“ARE WE COMPROMISING OUR FAITH BY COOPERATING WITH GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY…



COMPROMISING FREELY, BUT COOPERATING SUPREMELY

You're NEVER compromising your faith in Christ, when you choose to use common sense —sanctified by your born again spirit, biblical wisdom, or wise counsel that's "proven" as we choose to "be led by the Spirit" in all of our decision-making, which will singularly influence the future direction of our lives in every area.

We all know that actively living and serving Jesus Christ — especially as a Holy Ghost filled believer and disciple, absolutely means that we're to live the naturally-supernatural lifestyle in our every day lives!

This means that we actually refuse to allow "the law of sin and death" with all of its bondage and yokes associated with our base nature, to rule or have dominion "in" or "over us" any longer.

It does NOT ignore-but fully embraces both natural and spiritual laws..

It does NOT attempt to exemplify "super-humanity" in regards to being impenetrable to life's setbacks, struggles and situational bruises, without fears, tears, or bouts with doubt..

It also does not demonize, polarize or ostracize any of those people that may believe differently than us (Christians).

It rests in the realization that God's strength is made perfect through our human weaknesses, and the ONLY REMEDY that satisfies the breach of our sins and inconsistencies, is total dependence upon the ONLY CONSTANT in life; Jesus Christ!

But, this does NOT warrant a "heavenly minded no earthly good philosophy"; and neither does it negate the present realities and responsibilities of every person in spite of our "finite existence",.

It acknowledges that God created us with providentially and sovereignly ordained balances, limitations and accountability because of our humanity; bringing us in complete subjection to His Ultimate Authority in all the circumstances of life.

POWER BELONGS TO GOD

What's important to remember about "Jesus fulfilling all righteousness" without giving license to any believers to ignorantly operate with an attitude of arrogance, entitlement or superiority, which ignores or rejects the truth that GOD even made JESUS CHRIST "subject to human authority" when He sent him into the earth on the mission to save, heal and redeem all of us from the dark stain of our sins.

Think about THAT for a few minutes..

• Should churches be required to stop public gatherings, like in the case of the global pandemic surrounding COVID-19 or the Coronavirus?
• Is the church "a building" or "a spiritual house and movement" that should ever subject itself to the government on any occasion?

"Social distancing" does not mean "spiritual distancing". In fact, the opposite is true in the case of every example provided in the New Testament Book of Acts surrounding the Apostle Paul's three Missionary Journeys.

• On more than one occasion while fulfilling his purpose, Paul and his contemporaries were stopped from both entering or staying in cities God sent them to do ministry.
• On multiple occasions, Paul and his companions were beaten, mocked and resisted in their worthy gospel mission, and by all appearances they appeared to "lose" the battle.
• And, on every encounter in his journey where Paul sought God's strength at the point of his greatest weakness (imprisoned, severely beaten, and at a disadvantage in troubling circumstances) God Sovereignly delivered him, and demonstrated His Power where it could NOT be mistaken that "power belongs to GOD"!

SUBJECT TO vs SUBDUED BY

This is a controversial topic to consider with all the swirling opinions of ministers of the gospel who come from different streams of thought..

#1 — Some claim that governmental restrictions on worship services are an infringement of religious liberty and a violation of the separation of church and state.

#2 — Others disagree, noting that such prohibitions do not single out religious gatherings; but include all events at which people could become infected with coronavirus.

#3 — Still others claim that church services should be classified as "essential" functions and allowed to continue under social distancing guidelines., etc.

But, which is "right" or in agreement with GOD and HIS HOLY WORD?

What's ACTUALLY at stake right now (prophetically speaking) is our WITNESS to the world — as the Consummation, Restoration and Restitution of All Things in Christ comes to a "head" through The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

HEALTHY DEBATING IS GOOD

I can see that some of my brothers and sisters in Christ are debating about "how much" the government should influence "the church" — But, more specifically, "how long" the COVID-19 "stay at home directives" communicated by both our President, by most state governments (governors), as well as most local health departments should be obeyed..

In my opinion, the church at large must think critically, prayerfully and thoughtfully "with the Mind of Christ", to remain real, relevant and relational as we rapidly draw near to the End Times Unfolding of God's Great Plan for the Ages in the Person of Jesus Christ.

I agree with both Dr. Albert Mohler and Kelly Shackelford's statement in the Washington Post: "Asking houses of worship to briefly suspend large gatherings is neither hostile toward religion nor unreasonable in light of the threat. Rather, this is a time for all of us to exercise prudence over defiance. Love for God and neighbor demands nothing less."

NO UNDERSTANDING OF HISTORY

When ministers of the gospel have "no understanding of history", but "champion a philosophy of change", their bound to blunder in their examination of both scripture and human events; because being shortsighted and ignorant of the "true apostolic order" they assume that it's "their power, position or posturing" that’s going to get God's Work done!

If you didn't already know — There's historical precedent for what the government is asking; and for what churches are doing in response...

During the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak, for example, state governments closed churches, schools, theaters, and other public gatherings to slow the spread of the disease. By all indications, it helped. And, once the pandemic passed, churches reopened their doors accordingly, as it should be with the Coronavirus.

Back in the 1600s, Puritan theologian Richard Baxter wrote in his Church Directory, "If the magistrate for a greater good (as the common safety,) forbid church-assemblies in time of pestilence…it is a duty to obey him." Baxter based his case on no less than the words of Jesus Himself.

Just as the Lord insisted in Matthew 12 that healing on the Sabbath is lawful, Baxter argued, preventing the spread of serious sickness to our most vulnerable on the Sabbath is also lawful. After all, as Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." 🎤🎤🎤

HUH?

Basically, "having church" and "being the church" has reached its necessary end, and KINGDOM REPRESENTATION versus CHURCH MEMBERSHIP is going to keep raising a stink amongst "the Remnant" and "the Apostate" Church; because God needs his people to put aside their religiosity and churchianity, to reposition our hearts to make it ALL ABOUT HIM!!

IS GOD USING THIS CRISIS TO DRAW US NEARER TO HIM?

Of course..HE IS the Master Strategist with Eternal Purpose permanently fixed upon His Mind!!

God desires to speak to you directly about your life. He longs to guide you in and out of every circumstance by speaking to your heart. And he longs to give you the wisdom you need from the words of Scripture.

God desires to lead us all through this time, and He has provided all you will ever need to face these difficulties.

All that's left for us to do is to TRUST HIM, keep our HEARTS OPEN, and FOLLOW HIM obediently, in response to HIS ever present faithfulness and never ending love.

ASK YOURSELF THESE FOUR QUESTIONS

First question: What's good that we can celebrate and promote during this crisis?

With all the ridiculous and accusatory stuff floating around social media, share and celebrate the good being done by doctors, nurses, first responders, and other medical professionals on the frontlines of this epidemic.

Here's the second question: "What is missing that we can contribute?"

Especially now, Christians have something people desperately need and many are missing: Hope. Now of all times, we must be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks about the hope that is in us.

Third question: What evil can we confront or stop? 

The obvious answer for healthcare workers is the coronavirus itself, though we all have a role to play in stopping or at least slowing the spread of the virus. Physical distancing and other precautionary measures is a way of putting love of neighbor ahead of our own desires.

Final question: What is broken that we can restore?  

Among the brokenness exposed in our culture by this virus is loneliness and social isolation. It's difficult to imagine a better and easier example of Christians running towards the plague than reaching out to people like this. Relational brokenness, in our families and beyond, is an epidemic far more reaching than COVID -19. As this pandemic continues, we'll see endless opportunities to help restore broken lives and broken livelihoods.

KINGDOM IDEALS vs EARTH's REALITIES

The universe is not the way it's supposed to be. Humans were not the only part of creation affected by the Fall. All of nature and the entire cosmos and beyond, was fractured by that same event.

As Romans 8 describes, "creation was subjected [by God] to futility." The Greek word for "futility," or "ineffectiveness" means something . . .  [that] has not achieved the goal for which it was designed." But our current state is not, praise God, the end of the story. 

Through the suffering death and resurrection of Christ, a supernatural process and prophetic timeline has been inaugurated by which not only humans, but the rest of creation also will be rescued from the effects of the Fall.

What SOME OF US call "faith", is merely presumption with a spiritual facade that assumes temporary defeat, weakness, or a less than pristine circumstance must mean we're "not in faith"; except it ONLY means that to those without a foundation in God's Eternal Word.

JESUS SUBJECTED HIMSELF TO MEN, TO SURRENDER HIS WILL FULLY TO GOD

A Christian "is not a person who has solved the problem of human suffering, but one who has come to love and trust the God of Creation who has all power, and chose to suffer for us by becoming THE ANSWER by subjecting His Son to mere men!

Well, what about fighting against the governments interference in the affairs of the church?

Meaning, "respecting an establishment of religion" must always be held as a high priority for ALL government officials. But, situations that warrant civil obedience and order should be a high priority of the church in the world.

Congress can't make a law that says every U.S. citizen has to follow Christianity ("no law establishing") but it can and does often pass laws that governs every citizen, no matter what associations or affiliations we have.

Can we exercise religious freedom from our homes, where the risk of danger to one another is lowered more than congregating together?

Of course, and with confirmed cases of people getting infected "at church", the severity of people dying from the COVID-19 infections right now, does NOT represent the overreach of government in any way.

If you're paying attention, quite a few of our freedoms have been altered and even suspended, due to the fact that we can't freely move about..

But, in reality the church is no exception to being subject to the authority (Romans 13); especially when people have died from contact with those who are infected, while there are too many people that haven't been tested to determine the extent of the problem in our local congregations.

If someone infected walks into a church, bar or grocery store then infects others, the proximity to someone infected is the issue being addressed; NOT us having worship services or seeking after God.

DOMINIONISM IS NOT BIBLICALLY SOUND, BUT FLAWED LOGIC

To pursue the argument surrounding "dominionism" is FLAWED LOGIC, and only serves to make us (Christians) look ignorant, spooky and weird; instead of being thoughtful of how our civil disobedience could potentially contribute to multiplied millions of deaths..

It is a so-called "Christian" political ideology that seeks to institute a nation governed by Christians based upon their imbalanced understandings of biblical law, and the extent of the rule and the ways of achieving governing authority in the earth..

Obviously, if a person can die of a heart attack, or fall dead at church — people can also definitely get infected from a contagiously sick person!!

Every citizen — to include Christians, Muslims, Buddhist, and Secularist has had some of their "freedoms" suspended. All religions in this regard have been treated the same.

Now, Christians must realize that we can still exercise our faith as we congregate in our homes and online.

I actually see the primary issue for Christ's Church being that there are faulty foundations-lacking true fervor or intimacy with God, which have diminishing impacts of our witness to the world; because there are few prayer altars in our homes or study of God's Word amongst our families, due to the fact that we've made "the church building itself" - the end all, be all.

OBEDIENCE TO GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY IS BIBLICAL

Because "the powers that be are ordained by God", either we all choose to believe God and the Bible concerning HE "being the Head of all principalities and powers"; or we reject the authority by not receiving God's wisdom through them, as we continue to consistently pray for those ultimately "set" and ordained in position by Him.

So, according to scripture, "whosoever resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinace of God".

This is NOT a resignation to a backslidden state to be subdued by any power or principality that's moving in direct opposition to God's Holy Word. It's an acknowledgement that there is an enemy who we encounter that we cannot see; but is very real, and has no power over God's people without His permission for even a single moment.

We have a supernatural enemy, and we encounter him or one of his emissaries regularly. And, we should never doubt that it's all Satan's deceptive strategies to play tricks on our minds by first dividing and then weakening us, to ultimately slow the advancement of the Kingdom by subjecting us to his lies.

The Accuser's desire is to ruin our testimony as he destroys our lives. In the process, if it means ruining your family relationships, he'll go there if our gates and walls are open.

If it takes tempting us to secretly cut a few corners in our business dealings, which we would not have done in the earlier days of our walk with Christ, the enemy will go there.

Whatever it takes to bring us down, the devil will try. Because we have an enemy that we cannot see with the natural eye, does not mean he is not real.

SATAN IS GOD's PAWN FOR ALL ETERNITY

There are trials we endure that we don't deserve; yet they are permitted. Yes, you actually read that correctly. "Life" includes trials that we do not deserve; but they must, nevertheless, be endured.

In the mystery of God's unfathomable will, there are elements we can never explain or fully understand.

Don't try to grasp each thread of His profound plan. If you or I resist pursuing "matters that are too great " (Psalm 131) we'll become increasingly more confused and then ultimately resentful; and finally bitter.

At that point, Satan will have won the day. Accept it. Endure the trial that has been permitted by God. Nothing touches your life that has not first passed through the hands of God.

He is in full control, and because He is, He has the sovereign right to permit trials that we don't deserve. We do have an unseen enemy, but we have an even more powerful, unseen Defender.

Still, it's not the same. The worship Scripture commands in places like Hebrews 10, where we are told to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, cannot be fully experienced "online".

I'm feeling (and so are you) this loss keenly, as are so many other believers that I've observed: This physical separation and lack of community really hurts. This pain we feel should also encourage us, however.

BE THANKFUL AND CONTENT, NOT SATISFIED

Our thankfulness for these very good things such as "online services," home worship, and listening to sermons on podcasts, should contain more than just a hint of disappointment. There all "good", but simply are not adequate replacements for what the life of the church should be; not to mention there simply are no substitutes for the fellowship and community of us all congregating together.

In fact, if we're not feeling a serious loss right now, we should be worried. If remote services on a laptop feel normal, then church has become nothing more than a spectator activity; and we have become, well, "spectators to worship" rather than worshipers ourselves!

Among the most consistent and foundational teachings of Scripture and church history is that humans are embodied beings. Or, to put it another way, our bodies are not incidental parts of our humanity or convenient carriers of our real spiritual selves. To be human is to be physical and spiritual. Both aspects matter. That's how God made us.

Jesus, who is God in flesh, saved us into a larger corporate body which He will make fully into His Bride. We can no more permanently carry on our Christian relationships with God and church over an Internet connection, than spouses could carry on a marriage that way.

This is the difference between "doing church" and "being the Church". While we are unable to meet for worship, the hunger for something more is a sign of "spiritual life". We should encourage that hunger, and certainly look forward to coming together again REAL SOON!

To do so, especially in the midst of the current threats of death and disease, is to ultimately be "a sign to the world" of that day when Christ will fully bridge all the distance between Himself and His Bride — when He heals all sickness, finally restores all things, and makes His dwelling with His people in heaven on earth..WS-3 🙏🏽💯🎤🔥🏋🏾🎯

Walter L. Smith III

Founder/President

Pure In Heart Int'l Ministries, Inc./

The Center For Kingdom Advancement 

1445 Valleyhigh Dr NW #7052

Rochester, MN 55901-9998

Corporate Line: (424) 333-4047

www.PIHIM.org

www.AskPastorWalter.com

**Leadership Greater Rochester, Class of 2018!

**Gallup Strengths: Positivity, Learner, Connectedness, Responsibility, & Activator

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