What a great Independence celebration! We sang important songs and expressed our gratitude for God's provision in the history of our country. I am thinking I should go back and re-read the American Revolution and count again how times our little fledgling army was saved by those unprecedented weather conditions - fogs and rivers freed of ice and rivers solidified by ice....and more fogs....
But the greatest example of God's providence was the leadership -- the great intellects and strong believers who were gathered on this small shore at that precise time in history -- "in the fullness of time."
One of them was Samuel Adams, The "Father of the Constitution," as he is known.
Bro Mike included in his message an important quote from Sam Adams. I didn't get the entire quote, but you can hear it on our fbc-bc.org website.
Anyway, the quote had to do with Sam Adams' observation that the success of the new government hinged entirely on the capacity of all the people to govern themselves.
Not on the President, nor the Congress, nor the army or the police. But on the requirement that we can govern ourselves.
The text Bro Mike used was Romans 12:18:
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men
We must:
1. Be aware of what is not possible. We are interacting with people who do not believe in the way we do. They do not vote as we do. They see the world differently. We must get along with people we disagree with in a free society.
But a mature Christians knows that is not possible to be at peace with all people. We must not be naive. If this is not heaven, then we will face conflict. "If" in the verse is a big word.
2. Accept the greater share of the burden. In a time of conflict, as in our nation's capital today, with anger and tension and apparent stalemate, we must voluntarily take a greater burden. Another phone call. Another letter. More times on our knees in prayer. More patient and reasonable discussion with those who differ.
This new government is still an experiment.
3. Never be the source of the problem. Never exclude anyone from our area of responsibility. We need to treat people peaceably, not contribute to the hostile climate.
We concluded the service singing The Battle Hymn of the Republic -- what a great title of this grand hymn!
I was looking at the lines of the last verse: "In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me..."
I don't know about the lilies part -- but certainly we can't live as Christ wants us to live without being "transfigured" by the Holy Spirit. And at the beginning of Romans 12 Paul says we should not live conformed to the world, but "transformed" by the renewing of our minds.
Wednesday night at prayer service we looked at that verse (Romans 12:2), and recognized that we conform ourselves to the world, but the transformation has to come from the Holy Spirit.
Isn't it wonderful of our God to, along with urging us to be holy, provide for us a way to become more holy, and then on top of that, promises us holiness when we go to be with Him!
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