By Reverend Bill Banuchi
1 Deut. 4:34. Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of
another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a
mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all
the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
Ezek. 37:22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains
of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be
two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.
Ephesians 2:11-15 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are
Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call
themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of
men)--Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from
citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without
hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were
far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he
himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier,
the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its
commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man
out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of
them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
Each
Election Day Americans go to the polls to select rulers from
among them. Just as Jethro told Moses to select rulers over thousands,
hundreds, fifties and tens, so too we will select rulers over our communities,
our state and our nation.
But unlike Israel, we are a nation divided. We are not so much divided by race,
color, economic status or other natural distinction, as we are divided by
whether we are loyal to the King or we are not.
I’m speaking of King Jesus. We are a nation divided by faith. Either we are
followers of Christ and His Word, or we are not. The longer I’m involved
in both ministry and the political process, the more I’ve come to see that this
is not a contest between Democrats and Republicans as much as it is a contest
between the Godly and the ungodly.
"That’s extreme.” one might say, but as Fox News says, “We report, you
decide.”
The founders of this great nation intended that we would be “One Nation Under
God”
They tell us it is the duty of all men to acknowledge the Supreme Judge of the
Universe, and to seek His blessing and his favor for our nation and its
inhabitants.
What exactly does it mean to be one nation under God, and how can we be assured
that we will remain one nation under God? These are the questions we must
consider.
"Nation" is generally defined as a relatively large group of people
organized under a single, usually independent government; a country; a group of
people with a shared culture, language, religion and/or customs identified by a
shared name.
The founders of this great nation came here for the express purpose of
establishing one nation under God, according to the Mayflower Compact, which
was the first founding document of our history. In this document, signed by the
pilgrims as they approached the coast of New England, they stated specifically
why they came. They said it was,
“...for the glory of God and the expansion of the
Christian faith.”
They intended that the natives would eventually come under
the Lordship of Christ, and that others who came from other lands would come
under His Lordship as well.
It would be under that Lordship, accepting the Fatherhood of God that would
draw us all into one family, one nation, under God. Over the following years
people would come from various lands and cultures into the “melting pot” called
America. They would take on a new identity: Americans. They would share a common
language, a common vision and a common hope for peace and prosperity.
For those who came from lands where other languages were spoken, it was
expected that they would learn our common language, English, in order to share
in the prosperity of our culture.
In order to be one nation under God there must be the
liberty to freely choose to follow Christ. Christianity cannot be imposed. One
of the major differences between our faith and others, such as Islam, is that
our faith deals with the heart of man. Following Christ is not a matter
of adhering to a set of rules and regulations or religious ritual. It’s a
matter of loving Christ with your whole heart.
It’s been said that the difference between Islam and Christianity is that
Mohammed asks you to give your sons for God, whereas in Christianity, it was
God who gave up His Son for you.
One nation under God requires the liberty for one to freely choose Christ, and
the liberty for others to seek Him, and so the American identity leaves itself
open to believers and seekers. One nation under God includes Christians, Jews,
and other religions, and even those of non-traditional religions who are
earnestly seeking Truth, which we have discovered comes in the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth.
Does this include
Atheists? Good Question. The answer is yes, and no. Am I
trying to sound like a good politician? No, not really. What I mean is that the
American spirit is one which acknowledges the God of the Bible as being true
and real, but also acknowledges that there are others who do not believe what
we believe; others to whom the reality of Christ has not yet been revealed. We
must love them, care for them and pray for them, because it’s God’s heart that
none of them would perish but that all would come to the saving knowledge of
Jesus Christ.
We must love and pray for the Atheists and Agnostics but we must never allow
them into positions of leadership in our nation “under God.”
John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and one of the
writers of our U.S. Constitution tells us:
“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the
duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select
and prefer Christians as their rulers.”
Another Founder, Mathias Burnet speaks to us today:
”Look well into the characters and qualifications of those you elect and raise to office and places of trust… Let the wise counsel of Jethro… be your guide; Choose ye out from among you able men, such as fear God, men of truth and hating covetousness and set them to rule over you.”
So you see, an Atheist or Agnostic has every right to live here, and be
afforded all the rights and respect due a human being created in the image of
God, but we must never elect them to office or we sentence ourselves to bondage
under godless tyranny.
That’s why it was not uncommon for the early colonies to require a belief in
God, The Holy Scriptures and in the system of eternal rewards and punishment
before one could hold public office. In other words if you didn’t believe in
God or the Bible, you could certainly live here, but because you are not, in
your own mind and heart, under the authority of God who rules over America, you
are not qualified to lead in this nation under God. Our rulers must be men and
women under God; otherwise we will not be one nation under God.
The truth is that that there are godless forces in America who do not want us
to be "one nation under God." This is precisely why the 9th Circuit
Court in San Francisco tried to remove the phrase “under God” from the Pledge
of Allegiance. The division in our nation is between the Godly and the godless:
those who wish to remain, “one nation under God,” and those who wish to
dethrone God to be under no one but themselves.”
Daniel Webster said,
“Let the religious elements in man’s nature be neglected, let him be
influenced by no higher motives than low self-interests, and subjected to no
stronger restraint than the limits of civil authority and he becomes the
creature of selfish passion or blind fanaticism.”
We are one nation
under God. What does this mean?
It doesn’t mean we forget the nations we came from. It doesn’t mean we no
longer value our distinctive customs, languages and traditions. It does mean we
adopt a new shared identity that takes on a greater value than holding on to
our individual distinctives. It means we are true to our motto: “E Pluribus
Unum” out of many, one. That’s what the American spirit is all about; many
people, from many backgrounds and many cultures working together to form one
new culture made up from the combined flavors of so many: out of many, one.
It means not being an African first, American second, but being an American
first, African second; not being an Italian first, American second, but an American
first, Italian second; not being Indian first, and American second, but being
American first, Indian second.
And as Christians, we must be Christian first, Americans second, and in my
case, Puerto Rican third if we are to be one nation under God.
It means adding our distinctive flavor to the melting pot to make one new
flavor. We must not choose the model of the salad bowl where each piece of
lettuce or crouton maintains its own flavor and identity without ever mixing
with others.
We must choose men and women who will provide Godly leadership. men and women
who will unite us under God, not divide us by race, or class or any other
natural distinctive. Charles Finney, a Presbyterian revivalist told us,
“Gold will bless or curse this country according to the course Christians
take in politics.”
There is much at stake. First of all there are millions of babies yet to be
born who will be murdered if we allow abortions to continue in this nation.
We still feel the
impact of 9/11, but do you know that every day of the year we are,
in this country, experiencing another World Trade Center attack on American
citizens? That’s right. Every day over 3,500 innocent Americans, babies in the
womb, are killed by the abortion industry. Where is the outrage? The World Trade Center Attack was
televised for the whole world to see. We all saw innocent lives being snuffed
out by “evildoers.” The abortionists are no less evildoers, but they work in
the secrecy of abortion clinics where there are no T.V. cameras. Today, we have
reality T.V. Why don’t we see real life T.V. programs televising abortions like
they do live births? If they did, Americans would rise up to stop the evil they
would see on their television screens. They would no longer be able to hide
their heads in the sand, while evil does its dastardly deeds.
The Holy
Institution of marriage is in trouble.
This, the foundational building block of an orderly society, as proven through world history is now jeopardized by the radical homosexual movement that rejects God, and his order for society. No nation, in all of world history that has deviated from the nuclear family model has survived. Neither will America if we adopt an anything goes policy when it comes to marriage and family.
Ever since I could remember I’ve heard people, beginning
with my own father, and I love my Dad, making the blanket statement that the
Republicans are for the rich and the Democrats are for the poor.
So I thought the same thing, until I started looking at this issue for myself.
It’s not true! Both Parties want the best for the poor. The difference is that
the Democrats want the government to collect more taxes to take care of the
poor, while the Republicans believe the money should be placed back into the
hands of the citizenry so that they can take care of their neighbors directly.
Which is the
Christian approach?
James 1:27: “Religion that God our father accepts as pure and
faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”
Jesus instructed the rich young ruler, when he inquired about what he must do
to go to heaven, to sell his possessions and give to the poor.
Nowhere in Scripture did Jesus, or any of his disciples instruct followers to
give unto Caesar so that Caesar could take care of the poor. Nowhere!
It’s not the job of government to take care of the poor. It’s our job. It’s the
job of the citizenry. It’s the job of the Church.
But you see, it’s easier to pay the government and expect them to do the work
for us, so we don’t have to be defiled by touching the less desirable.
It was never to be that way from the beginning.
The purpose of government is not to be the provider for the people. That’s the
job of the Church. That assignment rests with God working through His people.
President Bush, number 41 told us that
“Any government
big enough to provide everything you need
is also big enough
to take away everything you have.”
They tried it in the Soviet Union. It didn’t work there. They’re still
trying it in Cuba. It’s not working there. What makes us think it will work in
the USA if we just keep raising the taxes on the people? Government has an insatiable appetite
that is never satisfied.
The bigger government gets, the more money it takes to feed it until we
will all be working not to feed the poor but to feed the government. Please
understand. We’re called to be good stewards of all that God gives us.
What kind of good stewardship is it to hand the government $1.00 to take care
of the poor and only 33 cents actually finds its way to those in need? The
other 66 cents gets absorbed in the system. That’s what’s happening to the
money we pay in taxes for welfare programs.
Look at Government schools. They collect more and more money
while educating our children less and less.
We’re not using government to feed the hungry and educate our children.
We’re using our children and the hungry to feed the
government!
Conservative Republicans are not out for the rich people. They’re out to see
Americans take care of themselves, and take care of their communities without
government interference.
It doesn’t matter if one is Republican or Democrat. It’s up to the Church. The
Church must rise up and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and provide for the
basic needs of the people. Then they will want to hear about our Jesus.
It’s been said before, “People don’t care what you know till they know that you
care.”
The Church has
become irrelevant because we are not fulfilling our commission to
meet the needs of the people, but rather we’re expecting the government to do
it for us. After all, why else would we pay such high taxes?
If liberals continue to have their way, you will see a monstrous government
that will never be satisfied until it has squeezed every last cent from your
wallet or pocketbook. And the poverty will continue to rise, and the quality of
education will continue to deteriorate and the poor will continue to look at
the Church with disdain in their hearts and mockery on their lips.
We must be thoroughly engaged in the political process, and fulfill our duty to
our nation as part of our duty to God.
We must select God-fearing leaders who understand the principles of the Bible
and how they relate to every day life in America;
leaders who understand that it is the responsibility of the church and the local community to take care of the needy;
leaders who understand that marriage is a holy institution
ordained by God. He defines it. It’s within His realm of authority. Marriage is
the union between one man and one woman unrelated by blood. That was God’s
idea. No person has the right to redefine what God has created.
We must select God-fearing leaders who understand that as a nation, under God,
we acknowledge that our rights are given to us not by the generosity of the
state but by the hand of God. It is the job of government not to dispense
rights, but to administer those rights already given by God;
leaders who understand that we must always, and in every place, publicly
declare our allegiance to Almighty God;
leaders who understand that our national Motto is not a
figure of speech, or worse yet, an obscenity that must not be muttered in our
schools or public institutions, but the very essence of the American
Spirit: “In God We Trust.” Say it Loud!
We must select leaders who understand that the alternative to being one nation
under God is to be many nations, many competing groups of people, fighting for
a bigger piece of the pie. This will lead to ethnic strife, and the
Balkanization of America. We will be fighting among ourselves.
Anyone who instigates and tries to stir up trouble by pitting one group against
another, whether it’s white against black, or poor against rich, or labor
against management, etc. is promoting the sinful works of our human nature
which Paul tells us is factions or dissensions.
Don’t let anyone pit you against anyone else for we are one nation under God
-one people, one vision, one Hope, one King.
If we become a salad bowl instead of a melting pot, as the multi-culturalists
would have it, I foresee a day when, in our efforts to gain more for ourselves
we will destroy ourselves, and this nation we so dearly love.
Christ died that we would be reconciled to Him and to one another; that we would
be that one new man, made up of all our individual flavors, customs, and
character.
Someone said U.S.A. stands for “Under Special Assignment.” I believe this with
all my heart. God has placed us in this nation at this time to fulfill a
destiny --a very special assignment.
Will we rise to the occasion?
Will we continue to be “one nation under God,” or will we retreat into our
small groups and choose to get all we can and conjure up more ways to get more
before that other group gets it.
God will bless or curse this nation according to the course of actions
Christian take with regard to politics.
He told us plainly,
”If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and
seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven,
forgive their sin and heal their land.” –2 Chronicles 7:14
Founding Father John Dickinson tells us on July 6, 1775 in His Declaration of
Causes for taking up Arms against England:
We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to
that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them, if we basely entail hereditary
bondage upon them.
Abraham Lincoln, one of our greatest presidents, who openly admits that he was not a Christian until he saw the field of Gettysburg, and there he accepted Christ; he ended his famous Gettysburg address with these words:
“…we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have
died in vain –that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-
and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not
perish from the earth.”
If we are to continue this new birth of freedom, one nation under God, it will
require each one of us willingly surrendering our lives to the Sovereignty of
our King –Jesus. Then as individuals, and a nation, we can say, “In God
We Trust!” Only then can we be assured of remaining, “One Nation Under God.”
--Amen
**********************************************