My brother Stan and I have ministered together now for many years. It’s a unique relationship because although we are brothers, we often approach things from opposite ends of the spectrum. He tends to have a solid, prophetic viewpoint that takes no prisoners, and I tend to be more pastoral in my approach. Consequently our discussions are filled with debate and counter-viewpoints, not because we disagree, but because we have different perspectives. I refer to this as “violently agreeing.” In the end we come to the same conclusions, and our lives are enriched because of those perspectives and the mutual conclusions we share and enjoy. It’s a harmonious relationship that is often noisy and frequently lively and pointed. Iron sharpening iron. Stan is one of my dearest and closest friends, and one of the best theologians I know.
This clash of perspectives isn’t new in America. America was settled by both puritans and separatists. The puritans’ title was given because they sought to purify the systems, and even the church, from the inside-out. The separatists were frequently more antagonistic or visionary, abandoning internal corruptions earlier for whatever reason. Ultimately the puritans were often societal glue in the current season, while the separatists were the visionary leaders that looked into the next season and took America there.
Pastor Peter Muhlenberg was an officer under George Washington, and is revered today. He was also a Revolutionary War pastor who declared, “This is a time of war,” took off his clerical robes and revealed his officer’s uniform in the Continental Army. His brother Frederick was also a minister of the Gospel, and later, the first speaker of the House of Representatives. Frederick didn’t’ think it was right for a Minister to be involved in politics and warfare, until he watched the British burn down his church. Frederick then changed his mind and joined the American Revolution. Fredrick embraced the puritan mindset more so, while Peter embraced the separatist viewpoint.
When God called me to ministry, He did so out of Jeremiah chapter 1. Verse 10 says this: “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.” In nations and kingdoms we have a problem. God cannot, God will not build upon corruption. Corruption is not pure evil; it is mixture. It is the attempt to amalgamate good with evil, purity with compromise. As much as we may want to coexist, the Lord Jesus Christ will not share His glory, His platform or His nation with any other. Period. Either America will be one nation under the Lord Jesus Christ, or she will not be one nation at all.
Globalists and idolaters seek to dilute by dialogue, coexistence, and mixture. This is seductive because many Christians have embraced this in the Name of Jesus Christ. They couldn’t be more wrong. While wheat and tares may grow up together because of the enemy’s planting, in the end the tares must be rooted out by Christ’s laborers; not tolerated and embraced.
This leads to a difficult proposition for many Christians today. Regardless of where you stand, puritan or separatist, as a Christian you are called to an uncompromising life. If you are a Christian within a realm of society (e.g., government, education, media, entertainment, business, family, even the church), you are called to reject compromise. Jesus Christ, His values, His Word, His ways must be elevated above everything else. Tares are regarded as evil, even during the season of coexistence. In the end they must be identified and rooted out. If this is not your viewpoint, Heaven regards you as an enemy of Christ. That is not my opinion; that emanates from Almighty God and His Holy Word.
You and I may begin as puritans, but ultimately we must adopt a separatist framework to our lives and lifestyles. If we do not, we cannot pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” This is not merely the preaching of the gospel; it is the propagation of Christ’s Kingdom on earth. It must permeate everything we do like leaven. This is where the Christian nation our Founding Fathers created can be reclaimed. “For the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith.” That’s a direct quote from the first governmental compact drafted in the Colonies, the Mayflower Compact. May it become your vision and your values as we seek to repent, reclaim and rebuild America as One Nation under God once again.