The American Church has forever preached about revival within its walls and a profound, outward awakening unto Christ for the nation, yet history has recorded only punctuated, unsustainable events.
In over forty years of being a Christian with twenty-five of those in ministry, I've heard the cry so many times from my Charismatic brethren: "Why don't we see the signs and wonders in America that occur in other countries"?
Indeed, we read of tremendous miracles happening regularly overseas. We know God promised such signs would accompany the preaching of His Word (Mark 16:17,18), yet most would agree that the Church in America sees very little compared to what should be the norm for ambassadors of Christ.
Preachers and theologians have given us many reasons: the prosperity that has lulled us into a false sense of favor, the freedom of worship that we have taken for granted unto lukewarmness, and the generational complacency and compromise that can set in while doing "church as expected".
But I want to pose another reason for your consideration: Could revival be held back from the Church because of its idolatrous relationship with the State?
God commands us to have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3); yet, Christians have clamored to the State for years to:
1) get approval to marry, although matrimony is a holy covenant instituted exclusively by God
2) get approval to carry on the work of Jesus in the earth, although Jesus said that HE would build His Church
3) get federal grants to do this work, although Jesus said for us to ask HIM for daily bread and commanded us to live by "faith".
What's the appeal?
What's the appeal?
With a state-issued marriage license, couples get tax breaks and benefits.
Attending a church with a state-issued 501(c) 3 certificate and tax-exempt status means parishioners can take tithes and offerings off their income tax returns.
Applying for federal grants enables churches and faith-based ministries to be funded without having to ask God for provision or extend their faith for "daily bread".
But these come with a price--costs you may not realize until it's too late. Let's focus on the marriage license. By contract, your children belong to the State:
David Deschesne wrote an excellent article on the subject for the Fort Fairfield Journal in Maryland in 2005:
"Because the State can regulate that which it licenses, by entering into a State-sanctioned franchise (marriage) as a married couple, a couple forfeits their rights to a private, sovereign marriage and any ownership/control of their children or property; as a result of the marriage license.
"...When a State-licensed married couple has a child, the Birth Certificate is the document the State uses to claim ownership of the child under its marriage contract. State ownership remains as long as that child lives, even after the age of 21. If you have a birth certificate, the State owns you, too.
"Couples married under a state-sanctioned marriage license also give up 1/3 of their property to the state. Should one person die, the government, through the inheritance tax, will demand the surviving party to "buy them out." [through taxation]
"Marriage licenses were never required prior to the early 1900s, also known as the "De-volutionary Period". The only requirement for a legitimate marriage then was that the couple be married by an official minister of God, and place their intentions to marry in a public place, such as a church, parish, or town meeting house for all to see. That notice was then to be filed with the county clerk. No license, or certificate required.
"One of the main reasons the marriage certificate changed its character was the fact that the Panic of 1907 had just taken place and Senator Nelson Aldrich had been appointed to head the National Monetary Commission to ensure such panics never took place again. Senator Aldrich's plan was ultimately realized in the Federal Reserve System of debt-based money we all suffer under today.
"Because the money system proposed was debt-based, the state and federal governments needed to have certificated property that produced wealth that they could pledge as collateral for notes in the upcoming debt money system.
"In 1903 only a few states had adopted a marriage license scheme. By 1935, all states required licenses except Maryland, which soon followed shortly thereafter.
"In 1903 only a few states had adopted a marriage license scheme. By 1935, all states required licenses except Maryland, which soon followed shortly thereafter.
"The fact that a certificate for a married couple is commercial paper that can be used to pledge the future expenditure of labor of the married couple against the State's borrowed money was only half the equation.
"By entering into a State-sanctioned franchise (marriage) as a married couple, a couple forfeits their rights to a private, sovereign marriage and any ultimate control of their children or marriage-related property; as a result of the marriage license.
"By entering into a State-sanctioned franchise (marriage) as a married couple, a couple forfeits their rights to a private, sovereign marriage and any ultimate control of their children or marriage-related property; as a result of the marriage license.
"Child Protective Services receives its full power and authority to seize children via the marriage license under the ancient legal doctrine of parens patriae…
"The origins of the doctrine parens patriae and the law can be traced to medieval and late medieval English chancery courts where it played an important roll in maintaining the structure of feudalism. The King had a royal prerogative to act as guardian to persons with legal disabilities such as infants, idiots, and lunatics.
"Chancery, as an agent of the monarch, had a duty to maintain the orderly transfer of feudal duties from one generation to another and to insure that there would be someone available to perform these duties and the concept of parens patriae was usually invoked in connection with problems of property or guardianship.
"In today's world, the Department of Human Services functions as the Chancery, or agent of the monarch - which is the State - in orderly transferring the feudal duties of labor to generate a tax base on to future generations. That tax base is known as the "full faith and credit" of the American people and is pledged against every bond (a state bond issue is a loan) the people vote to approve.
"Birth certificates, marriage certificates, and automobile Certificates of Title are just some of the commercial paper the State government uses to collateralize their debt to the banks for all of the bond issues the people vote for. These certificates are serial numbered so the banks can more easily track them and all conform to the rules of negotiable instruments as outlined in the Uniform Commercial Code.
" You and your family have, in effect, been pledged as chattel to the banks for the State's and Federal Government's debts.
" You and your family have, in effect, been pledged as chattel to the banks for the State's and Federal Government's debts.
"YOU are the one who gave Child Protective Services permission to steal your children. Since the State can regulate that which it licenses, Child Protective Services has mushroomed into a money making machine by snatching kids and receiving millions of federal dollars for them.
"In most cases, Child Protective Services has no interest in reuniting families because by keeping the family unit off balance, under constant worry and financial drain, the people of a state are more easily controlled, taxed and herded like sheep by the governmental power.
"In most cases, Child Protective Services has no interest in reuniting families because by keeping the family unit off balance, under constant worry and financial drain, the people of a state are more easily controlled, taxed and herded like sheep by the governmental power.
"A State which has strong, responsible families with good morals, an understanding of right and wrong, and the time to focus on solutions to state abuses would never be able to get away with the massive confiscatory taxation and licensing schemes the Maine government, as well as all other states, enjoys perpetrating against its citizenry today."
I also recommend that you visit the same site here for an additional, in depth article on the "Birth Certificate (Did the State Pledge Your Body to a Bank?)" and "Federal Children".
Matt Trewhella, Pastor of Mercy Seat Christian Church, writes in his pamphlet "5 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Obtain a State Marriage License":
Black’s Law Dictionary defines "license" as, "The permission by competent authority to do an act which without such permission, would be illegal."
"We need to ask ourselves: why should it be illegal to marry without the State’s permission?
"More importantly, why should we need the State’s permission to participate in something which God instituted (Gen. 2:18-24)? We should not need the State’s permission to marry nor should we grovel before state officials to seek it. What if you apply and the State says "no"?
"In 1993, parents were upset here in Wisconsin because a test was being administered to their children in the government schools which was very invasive of the family’s privacy. When parents complained, they were shocked by the school bureaucrats who informed them that their children were required to take the test by law and that they would have to take the test because they (the government school) had jurisdiction over their children.
When parents asked the bureaucrats what gave them jurisdiction, the bureaucrats answered, "your marriage license and their birth certificates."
"As a minister, I cannot in good conscience perform a marriage which would place people under this immoral body of laws. I also cannot marry someone with a marriage license because to do so I have to act as an agent of the State! I would have to sign the marriage license, and I would have to mail it into the State. Given the State’s demand to usurp the place of God and family regarding marriage, and given it’s unbiblical, immoral laws to govern marriage, it would be an act of treason for me to do so.
"The marriage license invades and removes God-given parental authority. When you read the Bible, you see that God intended for children to have their father’s blessing regarding whom they married. Daughters were to be given in marriage by their fathers (Dt. 22:16; Ex. 22:17; I Cor. 7:38).
"Notice you had to obtain your parents permission. Back then you saw godly government displayed in that the State recognized the parents authority by demanding that the parents permission be obtained. Today, the all-encompassing ungodly State demands that their permission be obtained to marry.
"By issuing marriage licenses, the State is saying, "You don’t need your parents permission, you need our permission." If parents are opposed to their child’s marrying a certain person and refuse to give their permission, the child can do an end run around the parents authority by obtaining the State’s permission, and marry anyway. This is an invasion and removal of God-given parental authority by the State.
"From the State’s point of view, when you marry with a marriage license, you are not just marrying your spouse, but you are also marrying the State.
"The most blatant declaration of this fact that I have ever found is a brochure entitled "With This Ring I Thee Wed." It is found in county courthouses across Ohio where people go to obtain their marriage licenses. It is published by the Ohio State Bar Association:
"The opening paragraph under the subtitle "Marriage Vows" states, "Actually, when you repeat your marriage vows you enter into a legal contract. There are three parties to that contract. 1.You; 2. Your husband or wife, as the case may be; and 3. the State of Ohio."
"You should not have to obtain a license from the State to marry someone anymore than you should have to obtain a license from the State to be a parent, which some in academic and legislative circles are currently pushing to be made law.
"When I marry a couple, I always buy them a Family Bible which contains birth and death records, and a marriage certificate. We record the marriage in the Family Bible. What’s recorded in a Family Bible will stand up as legal evidence in any court of law in America."
Similarly, churches that seek non-profit status from the State and a consequential tax-exempt status from the IRS grants its licensors legal control over operations. Let's separate fact from myth in this critical arena:
"Most churches in America have organized as "501c3 tax-exempt religious organizations." This is a fairly recent trend that has only been going on for about fifty years. Churches were only added to section 501c3 of the tax code in 1954. We can thank Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson for that. Johnson was no ally of the church.
"As part of his political agenda, Johnson had it in mind to silence the church and eliminate the significant influence the church had always had on shaping "public policy."
"Although Johnson proffered this as a "favor" to churches, the favor also came with strings attached (more like shackles). One need not look far to see the devastating effects 501c3 acceptance has had to the church, and the consequent restrictions placed upon any 501c3 church. 501c3 churches are prohibited from addressing, in any tangible way, the vital issues of the day.
"For a 501c3 church to openly speak out, or organize in opposition to, anything that the government declares "legal," even if it is immoral (e.g. abortion, homosexuality, etc.), that church will jeopardize its tax exempt status. The 501c3 has had a "chilling effect" upon the free speech rights of the church. LBJ was a shrewd and cunning politician who seemed to well-appreciate how easily many of the clergy would sell out.
"Did the church ever need to seek permission from the government to be exempt from taxes? Were churches prior to 1954 taxable? No, churches have never been taxable. To be taxable a church would first need to be under the jurisdiction, and therefore under the taxing authority, of the government.
"The First Amendment clearly places the church outside the jurisdiction of the civil government: "Congress shall make NO LAW respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
"Religion cannot be free if you have to pay the government, through taxation, to exercise it. Since churches aren't taxable in the first place, why do so many of them go to the IRS and seek permission to be tax-exempt? It occurs out of:
Ignorance ("We didn't know any better")
Bandwagon logic ("Everyone else is doing it")
Professional advice (many attorneys and CPAs recommend it)
"Does the law require, or even encourage, a church to organize as a 501c3? To answer that question let's turn to what the IRS itself has to say.
Churches Need Not Apply
"In order to be considered for tax-exempt status by the IRS an organization must fill out and submit IRS Form 1023 and 1024. However, note what the IRS says regarding churches and church ministries, in Publication 557:
Some organizations are not required to file Form 1023. These include:
Churches, interchurch organizations of local units of a church, conventions or associations of churches, or integrated auxiliaries of a church, such as a men’s or women’s organization, religious school, mission society, or youth group. These organizations are exempt automatically if they meet the requirements of section 501(c)(3).
Churches Are “Automatically Tax-Exempt”
According to IRS Code § 508(c)(1)(A):
Special rules with respect to section 501(c)(3) organizations.
(a) New organizations must notify secretary that they are applying for recognition of section 501(c)(3) status.
(c) Exceptions.
(1) Mandatory exceptions. Subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply to—
(A) churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches.
"This is referred to as the "mandatory exception" rule. Thus, we see from the IRS’ own publications, and the tax code, that it is completely unnecessary for any church to apply for tax-exempt status. In the IRS’ own words a church “is automatically tax-exempt.”
Churches Are “Automatically Tax-Deductible”
"And what about tax-deductibility? Doesn’t a church still need to become a 501c3 so that contributions to it can be taken as a tax deduction? The answer is no! According to IRS Publication 526:
Organizations That Qualify To Receive Deductible Contributions:
You can deduct your contributions only if you make them to a qualified organization. To become a qualified organization, most organizations other than churches and governments, as described below, must apply to the IRS.
"In the IRS’ own words a church “is automatically tax-deductible.”
Churches Have a Mandatory Exception To Filing Tax Returns
"Not only is it completely unnecessary for any church to seek 501c3 status, to do so becomes a grant of jurisdiction to the IRS by any church that obtains that State favor. In the words of Steve Nestor, IRS Sr. Revenue Officer (ret.):
"I am not the only IRS employee who’s wondered why churches go to the government and seek permission to be exempted from a tax they didn’t owe to begin with, and to seek a tax deductible status that they’ve always had anyway.
"Many of us have marveled at how church leaders want to be regulated and controlled by an agency of government that most Americans have prayed would just get out of their lives. Churches are in an amazingly unique position, but they don’t seem to know or appreciate the implications of what it would mean to be free of government control." (from the Forward of In Caesar's Grip, by Peter Kersha)
Richard Hoskins, in the Hoskins Report 6/98 outlined 29 IRS regulations pertaining to 501(c)(3) churches:
1. Church must be incorporated
2. Church must have a "recognized" creed and IRS approved form of worship (Who does the approving and accepts the "form" is not covered in the regulations)
3. The church must have a definite and distinct ecclesiastical hierarchical government (?)
4. The church must have an IRS approved formal "code" of doctrine and discipline (Type and what discipline are not identified in IRS regs)
5. It must be a denomination with a distinct religious history (?)
6. Must have "ordained" ministers (?)
7. Ministers must have been educated in state accredited colleges (More opportunity for PC indoctrination of ministers)
8. Must be neutral on political issues (Helps explain why churches never preach against the sins and blasphemies of government officials, despite blatant violations of the Law of God)
9. Must have a "tax exempt" status issued by the IRS
10. Must pay a fee to the IRS for this "tax exempt" status
11. Must be engaged in furthering exclusively public purposes (?)
12. The church cannot bar its services to the public (?)
13. The pastor must answer to the IRS as to the daily activities of the church
14. The IRS must be privy to all financial transactions, including sources, donors, expenditures, and if cash is used, a possible association with money-laundering is suspected
15. Books and records must always be available
16. The Pastor must inform the IRS of the names of all donors
17. Gifts to missionaries and evangelists exceeding $600 requires filing form 1099
18. The church may use only IRS approved methods of fund raising
19. The Pastor will be called to account by the IRS over any stand taken against the tax system 501(c)(3)
20. Must submit names of all church workers, down to and including maintenance people
21. Must give unlimited submission to civil magistrates pertaining to all laws - federal, state and local - including public policy (Judeo-Christian clergy are more obedient to man's government than to the Royal Law of God)
22. The church must advocate and promote racial integration
23. Must not publicly oppose licensing of churches
24. May not engage in political activities opposing pornography (Now you can see why there are no sermons on this)
25. May not support legislation saying that children belong to parents and not the state
26. May not form a political action committee or actively support legislation opposing lotteries and gambling
27. May not advocate support of the U.S. or State constitutions as the supreme law of the land (Helps explain why our Judeo-Christian pastors do not speak out)
28. May not participate in opposing the school system (As they may find that God has been removed)
29. May not publicly declare that the church is to obey God rather then man's government
From the same site, a town crier aptly calling himself Pastor Paul Revere writes:
"What happens when the State gets an interest in the Church through State incorporation?
"First of all, the Church gets a new head. It must surrender the Lordship of Jesus Christ because it has a new master to please. It becomes an entity that the State has created and what the State creates, the State controls.
"Since this entity is no longer God's creation, but the State's, who takes over as the head of this church?
"It is the State attorney general. He is the head of all State corporations, including State churches. The State attorney general has the authority to scrutinize the church on land use issues, permits, taxes or even what is preached from the pulpit. Right now the attorney general might keep his nose out. But if the State church starts getting into politics or using funds irregularly, the State can come in and shut it down because they own the church.
"In California, the attorney general has taken over the records of various State churches and all funds received or paid out are controlled by the attorney general. A State incorporated church has no right to privacy and all its books and papers can be examined by the State and federal governments at any time.
"A corporation, by operation of law and by definition, is a State creation. But the Church is a God-instituted creation. When the "First Baptist Church" registers as a State corporation, it is given the franchise name of "First Baptist Church, Inc." It is no longer God's Church, it is the State's corporation. It is a State church.
"Neither is the pastor the earthly head of the incorporated church. The pastor is just a hireling of the corporation. The pastor is an officer of the State, doing State business. As an example, when he conducts a marriage, he does it "under the authority of the State." He makes sure all the paperwork is prepared and the required State fees and licenses paid.
"Then the State church is required to install "unscriptural officers" that are subject to the State. They are not subject to the Scripture. They are normally referred to as "trustees." They may take on other titles, such as "elders" or "deacons," but they are basically the same type of board of trustees that any State corporation has. They sit in office at the pleasure of the State.
The corporate officers of a nonprofit corporation are agents for the State. That is why they hold regular meetings and abide by their Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws. These provisions are required for State purposes, not by the Scriptures.
Church Becomes Commercial Enterprise
"Technically, a State incorporated church is just another State business. Just like other State corporations, churches are commercial enterprises competing to attract customers (members). Such entities cease to be the church when they allow the State to register them as a State corporation. The church becomes a marketplace and big business.
"When this happened in the first century, Jesus upset the tables of the money changers, and drove the merchants out saying, "Get out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" (John 2:16).
"Let's say the Church acquires property and says, "We have God's property here and we are going to build a church for the Lord Jesus Christ." Then they go out and incorporate with the State.
"The State requires that they appoint trustees to hold this property in trust. But they will not be holding it in trust for God. They will be holding it in trust for the State. By incorporating, all property held by the Corporation is transferred from God to the State. This is done by operation of
law.
"The State incorporated church must exalt the laws of men above the laws of God. The State church has a relationship with the State by contract and is answerable to the State as its creator. It must abide by all the laws of the State, even the ones that are still in the minds of men.
"The State church is subject to all the legislative decrees of the State, which is negative law. When something new comes up, the State makes more laws because that is the nature of negative law. If the State should pass a law that is repugnant to the State church, it still must obey. Charters for State churches must include provisions to obey all the laws of the State or lose their franchise.
Alien Jurisdiction over Church
"A corporation is not a church and cannot be a church by definition. A corporation admits to State jurisdiction by the very act of requesting permission to exist. What we have in the churches today is an alien jurisdiction.
"Let's look at who is to have jurisdiction over the true Church. In Colossians, Chapter 1:18, it says Jesus Christ is the head of the body, the Church, and He is to have the preeminence. Christ is to have the exclusive preeminence. He is to have the exclusive jurisdiction over His Church.
"What about those little matters where the State wants to encroach? The State presents many compelling arguments to justify their interest in the Church. There is zoning and building permits, fire and safety, asbestos and teacher certification of schools.
"In all of these areas, we face a claim of alien jurisdiction over the Church. We face a violation of the sovereignty and preeminence and Lordship of Jesus Christ. That is why we have to draw the line and have zero tolerance. If the State wants to exercise jurisdiction over the Church, how much jurisdiction can they take without violating the exclusive authority of Christ over the Church?
"The only Biblical stance on jurisdiction is that no branch of the State - the courts, the legislature, the administration, has jurisdiction over His Church. The State cannot exercise any authority over the Church or her property because it is all God's. And God is sovereign. If God is sovereign over the Church, He has to be sovereign over it all: the people, the ministry and the property.
"What about filling out State forms for tax exemptions? To fill out a form, is to ask for permission. Because you have requested a privilege, they have a right to say "yes" or "no." Taxation is a function of a sovereign over a subject. Why would the child of one sovereign ask permission from another sovereign?
"It does not even make sense. It is like my child going to some other parent and saying, "Daddy, can I do this?" Someone else's Daddy does not have authority to grant the request. You have to have the proper relationship in order for a request or a command to be acknowledged.
"Nontaxable" is the only acceptable status for Church property because it belongs to another sovereign".
Courting the godless State for money in order to continue the ministry of Jesus on earth is the ultimate insult against Christ's ability to care for His Church. I even consider it blasphemy, for you are attributing the power that belongs to God to a vain, wicked entity.
"I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18b)
To ask money from Caesar in the form of state grants with a willingness to submit to its restraining conditions shows just how far we've fallen into idolatry! Christian organizations and consultants work full-time to teach churches and ministries how to take advantage of federal money (for a fee, of course)!
Christian author C. Peter Wagner comprehensively defines idolatry as " worshiping, serving, pledging allegiance to, doing acts of obeisance to, paying homage to, forming alliances with, making covenant with, seeking power from, or exalting any another being over other than God." (Hard-Core Idolatry: Facing the Facts)
In other words, it's attempting to get any of our legitimate needs met from an illegitimate
The man-driven, man-centered state IS illegitimate, as it began out of Cain's disobedience and swelled under Nimrod's pride at Babel. Please read my article on how the state began and God's response. (Isn't confusion and an inability to communicate ongoing problems in Washington and states around the world?)
R.J. Rushdoony, in his classic work, The Institutes of Biblical Law, Vol I, discusses the idolatry of the Jewish people unto the pagan god Molech.
Interestingly, the worship of Molech was a political religion. It entered Israel when Solomon built an altar to Molech for his Ammonite wives. Apparently, Solomon limited the sacrificial scope of that altar because many generations passed before the first human sacrifice, but Solomon's act (I Kings 11:7.8) had introduced the cult into Israel.
Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, born during the fifteen-year extension of life granted by God to Hezekiah, sacrificed his own children to Molech and encouraged his subjects to do the same. Although he later repented after being defeated in battle and taken captive to Babylon, Israel as a nation suffered greatly because of this man's leadership (2 Chronicles 33; 2 Kings 21).
Molech's 'religion' demanded total allegiance. It claimed jurisdiction over every aspect of its subjects' lives.
Molech worship is state worship!
For the state to claim total jurisdiction, the modern state must claim to be as god--to be the total governor of man and his world. Rushdoony goes on to note that indeed, the state now "...claims jurisdiction from the cradle to the grave, from womb to tomb, over welfare, education, worship, the family, business and farming, capital and labor, and everything else."
The Molech State, according to Rushdoony, is just as hungry as the ancient idol--taxing at will, exercising "eminent domain" at its pleasure, and forcing its youth into warfare and death.
The Molech State arises out of apostasy--when a covenant people, who hold the Keys of the Kingdom for God's will to be done in the earth until His return, reject their King and replace Him with a man or state instead (1 Samuel 8:7-9). They relinquish the keys (authority) to the "city" (their individual and collective realms of God-given responsibility).
The attitudes and behavior of God's own people will be reflected in the earth--not the other way around!
If you want to know why certain sins cluster and prevail in unregenerate America, look no further than the Church, for there they were first allowed, tolerated, and now some are even celebrated by those claiming the name of Christ!
In the Scriptures, several aspects of the state which rejects God are cited:
A military conscription instituted and enforced
Compulsory labor battalions for state service
Confiscation of Property
Heavy taxes
A disturbing aspect of Molech worship was its desire for children. He was carved with outstretched arms. A cauldron roared hot underneath so that when a child was placed in its waiting arms, he or she would be burned alive.
At that moment, the priests would wildly beat their drums and make music to drown out the screams of the suffering child. Unnatural, unrestrained sex-play would follow. Pleasures have always been promised in exchange for a soul...pleasures that keep a person in denial of the truth of what's really taking place.
By the time a person wakes up to reality, the bondage to the pleasure is so controlling that they cannot--dare not--face the necessary pain of withdrawals to get free.
Pleasures are not only substances; they can be people, fortunes, careers, fame, sex, power, or...a comforting nanny who bares the breast (welfare/entitlements/licenses with state benefits/grants/affirmative action, etc.)
Look at the powerful priests "playing the drums" to drown out the truth--from Washington to Hollywood to the schoolroom--as our children are being indoctrinated and sacrificed!
C. Peter Wagner makes a bold statement: "The finest of our leaders may competently apply all the excellent insights that God has given us for city transformation over the last few years...but if we do not deal a significant and simultaneous blow to idolatry, we will not see our dream for city transformation come true." ((Hard-Core Idolatry: Facing the Facts)
Although Wagner was addressing Christians who longed to see their cities impacted for Christ, the truth he poke applies to our nation as well.
We cannot possibly see lives transformed and transcendent, virtuous changes in society--such as true justice and liberty--until the Church that holds the key repents of her own political idolatry and amends her ways.
The Church has sought help from Egypt, not God.
"Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and rely on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not to the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!" (Isaiah 21:1)
Until the Church repents of having GONE DOWN (instead of up)
Black’s Law Dictionary defines "license" as, "The permission by competent authority to do an act which without such permission, would be illegal."
"We need to ask ourselves: why should it be illegal to marry without the State’s permission?
"More importantly, why should we need the State’s permission to participate in something which God instituted (Gen. 2:18-24)? We should not need the State’s permission to marry nor should we grovel before state officials to seek it. What if you apply and the State says "no"?
"In 1993, parents were upset here in Wisconsin because a test was being administered to their children in the government schools which was very invasive of the family’s privacy. When parents complained, they were shocked by the school bureaucrats who informed them that their children were required to take the test by law and that they would have to take the test because they (the government school) had jurisdiction over their children.
When parents asked the bureaucrats what gave them jurisdiction, the bureaucrats answered, "your marriage license and their birth certificates."
"As a minister, I cannot in good conscience perform a marriage which would place people under this immoral body of laws. I also cannot marry someone with a marriage license because to do so I have to act as an agent of the State! I would have to sign the marriage license, and I would have to mail it into the State. Given the State’s demand to usurp the place of God and family regarding marriage, and given it’s unbiblical, immoral laws to govern marriage, it would be an act of treason for me to do so.
"The marriage license invades and removes God-given parental authority. When you read the Bible, you see that God intended for children to have their father’s blessing regarding whom they married. Daughters were to be given in marriage by their fathers (Dt. 22:16; Ex. 22:17; I Cor. 7:38).
"Notice you had to obtain your parents permission. Back then you saw godly government displayed in that the State recognized the parents authority by demanding that the parents permission be obtained. Today, the all-encompassing ungodly State demands that their permission be obtained to marry.
"By issuing marriage licenses, the State is saying, "You don’t need your parents permission, you need our permission." If parents are opposed to their child’s marrying a certain person and refuse to give their permission, the child can do an end run around the parents authority by obtaining the State’s permission, and marry anyway. This is an invasion and removal of God-given parental authority by the State.
"From the State’s point of view, when you marry with a marriage license, you are not just marrying your spouse, but you are also marrying the State.
"The most blatant declaration of this fact that I have ever found is a brochure entitled "With This Ring I Thee Wed." It is found in county courthouses across Ohio where people go to obtain their marriage licenses. It is published by the Ohio State Bar Association:
"The opening paragraph under the subtitle "Marriage Vows" states, "Actually, when you repeat your marriage vows you enter into a legal contract. There are three parties to that contract. 1.You; 2. Your husband or wife, as the case may be; and 3. the State of Ohio."
"You should not have to obtain a license from the State to marry someone anymore than you should have to obtain a license from the State to be a parent, which some in academic and legislative circles are currently pushing to be made law.
"When I marry a couple, I always buy them a Family Bible which contains birth and death records, and a marriage certificate. We record the marriage in the Family Bible. What’s recorded in a Family Bible will stand up as legal evidence in any court of law in America."
Similarly, churches that seek non-profit status from the State and a consequential tax-exempt status from the IRS grants its licensors legal control over operations. Let's separate fact from myth in this critical arena:
"Most churches in America have organized as "501c3 tax-exempt religious organizations." This is a fairly recent trend that has only been going on for about fifty years. Churches were only added to section 501c3 of the tax code in 1954. We can thank Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson for that. Johnson was no ally of the church.
"As part of his political agenda, Johnson had it in mind to silence the church and eliminate the significant influence the church had always had on shaping "public policy."
"Although Johnson proffered this as a "favor" to churches, the favor also came with strings attached (more like shackles). One need not look far to see the devastating effects 501c3 acceptance has had to the church, and the consequent restrictions placed upon any 501c3 church. 501c3 churches are prohibited from addressing, in any tangible way, the vital issues of the day.
"For a 501c3 church to openly speak out, or organize in opposition to, anything that the government declares "legal," even if it is immoral (e.g. abortion, homosexuality, etc.), that church will jeopardize its tax exempt status. The 501c3 has had a "chilling effect" upon the free speech rights of the church. LBJ was a shrewd and cunning politician who seemed to well-appreciate how easily many of the clergy would sell out.
"Did the church ever need to seek permission from the government to be exempt from taxes? Were churches prior to 1954 taxable? No, churches have never been taxable. To be taxable a church would first need to be under the jurisdiction, and therefore under the taxing authority, of the government.
"The First Amendment clearly places the church outside the jurisdiction of the civil government: "Congress shall make NO LAW respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
"Religion cannot be free if you have to pay the government, through taxation, to exercise it. Since churches aren't taxable in the first place, why do so many of them go to the IRS and seek permission to be tax-exempt? It occurs out of:
Ignorance ("We didn't know any better")
Bandwagon logic ("Everyone else is doing it")
Professional advice (many attorneys and CPAs recommend it)
"Does the law require, or even encourage, a church to organize as a 501c3? To answer that question let's turn to what the IRS itself has to say.
Churches Need Not Apply
"In order to be considered for tax-exempt status by the IRS an organization must fill out and submit IRS Form 1023 and 1024. However, note what the IRS says regarding churches and church ministries, in Publication 557:
Some organizations are not required to file Form 1023. These include:
Churches, interchurch organizations of local units of a church, conventions or associations of churches, or integrated auxiliaries of a church, such as a men’s or women’s organization, religious school, mission society, or youth group. These organizations are exempt automatically if they meet the requirements of section 501(c)(3).
Churches Are “Automatically Tax-Exempt”
According to IRS Code § 508(c)(1)(A):
Special rules with respect to section 501(c)(3) organizations.
(a) New organizations must notify secretary that they are applying for recognition of section 501(c)(3) status.
(c) Exceptions.
(1) Mandatory exceptions. Subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply to—
(A) churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches.
"This is referred to as the "mandatory exception" rule. Thus, we see from the IRS’ own publications, and the tax code, that it is completely unnecessary for any church to apply for tax-exempt status. In the IRS’ own words a church “is automatically tax-exempt.”
Churches Are “Automatically Tax-Deductible”
"And what about tax-deductibility? Doesn’t a church still need to become a 501c3 so that contributions to it can be taken as a tax deduction? The answer is no! According to IRS Publication 526:
Organizations That Qualify To Receive Deductible Contributions:
You can deduct your contributions only if you make them to a qualified organization. To become a qualified organization, most organizations other than churches and governments, as described below, must apply to the IRS.
"In the IRS’ own words a church “is automatically tax-deductible.”
Churches Have a Mandatory Exception To Filing Tax Returns
"Not only is it completely unnecessary for any church to seek 501c3 status, to do so becomes a grant of jurisdiction to the IRS by any church that obtains that State favor. In the words of Steve Nestor, IRS Sr. Revenue Officer (ret.):
"I am not the only IRS employee who’s wondered why churches go to the government and seek permission to be exempted from a tax they didn’t owe to begin with, and to seek a tax deductible status that they’ve always had anyway.
"Many of us have marveled at how church leaders want to be regulated and controlled by an agency of government that most Americans have prayed would just get out of their lives. Churches are in an amazingly unique position, but they don’t seem to know or appreciate the implications of what it would mean to be free of government control." (from the Forward of In Caesar's Grip, by Peter Kersha)
Richard Hoskins, in the Hoskins Report 6/98 outlined 29 IRS regulations pertaining to 501(c)(3) churches:
1. Church must be incorporated
2. Church must have a "recognized" creed and IRS approved form of worship (Who does the approving and accepts the "form" is not covered in the regulations)
3. The church must have a definite and distinct ecclesiastical hierarchical government (?)
4. The church must have an IRS approved formal "code" of doctrine and discipline (Type and what discipline are not identified in IRS regs)
5. It must be a denomination with a distinct religious history (?)
6. Must have "ordained" ministers (?)
7. Ministers must have been educated in state accredited colleges (More opportunity for PC indoctrination of ministers)
8. Must be neutral on political issues (Helps explain why churches never preach against the sins and blasphemies of government officials, despite blatant violations of the Law of God)
9. Must have a "tax exempt" status issued by the IRS
10. Must pay a fee to the IRS for this "tax exempt" status
11. Must be engaged in furthering exclusively public purposes (?)
12. The church cannot bar its services to the public (?)
13. The pastor must answer to the IRS as to the daily activities of the church
14. The IRS must be privy to all financial transactions, including sources, donors, expenditures, and if cash is used, a possible association with money-laundering is suspected
15. Books and records must always be available
16. The Pastor must inform the IRS of the names of all donors
17. Gifts to missionaries and evangelists exceeding $600 requires filing form 1099
18. The church may use only IRS approved methods of fund raising
19. The Pastor will be called to account by the IRS over any stand taken against the tax system 501(c)(3)
20. Must submit names of all church workers, down to and including maintenance people
21. Must give unlimited submission to civil magistrates pertaining to all laws - federal, state and local - including public policy (Judeo-Christian clergy are more obedient to man's government than to the Royal Law of God)
22. The church must advocate and promote racial integration
23. Must not publicly oppose licensing of churches
24. May not engage in political activities opposing pornography (Now you can see why there are no sermons on this)
25. May not support legislation saying that children belong to parents and not the state
26. May not form a political action committee or actively support legislation opposing lotteries and gambling
27. May not advocate support of the U.S. or State constitutions as the supreme law of the land (Helps explain why our Judeo-Christian pastors do not speak out)
28. May not participate in opposing the school system (As they may find that God has been removed)
29. May not publicly declare that the church is to obey God rather then man's government
From the same site, a town crier aptly calling himself Pastor Paul Revere writes:
"What happens when the State gets an interest in the Church through State incorporation?
"First of all, the Church gets a new head. It must surrender the Lordship of Jesus Christ because it has a new master to please. It becomes an entity that the State has created and what the State creates, the State controls.
"Since this entity is no longer God's creation, but the State's, who takes over as the head of this church?
"It is the State attorney general. He is the head of all State corporations, including State churches. The State attorney general has the authority to scrutinize the church on land use issues, permits, taxes or even what is preached from the pulpit. Right now the attorney general might keep his nose out. But if the State church starts getting into politics or using funds irregularly, the State can come in and shut it down because they own the church.
"In California, the attorney general has taken over the records of various State churches and all funds received or paid out are controlled by the attorney general. A State incorporated church has no right to privacy and all its books and papers can be examined by the State and federal governments at any time.
"A corporation, by operation of law and by definition, is a State creation. But the Church is a God-instituted creation. When the "First Baptist Church" registers as a State corporation, it is given the franchise name of "First Baptist Church, Inc." It is no longer God's Church, it is the State's corporation. It is a State church.
"Neither is the pastor the earthly head of the incorporated church. The pastor is just a hireling of the corporation. The pastor is an officer of the State, doing State business. As an example, when he conducts a marriage, he does it "under the authority of the State." He makes sure all the paperwork is prepared and the required State fees and licenses paid.
"Then the State church is required to install "unscriptural officers" that are subject to the State. They are not subject to the Scripture. They are normally referred to as "trustees." They may take on other titles, such as "elders" or "deacons," but they are basically the same type of board of trustees that any State corporation has. They sit in office at the pleasure of the State.
The corporate officers of a nonprofit corporation are agents for the State. That is why they hold regular meetings and abide by their Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws. These provisions are required for State purposes, not by the Scriptures.
Church Becomes Commercial Enterprise
"Technically, a State incorporated church is just another State business. Just like other State corporations, churches are commercial enterprises competing to attract customers (members). Such entities cease to be the church when they allow the State to register them as a State corporation. The church becomes a marketplace and big business.
"When this happened in the first century, Jesus upset the tables of the money changers, and drove the merchants out saying, "Get out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" (John 2:16).
"Let's say the Church acquires property and says, "We have God's property here and we are going to build a church for the Lord Jesus Christ." Then they go out and incorporate with the State.
"The State requires that they appoint trustees to hold this property in trust. But they will not be holding it in trust for God. They will be holding it in trust for the State. By incorporating, all property held by the Corporation is transferred from God to the State. This is done by operation of
law.
"The State incorporated church must exalt the laws of men above the laws of God. The State church has a relationship with the State by contract and is answerable to the State as its creator. It must abide by all the laws of the State, even the ones that are still in the minds of men.
"The State church is subject to all the legislative decrees of the State, which is negative law. When something new comes up, the State makes more laws because that is the nature of negative law. If the State should pass a law that is repugnant to the State church, it still must obey. Charters for State churches must include provisions to obey all the laws of the State or lose their franchise.
Alien Jurisdiction over Church
"A corporation is not a church and cannot be a church by definition. A corporation admits to State jurisdiction by the very act of requesting permission to exist. What we have in the churches today is an alien jurisdiction.
"Let's look at who is to have jurisdiction over the true Church. In Colossians, Chapter 1:18, it says Jesus Christ is the head of the body, the Church, and He is to have the preeminence. Christ is to have the exclusive preeminence. He is to have the exclusive jurisdiction over His Church.
"What about those little matters where the State wants to encroach? The State presents many compelling arguments to justify their interest in the Church. There is zoning and building permits, fire and safety, asbestos and teacher certification of schools.
"In all of these areas, we face a claim of alien jurisdiction over the Church. We face a violation of the sovereignty and preeminence and Lordship of Jesus Christ. That is why we have to draw the line and have zero tolerance. If the State wants to exercise jurisdiction over the Church, how much jurisdiction can they take without violating the exclusive authority of Christ over the Church?
"The only Biblical stance on jurisdiction is that no branch of the State - the courts, the legislature, the administration, has jurisdiction over His Church. The State cannot exercise any authority over the Church or her property because it is all God's. And God is sovereign. If God is sovereign over the Church, He has to be sovereign over it all: the people, the ministry and the property.
"What about filling out State forms for tax exemptions? To fill out a form, is to ask for permission. Because you have requested a privilege, they have a right to say "yes" or "no." Taxation is a function of a sovereign over a subject. Why would the child of one sovereign ask permission from another sovereign?
"It does not even make sense. It is like my child going to some other parent and saying, "Daddy, can I do this?" Someone else's Daddy does not have authority to grant the request. You have to have the proper relationship in order for a request or a command to be acknowledged.
"Nontaxable" is the only acceptable status for Church property because it belongs to another sovereign".
Courting the godless State for money in order to continue the ministry of Jesus on earth is the ultimate insult against Christ's ability to care for His Church. I even consider it blasphemy, for you are attributing the power that belongs to God to a vain, wicked entity.
"I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18b)
To ask money from Caesar in the form of state grants with a willingness to submit to its restraining conditions shows just how far we've fallen into idolatry! Christian organizations and consultants work full-time to teach churches and ministries how to take advantage of federal money (for a fee, of course)!
Christian author C. Peter Wagner comprehensively defines idolatry as " worshiping, serving, pledging allegiance to, doing acts of obeisance to, paying homage to, forming alliances with, making covenant with, seeking power from, or exalting any another being over other than God." (Hard-Core Idolatry: Facing the Facts)
In other words, it's attempting to get any of our legitimate needs met from an illegitimate
The man-driven, man-centered state IS illegitimate, as it began out of Cain's disobedience and swelled under Nimrod's pride at Babel. Please read my article on how the state began and God's response. (Isn't confusion and an inability to communicate ongoing problems in Washington and states around the world?)
R.J. Rushdoony, in his classic work, The Institutes of Biblical Law, Vol I, discusses the idolatry of the Jewish people unto the pagan god Molech.
Interestingly, the worship of Molech was a political religion. It entered Israel when Solomon built an altar to Molech for his Ammonite wives. Apparently, Solomon limited the sacrificial scope of that altar because many generations passed before the first human sacrifice, but Solomon's act (I Kings 11:7.8) had introduced the cult into Israel.
Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, born during the fifteen-year extension of life granted by God to Hezekiah, sacrificed his own children to Molech and encouraged his subjects to do the same. Although he later repented after being defeated in battle and taken captive to Babylon, Israel as a nation suffered greatly because of this man's leadership (2 Chronicles 33; 2 Kings 21).
Molech's 'religion' demanded total allegiance. It claimed jurisdiction over every aspect of its subjects' lives.
Molech worship is state worship!
For the state to claim total jurisdiction, the modern state must claim to be as god--to be the total governor of man and his world. Rushdoony goes on to note that indeed, the state now "...claims jurisdiction from the cradle to the grave, from womb to tomb, over welfare, education, worship, the family, business and farming, capital and labor, and everything else."
The Molech State, according to Rushdoony, is just as hungry as the ancient idol--taxing at will, exercising "eminent domain" at its pleasure, and forcing its youth into warfare and death.
The Molech State arises out of apostasy--when a covenant people, who hold the Keys of the Kingdom for God's will to be done in the earth until His return, reject their King and replace Him with a man or state instead (1 Samuel 8:7-9). They relinquish the keys (authority) to the "city" (their individual and collective realms of God-given responsibility).
The attitudes and behavior of God's own people will be reflected in the earth--not the other way around!
If you want to know why certain sins cluster and prevail in unregenerate America, look no further than the Church, for there they were first allowed, tolerated, and now some are even celebrated by those claiming the name of Christ!
In the Scriptures, several aspects of the state which rejects God are cited:
A military conscription instituted and enforced
Compulsory labor battalions for state service
Confiscation of Property
Heavy taxes
A disturbing aspect of Molech worship was its desire for children. He was carved with outstretched arms. A cauldron roared hot underneath so that when a child was placed in its waiting arms, he or she would be burned alive.
At that moment, the priests would wildly beat their drums and make music to drown out the screams of the suffering child. Unnatural, unrestrained sex-play would follow. Pleasures have always been promised in exchange for a soul...pleasures that keep a person in denial of the truth of what's really taking place.
By the time a person wakes up to reality, the bondage to the pleasure is so controlling that they cannot--dare not--face the necessary pain of withdrawals to get free.
Pleasures are not only substances; they can be people, fortunes, careers, fame, sex, power, or...a comforting nanny who bares the breast (welfare/entitlements/licenses with state benefits/grants/affirmative action, etc.)
Look at the powerful priests "playing the drums" to drown out the truth--from Washington to Hollywood to the schoolroom--as our children are being indoctrinated and sacrificed!
C. Peter Wagner makes a bold statement: "The finest of our leaders may competently apply all the excellent insights that God has given us for city transformation over the last few years...but if we do not deal a significant and simultaneous blow to idolatry, we will not see our dream for city transformation come true." ((Hard-Core Idolatry: Facing the Facts)
Although Wagner was addressing Christians who longed to see their cities impacted for Christ, the truth he poke applies to our nation as well.
We cannot possibly see lives transformed and transcendent, virtuous changes in society--such as true justice and liberty--until the Church that holds the key repents of her own political idolatry and amends her ways.
The Church has sought help from Egypt, not God.
"Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and rely on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not to the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!" (Isaiah 21:1)
Until the Church repents of having GONE DOWN (instead of up)
And not to God, but to Egypt (a biblical type of the godless world system)...
Until she rejects the many horses (empowerment), fine chariots (benefits), and strong horsemen (politicians) who lead her around like chattel, she will wallow in lukewarmness. The churches in America will have dross in their silver, and water in their wine. (Isaiah 1:22)
We obey the master whom we love. God made our hearts to be devoted to only one thing, and He gave us the opportunity to choose. We cannot love TWO Gods!
Dr. Rubel Shelley, in his excellent book Written in Stone: Ethics for the Heart, observes that a person whose heart is divided is often devoted horizontally (toward something in this world) instead of vertically (toward God).
We cannot be both vertically and horizontally devoted. It will always be an impossibility to joyfully and competently serve the master you despise. Jesus demonstrated that principle through the parable of the four soils. When the heart is divided, the world wins out.
"God created us with a wonderful capacity to love. At the same time, He gave us the ability to choose where we direct our heart, strength, and mind. In fact, this is the basis of religion: religion is simply what we adore."
Until she rejects the many horses (empowerment), fine chariots (benefits), and strong horsemen (politicians) who lead her around like chattel, she will wallow in lukewarmness. The churches in America will have dross in their silver, and water in their wine. (Isaiah 1:22)
We obey the master whom we love. God made our hearts to be devoted to only one thing, and He gave us the opportunity to choose. We cannot love TWO Gods!
Dr. Rubel Shelley, in his excellent book Written in Stone: Ethics for the Heart, observes that a person whose heart is divided is often devoted horizontally (toward something in this world) instead of vertically (toward God).
We cannot be both vertically and horizontally devoted. It will always be an impossibility to joyfully and competently serve the master you despise. Jesus demonstrated that principle through the parable of the four soils. When the heart is divided, the world wins out.
"God created us with a wonderful capacity to love. At the same time, He gave us the ability to choose where we direct our heart, strength, and mind. In fact, this is the basis of religion: religion is simply what we adore."
American Christian, what is it that you adore?
Church in America, what is it that you adore?
Church in America, what is it that you adore?
“A more certain way to attack religion is by favor, by the comforts of life, by the hope of wealth; not by what reminds one of it, but by what makes one forget it; not by what makes one indignant, but by what makes men lukewarm, when other passions act on our souls, and those which religion inspires are silent. In the matter of changing religion, State favors are stronger than penalties.”
- The Spirit of the Laws, Baron de Montesquieu (1748)
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