Should Christians Protest Civil Laws?

bayarealawyers.com

You can study the Bible from cover to cover and you will not find one instance where one of God’s servants ever led a protest against a human government. The apostle Paul wrote, “Let every [person] be subject unto [obey] the higher powers”(Rom. 13:1). The Revised Standard version translates it: “Let every person be subject tot he governing authorities.”

No matter what country you live in, you are to obey the governing authorities in everything. – except, of course, any requirement to disobey God’s higher law. Thus we are to comply with all laws, even traffic laws and income tax laws, that don’t cause us to disobey one of God’s laws.

As the apostle Peter told the Jewish authorities of his day, “We ought to obey God, rather than men.” (Acts 5:29).

Regarding the paying of taxes, true Christians are to obey the established tax laws of the land, no matter how seemingly unfair. In principle, we should claim every tax exemption the government allows – but we should never protest taxation by refusing to pay what is required.

Jesus Christ set us an example to follow. The people of His day detested the Roman tax system. But Jesus Christ paid His taxes (Matt. 17:24-27). He taught: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things which are God’s” (Matt. 22:21).

True Christians are subject to the government of man and no government should find occasion to find them guilty of not obeying its laws.

Should Christians Partake In Jury Duty?

http://www.womensradio.com

The Bible teaches that Christians are not to involve themselves in judging according to man’s laws: “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matt. 7:1). On one occasion, Jesus Christ also refused to judge a matter when asked to settle a dispute over an inheritance (Luke 12:13-14).

Those who are converted to God’s way of life are called ambassadors for Christ (II Cor. 5:20). As ambassadors and citizens of the Kingdom of God, true Christians must not participate in the judgmental affairs of this world (Rev. 18:4). Notice: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20, New International Version).

It is the responsibility, however, of God’s Church to decide matters within its jurisdiction (I Cor. 6:1-5), not matters among outsiders (I Cor. 5:12-13).

Man’s judgments are concerned with the letter of the law. In contrast, God looks on one’s heart and is concerned with the spirit and intent of the law. Man’s laws usually do not take into account repentance and other spiritual factors, as God does. Jesus taught the Christians must be willing to forgive others (Matt. 6:14-15).

In the United States, the law upholds one’s rights to his religious beliefs. Therefore, persons whose deeply-held religious convictions preclude service on jury duty will often be excused from this responsibility once they make their belief known to the proper officials. Usually it suffices to simply write on the jury notice: “My religious convictions prevent me from serving and therefore I request to be excused.”  Attach a short statement stating the biblical basis of your convictions and return it within the specified time to the proper official.

Redefining "Extreme"

bumperstickers.cafepress.com/

Writing in the Washington Times today, Oliver North observes how, according to the U.S. government, you are more than likely a “right-wing extremist”:

According to the U.S. government, I am an extremist. I am a Christian—and meet regularly with other Christians to study God’s Word. My faith convinces me the prophecies in the Holy Bible are true.

I believe in the sanctity of human life, oppose abortion and want to preserve marriage as the union of a man and a woman. I am a veteran with skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat.

I own several firearms, frequently shoot them, buy ammunition and consider efforts to infringe on my Second Amendment rights to be wrong and unconstitutional.

I fervently support the sovereignty of the United States, and I am deeply concerned about our economy, increasingly higher taxes, illegal immigration, soaring unemployment and actions by our government that will bury my children beneath a mountain of debt.

Issued by the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security, the nine-page report titled “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment” is loaded with warnings about how everyday Americans could soon be considered enemies of the state.

“It is one of the most alarming documents produced by our government that I have ever read,” notes North, and one that you and I are not supposed to know about. Apparently, at the bottom of the cover page of the report is a warning that it is “not to be released to the public, the media, or other personnel who do not have a valid need-to-know.”

North concludes with a grim and foreboding scenario:

According to this homeland security assessment, the most dangerous threat we face here at home isn’t from radical imams preaching violence in U.S. mosques and madrassas; Islamists recruiting in our prisons; Somali terrorists enticing young immigrants to become suicide bombers; or Hamas, Hezbollah or al Qaeda operatives plotting mass murder. No, according to the department, the real threat is what our government labels “right-wing extremist ideology.”

Progressive Fascism: The New American Way?

shelbspeaks.wordpress.com/

Although this is a blog about religion, we have to face the fact that politics play a huge part in the subject. God talks about the governments of man, intervenes in their ways and tells us that ultimately, He will overthrow all of man’s governments and will rule all by His government of love.

So I found a great little blog post at Ceo4aday that talks about the modern fascist frame of mind in light of the fall of wall street, government intervention (restructuring) of huge American private companies, and limited choices to consumers. While I don’t necessarily agree with all points of the article, today we are indeed witnessing a lot of  “theatrical presentations as the state reaches deep into the lives of its citizens molding their values, limiting their choices and transforming their society for the good of the state.”

The author speaks about an America that is in peril, subject to a leftist liberal (read fascist) state which will enforce their promised clean air at the expense of a lower standard of life.

The American voter has received what he asked for, but the end result may be a big shock. Instead of looking to God in time of need, tens of millions childishly voted for what they thought was their physical Messiah. But they will be gravely disappointed as the slick message of hope and change — big talk, glowing write-ups and high expectations — leads to unexpected and unpleasant results. Hang on, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Does The Bible Mention Man Having 6000 Years Of Self Rule?

http://www.cityofmemphis.org/framework.aspx?page=557

Most people have never heard about God’s 7000-year master plan for mankind. That great plan is pictured by the seven-day week. As Genesis shows, God refashioned the earth and created all life forms in six days and then rested on the Sabbath. God also gave man six days in which to work, followed by a day of rest (Ex. 20:9-11). On the seventh day, man is to put aside his normal routine of daily activities and worship the true God (Isa.58:13-14).

The apostle Peter undoubtedly understood that the seven-day week is a pattern which applies to time on a far grander scale. He wrote, “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (II Pet. 3:8, NKJV). The apostle Paul also had this principle in mind when he explained that the seventh day of the week pictures the peaceful time of rest that will follow this present age of human activity (Heb. 4:3-11). The apostle John tells us that this period will occur after Christ’s intervention in world affairs and that it will last a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-4).

Since the seventh day of the week symbolizes 1000 years of peace under the rule of Jesus Christ, the first six days of the week represent 6000 years in which man has been allowed to govern himself and work out his own ideas and plans. In other words, each day of the week represents 1000 years of human existence.

Where are we now in this great plan? Charts which list biblical events in time order (these can be found in some Bibles) are accurate enough to show that HUMAN LIFE was created about 4000 years before the birth of Christ. History makes it clear that almost another 2000 years have elapsed since then — making a total of nearly 6000 years of human civilization to date. In short, man’s “week” is nearly over, and God’s great millennial rest will soon be here.