John 17:20-23 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

When we think of the Lord’s Prayer we often think of Matthew chapter 6 where Jesus tells His disciples how to pray, but we forget John 17 where Jesus is having His last few days with His disciples before the betrayal, crucifixion, burial, resurrection and ascension to the Father’s right hand. This prayer that Jesus prays in John 17 is for the Body of Christ and it is a prayer for unity within the Body. United we stand, but divided we fall and not only do we fall, but we will not be able to complete the Last Great Command the Lord gave us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.

When I started out 56 years ago in ministry I did not find the unity that the Lord is talking and praying about here in John 17, but over the years there has been a movement of reconciliation and coming together for the extension of the Kingdom of God. We find that we are not standing and dividing over the wrong things like we did in the past.

Writing to the Corinthian church Paul wrote that they were standing and dividing over the wrong things. There were three main issues that he focused on:

First, they were standing and dividing over what I would call today “denominations.” Paul mentions this when he says: “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul;’ another, ‘I follow Apollos;’ another, ‘I follow Cephas;’ still another, ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:10,12,13

Secondly, they were dividing over knowledge: “Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1) They had a tendency to look down on their less gifted brethren.

Thirdly, spiritual gifts: they were standing and dividing over spiritual gifts and the main one was the gift of speaking in tongues. (Ch.14)

In chapter 15 Paul tells us what we should be standing on: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand.” 1 Corinthians 15:1

What I find in the church I see now in the world. We have become divided. Here in America we do not have Americans, but African Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, white Americans; we have labels for everyone – democrats, republicans, independents, libertarians and we have labels for the generations – baby boomers, generation X, millennials etc. and because of this we are pitted against one another and we find one generation clashing against another generation. This is not just a phenomenon here in the States, but it is also all over the world. In India it is a caste system and now in Europe with the integration of the masses of immigrants we find a break-down in European identity.

Seeing what is happening and praying and thinking over this and knowing that we do not fight against flesh and blood I see that a divisive spirit is pitting one another against each other, not just in families, but also in our communities and our countries.

This is the time that we, who God has called to build His House and not to tear it down (Satan and his cohorts are doing that), are to maintain the unity in the Body of Christ. When doing that we are able to bring sanity into a world that is moving quickly towards chaos.

I see great hope in the days ahead in that it will be the worst of times, but also the best of times to see a great harvest of souls, but it will only be when the Body of Christ realizes the importance of the prayer of Christ: “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:21

We, in the Body of Christ, must realize that we all have our opinions, but that is not what we stand on. Paul told us what we stand on and what we divide over: the Gospel.

1 Corinthians 15:3-7 tells us what that Gospel is. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”

Let us (the Body of Christ) go forth to war (using the powerful weapons given to us-prayer, Word of God and shield of faith) against the real enemy and his cohorts.

THE YOUNG AND THE OLD

Proverbs 10:19 “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.”

Proverbs 12:18 “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Proverbs 16:21 “The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction.”

Proverbs 17:27 “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.”

Ecclesiastes 5:2 “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”

Ecclesiastes 6:11 “The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?”

One of the things that will begin to take place in these last days is a bond between the young and the old, what I see as – zeal and wisdom.

When I first got saved and joined a young people’s movement called Operation Mobilization I realized that we had tremendous zeal, but sometimes (many times) we did lack wisdom. It would have been great if we had ‘fathers’ of the faith to mentor us. The desire that many of us had was to latch on to anybody who had more experience and wisdom than us and try to learn all that we could. However, I found out early in life that not all older people had wisdom.

Today I see a desire with the coming together of the young and fathers for the glory of God and for the extension of the Kingdom of God. However, to bring about this unity of relationship there are several things that we need to keep in mind because misunderstanding can so easily come in and instead of the linking together we may be driven further apart.

We must seek to understand more than to be understood.  This is important for us ‘fathers’ especially with the youth of today, because we live in a technological age and a lot of communication is being done through texting, e-mails, Facebook, messenger, etc. This type of communication is through ‘words’ only. It is stated that most of our communication is through body language: our gestures, facial expressions and our tone of voice, and last on the list are the words that we speak.

To really understand each other one of the first things that we must do is suspend judgment. So often we are quick to judge someone by what they said because of our misunderstanding of it at the time, or because what we see or hear does not match up with our thinking. Suspending judgment gives us the ability to really focus on what the other person is saying, and what he actually means. Understanding one another does not mean that we automatically agree, but by understanding what the person is saying that he believes gives the opportunity to bring in biblical values.

We all have strong opinions and will have a natural human response to shout over one another to get across our point. We must allow love to be the motivation and then through our dialogue we will come to know one another better and form the relationship necessary to accomplish all that the Lord wants. I would think that one of the greatest examples of love is to be able to understand the other person.

HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND MUST BECOME OUR MANTRA FOR THIS PARTNERSHIP FOR ZEAL (young) AND WISDOM (old) TO COME TOGETHER.

By understanding the other person and finding ourselves not in total agreement gives us the opportunity to fine tune our own thinking. Do we have all truth? NO! Do we have all wisdom? NO! Are there things that we can learn? YES! When we realize this it gives us the opportunity to examine more carefully what the other person is saying and finding that certain things make sense. And when added to what we have already said it can make for a better understanding of our own thinking.

What do I mean by this? I bring forth my reasoning on a particular subject (whatever that might be) and the other person brings out things that oppose my reasoning.  However, when I understand what the other person is saying often I can find elements of truth in what he/she is saying. When taken and added to my own thought it tends to bring it into better focus.

One other aspect that I would like to add to this is ‘how we communicate.’ We need to keep in mind that we are mainly using words and the other essential parts of communication are left out such as facial expression, body language, etc.

When we are expressing our opinions, others reading it then express theirs and soon we find that the misunderstandings that cause disagreements come full steam ahead. I have found very few writers who have the ability through words to express the body language necessary to be fully understood. This is the reason why it is better, if possible, to speak face to face about important matters.

However, if it is impossible to speak face to face then it is of the utmost importance to take the time to understand the other person by asking the person to clarify words, statements, expressions and phrases that may communicate the wrong thing to you. This takes time, but we can endeavor to become better communicators and have the ability to understand for the glory of God.

MY GOAL IS TO BECOME A BETTER COMMUNICATOR!

The United States Has a Manifest Destiny to Be an Example and a Blessing to the Entire Human Race.

John Adams said: “I always considered the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of the grand scene in design in Providence for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth.”

This is quite a statement from one of our Founding Fathers, but like John Fisk said that the early arrivals to America “felt themselves to be instruments in accomplishing a kind of manifest destiny.” Their Exodus from Europe to this new land gave them a sense of mission, but it needs to be differentiated from the idea of racial superiority which brings out the idea of the role to conquer and rule.

John Adams mentioned that the mission was for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth.” The words written by Emma Lazarus on the Statue of Liberty says it all: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Thomas Jefferson (referring to the freedom under the Constitution) said about America that it is “the world’s best hope.” In other words, Thomas Jefferson saw that America could be an example or the aim and imitation of other countries. Reading this it is important to understand that we live in a fallen world where sin and decay is always present, but God has given us principles to live by and when they are put into practice in a country we find that there is a measure of peace and safety as well as prosperity for the citizens. This is why I think these 28 principles are important for us to see and come back to before it is too late.

Men like John Adams and Alexander Hamilton often stressed the point that the “people of America have now the best opportunity and the greatest trust in their hands that Providence ever committed to so small a number.”

The Founding Father were scholars and they had studied every form of government up to their time and what they were putting together was something entirely different. They knew that they were moving in uncharted waters, but they also believed they were guided by Providence. In forming the Constitution and coming to a stalemate, it was Benjamin Franklin who said: “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”

However, in closing this series on the 28 PRINCIPLES THAT HELPED BUILD AMERICA what do we have today in the 21^st century? We have kicked God out of our public life and affairs; we have relegated the Bible to a book of fairy tales that have no use in public affairs; the oath used to include ‘so help me God,’ but that ‘help me God’ part is gone. We need to bring God back into our society and it starts with us as individuals and families, progressing into our communities, cities, states and our country.

IT CAN BE DONE; IT SHALL BE DONE!

I would like to close by saying that these same principles can help build America again. People ask me who I will vote for in the coming election, not only for the President of the U.S.A., but also the senators, congress people up for reelection, etc. My answer: those that exemplify these 28 principles the most.

The Burden of Debt as Destructive to Freedom as Subjugation by Conquest

Benjamin Franklin said: “Think what you do when you run into debt; you give to another power over your liberty.”

The book of Proverbs tells us: “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”    Proverbs 22:7

In other words, one could say that slavery is either the result of conquest or the bondage of debt. Debt is borrowing against the future, which means payback will come with interest to the one who loaned the money to begin with.

The Founding Fathers knew that at times of crisis borrowing can be an honorable procedure, but they looked upon it as a temporary handicap that should be resolved at the earliest possible moment. The Founding Fathers from their own experience knew of the destructive force debt can have both on an individual as well as a nation.

For example, they knew that an individual in debt would often curtail his freedom as well as benumb his spirit to feel hesitant to seek a new location or a new profession and often passed up financial opportunities which a free man might risk.

There is also the sense of waste. The Founding Fathers saw it as money spent for pleasures or even needs that are long past, but still paying on. It is like a man who has to make payments on a dead horse. They considered frugality a virtue and even when borrowing in an emergency they wanted to pay back as promptly as possible. In other words, they recognized debt as a trap, even an evil.

Splurge borrowing to enjoy the luxury of extravagant living beyond one’s means was the worst kind of debt. They knew the snare that this brought in bringing the borrower into slavery. They also knew that keeping up with one’s neighbor – who was also going into debt in gaining extravagant things – was a great temptation. ‘Keeping up with the Jones’ as we would say today – is a great temptation.

Benjamin Franklin made his fortune through frugality and financial discipline. He said this: “But what madness must it be to one in debt for these superfluities! We are offered, by the terms of this vendue, six month’s credit; the net perhaps is induced some of us to attend it, because we cannot spare the ready money, and hope now to be fine without it. But, ah, think what you do when you run in debt; you give to another power over your liberty. You cannot pay at the time, you will be ashamed to see a creditor; he will be in fear when you speak to him; you will make poor pitiful sneaking excuses, and by degrees come to lose your veracity, rides upon debts back. And sink into face down right lying for, as poor Richard says, the second vice is lying, the first is running in debt. And again, to the same purpose, lying rides upon debts back. Where is a free born Englishman ought not to be ashamed or afraid to see or speak to any man living. But poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue: ‘Tis hard for empty bag to stand upright, as poor Richard says.’”

What did the Founding Fathers have to say about national debt? From their wisdom born out of experience they knew that the debts of the nation are no different than the debts of an individual. They also knew the time of crisis, like war or some other emergency could force a nation to borrow, but they also consider it of supreme importance to get out of debt as soon as possible in order to prosper. Thomas Jefferson said: “I, however, place economy among the first and most important of republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared.”

Should we be passing on our debt to the next generation? Some believed that some debts incurred, like war debts could be passed on to the next generation since war was fought to maintain the independence and integrity of the nation. However, that was not the thought of the Founding Fathers because they believe that any debt incurred in their generation should be paid by their generation.

In our day we see how the national debt has exploded or skyrocketed at an astonishing level. The indebtedness has been accompanied by an explosion in the cost of government operations. The bigger the government the more the cost and government getting involved in our everyday life.

We have today what I call the “Hezekiah Principle.”

In 2 Kings 17-20 we see that Hezekiah is sick to death and the prophet Isaiah tells him to put his house in order. He prays and the Lord answers and gives him another 15 years of life. During that time, he shows the messengers from Babylon all his treasures, etc. and when Isaiah hears about it tells Hezekiah, “The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

What was the response of Hezekiah? 2 Kings 20:19 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good.” For he thought, ‘Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?’”

He did not seem to be concerned about some of his own descendants that as long as there was peace in his own lifetime, he was satisfied.   This is the Hezekiah principle and this seems to be the attitude of the politicians we have today who borrow money and lay the burden of payment on our children and grandchildren.