Volume 14 Issue 2 - February 1999 LEX REX AND THE LEGACY OF PRESIDENT CLINTON "Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee...and it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, and to keep all the words of this law and these statues, to do them: That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, and his children, in the midst of Israel." (Deuteronomy 17:15-20) Before I begin this discourse, it is important to lay a firm foundation both Biblically and historically concerning the legacy of President Clinton as it relates to the historical concept of Lex Rex. Lex Rex is a Latin phrase which interpreted means The Law and the Prince. Lex Rex was a tremendously influential and controversial book written by a godly pastor and English leader by the name of Samuel Rutherford. The premise of this momentous historical book challenged the established doctrine of his day which was known as "the Divine Rights of Kings." This book created such an immediate stir that it was banned in Scotland and publicly burned in England. Samuel Rutherford had the moral courage to face the tyrannical despotism of his day to boldly proclaim that no man, not even the king, was above the Law of God. According to Rutherford, the civil magistrate was a delegated authority established by God to uphold His Law as it relates to the civil sphere. By the way, it was Samuel Rutherford who also first introduced the phrase "all men are created equal." Brethren, I can not emphasize enough the critical importance for the Church to return to this fundamental understanding of the relationship that exists between God and the State. Biblically, the ultimate source of all authority resides not in the seat of civil government, but resides in the Holy One who sits upon His throne governing the universe. All other authority and power derives its source from God. The power exercised by man is delegated by God. Without this truth firmly established in the heart, soul, and mind of a people there is no protection from the inevitable abuse of power and oppression that befalls every humanistic or nontheistic state. We must remember the warning given by the Father of our Country, George Washington. He declared, "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." The right to govern is the right to coerce by force. How important is it then, for that force to be restrained by the revelation that the state has limited authority and is answerable and held accountable to Almighty God? When we are ignorant of this profound truth, anarchy and totalitarianism will invariably follow. The purpose of the State then, as created and established by God, is to be an agency of His common grace to restrain wickedness (as He describes wickedness) and the resulting chaos and confusion it produces. The State’s responsibility is to enact and execute God’s Laws as it relates specifically to the civil sphere. Our responsibility is to honor the State, obey the law of the land, unless it violates the Law of God, pay taxes, and pray for those who are in authority over us. Many of us take for granted the Biblical and Constitutional restraints that have, until recently, curtailed the abuse of civil government against the citizens of our nation. Most of us can’t conceive of a time when power was consolidated in either one person or a small elite group that trampled the common people under foot by their whims. In Genesis, we read about a Pharaoh in the days of Joseph who became "offended" and wroth with two of his officers. One was the chief of his butlers and the other was the chief of his bakers. Pharaoh threw both of them, without a trial or an official charge, in a prison to languish. Then without a judge, jury, or any defense allowed on their behalf, he released one of them and reinstated him to his former position. The other he had beheaded. Unfortunately, this arbitrary abuse of power by earthly potentates was common place throughout the centuries. History is replete with ample evidence that exposes the unspeakable injustices and atrocities that mankind has suffered by the iron boot of government oppression. The whims of self-indulgent rulers, like this Pharaoh, were magically transformed into laws that prosecuted and persecuted the masses that may have "offended" these would-be despots. This pagan practice continued unabated, until of course, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, burst on the scene. It was through Christianity, as it began to spread and take root, that the whole concept of liberty in all its ramifications began to burn bright in the heart of man. It was men like Samuel Rutherford who put the trumpet to their mouths and blew the blast of God’s Word that resounded, reverberated, and stirred in the souls of men the longing to be free. It was his treatise on The Law and the Prince that eventually overthrew the tyrannical doctrine of the "Divine Rites of Kings." This doctrine he viewed as usurpation against the crown rites of King Jesus by flirting with the pagan idea that "Caesar is Lord." He well understood the history and brutality associated with that pagan, bloody ideology. He also knew it placed the State in direct competition for the ultimate allegiance that was due Almighty God. It was Samuel Rutherford and others in church history that God used to debunk the myth that a mere human emperor was divine and had divine power. It was historical documents, like Lex Rex, that put the axe of God’s truth to the root of that pagan tree and broke the tyrannical shackles of dictatorship. This produced in its wake, a liberty that is unparalleled or unsurpassed in the history of man. It has also proven, that indeed, the pen is mightier than the sword. For the sword of civil government has been tamed by the pen of Christian men who introduced the whole notion of limited government, decentralization of power, and the need for built-in checks and balances in the state. Unfortunately, much of these truths in history have been effectively erased from our collective memory. This may account for some of the intellectual bankruptcy, the absence of moral authority in leadership, and the spiritual malnutrition that seems to have made this generation incapable of properly responding to the Clinton crises. It may also account for what seems so difficult for us to understand in this generation, but was for our Founding Fathers, something that was self-evident. They understood that man is intrinsically evil. They knew this to be true and were convinced of it by the sound teaching of the Bible. In keeping with that revelation, our Founding Fathers, who were greatly influenced by Lex Rex and other similar documents, went about the business of establishing a system of government that would reflect that understanding. Thus the reason why they granted the federal government only specifically enumerated powers, while all others were reserved for the states or to the people. It also accounts for their reasoning in creating the three different branches of government. The bottom line is, they believed that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. They recognized the dangers of concentrating power in the hands of a few that could be used to manipulate government to oppress and further the selfish, evil ambitions of unprincipled men. Sadly, we live in a day that no longer adheres to a Biblical worldview concerning man and government. History and historical documents, like Lex Rex, are just dates our kids may memorize, (if it’s even presented to them at all) but the substance, its deep meaning, and its profound influence seem to be vanishing from our national landscape. As a result, we have also betrayed the wisdom of our Founding Fathers and have witnessed the rise of one of the most embarrassing, corrupt administrations to ever curse the shores of America. We can literally witness, right before our very eyes, the distinctions between the branches being blurred, the State’s power being swallowed up by an activist federal government, and more and more power being transferred into fewer and fewer hands. This is a dangerous trend that must cease in Jesus’ name! This brief Biblical and historical summary is essential to realize how one man, by the name of William Jefferson Clinton, is being used to undermine, unravel, and trash the rich, godly legacy that has been passed to us. The current political climate, either directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously, is assaulting the foundations established by Lex Rex by not holding this ruler accountable to the same laws that we are held to. Thus they are creating a double standard that mocks God’s justice. They are reverting back to the whole pagan notion of the "Divine Rights of Kings." They are saying by their pathetic defense of President Clinton that he is above the law. This posture clearly violates the genius of our national covenant and the precious liberty that Lex Rex was used to establish. Those who are being used to defend the indefensible acts committed by this man are traitors to our history and and committing treason against future generations. Though I realize it is not really him that they are defending, (he, no doubt, has been a great source of embarrassment in exposing the liberal hypocrisy that stinks to high heavens) but the polluted political ideology that he represents. Brethren, Samuel Rutherford wrote Lex Rex and it transformed our world. There would not be the American experiment in liberty without it being penned. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Samuel Rutherford for simply taking the revelation of God’s word and applying its truth to the civil realm. What Samuel Rutherford knew and what we seem to neglect is God’s Law is binding upon all men, including kings, at all times, and in every nation. He knew the righteous requirements that God Himself demands of those who would dare to be a leader of men. He understood our opening Scripture and that God was no respecter of persons. He had knowledge of Leviticus 19:15 which states, "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness thou shalt judge thy neighbor." According to the God of the Bible, if a person violates His Laws and commits crimes, we are not to be swayed emotionally, because that individual may be poor, nor are we to consider a bribe by the rich and affluent, lest justice be perverted. The genius of God’s justice is that there is one immovable, unimproved standard for all men. Without that standard, unrighteousness and injustice rules the day. Let us pray that God would once again raise up some Samuel Rutherford’s in our day that would call this nation back to its Biblical roots and its Constitutional restraints. May God restore His justice and remove this blight of humanistic folly from our midst for the sake of our children and the future of our nation. LEADERSHIP SERIES Discipleship, Mentors, and Accountability "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s who shall give you that which is your own." (Luke 16:10-12) In Matthew 8:5-13, there is an interesting encounter recorded in the pages of holy writ between a despised Roman centurion and the Master. What stands out, at least in my mind, as extraordinary, is the response of our Lord to the acknowledged great faith of this Gentile oppressor of Israel. The Bible declares our Lord marvelled at the enquiry of this man who was interceding on the behalf of his servant who was dangerously ill. Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." When one first examines this story, our first reaction may be that our Lord was moved by the centurion's humility and faith. After all, the man acknowledged he was not worthy for Jesus to come to his abode and heal his servant. He also declared those famous faith-filled words, "but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed." Now, most of us would stop right there and say "Aha!" we have found the source of this man’s great faith and the reason for the God of the Universe to marvel at one of His creatures. But what is telling, is the fact that our Lord did not interrupt the centurion when he made that declaration of faith by declaring, "O’ you have such great faith." No, He continued to listen until the man revealed his profound understanding of authority and how it is to function and then our Lord celebrated this man’s faith as great before all of Israel. The timing of our Lord’s response to this man is quite revealing. For in that timing lies an important attribute that one must learn who would dare to seek the Lord to be a leader of men. A quest, by the way, that the Scriptures teach is a good work, though I would temper that by saying, we should not seek great things for ourselves. The goal is to make Jesus famous, not ourselves, but pursuing to become a true, godly leader is a noble endeavor (1 Timothy 3:1). Secondarily, I would call your attention to what I believe really caused Jesus to marvel. The centurion proclaimed, "For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth: and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it." Right then and there, this man, without being a covenant child of God, distinguished himself beyond the children of Israel by recognizing what they rejected, the authority of heaven that resided in Jesus. This blindness on their part cost them and continues to cost them much. As a result of Israel’s religious leaders constantly asking Jesus, "By what authority do you say and do these things?" it provoked Jesus, by virtue of them not realizing what was so evident to a gentile "dog" to declare, "That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This unfortunate posture by Israel not only highlighted the centurion's faith, but was a deep wound to our Lord’s heart as He wept over Jerusalem as they missed their day of visitation (Luke 19:41-44). It is this issue of understanding God’s authority in Jesus that literally caused our loving Lord to pronounce to Israel a terrifying proclamation, "Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (Matthew 22:43)." As you can see, there are obvious severe consequences that can befall a people, when we refuse or are ignorant of lawful authority, legitimate leadership, and its proper function. However, the main point that I’m seeking to convey through this article on leadership is the absolute Biblical criteria one needs to grasp in order to be recognized as a legitimate leader. Under God’s system of promotion, (which is the only true and lasting system) to have God’s stamp of authority resting on our lives, we must be submitted to all the other lawful authorities that He has established in our lives. You will never rise to be a true, godly, righteous leader until you have submitted your will to another and have poured out your life to make another great. This is the truth articulated by our Lord in our opening passage of Scripture. He clearly taught the difficult principle of humbling ourselves and being faithful to serve another as a prerequisite to possessing one’s own position in life. The truth is, what you sow as service into others, whether the wheat of obedience or the tares of rebellion, you will surely reap, if and when others follow you. The bottom line, your submission now, will determine your ability to lead later. That is the hard lesson we must all learn. The relationship between Elijah and Elisha serves as a powerful example of this Biblical truth. Most of us know this story, but it highlights the point I’m seeking to drive deep into our hearts. Elijah found Elisha plowing in a field, walked up to him and cast his mantle on him. The Scriptures declare that Elisha went and said goodbye to his family, his former life, and faithfully served the man of God for eleven years. The Bible term for his service is described in 2 Kings 3:11, as one who poured water on the hands of Elijah. Brethren, you know when that mantle struck that boy, the very anointing of God exploded into his life and yet, he was confined to perform just menial tasks to serve the man of God. For eleven years, he faithfully waited upon the Lord, His prophet, doing seemingly obscure tasks that he was assigned, until the time came for Elijah’s glorious homecoming. This particular story beautifully illustrates a principle of leadership that is so necessary for the mantle of leadership to fall on a man of God. Anyone desiring to be raised up to be God’s leader must follow Elisha’s example. He stuck to Elijah like "white on rice" knowing that his destiny, calling, mantle, and future leadership capability was intrinsically woven with the man of God he served. His reward was a double portion of God’s Spirit that empowered Elijah. God grant us today, first of all men who would provide a life worthy of emulation for younger men to follow. Secondarily, He would inspire young men to humble themselves and faithfully serve God’s purposes, regardless of how seemingly menial it may first appear, until God raises them up and grants them a double portion of His Spirit. The need for leadership is undeniable, the task is difficult, but the reward is great. Let us pray that the Lord would raise up a generation of young people that would arise to possess the gates of their enemies in Jesus’ name! The following are a few principles that confirm this teaching.
A PASTORAL PERSPECTIVE OF KLI "Thank you so much for bringing Kingdom Leadership Institute to our church and youth group. I can honestly say we will never be the same. God has given you a word that is needed and must be spoken in our churches if we are going to impact our culture. God has also given you an insight into our youth culture that must be communicated and addressed if we are going to effectively equip the next generation for their destiny in God. Thank you for your boldness and courage to speak the truth in the Spirit of Christ. You are truly an example to us of a man after God’s own heart."-Pastor Stan Pavkovich, Church of the Cross, Bradenton, FL "The Kingdom Leadership Institute was, and will forever be, a monumental event in my life. Through Rusty Thomas, God instilled a new fire and hunger in my spirit. I learned many new things and my eyes were opened to the desperate need of strong, godly men in our generation. We were instructed on being effective leaders for Christ, and my courage was strengthened. The Knighting Ceremony was a night that I will always look back on as a pivotal point in my life. A time that I made a commitment to follow Christ no matter what the cost. My faith was made real to me through this ceremony. The commitment is one that I do not take lightly. I am so thankful for Rusty and I pray that more men throughout America will submit to God and become strong leaders like him." -Ryan Denton, Palmetto, FL WHO WILL SPEAK UP? "Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy." (Proverbs 31:8,9)
MINISTRY ‘99 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:18-20) It appears my schedule has already been somewhat filled for 1999. Prayerfully, it will produce effective ministry to advance the salvation of our God and the Kingdom of His Christ. We begin with the production of "The Promise." By God’s grace, I will be directing the play and performing the role of our Master. Believe me, it is a role that I approach with fear and trembling. We will perform "The Promise" Resurrection Week-end, starting on Good Friday and ending on Resurrection Day, Sunday morning. This year will hopefully see the establishing of the Kingdom Leadership Institute in many cities across America. At present, we are holding one in Waco, March 7th-13th. All those near Waco who might be interested in attending, please contact us. Other cities that are interested are Rochester, NY., Chicago, IL., Birmingham & Montgomery, AL., Tulsa, OK., and again in Bradenton, FL. We will continue to serve with Flip Benham and Operation Rescue National. Our national event is called "Operation Save America" in upstate New York from April 18th-25th. Obviously, with the current charge hanging over our heads, these should prove to be somewhat scary and exciting dates with destiny. Governor Pataki, a Republican governor, has threatened to pass a state FACE bill. The first offense will be two years in prison. He has also threatened to mobilize the National Guard against us. On the surface, it would appear to be a major show of strength and force, but the Lord has assured me this is a sign of weakness and desperation on the behalf of an enemy who knows his time is short, so he is full of fury (Revelation 12:12). As a consequence, litigation and court proceedings will be a part of allowing the Spirit of our Father to testify through us against a rebellious system that allows the slaughter of His children. Locally, we will be working with key pastors in our city to come up with a comprehensive plan to reach our county for Christ this year. The bottom line is, if the post office can reach our county every day with 500 some odd workers, can’t the Church in Waco do the same thing in a year? We will also continue the writing ministry through our newsletters, tracts, plays, and other means to evangelize, disciple, and further the cause of Christ. We pray you will continue to stand with us in your prayers, love, and financial support in 1999. To God be the Glory!!! IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE, Rusty Lee Thomas |