Pastor Mike should really read this.
p.s. NASB and NIV When Government Declares Good to Be EvilMelvin Johnson
It is an indisputable fact that the government of the United States of America is a unique exercise of individual freedom and personal responsibility, while simultaneously reflecting the e pluribus unum (out of many, one) creed. Our enemies may look at this great melting pot as a boiling cauldron of disunity, confusion and weakness, and even seek to exploit what they see as opportunity, but when attacked or woefully offended, they become subject to a unified force of unbridled might and fury!
What makes our government so unique is that the founders and framers of our Constitution and laws wrote them in the context of its citizenry being a moral people, rich in Biblical knowledge and practitioners of Judeo-Christian principles. In the 13th chapter of Romans, verses 3 and 5 provide a brief, but excellent in the purpose of our government and those we place in power through our election process ...
"For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil." (NASB).
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Rom 13:4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Rom 13:5 Wherefore [ye] must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
So the essential essence and purpose of the United States government is to promote social order by protecting its citizenry from evil! But what happens when our government becomes a terror to that which is good? The prophet Isaiah cried out "Woe to them that call good evil and evil good..." It is God and he alone who has established the standard between that which is good and that which is evil, with government in place to maintain the line of separation.
Is it evil to pray? Most of us agree that there is nothing wrong with a person praying, no matter where the individual might be. Prayer has been an essential part of the American heart, soul and mind since the native Americans first set foot on this continent! Each individual has the right to believe in it or not, but certainly should not thwart or hinder those who do! Just a little research would tell any person that government has now taken a position to terrorize those who seek to pray at the times and places of their own choosing.
When Arleen Ocasio, Director of Houston VA National Cemetery sent out her decree banning families from using the name "Jesus" or "God," and instructing them to send her a copy of any written statement for her approval, she was met by a firestorm of opposition. From her perspective, this President Obama appointee saw the need to purge the cemetary of all religious exercises and symbols. Advancing the pagan and antichrist agenda!
In 1999, U.S. 5th District Court Judge Samuel Kent issued a scathing attack against several students at the Santa Fe High School. If Marian Ward and others were to defy his order not to pray at a school event, he posted a federal marshal and declared that he would "make them wish that they were never born..." Again, is it evil to ask for God's protection and blessings through prayer?
Other most recent cases include the San Antonio area's Medina High School, where the 2011 graduating class valedictorian was ordered by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery to refrain from talking about God, Jesus or even saying "Amen!" Fortunately the school district's appeal was granted, and the event, fueled by a public enraged by the judge's order, became a special occasion affirming a belief in God and the goodness in relating to how Jesus' influence brings positive living. So again, government's attempt to call the good thing of prayer "evil" was thwarted by wiser minds.
In Houston, Texas, pastor Scott Rainey had said a prayer during the Veteran's National Cemetery's Memorial Day Program for the past two years. As he was invited to do the same this year, he was contacted and told that he could not pray in the name of Jesus, and if he insisted, then he would have to be disinvited. According to
Is it evil to be prosperous? As millions of immigrants even realize today, America is still the land of opportunity. Free enterprise and capitalism are built upon the foundation of liberty, and the right of the individual to exceed and excel is matched nowhere else in the world! Today, any person—regardless of who they are or where they came from—has the opportunity to prosper. The entrepreneur, the inventor, the leader, the investor usually comes from humble beginnings, but through personal sacrifice and belief in their own abilities, become successful and prosperous. Even those who study hard, further their education and prepare for rewarding careers do so at great sacrifice! Unfortunately, they are now seen as the enemy. Government has declared them to be selfish and gluttonous. "They make too much money, and must therefore share their wealth!" is the judgment. Government's punishment for being successful is more taxation.
Is it evil to point out evil? In the New International Version, Exodus 20:13 says, "You shall not murder."
Exd 20:13 ¶ Thou shalt not kill. It is the willful taking of innocent life. What can be more innocent than an unborn child! Yet, many laws have been enacted and radically-enforced to protect the abortionist and the organizations that support and encourage it. Our government provides funding for the abortion procedure while making every possible effort to discourage those who speak against it! In the eyes of government today, the pro-life movement is the sinister group that must be carefully watched. To be an advocate for the unborn is evil as far as it is concerned!
What we are witnessing is the invasion of a foreign and sinister force—an ideology that is not American, but an unholy entity that has murdered millions and enslaved nations! Romans 13 makes it very clear concerning the function of government, and when it expands beyond its God-ordained boundaries, it soon becomes tyrannical. When it begins to see our good as evil, government itself becomes that!
http://blogs.christianpost.com/thinkingoutloud/2011/07/when-government-declares-good-to-be-evil-09/
