Holy Tribal Nation series, #2

Discipline

ART GISH, IN HIS BOOK Living In Christian Community, has written, “[2 Corinthians 3:17—] The full process of Church discipline must be limited to those who have voluntarily committed themselves to this discipline. Never may Church seek to impose her will on anyone outside the community. In fact, the Church does not even have the right to impose her will on anyone in the community.” I believe Mr. Gish is referring to the Corpus Christianum (union of Church and State).

     Jeschke, in his book Discipling the Brother, stated, “It is [the Christian magistrates’] most solemn duty to support the ministry in its exercise of the ‘key of discipline’, by every lawful means in his power”.

     From reading my share of “Reformation” and “Post-Reformation“ books, I agree it was the sects of nonresistants (to the “Reformation”) which were more “in tune” with the Biblical New Testament process of Church discipline. It was these sects that became “the hunted and hounded” and experienced the sore displeasures and fierce wrath of the Roman Catholic Church (and some Protestant groups too!) that used the power of the State’s sword. The Anabaptists were especially targeted. In previous times, the Donatists in Augustine’s day were marked for “extermination”. And we cannot forget the dark call that sounded loud and clear to officially support the bloody Crusades and the Inquisition.

     Things have not changed too much in spirit, for the Organized Church of today still calls for the destruction of sects and “cults”; men in both religion and politics continue to “play God”.

     Did Jesus call for destruction of any people? Did He call His own Holy Tribal Nation to “play God”? NO! He called us to be an army alright, but not as the world has armies. Sadly, in the early Church’s transition, the Ekklesia moved from a persecuted people (hunted by Roman authorities), a nonviolent community, to a persecuting establishment—those who will not conform to Churchianity are marked for destruction if the Church can get the State to crush or expel the dissenters.

     In the post-Reformation Church, the consistory (the Church court that administrated ecclesiastical law) soon became an arm for the State, forcing conformity (just like Roman Catholicism) . . . or ELSE!

Fear!

IF ONE READS the bloody grotesque story of Church history, one will come to grips with the horrid demon of FEAR—FEAR! You see, “The doctrine of ‘no salvation’ outside the established Church [the Roman Catholic Church] came to mean ‘no existence’ as well,” as one historian put it.

     Following is a quote from Henry Townsend’s book, The Claims of the Free Churches. [In justifying the persecution of the Anabaptists, Reformer Martin Luther wrote,] “I, Luther, approve. Although it seems cruel to punish them with the sword, it is still more cruel to damn the ministry of the Word, to propagate false doctrine and spurn the truth...” I have never been a Martin Luther fan for this very reason. Although he stood for religious freedom, per se, in practice he supported the repression and persecution of any movement he thought to be a threat. Another book one may want to read is Studies on the Reformation by Rolland Bainton. The vicious mindset of Luther’s day that was found on both sides, Roman Catholic and Protestant, was persecute, torture and kill for God’s sake.

Freedom of Religion

THE WEST HAS always been a shining light in the darkness for religious freedom, but this freedom is being eroded away, dear Christians. The Beast System is breathing out threats, even as I write, especially if one does not align himself or herself to the Politically Correct (PC) BULL in power. Religious freedom means NOTHING if we are not free to choose our own faith. Our faith as Christians is, of course, rooted in Christ Jesus Himself, not some body of doctrines, or politics.

     The State has NO RIGHT or AUTHORITY to grant ANY freedom to the EKKLESIA, God’s Holy Tribal Nation. The right to our freedom was given to us when Christ spoke these words: “It is finished!” The State can only take away our external freedoms or protect them—period!! The State has NO authority in Christian faith or conscience.

World vs. Church

THESE TWO POWERS have been at war (maybe “at odds”—that is a nicer, softer phrase here!) for centuries. In Christian doctrine, the world and Church must be free of any dominion over each other. Hear me, Christian patriots! You cannot force Christian principles upon the world. We must preach the good news and let the world choose.

     Christ and Christ alone must be lifted up, not some church or state power. The Roman Catholic Church (and some Protestant churches) work in the realm of carnal power and have devised such concepts as Liberation Theology to force men into submission or free men from the same, but this is not the way of God’s Holy Tribal Nation.

Nazi Party

WE ARE ALL familiar with Hitler’s totalitarian government. Franklin H. Littell quoted the following in his book, The Free Church: ”We [the Nazi Party in Germany] demand the freedom of all religious confessions in the state, insofar as they do not imperil its stability or offend against the ethical and moral senses of the German race.” Is America going to do the same as Germany did? The true Church has almost always stood as a “threat” to the world’s totalitarian governments. You say, “General Jim, America stands for religious freedom!” Yes, dear one, but you know it, I know it, God knows it, and the Devil knows it, that there is an evil change in our government towards true Christianity.

At the Heart

AT THE HEART and soul of true Christianity is LOVE, God’s divine love for a faithful, covenant-people, and our love for Him. But when the State demands love and complete obedience over the teaching of God’s Holy Word, nothing but trouble can come from this.

     God’s love desires our desire, not our coercion or forced compulsion. God loves a people who freely love Him. We do not need to be coerced into that love by either State or Church, but led by our own deep heart-desire. The Church may point the WAY but she cannot force us into that way, and the State cannot even point us towards Christ.

     “God wants no compulsory service, on the contrary, He loves a free, willing heart that serves Him with a joyful soul and does what is right joyfully” (William R. Estep, in his book, The Anabaptist Story).

     This and this alone is what makes the heart and soul of God’s Holy Tribal Nation: the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the servanthood of His people ... in a complex yet cohesive society. This New World Order is what God has established, not a sinful, liberal Church that “says and does not.”

HOLY TRIBAL NATION Theology

MY READERS CAN read what I’ve written along with articles by Lt. Colonel Peter Green, on the Ekklesia. The theology is quiet different than that of Liberation Theology. “Liberation Theology points out all the suffering and injustices in the world—without a minimum of ‘suffering with’ this suffering that affects the great majority of the human race, Liberation Theology can neither exist nor be understood” (Leonardo Boff, Introducing Liberation Theology). What Boff is stating is that underlying Liberation Theology is a “prophetic and comradery commitment to the life, course, and struggle of millions of debased and marginalized human beings”—a commitment to ENDING this “historical-social iniquity” (through carnal force), as it is called.

     The Roman Catholic Church, in the Vatican Instruction (Aug. 1984), under “Some Aspects of Liberation Theology”, stated the following: ”It is not possible for a single instant to forget the situations of dramatic poverty from which the challenge set to theologians springs—the challenge to work out a genuine theology of Liberation.” Yet as we know, part of this “theology” is actual armed resistance, armed offensive. THIS IS MARXISM IN DISGUISE!

     God’s Holy Tribal Nation does care for the poor, the oppressed, etc., but we must rely solely upon the Sword of the Spirit, not the sword of steel.

     Liberation Theology’s first step: liberating action, “liber-a(c)tion.” The Portuguese word for “liberation” is “liberacao“, which is composed of the root “liber” (“free”) and by chance, the Portuguese word for “action” (“acao”). Yet this coupling cannot be reproduced in English.

     True “liberation” is being born-again and receiving the pure truth (God’s written and spoken Word): “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:32, KJV).

Freedom In Truth

IN THE CONTEXT of earthly human existence and carnal knowledge, many things are “true”, yet there is only ONE TRUTH that will really set people FREE from sin and Satan’s dominion over us—the truth of Jesus Christ the Lord, found in God’s Word/Spirit. The written Word testifies to the divine truth which frees one from sin, the fallen world, and the Satanic cosmos (see Eph. 2:20).

     Saving truth is revealed only from the Lord “by His Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:10) and does not originate from any person or from mere human wisdom (1 Cor. 2:12,13).

     Jesus said that “the poor will always be with us”. I will add that the unsaved will always be with us too! They are slaves to sin (Jn. 8:34; Rom. 6:17-20); therefore the unsaved are literally enslaved to sin and Satan, bound in his chains, and thus live according to the lusts of the flesh and the anti-Christ desires of Satan (Eph. 2:1-3).

     Romans 6:17-22 and 8:1-17 clearly tell us that a truly born-again believer possesses genuine salvation (eternal life) in Christ with the accompanying divine grace of the Holy Spirit. This power sets man free from the terrible power and cruel dominion of sin and immorality (Rom. 6:17-22; 8:1-17).

     A TRANSITION: free from being a slave of Satan to being a “love slave” of Christ. We are freed from the satanic realm to be free in Christ’s righteousness (Rom 6:18,22). But be it known unto you, Christians, this does not mean we are automatically free from spiritual warfare. NO! The New Testament is full of Scriptures concerning the Christians’ warfare. Request our booklets on this subject.

     In one sense, we do believe in Liberation Theology, but only in the spiritual warfare aspect, NOT the carnal. Those who do not believe in or do not know the freedom in Christ think that carnal force is necessary to acquire and maintain “law and order”, but I believe in a voluntary decision to freedom. Christ never demanded a following. So it is in the Holy Tribal Nation, the “authentic life of the new society”. We enter the Kingdom of God, not by natural birth, not by joining some church, but by a new birth of Spirit and water.

Our Faith

OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH is based in a sincere voluntary response to God’s grace. It is the Spirit of God that calls us—we respond. Old Testament faith was based on ethnic birth and shown in the sign and seal of circumcision. Preaching the Gospel, really hearing the Gospel, one’s decision for Christ and for joining God’s Holy Tribal Nation—this is all voluntary.

From the World’s Point of View

THE WORLD’S FAITH lies merely in the ability to improve natural human conditions or destroy the same! There are plenty of secular organizations that operate with the express function to “help humanity”—specialized intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) that are single-purposed or functional, plus non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are always active in political, economic and social development and/or “social cooperation”.

Peaceful vs. Non-peaceful

CONFUCIUS (551-479 BC) DEPLORED violence, and Erasmus (AD 1466-1536) rejected carnal war, considering it “brutal, wicked, wasteful, and stupid”. He wasn’t too far from being right in my estimation.

     How does the lost world deal with “the negative” without God? Well, today there is much talk about a One World Government—that will surely solve the problem, men think . . . or will it? Of course, men position themselves in the place of God for a “top down” revolutionary approach to solving the many world problems. Yet as we know, at least I know, this approach would automatically force national states/countries to give up most, if not all of their sovereignty to “a new adjudicating authority”. And the question is asked: “Unitary? (One government over all?) federalism? (a central government with self-governing states/nations?) or confederalism? (merely an alliance between individual states/nations?)”

Enforcement

CRITICS OF THE New World Order worry about the concentration of power that would be necessary to enforce international law and address the world’s “monumental economic and social problems”, not to mention religious problems.

     Whatever its diverse characteristics and controversies are, it is said that the real heart and soul of any secular international organization is the role that it plays. We already have the United Nations and many other IGOs and NGOs out there playing God. As for me, I’ll teach/preach the Gospel of Christ, for He and He ALONE has all the answers to life. In fact, it is the Christians’ command/commission to disciple the nations (—order my series of 8 teaching messages on God’s Holy Tribal Nation, taught in Dec. 2006).

Peace?

THERE WILL BE no lasting peace without Jesus Christ being the Lord over all nations! All the world can do and is doing, is promote “International Peace and Security”, create normalized laws against violence/terrorism, provide a “debate alternative” to settle issues, use so-called “diplomatic interventions”, dispatch UN military forces (of course), and blah, blah, blah! ALL humanistic! If man would adhere to God’s Bible, we would at least see a better world.

Peacekeeping vs. Peacemaking

THESE ANTITHESES, ATTEMPTED by carnal means, don’t have much effect in today’s world in terms of effective “conflict-resolution” efforts. We know the battle for and against “arms control” and “disarmament” goes in a continuous vicious cycle. There is also much quarreling over the concepts of “Supra-nationalism” (where the international organization has authority over all its members which are thus only subordinate units), “Independence” (where there is a self-directed “actor” in world politics), and “Interactive Arena” (where member states are said to pursue their “individual national interests”). There are many critics to these concepts, particularly given the unending conflicts in the world and the never-ending economic and social misery. It is ll too easy to dismiss man’s organizations as inadequate, misguided, and merely “idealistic”.

World Discipline?

GOD’S WORD LAYS out what and what not to do. Men’s laws, international or domestic, are “a humanistic combination of expectations, rules, regulations and practices that are supposed to help and govern behavior”. Man’s way does not ultimately work. This is why Jesus emphatically stated that “Ye must be born again” (Jn. 3:1-8). Being “born again” is the same as being “born from above” or having a miraculous “heavenly birth”. (See Jn 3:31).

The World Needs Christ!!

OUR JOB, DEAR Christians, is to disciple the nations (Matt. 28:19-20). If men would “love one another” as the Bible teaches, most of the world’s problems would go away. Yet what we have, dear Christian reader, is that most professors of the faith are lazy and unconcerned. This gives rise to and occasion for evil men to fill the voids. The case of God’s people doing little or nothing is a real crisis in itself!

     Let’s face it, most of the things the “Christian force” does are hypocritical and therefore have no real impact. Sure, we can feed a belly, but what about the spiritually starving? I think much of this “Christian humanism” is counterproductive.

The World Goes On...

PROBLEMS THAT COULD be quickly curtailed if God’s people would live right, continue without even the slightest cessation.

     Let me use an old literary analogy to describe international relations: it is Shakespeare’s belief that “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women...[are] players.” Looking back over time we can see that the world’s “actors”, its “plot”, its “action”, have collectively been a troubled tale.

     Some of the “actors” who have been “Christian” have acted out of self-righteousness without the true leading or blessing of the Lord. They have not helped in the least. Some mega-church organizations I know about have knowingly pursued THEIR OWN interests at the expense of others.

Is Catastrophe Certain?

THIS IS A good question. Unless we Christians get RIGHT with God, the world will continue to walk in darkness, yea, gross darkness—and evil men will use nuclear weapons to “settle their differences”. I do not believe for one minute that the U.S. has the answers for the future. God has them. Democratization is really stupid!! What we need, dear readers, is Theocratization, where God, not man/men, is in control. Let this be our goal for the future—to take Jesus to ALL THE WORLD. Amen.

~General James Green