Volume 15 Issue 11 - November 2000 THANKSGIVING SERMON "As for me, says the Lord, this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants, says the Lord, from this time and forevermore." (Isaiah 59:21) If one would ask the typical American why the Pilgrims braved a dangerous journey to come to the shores of America, most would declare, "They came to escape religious persecution or they desired the freedom to worship God according to the Bible." Though these perspectives have sentimental value for Christians in America, it does not square with the actual history the Pilgrims themselves recorded for posterity. The journal of William Bradford provides a more accurate depiction for the Pilgrims determination to face unimaginable hardships to traverse the stormy seas of the Atlantic to come to the New World. As you read this article, you will come face to face with the true reasons for the undertaking of the perilous expedition that led to the Mayflower Compact and the first pure Christian settlement at Plymouth. It’s my sincere prayer that once you learn the reality, you too, will make a similar commitment as our Christian forefathers made in establishing this Christian Republic. For what established this blessed nation and prospered her is the very solution that will eventually restore her to the God-ordained vision and the destiny it holds for us as a people. First of all, the main reason why the Pilgrims did not come to America to escape religious persecution, was the fact that they had already been afforded religious freedom in Holland. For the 12 years they lived there, they were allowed to practice the Christian religion according to the Scriptures and their conscience without interference from the State. The question that remains to be answered then is, if they found what they needed in Holland why would they endanger themselves and their families to come and settle in the New World? According to Bradford, there were a host of considerations that provoked the decision to embark on the hazardous trip. Some of the reasons stem from their desire to preserve their own language and customs of life while others involved their livelihood. It was difficult finding similar employment that they were accustomed to in England. Therefore, their work was hard and took its toll upon the health and well-being of not only the adults, but the children as well. The following quote from William Bradford summarizes these harsh working conditions and also provides a glimpse to the main purpose for coming to America. "Thirdly; as necessity was a taskmaster over them, so they were forced to be such, not only to their servants, but in a sort, to their dearest children; the which as it did not a little wound the tender hearts of many a loving father and mother, so it produced likewise sundry sad and sorrowful effects. For many of their children, that were of best dispositions and gracious inclinations, having learned to bear the yoke in their youth, and willing to bear part of their parents burden, were, oftentimes, so oppressed with their heavy labors, that their minds were free and willing, yet their bodies bowed under the weight of the same, and became decrepit in their early youth in that country, and the manifold temptations of the place, were drawn away by evil examples into extravagant and dangerous courses, getting the reigns off their necks, and departing from their parents. Some became soldiers, others took up them far voyages by sea, and other some worse courses, tending to dissoluteness and the danger of their souls, to the great grief of their parents and dishonor of God. So that they saw their posterity would be in danger to degenerate and be corrupted." Notice that the Pilgrim’s great dilemma was not religious persecution, but to their great grief and dishonor of God, they were losing their children to the pagan culture of Holland. Think about the implications here. They were free to worship God as they wished, but at the same time, the Spirit of the Age and the idols of the land were capturing the soul of their offspring. Now, put yourself in their shoes, what would you do Ma and Pa Christian? Especially, when you have to weigh the choices, which were: A) We can stay here and enjoy religious freedom while we continue to lose our children; or B) we can pack up all that we have and face various hardships by going to the New World. In Bradford’s journal, these various hardships are detailed, which included a journey by sea which statistically could mean that half of them would perish just by crossing the ocean. They wrestled with the knowledge that they would eat food and drink water that was foreign to their system, which could lead to sickness, disease, and death. They faced the uncertainty of how to tame and cultivate an unknown land, especially in the winter season. Finally, they suspected they could encounter hostile Indians who were not only unfriendly and mistrusting, but Indians that were of a savage nature, which, if they gained the upper hand would not only kill them, but would do so in a slow sadistic manner. Savages that not only dismembered your body, but cooked parts of it, and then ate it in front of you while you slowly died. Gee, with these kind of options available, it is easy to see why they wanted to come to these shores. The following quote by Bradford reveals the excruciating struggle, the troubling thoughts, and the grim prospects the Pilgrims would certainly endure as they contemplated whether or not to take the voyage across the sea. "The place they had thoughts on was some of those vast and unpeopled countries of America, which are fruitful and fit for habitation, being devoid of all civil inhabitants, where there are only savages and brutish men, which range up and down, little otherwise then the wild beasts of the same. This proposition being made public and coming to the scanning of all, it raised many variable opinions amongst men, and caused many fears and doubts amongst themselves. Some, from their reasons and hopes conceived, labored to stir up and encourage the rest to undertake and prosecute the same; others, again, out of their fears, objected against it, and sought to divert from it, alleging many things, and those neither unreasonable nor unprobable; as that it was a great design and subject to many unconceivable perils and dangers; as, besides the casualties of the seas (which none can be freed from) the length of the voyage was such, as the weak bodies of women and other persons worn out with age and travail (as many of the were) could never be able to endure. And yet if they should, the miseries of the land which they should be exposed unto, would be too hard to be born; and likely, some or all of them together, to consume and utterly to ruinate them. For there they should be liable to famine, and nakedness, and the want, in a manner, of all things. The change of air, diet, and drinking water, would infect their bodies with sore sickness, and grievous diseases. And also those which should escape or overcome these difficulties, should yet be in continual danger of the savage people, who are not being content only to kill, and take away life, but delight to torment men in the most bloody manner that may be; flaying some alive with the shells of fishes, cutting of the members and joints of others by piecemeal and broiling on the coals, eat the collops of their flesh in their sight whilst they live; with other cruelties horrible to be related. And surely it could not be thought but the very hearing of these things could not but move the very bowels of men to grate within them, and make the weak to quake and tremble." Can we truly comprehend the incredible sacrifices, dangers, and toils these brave Pilgrims faced in order to raise their children in the fear and admonishment of the Lord? Can we appreciate the great lengths these committed parents went through to protect their children from the corrupting presence of a pagan culture? I think not! Especially when one considers that the vast majority of Christians in America still surrender their children to the humanistic temples otherwise known as our government sponsored schools to disciple them in Anti-Christ pagan philosophies. Schools that will never teach what this article has revealed concerning the establishment of the first pure Christian Community on these blessed shores. In fact, if there is any mention of Thanksgiving, the politically correct answer taught to our American young is that the Pilgrims gave thanks to the Indians for teaching them how to plant corn. No mention of Thanksgiving to God! What a travesty! This Thanksgiving as you gather with family take time to thank God for the Pilgrims who endured unspeakable tribulations to raise godly families that would translate into a Christian Republic. Thank God for the blessed nation they bequeathed to us. Thank Him for the unprecedented freedom, liberty, and His bountiful blessings this holiday season. Consider as well, the corrupting influence of the pop-culture, government schools, and even the peer-oriented youth culture promoted by the Church and ask God for the grace to make a similar commitment to separate your children unto God. We must come out of Babylon first, in order for it to fall and the Kingdom of God advance. For the sake of your precious children, get rid of the TV and provide a more wholesome form of entertainment, pull your children and your grandchildren out of public schools immediately and home educate them (contact us, if you need help), and worship God together as a family in your local Church. In so doing, you will be following the path of those who have gone before us and it will provide the first steps of reformation our nation so desperately needs. In closing, I will leave you with another poignant quote by William Bradford. It highlights the founding vision and still awaited destiny of America. It affirms the faithfulness of the Pilgrims to throw themselves on the "barbed wire of life" to challenge their children to run right over their backs to fulfill their God-ordained purpose. It truly captures the Christian virtue stated by our Lord when he declared, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." Bradford writes, "Lastly, (and which was not the least), a great hope and inward zeal they had of laying some good foundation, or at least to make some way thereunto, for the propagating and advancing of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world; yea, though they should be but even as stepping-stones unto others for the performing of so great a work." There is a Christian song that sums up the heartfelt commitment of those courageous souls who went before us to carve out the Kingdom of God upon these shores. It is called, "May All Who Come Behind Us Find Us Faithful." The words capture the essence this Thanksgiving sermon has sought to communicate. "Let those who come behind us find us faithful, may the fire of our devotion light their way. May the foot prints that we leave, lead them to believe and the lives we live inspire them to obey." May all those who read these words, pray to live out its message and meaning for future generations. May we understand, like the Pilgrims of old, that what we do with their example now will determine whether or not our posterity will bless or curse our memory. May we be found faithful! Amen and Amen! RU486, THE HUMAN PESTICIDE "But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul: All those who hate me love death." (Proverbs 8:36) It appears another American citadel has fallen and become contaminated by the bloody abortion industry. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved RU486 for consumption in the "Land of the Greed and the Home of the Grave." It is the first time in the history of the Food and Drug Administration that it has approved of a drug whose sole purpose is to destroy innocent life, instead of seeking to bring health and healing to those who suffer from disease. It is the first American human pesticide given as a "cure" to those who "suffer" from sexual immorality and a nation laden with blood lust. This travesty highlights the fact, once and again, that they who do not know their history are condemned to repeat it. It is history that reveals that the abortion industry is going the way of their deadly predecessors in Nazi Germany. This correlation is not mere rhetoric when one considers the definition of Nazism formulated by Dr. Leo Alexander. Dr. Alexander, who studied the Nuremberg trials after World War Two, stated that Fascism and Nazism can be detected in a nation who, "thinks in terms of destruction as the solution of all problems is today the best way to tell a Nazi from a non-Nazi." He went on to say, "The ease with which destruction of life is advocated for those considered socially useless or socially disturbing…may be the first sign of danger." In other words, when a nation chooses death as a legitimate solution to solve their economic and moral problems that is a nation that has already adopted Nazism and Fascism as governmental policy. To further illustrate the correlation between the Nazi holocaust and the American holocaust consider this connection; the Nazi guards began to "suffer" from mental anguish in performing mechanical executions of innocent people in their concentration camps. They eventually recoiled at lining up our Jewish brethren to machinegun them down and then bulldoze them into mass graves. To help alleviate their battered consciences, the Nazi leadership adopted a chemical means to destroy the innocent instead. Thus the machine gun was replaced by gas chambers. Is it a stretch of the imagination to see that the abortion industry through RU486 is now adopting this same strategy? Can’t we see history repeating itself as the abortion industry is seeking to enhance the killing of unborn babies with the chemical means of the human pesticide called RU486? God says in His Word, "I have set before you, life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life that you and your children may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19) If America continues to violate the law of God, Thou shalt not murder, and our own Declaration of Independence which states that the right to life is inalienable and self-evident, do we honestly think we will escape the same fate as Nazi Germany? The blood of our innocent children that has stained the ground of America is crying out as a testimony against us. Their cry is reaching the Heavens where a Holy God presides over the destiny of nations. The voice of their innocent blood is asking God one demanding question, "How long O God, will you allow this wicked nation to destroy us?" Will we open our ears, eyes, and hearts before it is too late or will America go the way of every other nation who shook their fist in the face of a Holy God? Choose wisely America, your future is hanging in the balance! IN DEFENSE OF THE BOY SCOUTS "The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men." (Psalms 12:8)
The quote from above came from one of our endearing Founding Fathers by the name of Daniel Webster. Once and again, it’s a Founding Father that can be counted upon as a source of understanding as to what ails America. Once and again, one can only marvel at their grasp of ideas and also shudder at their warnings. It is vital then that we glean from their insights, hearken to the warnings, and receive the prophetic witness of the godly seers of a by-gone era that reveal the nature of the battle that we are currently engaged in today. I mean, one doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist nor particularly a "super saint" to recognize that we live in a time where evil "reigns without mitigation or end" in sight. For instance, as of this writing, many are still wringing their hands waiting for the outcome of the presidential election. But how many actually see beyond the votes, the exiting polls, and the political pundits to truly diagnose how sick this nation has become with no apparent relief on the horizon? One would think that after 8 years of the most corrupt administration to afflict our nation, there would be a moral outrage, one that could be clearly detected by the votes that were cast on November 7th. Instead, half the American voters who participated in this election still supported, endorsed, and approved of a man by the name of Al Gore, who, in my humble opinion, is not morally qualified to be a local dog catcher, let alone become the leader of the free world! How should the Church respond to this troubling predicament? Hopefully, it should reveal to the Church that education, politics, and money cannot save America, but only Jesus and an obedient Church can prevail against the gates of hell. It should also point us to Daniel Webster’s admonishment that it is high time we roll up our sleeves and be about our Father’s business until the power of the Gospel is felt throughout every nook and cranny of the USA. Only this kind of commitment will suffice to end the woe that Daniel Webster warned against in his insightful quote. We must arise before it is too late and end this reign of evil that is suffocating our nation. May we recognize the sublime truth found in Psalm 118:8,9, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes (politicians)." The Church must come to grips with the fact that we cannot expect politicians to publicly stand for our King, His law, and His righteousness, unless we are willing to do so first. How can we expect politicians to be faithful when the Church continues to abdicate her role and function in our culture? Can’t we see that we are selling our birthright to possess the gates of our enemies for a mess of political pottage? When will we learn to understand that before politicians will find the backbone to stand for righteousness, it is necessary for Christians, especially Church leaders, to stand first? This will inevitably grant courage to politicians to move from being pragmatists only concerned about what works to get elected to becoming the principled statesmen our nation is starving for. The following is a letter sent to the Connecticut Commission that is threatening to ban the Boy Scouts from every public facility in that state. If the homosexual agenda continues to succeed in demoralizing, defiling, and capturing the Boy Scouts, know for a surety, that all the vile momentum the homosexual agenda has garnered will be focused on assaulting the lukewarm Church in America, a Church that has a proven record of retreating at the assaults of the enemy, deceptively thinking that is the spiritual and loving response as our nation sinks into the cesspool of perversity. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was recently notified that the Connecticut Commission will be ruling on whether or not the Boy Scouts will be able to utilize public facilities in your state. Though this letter is sent from Waco, TX, I grew up in Bridgeport, CT, and have some serious concerns about the course the Commission may take. It grieves me to observe an organization such as the Boy Scouts that has maintained for ninety or so years a vision to turn irresponsible boys into responsible men, now become the object of such political furor in our nation. Just the fact that this Commission is holding this hearing and considering such measures is an indictment against our nation. It points to the fact that we are in a moral free-fall in a culture that is now proudly calling good, evil and evil, good. The ultimate question before the Commission is, should the Boys Scouts who for all these years taught, trained, and mentored boys, "To do my duty to God and my country, and obey the scout law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight," be punished and stigmatized for holding to such noble beliefs or not? Do we have eyes to see and hearts that understand the direction we are heading in as a people? For the last several decades, we have systematically been removing from the public life of our nation every vestige of decency, civility, morality, honor, duty, and that which is sacred and what, to our astonishment has been the awful consequences? What has replaced these time-honored virtues and what will be the outcome for our beloved America? Especially, if we continue to punish people who hold to virtue and promote that which is vile as honorable. Just a peek at your local newspaper reveals the horrible truth, we have become a nation consumed with lust, vulgarity, and violence. I plead with this Commission to reject the politically correct pressure and do right by an organization that has been such a blessing to these boys and ultimately to our nation. The Boy Scouts need our support, not our disdain. Without the Boys Scouts, what will become of the boys who are growing up in fatherless America (one of the root causes for the spread of homosexuality)? Please consider and weigh this decision carefully. Your ruling, I pray, will set in motion that which can reverse the terrible trend that we are currently traversing and help reclaim some of the principles that made America a great and prosperous nation. I'll leave you with a paraphrased quote by C. S. Lewis, "We mock and scorn that which is noble, virtuous, and sacred amongst us and then are appalled that we find traitors in our midst." May the treachery end and may the virtues promoted by the Boys Scouts have a new dawn of liberty in America once again. IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE, Rusty Lee Thomas President, Elijah Ministries |