The Prophet Thomas Jefferson
by Brian J. Hennessy
Part 4
"Voluntary Slavery"
The term Jefferson used to describe America's continued compliance with British rule was "voluntary slavery." It was a condition he found so dreadful and deplorable he could think of nothing worse. Unfortunately, there is no more apt term for describing the Church's present relationship with the organized church.
Our affiliation with this system could certainly be termed "voluntary," because there are no longer soldiers pounding at our door demanding to know why we didn't show up for church last Sunday. A rude awakening that our spiritual forefathers in Europe often experienced. The worst we suffer today for "missing mass" is a raised eyebrow from a fellow parishioner who we might pass on the street the next day. Or perhaps a friendly call from a deacon or the pastor's wife inquiring as to the state of our health, and saying how much they're looking forward to seeing us again in church next week. Maybe, if we are a no-show for two or three weeks in a row, we might warrant a visit from pastor himself. But even then he will try to be understanding while he explains the value of "our gathering together." After all, he knows he is in competition with the church down the street for our name on the membership role and cannot be too abrasive.
In the heyday of Roman Catholicism, pastors didn't have to worry about numbers. Or even being nice. There was no pressure to grow the church as today, because basically everyone who lived in a pastor's geographic region (called a parish) was required to be a member. If the church did grow it was due mostly to an increase in the birth rate. As the pastor moved up the corporate ladder, he was transferred to a more populated area - hence a larger parish. If he got to pastor a big city church, for example, he would then be called a bishop.
It wasn't until after the Reformation (which worked something like deregulation) that pastors suddenly had to compete with other pastors or denominations for membership. This has definitely led to a kinder, gentler church. The free enterprise system has kept church management accountable to the customer - and kept the amount of mayhem in the name of God to a minimum. Emotional and sexual abuse may abound, but as bad as that is, at least nobody has been burned at the stake in awhile.
Yet as "voluntary" as our attendance at a church might be today, it's still a form of "slavery." By meekly turning over the spiritual control of our lives to the professionals, and accepting the status of "laity," we surrender our freedom (not to mention our royal priesthood) in Messiah. Consequently, only a few ever really experience the freedom of flight in learning how to follow the leading of the Spirit for themselves. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom" (2 Cor. 3:17). Without this freedom to learn by trial and error, it is impossible to mature. We remain as babes in Messiah, continually dependent upon the trained clergy to feed us the Word, fight our spiritual battles, give us spiritual direction, and keep things kosher between us and God. As Paul declares also to the Galatians, "As long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything" (Gal. 4:1).
This continual dependency upon professional church leadership, and acquiescence to their authority, short-circuits our willingness and confidence to minister for God ourselves because we feel unqualified. We are blinded to the fact that we are a royal priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:9). We are all "clergy" (from clerus meaning "allotment, property of") - i.e. belonging to God and called to perform some vital and unique task in the Body of Messiah with His anointing.
Consider this candid statement by a pastor who was convicted by the Holy Spirit
on this issue: "The leadership of the church has sinned against the Body of
Christ by communicating to God's people
that they are not fit to serve Him. I still remember the day when I had to get
out of my chair in my office and fall flat on my face on the rug asking God to
forgive me because He had showed me clearly that I would be held responsible for
every ministry I stole from my people." (Cook, Love, Acceptance &
Forgiveness)
To make matters worse, much of the work we perform under the direction of the
professional church leadership, because it really is not the work to which we
have been called, becomes wood, hay and stubble. Which means that the real work
of God, the work He called us to, the work He would perform through us causing
it to become silver and gold, is left undone. And the Kingdom suffers
accordingly. Listen to Jeremiah as he cries out against the distracting,
burdensome evils of the religious system in his day.
"The
shameful thing has consumed the labor of our fathers since our youth, their
flocks and their herds, their sons and daughters (how many sons and daughters
have we sacrificed to become nuns, priests, missionaries and ministers to serve
the Church?) Let us lie down in our shame, and let our humiliation cover us; for
we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, since our youth
even to this day. And we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God"
(Jer. 3: 24,25).
The bottom
line is we have not been obeying the voice of the Lord our God. By listening to
the voice of men and their traditions instead, we are serving other masters and
other agendas. It matters not how spiritual and benevolent these other masters
may be. Or how worthwhile their agendas. We are supposed to be Messiah's, and
Messiah's alone. Jesus set us free from the unfruitful religious ways of this
world so we could follow Him as the Way. He is our only Shepherd (pastor). No
man or woman, board or bishop, tradition or creed is to have the final say on
how we are to follow Jesus. It is a very intimate, personal, one-on-one
relationship.
When a brother or sister, or someone with true spiritual authority in the church does have a word of direction for us from the Lord (recognizing these true "leaders" is part of the discernment of the Holy Spirit), we are never to just act on that information - no matter how "spiritual" the person may be in our sight. No, we are to seek the Lord and His Word about it. As a general rule of thumb, any personal direction from God that comes to us through other believers will either be confirmational or preparational. Never operational. That means if the message truly is of the Lord, He has either already spoken it to our hearts and this word was given to confirm it. Or this word is given to prepare our hearts to receive it directly from Him later on. Even when we receive a loving exhortation concerning some part of our walk, unless we are clearly sinning or promoting a false Gospel, it should be taken to God first before responding. (If the charge is true, the Holy Spirit will surely convict us of it and we need to repent.) Sometimes the preparation and confirmation from the Lord are simultaneous. But the point is, without His explicit seal of approval spoken to our heart we should not be too quick to respond. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me," Jesus said. "...and no one shall snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27, 28).
If only the followers of David Koresh and Jim Jones had been aware of that truth. But then again, they were doing no more or no less than any Christian congregation which treats their pastor as the head of the church. Or any pastor who treats his bishop as the head of the church. For all, the error is the same, though the consequences might be greater for some.
"Awake, Awake!"
The freedom to follow Jesus one-on-one, without having our spiritual lives co-opted by a religious hierarchy, was understood and practiced by the first-century Church. However, when the wolves dressed in sheep's clothing infiltrated the sheepfold in the second century, the rules got rewritten. If we hadn't had the God-inspired writings of the early Jewish leadership to refer back to (which we now call "The New Testament"), we would have never been able to get free of the chains.
When the Scriptures were finally wrested from the exclusive control of the clergy who had managed to keep them under lock and key for many centuries, the truth of the Gospel (and the truth about the errors of the organized church) began to spread quickly. Those who were called of God were given "eyes to see and ears to hear," and by their courageous faith helped put us back on the road to freedom.
The Reformation period was truly a wake-up call from the Spirit of God, nudging and prompting the sleeping Church to rise from its long captivity. This in preparation for the promised final "restoration of all things," as was spoken by Peter in Acts 3:21. But because the deception was so great, and the bondage so complex, the Spirit knew it would take more than that Reformation, or the ones that followed, to set the church completely free. The full awakening and deliverance would have to be left to another generation. That generation, I believe, is ours.
The words of the prophets are ringing out like an alarm clock now, saying, wake
up! That "...it is the Lord's time to favor Zion, yea, the set time is
come" (Ps. 102:13). Listen to this word from Isaiah:
"Awake,
awake, clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; clothe yourself in your
beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city. For the uncircumcised and the
unclean will no more come into you. Shake yourself from the dust; rise up, O
captive Jerusalem. Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive
daughter of Zion" (Isa. 52:1-2).
God is
telling us that the set time for His full restoration has come. That it's time
to rouse ourselves and allow His Voice to cut through the cobwebs of our mind as
never before. For nothing will bring us into full alert faster than hearing the
Master's voice and knowing it is He. And hearing it, we are warned, "do not
harden your heart, as in the day of the rebellion" (Heb. 3:15).
Isaiah lists four steps we should take after awakening. First, quickly "clothe yourself in your strength...your beautiful garments." You must put on your "robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10). You must believe with all your heart, that if you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ you have been born again, and therefore you are completely righteous in God's sight. Not because of anything you did, but what Jesus did. And that by faith in His once-for-all sacrifice for sin, God's righteousness has been reckoned to you (see Rom. 4:22-25). You are now clean in His sight. Holy and pure. And if you sin again, know He has made provision for you to get clean again. Use it (see 1John 1:9). Believe that God has nothing against you now. He loves you! YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO ANY MORE RELIGIOUS WORKS TO TRY AND BE ACCEPTED BY GOD! YOU CAN REST. YOU ARE ALREADY HIS CHILD!
Next, Isaiah says, stretch and "shake yourself from the dust." Put aside whatever dusty religious traditions you have been obeying which "...make void the word of God" (Mark 7:13). Don't let these traditions rule you and rob you of life any longer.
Then - "RISE UP!" Take a step of faith as the Lord leads. As you move, God will move. Fear not - He is with you! Take a stand for the Word of God! And be healed!
And finally, "loose yourself from the chains around your neck." The religious chains that bind you ARE NOT LOCKED! You're free! Jesus set you free the moment you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. You were deceived into thinking you had to submit yourself to the Empire. Take courage now and walk forth. Watch those chains drop off like they were made of papier-mâché. Shout for joy! You're free! Don't let anyone talk you into going back into your cell again. "It's for freedom that Messiah set us free; therefore keep standing firm, and DO NOT be subject to a yoke of slavery again" (Gal 5:1).
We The People
The genius of America's constitutional government, so wisely crafted by our Forefathers, is seen in the way it limits the power of government. It made sure that final authority was not left in the hands of those who ruled, but in the hands of those who are ruled. Nothing like it had ever been conceived - much less tried - in the history of national governments. Even in Great Britain where our forefathers gained much of their wisdom and experience, they had never taken it this far. In fact the document is so wisely crafted I don't doubt for a second it was greatly assisted by the Spirit of God.
But in the same way that the Constitution of the United States protects the freedoms of all Americans from unrepresentative, despotic government, the New Covenant of the Bible also protects God's people from would-be religious dictators. It declares "we the people" are the Church. He did not interpose between Himself and us a government of religious leaders with authority to control our spiritual lives. He interposed only the Holy Spirit, giving Him to each of us, with the freedom to follow Him accordingly.
However, as personal freedom in America has eroded because we allowed more and more unconstitutional power to be appropriated by a burgeoning central government, the same occurred in the Body of Messiah. We too grew lazy and allowed men to do for us what we should have been doing for ourselves all along. Men who liked to "dress up as mother and be called Father," as one honest Episcopalian priest jokingly described himself. And before long our "servants" had become our masters. They were now the "clergy" - and we mere "laity." We were no longer the Church - they were! The Scriptures now belonged to them also. And only they could correctly interpret and teach them. All our sovereign freedom to follow Messiah according to the individual leading and revelation of the Holy Spirit was surrendered. They now decided what was truth, and what was not. They now determined when we would worship, how we would worship, and where we would worship. And because for a time they had the power of the state plus tradition behind them, we had to comply.
But just as America is finally realizing it has allowed our elitist "nanny" government to arise in violation of many Constitutional protections, so must the Church of Jesus Christ. Ultimately it is not the individual men and women who serve as clergy who are the real problem (although there are certainly plenty of exceptions to that statement). Nor is it the wicked principalities and powers in heavenly places that we know lie behind all this religion. It is we who are most at fault. For all authority in heaven and on earth was given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Not even the gates of Hell should be able to prevail against us! What did we do with all this power and authority? We gave it away - as naively as Adam gave away the keys to Paradise! Well it's time we reclaimed that authority. It's time we rose up and became the true Church of Jesus Christ that God intended!
The Empire Strikes Back
A battle lies ahead. In preparation, let us listen carefully again to the words of Jefferson: "We gratefully acknowledge, as signal instances of the Divine favor towards us, that His Providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy until we had grown up to our present strength."
More than 450 years have passed since the Reformation. Its been over 200 years since the Constitution of the United States proclaimed the birth of this nation and declared us free from the tyranny of state religion. This inspired document entrusted us with the responsibility to follow our own conscience under the leading of the Holy Spirit. Yet, with all our God-given freedom, Believers have been content to abide quietly, and we think quite safely, within the massive Wall of the Empire. Surely we would do well to take a lesson from the battle-weary Israelis, those who know in their heart that until Messiah comes, what is presently being termed "Peace," is really only a lull between wars.
Those Protestant denominations that still see themselves as vigil defenders of the Reformation, standing guard against the incursion of Papist doctrines, don't realize they've already been outflanked. Even though Rome itself is no longer the superpower it once was, as a system it has permeated the entire Christian Church with numbing effect. Evidence of this was seen recently by the efforts of several well-known Evangelical leaders to get the Protestant churches to reunite with Rome. As if the Reformation was a mistake! A reunited church they say would allow us to present a stronger front against atheistic humanism while improving efforts of evangelism. It can happen, they assure us, if we will just focus on our commonly held beliefs, and not on our historic differences (meaning, I presume, Rome's many idolatrous practices, grossly unbiblical doctrines, and murderous history against true believers).
I have no doubt, that sooner or later, the ecclesiastical remnants of the empire will reunite (possibly incorporating other religions as well) and strike again. For the same religious spirit that killed our forefathers so mercilessly and so self-righteously still inhabits its inner sanctums. As a house divided it cannot stand much longer. As a house unified worldwide it will be bigger and crueler than ever. Once it regains the political arm of the State it will again be able to enforce its religious beliefs upon all. This unholy alliance of church and state will stand up on its "feet of ten toes," and go forth in renewed imperial splendor to conquer. The world will watch in amazement as the "Mother of Harlots" riding upon "the beast of seven heads and ten horns... with the head who was and is not and is about to come," revs up her murderous machinery of persecution again. Before going down to swift and certain destruction.
That hate-filled religious spirit, which fueled the persecutions of the past, was the very instrument Satan used to bring about the death of Jesus, the Head of the Church. So it shouldn't surprise us that he would use it one more time to try and murder His Body. As Jesus warned, "If they persecuted Me, they'll persecute you" (John 15:20).
However, the Lord is faithful and patient. Just as He held back mighty Britain until young America was ready for battle, so too, He has waited all this time for us to reach sufficient maturity. Time was needed so that we might be properly trained and equipped in the use of spiritual weapons to meet this final end-time challenge successfully. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the pulling down of fortresses. We're destroying speculations and every lofty thing (like steeples) raised against the knowledge of God, and we're taking every thought captive to the obedience of Messiah" (1 Cor. 10:3-5).
As we prepare to enter this conflict, let us remember with a deep sense of pride and indebtedness, that those who went before us paid a heavy price to bring us to this point. Never was it more truly said, "that we see as clearly as we do, because we stand on the shoulders of giants." And if the words of Hebrews 12:1 be applied, this "cloud of witnesses" will surely be on their feet shouting and cheering us on to victory. To quote Jefferson again, we owe it to them, "our gallant ancestors," as well as to "our innocent posterity," not "to tamely surrender that freedom which we have received." We need to fight the good fight and finish the race!
A Time Of Separation
Make no mistake, this challenge facing us will be primarily one of separation. We need to remember that not all separation is bad (just as not all unity is good). Jesus said there would be a separation of the tares from the wheat and the sheep from the goats. The separation of the Israelites from Egypt was a godly separation. So was the Reformation. So even was the American Revolution. When those who are in the driver's seat refuse to follow God's roadmap, and won't listen to the cries and warnings of the passengers that the bus is heading towards the cliff, then often the only choice left to you is to get off the bus. Plus, nothing will speak louder to those still on the bus that something is really wrong than your actual departure. You can talk all you want about the evils of organized religion, but your step of faith out the door will speak volumes more. Leaving is really an act of tough love.
The type of separation that is involved here, is the central teaching communicated in the Hebrew word for "sanctification." The more I choose to listen to the Holy Spirit and separate from that which is opposed to God's word, the more "at one" with God I become. "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23). And the more "at one" I become with God, the more I find that I am being united with others who are also cooperating with the Holy Spirit's cleansing, purifying work. Through this process of continual separation, the Body is actually becoming more united. How else will he have a single Bride that is without spot or wrinkle?
This massive and final separation from the institutional church, that I believe will soon take place, will certainly divide us from those who'll continue to cling to that church for security. Many will be relatives, friends, neighbors, and other Christians. They will think us heretics for wanting to separate from what they suppose to be the historic Church of Jesus Christ. But what do the Scriptures say? "For we are the Temple of the Living God...therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord...and I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:15-18).
Whether we feel ready for this conflict or not is not important. Circumstances will impel us soon enough into its midst and we will discover His timing is always perfect. We would do well, therefore, to remember again these inspiring words of Jefferson in the days ahead: "Our cause is just. Our union (in Messiah) is perfect. Our internal resources (of the Spirit) are great."
Cutting the Unbiblical Cord
In the days of 1776, the world witnessed the birth of a unique nation, a nation that actually foreshadowed in many ways the holy nation yet to come. America became the great melting pot of humanity and showed the world that men of all colors, cultures, and nationalities could sublimate their original heritage and become known as "Americans." So too, this new nation that is soon to appear on earth will blend together those from every walk of life.
"All who will..." the Scriptures invite. And all who do - have clothed themselves with Jesus and become one Body. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Jesus" (Gal. 3:28). One new corporate Man.
However, unlike this nation which began with such promise, but has now succumbed like all nations to the greed and malevolence of the human condition, the coming Israel of God, the New Jerusalem, will be holy and righteous and perfect and filled with God's glory. It will be a nation of priests - the Kingdom of God made manifest - ministering God's love to the world. It shall be a Kingdom that will never pass away, but will rule forever. (See Dan. 7:27)
The glorious vision that Isaiah expressed of this coming millennium of peace is almost intoxicating in its scope: "And the Law will go forth from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war" (Isa. 2:3,4).
What's more, I have no doubt that we'll all discover before this whole thing is over that we are more than just a congregation of diverse peoples who all believe in the same God. We'll find that all believers, Jew and Gentile alike, are actually the scattered spiritual and physical offspring of Abraham. That we are the chosen remnant of the two houses of Israel, Judah and Israel, now made righteous. "For if you belong to Messiah, you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise" (Gal. 3:29). But even if we began as sons of Abraham, we will finish as sons of God. As Paul, quoting Hosea, reminded the Roman Church: "I will call those who were not My people, 'My people,' and her who was not beloved, 'Beloved,' And it shall be in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people, there they shall be called sons of the living God" (Rom. 9:25,26). This final step of the adoption process shall happen in the twinkling of an eye... we shall be changed from a caterpillar into a butterfly " - "and we shall be like Him" (1 John 3:2). And from then on, "just as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:49,50). But right now, "the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together ...and we ourselves, groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly our adoption as (God's) sons, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:22,23).
As Israel was brought forth from the womb of the Egyptian Empire after many labor pains, so too will the Israel of God finally be delivered from this worldwide Ecclesiastical Empire. "Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?" Isaiah asks almost in disbelief at what he has seen in the spirit. "Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons" (Isa. 66: 8).
We have come full term. Let us not delay at the womb and miss the hour of our
delivery. Now is the time to cut the unbiblical cord to Mother, "And I
heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, that you
may not partake of her sins, and receive of her plagues'" (Rev. 18:4).