to keep the status-quo and the foolish direction this nation is heading in, knowing the shame, disgrace, and devastation that awaits us? Especially if we continue to boast in our transgressions and openly revel in our degradation? Abraham Lincoln once warned, "At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reaches us, it must spring up amongst us, it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time, or die by suicide." I pray it is your desire to see America live and thrive again and not go the way of other civilizations who have defied the authority of God and flagrantly broke His Holy Laws and became the rubble on the dung heap of history. I call upon you this day to give God a reason to show mercy at a time that our policies and actions are begging for His judgments. For thirty years, He has warned us to quit killing His babies, and quit promoting the homosexual agenda, and we still harden our hearts, close our ears, and stiffen our necks to our own demise. I beg of you to recognize that the terrorism, floods, droughts, fires, earthquakes, gang violence, AIDS, plagues, and other natural disasters that are afflicting us are not a coincidence nor a string of bad luck, but they are remedial judgments sent by a Holy God upon a spoiled, wicked nation. And these are just the beginning of woes that will surely come upon us if we do not repent and return to being "One Nation Under God" in substance. Therefore, please muster the moral courage and fortitude to end the shedding of innocent blood through abortion and to push back the homosexual agenda that is vexing America's soul. What you do or do not do in this matter will determine the future of our children and the destiny of this nation. I'm praying for you! IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE, Rusty Lee Thomas "LET MY PEOPLE GO!" PART 2 "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (2 Corinthians 3:17) Last year, we hosted a conference called "Let My People Go!" The vision was to expose the "Angel of Light" that had come to deceive, and thereby destroy God’s people under the guise of helping them. We dealt with four key issues, they were: Biblical Manhood, Racial Reconciliation Amongst God’s People, Exposing the Abortion,-Racism Connection Promoted by Planned Parenthood, and a Biblical Response to the Failed Welfare State (that has enslaved millions to a life of sloth, drugs, poverty, and crime.) We used these burning issues to reintroduce the sufficiency of God’s Word to bring the necesasary answers that would address these maladies that have killed our children, hurt our families, and replaced the role of the church in our beleagured nation. Our keynote speaker for the event was Pastor Johnny Hunter from Virginia Beach, VA. On April 21,22, 1998 Pastor Johnny will return to Waco. Those who were present last year know the blessing, conviction, and power associated with this man of God and his lovely wife, Pat. The following is their schedule while they are here in Waco. If you are in our area, please make it a point to come out and support this anointed ministry during the apppointed times.
For more information on what you can do to help and participate contact me at (254) 8361037 REVERSING ROE "I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him." (Ezekiel 21:27) On Wednesday evening, April 22nd, 1998, at 9:30pm our local PBS station will be airing "Reversing Roe." Professor John Pisciotta and I have been working behind the scenes to see this finally come to pass in our area. "Reversing Roe" is the awesome testimony of Norma McCorvey. Miss Norma was the Jane Roe of Roe vs. Wade. This powerful video is more than just another pro-life presentation. This video displays God’s amazing grace towards Miss Norma and is a potent evangelistic tool. It chronicles Miss Norma’s journey from witchcraft, drugs, lesbianism, and being the poster girl for the abortion industry to becoming a pro-life, on-fire Christian who loves Jesus with all her heart. Hopefully, Miss Norma will be with us at Church of the Open Door along with Pastor Johnny Hunter that Wednesday night at Church of the Open Door. We are making arrangements with the church to watch this moving documentary right after the Wednesday service. Be sure to come and encourage your church, family, and friends to watch PBS that night. It will glorify Jesus and many lives will be touched and changed. One last note. Please call Clare Paul and thank her for showing "Reversing Roe" on PBS. Her number is 710-7884. Thank you and hope to see on Wednesday, April 22nd, 1998, at Church of the Open Door at 7pm. "The Promise" "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:39) Come witness the pageantry and glory of the greatest story ever told, the greatest love ever revealed, and the greatest truth you will ever know! Performances are free Church on the Rock 4720 N. 19th St. Waco, Tx. 76708 (817) 753-2401 Friday, April 10th, at 7pm Saturday, April 11th, at 7pm Sunday, April 12th, at 10am
IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE, Rusty Lee Thomas |