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I am reminded of that story when I read the Scriptural passage in Hebrews 12: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses.” The witnesses the Apostle speaks of are the great champions who have gone on before us, which are mentioned in chapter eleven. Included by implication in the great “Hall of Faith” of Hebrews 11 are the three young Hebrews: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (verse 34, “Quenched the violence of fire.”)

So, what was it that got these three young men included in this list that along with the likes of Abraham, Moses, and David? You’ll find their story in Daniel chapter three. In a nutshell, they refused to bow down to the image of the king. In other words, THEY DISOBEYED A CIVIL GOVERNMENT THAT HAD BECOME TYRANNICAL. And for refusing to submit to the king, they were thrown into a burning fiery furnace.

Come to think of it, many of the people named in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith” got there because of civil disobedience. Speaking of Moses, the Scripture says, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king.” So, when did Moses forsake Egypt? When he killed the Egyptian taskmaster who was beating a Hebrew slave to death. That’s when!

Rahab is also mentioned in this Biblical “Hall of Faith.” Who was Rahab, and what did she do? She was a prostitute who lied to government soldiers and helped the Hebrew spies escape the city of Jericho. Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthae are also listed. Who are they, and what did they do? They were men who led armed rebellions against oppressive governments to which they had been subject.

Daniel is inferred in Hebrews 11 when it says, “Stopped the mouths of lions.” What did he do? He refused to submit to his civil government when commanded to not pray aloud (for only thirty days). And for refusing to submit to his government, he was cast into a den of hungry lions. Yes, God delivered Daniel from the lions and the three young Hebrews from the burning furnace of fire. But the point is, they each DISOBEYED civil government, and God brags on them for it in Hebrews 11.

So, what are all these “Romans 13-ers” going to say to Daniel, Moses, and Gideon when they get to Heaven? What are they going to say to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? What are they going to say to those men who “overthrew kingdoms” (Heb. 11:33), “waxed valiant in combat” (vs. 34), and “turned to flight . . . armies”? (Armies are government-sanctioned, government-supported, government-ordered entities–vs. 34.)

I cannot count the number of times I have heard some TV or radio preacher say something to the effect, “Well, I’m glad we were given freedom here in the United States, but our Founding Fathers were wrong to rebel against the British Crown. According to Romans 13, they should have submitted to King George.” Barf! Gag! Spit! What hypocrisy!

To all of the Romans 13 Pharisees out there, I say, if you are really going to believe and preach that garbage, at least be honest enough to stop celebrating Independence Day on July 4. It was the day when men became traitors to Great Britain and officially declared a revolutionary war. And stop flying the Stars and Stripes in your church auditoriums. It was the flag of rebellion. How dare you say America’s founders violated Romans 13 in one breath and with the next breath say you thank God for the freedom that was purchased AT THE SACRIFICE OF THE BLOOD OF THE MEN YOU SAY VIOLATED ROMANS 13! Pardon me, but I just cannot think of anything that is more hypocritical than that!

And remember this about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: it was AFTER they disobeyed their king and were thrown into the furnace of fire that they met the Son of God. It was King Nebuchadnezzar who said, “I see four men loose . . . the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25)

Think about it: where did Moses meet the Lord? In the wilderness by a burning bush after he had defied Egyptian tyranny by killing an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating a Hebrew slave to death. Where did Gideon meet the Lord? In a threshing floor as he willowed his grain in defiance of evil civil authority. When did Stephen meet the Lord? When political and religious leaders were stoning him to death for refusing to submit to their iniquitous injunctions. And think of this, too: where did the Lord Jesus meet man? On a bloody Roman cross–being placed there by the civil and religious rulers of His day.

Most Christians today are looking to meet the Lord in a heated or air conditioned church sanctuary with padded pews and ornate windows, with an orchestra playing and a choir singing, and fried chicken waiting for them after the service. But that’s not where you’re going to find the Fourth Man.

When you resist the religious Pharisees who are trying to intimidate and coerce you into submitting to their legalism and tyranny, then you will see the Fourth Man. When you resist the power establishment that demands that you accept their politically correct philosophies and ideologies, then you will see the Fourth Man. When you refuse to be bought, bribed, or bullied by the “good old boy” network that seeks to control you, then you will see the Fourth Man. When you resist your family and friends who try to shame you into abandoning the principles of liberty and freedom that God, Himself, has planted in your heart, then you will see the Fourth Man. When you are threatened and persecuted and you say, “I must obey God rather than men,” then you will see the Fourth Man.

Do you really think you’re going to find the One who went to a bloody cross in a meadow of roses? The only roses He knew were the ones whose thorns were smashed on his skull. You won’t find him in a garden, unless it’s the Garden of Gethsemane. You’ll find the One who went to the Cross in the same place that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found Him: in the Burning Fiery Furnace.

God said told us that when we pass through the floodwaters, and when we walk through the fire, we would find Him to be with us. (Isaiah 43:2)

Of course, let me be careful to say that real Christians are peacemakers. They desire to live a quiet and peaceable life with their neighbors, their civil authorities, and even with other nations. They readily recognize and respect lawful, God-ordained authority. But, at the same time, they will not surrender that which is holy and give it to swine! They absolutely will not become toadies for unlawful government that attempts to usurp the God-given authority and jurisdiction to which it has been divinely assigned!

I am often reminded of this quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “There are, I am sorry to say, many Temples in our midst in this country which are no better than brothels.”

Gandhi’s quote could be said of many so-called churches in America today, for they, too, have become little more than glorified brothels that pimp for the government. “Submit! Obey! Don’t resist!” they constantly preach. I wonder what they will say one day to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

P.S. Let me wish all of our wonderful mothers out there a very Happy Mother’s Day! I thank God for my mother. I wish she were still here, so I could personally tell her that I love her.

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=19

And please visit my web site for past columns and much more at:

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© Chuck Baldwin

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http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/archives/4769

I am also on record as saying I believe that historians will recognize Ron Paul as being the greatest US Congressman in American history. Rep. Paul has been the voice of constitutional government and liberty on Capitol Hill for nearly two and a half decades. No one in Washington, D.C., has even come close to his leadership and courage.

That said, the disconcerting element of the 2012 elections is that Dr. Paul has already made the announcement that he will not seek reelection to the US House of Representatives. That means, if Ron is not elected President, the American people will not have his voice in Washington, D.C., for the first time in over a generation. That thought is extremely troubling. Who would be the man to whom the mantle of constitutional leadership could be passed? The answer: the man who is running for Dr. Paul’s congressional seat, Steve Stockman. Like Ron Paul, Steve is a personal friend of mine, and, also like Ron Paul, Steve is a solid, courageous champion of constitutional government and liberty. How fitting it would be that a great man such as Steve Stockman would be elected to succeed the greatest congressman in US history.

Steve was first elected to the US House of Representatives back in that great freshman class of 1994 when a host of notable conservatives were swept into Congress, including people such as the late great Helen Chenoweth-Hage, the late Sonny Bono, Steve Largent, Joe Scarborough, Bob Barr, J.C. Watts, et al.

Steve is solidly on the right side of religious liberty issues, Second Amendment issues, life issues, illegal immigration issues, taxes and economics issues, the emerging police state issues, foreign interventionism issues, etc. In short, Steve Stockman is pro-Constitution, pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-Americanism, and pro-liberty. He is anti-illegal immigration, anti-Big Government, anti-police state, and anti-warfare state. He is solid everywhere that Ron Paul is solid.

With this background, I am honored that Steve would invite me to speak at his “Conservative Action Conference” to be held this Saturday, April 28, 2012, at the Pasadena Convention Center and Municipal Fairgrounds just outside Houston, Texas. The rally starts at 9am Central time. I will be joining notable speakers such as Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, Congressman Bob McEwen, and several others.

To get more information on this great rally, go to:

http://www.facebook.com/events/101330406665549/

If you live within driving distance of the Houston, Texas, area, I invite you to attend this terrific conference. And I also hope that you will come introduce yourself to me while you are there.

As you can imagine, big-government toadies are salivating at the opportunity to put one of their big-government cronies in Ron Paul’s House seat. Dr. Paul has been a thorn in their side for over two decades. Every American who loves freedom, who believes in constitutional government, and who admires and appreciates Ron Paul needs to support Steve Stockman in every way that they can–including with their financial contributions.

To donate to Steve’s campaign or to learn more about his candidacy, go to:

http://congressmanstevestockman.com/

Ladies and gentlemen, it is no hyperbole to say that our liberties are under intense attack. We simply no longer have the luxury of sitting back and letting somebody else fight for our freedoms. Not all of us can run for elected office, of course. But all of us can and should support those liberty-minded patriots who are running for elected office. Steve Stockman is one of these patriots. I am honored to join him for his “Conservative Action Conference” this Saturday near Houston, Texas. And I’m asking you to do anything you can to help Steve, whether you live in Texas or not. Ron Paul spoke for all of us who believe in freedom and constitutional government on Capitol Hill. Steve Stockman will do the same!

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=19

And please visit my web site for past columns and much more at:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com

© Chuck Baldwin

To hear the message audio, simply click on the link below.

(Play sermon audio.)

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Being warned of approaching British troops by Dr. Joseph Warren, Pastor Jonas Clark and his male congregants of the Church of Lexington (numbering 60-70) were the ones that stood with their muskets in front of the Crown’s troops (numbering over 800), who were on orders to seize a cache of arms which were stored at Concord and to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock (who were known to be in the area, and who had actually taken refuge in Pastor Clark’s home).

According to eyewitnesses, the king’s troops opened fire on the militiamen almost without warning, immediately killing eight of Pastor Clark’s parishioners. In self defense, the Minutemen returned fire. These were the first shots of the Revolutionary War. This took place on Lexington Green, which was located directly beside the church-house where those men worshipped each Sunday. Adams and Hancock were not taken. They owed their lives to Pastor Clark and his brave Minutemen–albeit eight of those men gave their lives protecting Adams and Hancock.

According to Pastor Clark, these are the names of the eight men who died on Lexington Green: Robert Munroe, Jonas Parker, Samuel Hadley, Jonathan Harrington, Jr., Isaac Muzzy, Caleb Harrington, and John Brown, all of Lexington, and one Mr. Porter of Woburn.

By the time the British troops arrived at the Concord Bridge, hundreds of colonists had amassed a defense of the bridge. A horrific battle took place, and the British troops were routed and soon retreated back to Boston. America’s War for Independence had begun!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, these two elements of American history are lost to the vast majority of historians today: 1) it was attempted gun confiscation by the British troops that ignited America’s War for Independence, and 2) it was a pastor and his flock that mostly comprised the “Minutemen” who fired the shots that started our great Revolution.

With that thought in mind, I want to devote today’s column to honoring the brave preachers of Colonial America–these “children of the Pilgrims,” as one Colonial pastor’s descendent put it.

It really wasn’t that long ago. However, with the way America’s clergymen act today, one would think that preachers such as James Caldwell, John Peter Muhlenberg, Joab Houghton, and Jonas Clark never existed. But they did exist; and without them, this country we call the United States of America that would not exist.

Caldwell was a Presbyterian; Muhlenberg was a Lutheran; Houghton was a Baptist; and no one really seems to know what denomination (if any) Jonas Clark claimed, although one historian referred to Clark as a Trinitarian and a Calvinist. But these men had one thing in common (besides their faith in Jesus Christ): they were all ardent patriots who participated in America’s War for Independence, and in the case of Jonas Clark, actually ignited it.

James Caldwell

James Caldwell was called “The Rebel High Priest” or “The Fighting Chaplain.” Caldwell is most famous for the “Give ’em Watts!” story.

During the Springfield (New Jersey) engagement, the colonial militia ran out of wadding for their muskets. Quickly, Caldwell galloped to the Presbyterian church, and returning with an armload of hymnals, threw them to the ground, and hollered, “Now, boys, give ’em Watts!” He was referring to the famous hymn writer, Isaac Watts, of course.

The British hated Caldwell so much, they murdered his wife, Hannah, in her own home, as she sat with her children on her bed. Later, a fellow American was bribed by the British to assassinate Pastor Caldwell–which is exactly what he did. Americans loyal to the Crown burned both his house and church. No less than three cities and two public schools in the State of New Jersey bear his name.

John Peter Muhlenberg

John Peter Muhlenberg was pastor of a Lutheran church in Woodstock, Virginia, when hostilities erupted between Great Britain and the American colonies. When news of Bunker Hill reached Virginia, Muhlenberg preached a sermon from Ecclesiastes 3 to his congregation He reminded his parishioners that there was a time to preach and a time to fight. He said that, for him, the time to preach was past and it was time to fight. He then threw off his vestments and stood before his congregants in the uniform of a Virginia colonel.

Muhlenberg later was promoted to brigadier-general in the Continental Army, and later, major general. He participated in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, and Yorktown. He went on to serve in both the US House of Representatives and US Senate.

Joab Houghton

Joab Houghton was in the Hopewell (New Jersey) Baptist Meeting House at worship when he received the first information regarding the battles at Lexington and Concord. His great-grandson gives the following eloquent description of the way he treated the tidings:

“[M]ounting the great stone block in front of the meeting-house, he beckoned the people to stop. Men and women paused to hear, curious to know what so unusual a sequel to the service of the day could mean. At the first, words a silence, stern as death, fell over all. The Sabbath quiet of the hour and of the place was deepened into a terrible solemnity. He told them all the story of the cowardly murder at Lexington by the royal troops; the heroic vengeance following hard upon it; the retreat of Percy; the gathering of the children of the Pilgrims round the beleaguered hills of Boston; then pausing, and looking over the silent throng, he said slowly, ‘Men of New Jersey, the red coats are murdering our brethren of New England! Who follows me to Boston?’ And every man in that audience stepped out of line, and answered, ‘I!’ There was not a coward or a traitor in old Hopewell Baptist Meeting-House that day.” (Cathcart, William. Baptists and the American Revolution. Philadelphia: S.A. George, 1876, rev. 1976. Print.)

Jonas Clark

As I said at the beginning of this column, Jonas Clark was pastor of the Church of Lexington, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775, the day that British troops marched on Concord with orders to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock, and to seize a cache of firearms. It was Pastor Clark’s male congregants who were the first ones to face-off against the British troops as they marched through Lexington. When you hear the story of the Minutemen at the Battle of Lexington, remember those Minutemen were Pastor Jonas Clark and the men of his congregation.

On the One Year Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, Clark preached a sermon based upon his eyewitness testimony of the event. He called his sermon, “The Fate of Blood-Thirsty Oppressors and God’s Tender Care of His Distressed People.” His sermon has been republished by Nordskog Publishing under the title, “The Battle of Lexington, A Sermon and Eyewitness Narrative, Jonas Clark, Pastor, Church of Lexington.”

Order the book containing Clark’s sermon at:

www.NordskogPublishing.com

Of course, these four brave preachers were not the only ones to participate in America’s fight for independence. There were Episcopalian ministers such as Dr. Samuel Provost of New York, Dr. John Croes of New Jersey, and Robert Smith of South Carolina. Presbyterian ministers such as Adam Boyd of North Carolina and James Armstrong of Maryland, along with many others, also took part.

So many Baptist preachers participated in America’s War for Independence that, at the conclusion of the war, President George Washington wrote a personal letter to the Baptist people saying, “I recollect with satisfaction that the religious societies of which you are a member have been, throughout America, uniformly and almost unanimously, the firm friends to civil liberty, and the preserving promoters of our glorious Revolution.” It also explains how Thomas Jefferson could write to a Baptist congregation and say, “We have acted together from the origin to the end of a memorable Revolution.” (McDaniel, George White. The People Called Baptists. The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1918. Print.)

And although not every pastor was able to actively participate in our fight for independence, so many pastors throughout colonial America preached the principles of liberty and independence from their pulpits that the Crown created a moniker for them: The Black Regiment (referring to the long, black robes that so many colonial clergymen wore in the pulpit). Without question, the courageous preaching and example of colonial America’s patriot-pastors provided the colonists with the inspiration and resolve to resist the tyranny of the Crown and win America’s freedom and independence.

I invite readers to visit my Black Regiment web page to learn more about my attempt to resurrect America’s Black-Robed Regiment. Go to:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=23

This is the fighting heritage of America’s pastors and preachers. So, what has happened? What has happened to that fighting spirit that once existed, almost universally, throughout America’s Christian denominations? How have preachers become so timid, so shy, and so cowardly that they will stand apathetic and mute as America faces the destruction of its liberties? Where are the preachers to explain, expound, and extrapolate the principles of liberty from Holy Writ? Where are the pastors to preach the truth about Romans chapter 13?

Readers should know that my constitutional attorney son, Tim, and I have co-authored a blockbuster book dealing with Romans 13. The book is entitled, “Romans 13: The True Meaning of Submission.” And it can be ordered at:

http://www.romans13truth.com/

Plus, I also delivered four messages dealing with Romans 13. The message series is entitled, “The True Meaning of Romans 13.” These four video messages have been recorded on one DVD and may be ordered at:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/archives/3146

I am absolutely convinced that one of the biggest reasons America is in the sad condition that it is in today is because the sermons Americans frequently hear from modern pulpits deal mostly with prosperity theology, entertainment evangelism, feelgoodism, emotionalism, and Aren’t-I-Wonderful ear tickling! This milquetoast preaching, along with a totally false “obey-the-government-no-matter-what” interpretation of Romans 13, have made it next to impossible to find Christian men with the courage and resolve to stand against the onslaught of socialism, corporatism, and, yes, fascism that is swallowing America whole.

America cut its spiritual teeth on the powerful preaching and exemplary examples of men such as James Caldwell, John Peter Muhlenberg, Joab Houghton, and, yes, Jonas Clark. We need them as much today as we did then–maybe more!

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=19

And please visit my web site for past columns and much more at:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com

© Chuck Baldwin