“The Lighthouse”

A publication of the Severn Christian Church Christian Impact Ministry Team

“It’s better to light one light than curse the darkness”

edited by David Frye

 

What about my rights

 

“What about my rights?”  “That’s a violation of my civil rights.”  “They are infringing upon my civil rights.”  “I have my rights.”  You hear this kind of rhetoric on TV news and radio talk shows as people discuss the government’s involvement and intervention into the private lives of Americans as the try to protect the nation.  What are our civil rights?  Does the Bible address this subject?  Indeed it does.  God is the divine originator of government.  Therefore, He has given government the responsibility, even the privilege, of protecting the lives of her countrymen.  The

tyrannical Roman government ruled the biblical world in the first century.  To people who lived under that reign, Peter said, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right” (I Pet. 2:13,14).  Government praises and protects law-abiding citizens.  Paul instructed Timothy to pray for civil rulers so that they might rule in such a way that people could live peaceful lives (I Tim. 2:2).  This is a God-given civil right.  Keeping innocent people safe is one of the main responsibilities of government.  In ancient Israel (a nation that governed itself nationally and spiritually) when the leadership was bad, innocent people suffered.  Under wicked Manasseh, human sacrifice was practiced among children (II Kings 21:6).  Sometimes people forget how good things really are until they are gone.  Israel thought life was tough under Solomon’s reign, but his son and successor, Reheoboam, said,  “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions” (1 Kings 12:14).  They must have longed for “the good old days” under Reheboam.  “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan” (Prov. 29:2). 

 

The greatest civil right anyone has is the right to be alive.  When your life ends so too do your rights.  This reminds me of the story I heard about the man who was walking across the street in front of the car when the impatient driver blew the horn at him.  The pedestrian stopped and frustratingly said, “If you run over me, I’ll sue you!”  Think about it.  To the degree that government works to protect your life from those who want to destroy it, to that degree they are fulfilling part of their God-given ministry.  How grateful we all should be for the intelligence that thwarted the recent murderous plans to blow up several airplanes.  Jesus said the devil is a murderer and has been from the beginning (John 8:44).  All terrorists are in league with Satan. 

Isn’t it amazing that people who want to cram every kind of perversion down our throats under the guise of civil rights cry foul when it comes to government intervention into private lives for the sake of national security?  If we have to spend more time at airports for the sake of safety, so be it.  If suspicious phone calls need tapping, so be it.  If crossing the border takes more time and effort, so be it.  In the midst of this limited frustration, remember, the greatest civil right anyone has is the right to be alive. Let’s protect that right and vote for those who understand it.

             

 

 

Who will take up the challenge?

 

Our nation needs Christians who will take up the challenge to run for elected offices.  Who will take up the challenge to be a voice for moral truth in the land?  “In their 2004 campaign to promote a marriage amendment for Kansas [preachers] Joe Wright [of the Christian Church] and Terry Fox led their congregations on prayer walks around the Capitol in Topeka.  Some church members decided to run for office.  And even some liberal observers admit those efforts changed Kansas politics:  More than 40 liberal and moderate candidates lost their races to conservatives in the November elections, and the next year, voters were given the chance to approve a state marriage amendment, which they did with 70 percent of the vote, a record-setting margin…Wright and Fox received bomb threats.  Fox arrived at his church one Sunday to find that it had been set on fire three hours earlier, all because they dared to speak out against same-sex marriage…Fox said, ‘One liberal told me, you need to shut up and go back and take care of your churches and let us take care of the state.  Needless to say, we didn’t shut up’…‘We ended up registering thousands of new voters in churches on Sunday mornings…some estimate over 100,000,’ Wright said…Pro-family candidates won some of those districts, by just 500 votes.

 

When Wright…started getting complaints from parishioners because of his public stance against same-sex marriage, he addressed the problem from the pulpit.  ‘Some of you are sending anonymous notes…and threatening to quit giving money to the church…I love you and care about you, but…every night when I turn out the lights, its just me and God.  And I’ve got to know that He is pleased with me’….The congregation immediately gave him a standing ovation.  But about 25 families walked out.  ‘It really does boil down to this—Are you here to please God or to please people, said Wright?’” (Citizen, pgs. 16-17 April 2006).  Who will take up the baton from SCC and decide to run for public office and help turn our state/country back to godly values.  If Christians don’t step up and make a difference, the day will come when our religious freedoms to preach/teach the Bible will be taken away.  Could this be the challenge you need to get started?