Presbyterian Church NS
01-06-2007, 05:50
(Discussion of the Show and the Topics is permitted and Requested in this thread)
*The Hour of Truth is a Syndicated Religious Program that is an outreach ministry of the Presbyterian Church in Nationstates. The PCNS (Presbyterian Church in Nationstates) subscribes to the Westminster Confession of Faith and stands for the Orthodox Truths of the Christian faith in the face of modernism in and outside the body of Christ. Each week, the program will feature a live sermon from the world famous pulpit of the New Geneva Presbyterian Church (formerly the Imperial Cathedral) from the Head Pastor and Moderator of the PCNS, Dr. Kenneth Stevens, as well as short segments addressing the current issues of the day, on NS and off, and a guest speaker..*
*fade in from black of an aerial shot of the city of New Geneva, with the New Geneva Presbyterian Church, the largest building and the city, and the largest Church in the NS world towering 150 stories into the air. The giant steeple of the church is infact a skyscraper of sorts that contains the offices of the many ministries and programs of the PCNS*
*Announcer* "Welcome to the Hour of Truth, sharing the truth like the trumpet sounds, that the walls of lies come crumbing down. Your host is Dr. Kenneth Stevens, the Head Pastor of New Geneva Presbyterian Church and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Nationstates. Come join us as we light the torch of truth that all the world may be made to see."
The 1025 rank organ (the second largest in the world) sounds powerfully the opening chords of the processional hymn, as the distintive triplet clarion call that appeared before each stanza of this particular hymn blared out from the antiphonal organ's mighty trumpets.
"God of our Fathers' whose allmighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of Shining worlds in splendor through the skies
Our Grateful Songs before thy throne arise!"
The 200 voice chancel Choir began processing down the cavernous sanctuary. The size of 3 football stadiums, it sat nearly 50,000 at full capacity. This day, roughly 40,000 were in attendance. The chancel was decorated with geometrically patterned stain glass windows that towered stories above the parishoners. Huge columns of marble and coral ascended skyward to support the dome of the sanctuary. The clarion call sounded again, answered this time by the main trumpets.
"Thy love divine hath led us in the past
In this free land, by thee our lot is cast;
Be thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay,
Thy word our Law, thy paths our chosen way."
As the choir took their place high on the chancel beneath the front facade of the giant organ, the ministering pastors filed into their places in the pulpits.
The organ then majestically modulated the key blaring the trumpets in the front and on the sides of the church before introducing the tune in the largest pipes of the organ, shaking the ribcages of all present.
"Refresh thy people on their toilsome way,
Lead us from night to everlasting day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine
And Glory, laud, and praise be ever thine!"
As the last notes ascended into the air, Dr. Stevens began to pray.
"Heavenly Father, we come to you with broken and contrite hearts, confessing the sins not only of our own hearts, but the sins of the nations and of the world. Refresh thy people, we pray, O Lord, that we may turn our backs on sin, and on the flesh, and on all the trinkets of this world and that we may return ourselves to you...that thy Word should be our law, not the contrivances of men...and that THY paths should be our chosen ways not those that we have ordained for ourselves. We humble ourselves before you, and ask that you heal our land in this day...Amen."
*Announcer: Have you ever heard anyone tell you that religion's place is out of the public square? That religion and politics don't mix? That a strict separation of Church and State is the only way to ensure a fair system? Have you ever heard what God has to say on the subject? Dr. Stevens explores this topic today in his live message, "Separation of Heart and Head."
Then, we are going to hear from a candidate for the Baptist Convention in Northop-Grumman where the Separation of Church and State issue has come to a head on the opposite extreme of what we would normally expect.
Also, we will hear a letter from our Brother in Christ, Dr. Peter Graves, the one time Moderator of this denomination as he stands trial in Pantocratoria and possibly faces extradition to the criminal state of Iesus Christi on a bevy of false charges leveled by the Iesian Government. But first, Dr. Stevens' message.*
Image of Dr. Stevens standing at the immense pulpit
“Our Old Testament Scripture for today is found in Isaiah, Chapter 31…verses 1-3. Listen…these are the very words of the living God:
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsement, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One f Israel, neither seek the Lord!
Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not cal back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the help of them that work iniquity.
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch our his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.” Dr. Stevens closed the Bible on the Lectern. “May the Lord greatly bless the reading and the hearing of his word, for his name’s sake.”
“Now, what I am about to say may shock many of you…but I believe in the Separation of Church and State.” He paused a moment to let the line sink in.
“I believe in the Separation of Church and State as God intended it…but not in the sense that Modern man has come to understand it. The Church and the State are two separate parts of one functioning whole. The Church is the Heart and the state is the head. The Church is the conscience and the taskmaster of the state, and the state is the executive branch that executes and maintains the laws. Fully separating Church and State will have the effect on the State that separating the head from the heart would have. It will eventually die.
Under the Old Testament, the Church and the State were one and there was effectively a theocracy that was run by the laws set down in the Old Testament. I am sure many haven’t taken the time to look…but a significant portion of this black book is filled with laws from God to his people and God to his state. Some of these laws are now only moral guidelines as these shadows have now been replaced by the fullness of Christ. Most of these laws tend to be the ceremonial laws and the laws specifically directing the day to day running of the government in Israel. However…a good majority of these laws are still quite applicable to us and to our nation today.
I chose the particular text that was just read a moment ago because it is the text that is most often cited to discourage Christians from entering politics. It has been said as a criticism of almost every Christian politician that ever sought to follow righteousness and truth and pursue a more Godly path for his own nation. They always accuse them of Going down to Egypt for their help.
At the time Israel was a large political player, but it couldn’t survive on its own. When the Assyrians came, they would ally with the Egyptians to make sure the Assyrians didn’t get too much power. When the Egyptians made a move, they would ally with with the Assyrians, and so on. So when Israel was being threatened at this time…they sought to ally themselves with the Egyptians…but this was at the direct opposition of God. God warned them that leaning on Pharoah’s staff would puncture their hand. This part of the verse goes a long way in condemning the use of ungodly means to achieve Godly ends. That being the reliance on Egypt rather than God for Israel’s salvation. It is certainly a Good thing to preserve Israel…but not in the way they chose to do it.
Christians, in turning to politics, are not leaning on Pharoah’s staff to the exclusion of God. Rather, we believing Christians are leaning on God and his truth guides us. It is those Christians who would willingly step aside and allow legalized abortion and gay marriage and other such injustices to continue that have fallen on Pharaoh’s staff. They have trusted in the government of men.
For our government and everyone in it is simply flesh. They are not God. A man can say that religion has no place in politics until he is blue in the face, but when God in Heaven strikes him down, when God in heaven crushes his tiny heart between his finger tips…his mouth will fall silent! We can all humm and haww about the benefits of keeping religious thought out of our political system…but did we forget that it is God who gave us this political system? God is the one who installed the princes of the earth, and they serve at the King’s pleasure. And when these rebellious princes flounder and fall…its is not chance that fells them but God’s own hand.
God is the giver of Freedom…as the song says…”My father, God, to thee AUTHOR OF LIBERTY!” How dare we take the gift that our creator has given us and throw it back in his face!? All of this question of religion in politics comes down to a simple question…How big is God?
Some people prefer to believe in a small God so that hes there and can help when they need him, but quietly goes away when they think their problems are solved.
Some people believe in no God at all and that they direct their own destines. And they eventually direct their destinies to hell.
Others believe that God is the King of the Universe…he not only created but rules over all the earth. Except of course when it comes to politics and public life…then God steps aside to let us humans handle the dirty work.
Bretheren…Our God is an awesome God. He is a great King over all the Earth! He rules not only where we want him to, but often where we don’t want him to. He rules the political world just like the natural world. He called us into being and directs our courses…there is nothing that is magically beyond his control and we as Christians are obligated by our faith to make his paths our chosen ways.
When our nations fall away…when they kick God out of the classrooms, when they take down the ten commandments from the court houses, when a scientologist has more of a right to free speech than a Christian…it is every Christian’s solemn duty to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Take to the streets, yes. Write letters, yes. Raise money, yes. Run for office, yes yes and yes.
We have a Biblical mandate to reclaim this culture and this world for Jesus Christ. And wherever Jesus is being attacked…whenever God’s laws are being replaced with man’s foolishness…there is where you will see us, the faithful followers of Christ raising up the standard of God against all wickedness!
The Role of the Church in all this, is not to ever function as the state. The Church is the conscience of the state and conscience of the nation. The Church is the one that calls the people and the princes to God and pronounces the judgement of the heavens upon the works of hell here on this little rock. The role of the Church is to train strong, and informed believers who can go out and confront their culture in their day to day lives, and even run for office…or even be President. The Church is what keeps the politicians in line, the Church is what keeps our desires in line with the laws of Christ.
To all those out there who are consistently working in their nations for the furtherance of the Kingdom…I salute you and I pray for you. But for those of you who have been duped into believing that you should stay out of the public light…I pray much more fervently for you, that God may make his voice sound through you and that he may melt your heart and work his righteousness through you.
Some would have you believe that we worship a dead God…and that we should keep our mourning to ourselves…have a funeral service every Sunday morning and privately reflect at home…and otherwise push it out of our heads. I tell you, our God is a living God…and he will judge the quick and the dead when that day of Judgement comes. Where do you want to stand, Christian? In the long line of those who could have done something for Jesus, but were too afraid to try…or in the line of saints crowned in Glory?
Let us pray.
Heavely father, we ask that you would raise up in this generation Godly men and women to further your work on earth. We pray for the nations all over the world where Christianity and your church are being oppressed. We pray that the world will open their eyes and see the truth before that day when every knee will bow and confess you to be Lord…for in that day, all shall know, but those who lived in disbelief, and in iniquity, will suffer the due rewards of their sins…but those who trusted in you…by Faith alone, through Grace will they be saved…and that not of themselves…but only through the perfect work and sacrifice of your son Jesus Christ. May his name ever be praised. Amen.”
*The Hour of Truth is a Syndicated Religious Program that is an outreach ministry of the Presbyterian Church in Nationstates. The PCNS (Presbyterian Church in Nationstates) subscribes to the Westminster Confession of Faith and stands for the Orthodox Truths of the Christian faith in the face of modernism in and outside the body of Christ. Each week, the program will feature a live sermon from the world famous pulpit of the New Geneva Presbyterian Church (formerly the Imperial Cathedral) from the Head Pastor and Moderator of the PCNS, Dr. Kenneth Stevens, as well as short segments addressing the current issues of the day, on NS and off, and a guest speaker..*
*fade in from black of an aerial shot of the city of New Geneva, with the New Geneva Presbyterian Church, the largest building and the city, and the largest Church in the NS world towering 150 stories into the air. The giant steeple of the church is infact a skyscraper of sorts that contains the offices of the many ministries and programs of the PCNS*
*Announcer* "Welcome to the Hour of Truth, sharing the truth like the trumpet sounds, that the walls of lies come crumbing down. Your host is Dr. Kenneth Stevens, the Head Pastor of New Geneva Presbyterian Church and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Nationstates. Come join us as we light the torch of truth that all the world may be made to see."
The 1025 rank organ (the second largest in the world) sounds powerfully the opening chords of the processional hymn, as the distintive triplet clarion call that appeared before each stanza of this particular hymn blared out from the antiphonal organ's mighty trumpets.
"God of our Fathers' whose allmighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of Shining worlds in splendor through the skies
Our Grateful Songs before thy throne arise!"
The 200 voice chancel Choir began processing down the cavernous sanctuary. The size of 3 football stadiums, it sat nearly 50,000 at full capacity. This day, roughly 40,000 were in attendance. The chancel was decorated with geometrically patterned stain glass windows that towered stories above the parishoners. Huge columns of marble and coral ascended skyward to support the dome of the sanctuary. The clarion call sounded again, answered this time by the main trumpets.
"Thy love divine hath led us in the past
In this free land, by thee our lot is cast;
Be thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay,
Thy word our Law, thy paths our chosen way."
As the choir took their place high on the chancel beneath the front facade of the giant organ, the ministering pastors filed into their places in the pulpits.
The organ then majestically modulated the key blaring the trumpets in the front and on the sides of the church before introducing the tune in the largest pipes of the organ, shaking the ribcages of all present.
"Refresh thy people on their toilsome way,
Lead us from night to everlasting day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine
And Glory, laud, and praise be ever thine!"
As the last notes ascended into the air, Dr. Stevens began to pray.
"Heavenly Father, we come to you with broken and contrite hearts, confessing the sins not only of our own hearts, but the sins of the nations and of the world. Refresh thy people, we pray, O Lord, that we may turn our backs on sin, and on the flesh, and on all the trinkets of this world and that we may return ourselves to you...that thy Word should be our law, not the contrivances of men...and that THY paths should be our chosen ways not those that we have ordained for ourselves. We humble ourselves before you, and ask that you heal our land in this day...Amen."
*Announcer: Have you ever heard anyone tell you that religion's place is out of the public square? That religion and politics don't mix? That a strict separation of Church and State is the only way to ensure a fair system? Have you ever heard what God has to say on the subject? Dr. Stevens explores this topic today in his live message, "Separation of Heart and Head."
Then, we are going to hear from a candidate for the Baptist Convention in Northop-Grumman where the Separation of Church and State issue has come to a head on the opposite extreme of what we would normally expect.
Also, we will hear a letter from our Brother in Christ, Dr. Peter Graves, the one time Moderator of this denomination as he stands trial in Pantocratoria and possibly faces extradition to the criminal state of Iesus Christi on a bevy of false charges leveled by the Iesian Government. But first, Dr. Stevens' message.*
Image of Dr. Stevens standing at the immense pulpit
“Our Old Testament Scripture for today is found in Isaiah, Chapter 31…verses 1-3. Listen…these are the very words of the living God:
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsement, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One f Israel, neither seek the Lord!
Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not cal back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the help of them that work iniquity.
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch our his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.” Dr. Stevens closed the Bible on the Lectern. “May the Lord greatly bless the reading and the hearing of his word, for his name’s sake.”
“Now, what I am about to say may shock many of you…but I believe in the Separation of Church and State.” He paused a moment to let the line sink in.
“I believe in the Separation of Church and State as God intended it…but not in the sense that Modern man has come to understand it. The Church and the State are two separate parts of one functioning whole. The Church is the Heart and the state is the head. The Church is the conscience and the taskmaster of the state, and the state is the executive branch that executes and maintains the laws. Fully separating Church and State will have the effect on the State that separating the head from the heart would have. It will eventually die.
Under the Old Testament, the Church and the State were one and there was effectively a theocracy that was run by the laws set down in the Old Testament. I am sure many haven’t taken the time to look…but a significant portion of this black book is filled with laws from God to his people and God to his state. Some of these laws are now only moral guidelines as these shadows have now been replaced by the fullness of Christ. Most of these laws tend to be the ceremonial laws and the laws specifically directing the day to day running of the government in Israel. However…a good majority of these laws are still quite applicable to us and to our nation today.
I chose the particular text that was just read a moment ago because it is the text that is most often cited to discourage Christians from entering politics. It has been said as a criticism of almost every Christian politician that ever sought to follow righteousness and truth and pursue a more Godly path for his own nation. They always accuse them of Going down to Egypt for their help.
At the time Israel was a large political player, but it couldn’t survive on its own. When the Assyrians came, they would ally with the Egyptians to make sure the Assyrians didn’t get too much power. When the Egyptians made a move, they would ally with with the Assyrians, and so on. So when Israel was being threatened at this time…they sought to ally themselves with the Egyptians…but this was at the direct opposition of God. God warned them that leaning on Pharoah’s staff would puncture their hand. This part of the verse goes a long way in condemning the use of ungodly means to achieve Godly ends. That being the reliance on Egypt rather than God for Israel’s salvation. It is certainly a Good thing to preserve Israel…but not in the way they chose to do it.
Christians, in turning to politics, are not leaning on Pharoah’s staff to the exclusion of God. Rather, we believing Christians are leaning on God and his truth guides us. It is those Christians who would willingly step aside and allow legalized abortion and gay marriage and other such injustices to continue that have fallen on Pharaoh’s staff. They have trusted in the government of men.
For our government and everyone in it is simply flesh. They are not God. A man can say that religion has no place in politics until he is blue in the face, but when God in Heaven strikes him down, when God in heaven crushes his tiny heart between his finger tips…his mouth will fall silent! We can all humm and haww about the benefits of keeping religious thought out of our political system…but did we forget that it is God who gave us this political system? God is the one who installed the princes of the earth, and they serve at the King’s pleasure. And when these rebellious princes flounder and fall…its is not chance that fells them but God’s own hand.
God is the giver of Freedom…as the song says…”My father, God, to thee AUTHOR OF LIBERTY!” How dare we take the gift that our creator has given us and throw it back in his face!? All of this question of religion in politics comes down to a simple question…How big is God?
Some people prefer to believe in a small God so that hes there and can help when they need him, but quietly goes away when they think their problems are solved.
Some people believe in no God at all and that they direct their own destines. And they eventually direct their destinies to hell.
Others believe that God is the King of the Universe…he not only created but rules over all the earth. Except of course when it comes to politics and public life…then God steps aside to let us humans handle the dirty work.
Bretheren…Our God is an awesome God. He is a great King over all the Earth! He rules not only where we want him to, but often where we don’t want him to. He rules the political world just like the natural world. He called us into being and directs our courses…there is nothing that is magically beyond his control and we as Christians are obligated by our faith to make his paths our chosen ways.
When our nations fall away…when they kick God out of the classrooms, when they take down the ten commandments from the court houses, when a scientologist has more of a right to free speech than a Christian…it is every Christian’s solemn duty to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Take to the streets, yes. Write letters, yes. Raise money, yes. Run for office, yes yes and yes.
We have a Biblical mandate to reclaim this culture and this world for Jesus Christ. And wherever Jesus is being attacked…whenever God’s laws are being replaced with man’s foolishness…there is where you will see us, the faithful followers of Christ raising up the standard of God against all wickedness!
The Role of the Church in all this, is not to ever function as the state. The Church is the conscience of the state and conscience of the nation. The Church is the one that calls the people and the princes to God and pronounces the judgement of the heavens upon the works of hell here on this little rock. The role of the Church is to train strong, and informed believers who can go out and confront their culture in their day to day lives, and even run for office…or even be President. The Church is what keeps the politicians in line, the Church is what keeps our desires in line with the laws of Christ.
To all those out there who are consistently working in their nations for the furtherance of the Kingdom…I salute you and I pray for you. But for those of you who have been duped into believing that you should stay out of the public light…I pray much more fervently for you, that God may make his voice sound through you and that he may melt your heart and work his righteousness through you.
Some would have you believe that we worship a dead God…and that we should keep our mourning to ourselves…have a funeral service every Sunday morning and privately reflect at home…and otherwise push it out of our heads. I tell you, our God is a living God…and he will judge the quick and the dead when that day of Judgement comes. Where do you want to stand, Christian? In the long line of those who could have done something for Jesus, but were too afraid to try…or in the line of saints crowned in Glory?
Let us pray.
Heavely father, we ask that you would raise up in this generation Godly men and women to further your work on earth. We pray for the nations all over the world where Christianity and your church are being oppressed. We pray that the world will open their eyes and see the truth before that day when every knee will bow and confess you to be Lord…for in that day, all shall know, but those who lived in disbelief, and in iniquity, will suffer the due rewards of their sins…but those who trusted in you…by Faith alone, through Grace will they be saved…and that not of themselves…but only through the perfect work and sacrifice of your son Jesus Christ. May his name ever be praised. Amen.”