HisHolyChurch

 

Kingdom Newsletter, Which world? Series2.2

Why is it important to know the truth about the story of Jesus?

Because the truth will set you free. Christ came to set men free by returning every man to their families and to their possessions, yet, almost no Church today bears any resemblance to what the early Church was doing.

Today, most nations and their religious institutions are more in servitude to their modern Pharaohs than the Israelites were back in Egypt. The Bible is about the relationship of man with the God of heaven or gods of earth and their governments.

“Those who will not be ruled by God,

will be ruled by tyrants.”

Whereas, God gave us Ten Laws by which to be ruled in our hearts and our minds, men make ten thousands laws by which to rule their neighbor for profit and gain.

“The more corrupt the state, the more numerous its laws.”¹

Our relationship with God decreases as our relationship with the government of men increases.

Is there a government ordained by God?

Israel was the government of God, although it is commonly misunderstood and regularly strayed from the plan. The “voice of the people”² eventually rejected God and called for a central government. That government became exactly what God said it would become until the people rebelled in a civil war, but only making matters worse.

The truth is so did Rome. Both governments had been republics where there was “no king” elected or otherwise. It is common for men in most cultures to choose to rule over their neighbor through governments they create for themselves and then become ruled over by those very governments they have created out of covetousness. Modern Christians of the world have been no exception, and the USA has repeated this same historical pattern.

The question is how do we get back to liberty under God?

When Jesus said His kingdom was not of “this world” in John 18:36 he was not talking to you, me, or Carl Sagan. He was talking to Pontius Pilate. He was telling him that His kingdom was not a part of the jurisdiction of Rome or like the government of Rome.

Pilate was impressed and turned to the Pharisees, who were standing outside of that court. He tells them “I find in him no fault” The word fault is far more often translated “cause” and is exactly what you would hear from a judge who has decided there is no case to be heard within his jurisdiction.

Pilate washed his hands of the whole thing.

“Case Dismissed”.

Why is it important to understand that Jesus was claiming lack of jurisdiction in a court of law? Why is it important to understand that the kingdom of God was recognized by Rome?

Jesus was a king. He was the only king that cared about the rights of the people and refused to oppress them. He came to set men free in spirit and in truth. Christians who repented and followed the ways of Christ could make the same claim. Few people today really understand what early Christians were doing.

“And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:” Galatians 2:4

You cannot just say Jesus is your king, or get dunked in water, or file stacks of papers, or put a hyphen and a colon in your name and then claim you are from another jurisdiction. To find liberty under God, you must change. It was called repentance and requires that you must “turn around” and go and live another way. This means gathering together with other people and being that nation of peculiar people who actually care about their neighbor, his rights and liberty, as much as you care about your own.

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This entry was posted on Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 12:41 am and is filed under The World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.