Good, Godly and Gallant--thoughts from Pastor Rick Jones of St. Louis, MO

 Yesterday Pastor Rick Jones, whom we visited last year in St. Louis, MO, posted some thoughts on Facebook which I'd like to share here.

He explained why he wouldn't so much pray that America would be made great again,

as the new slogan of the Republican party says,

but that she will be made good, godly and gallant.

You can read the post in its entirety at the link at the end of this post, but I thought his thoughts about gallantry were especially good.

 

"I will not be praying that God will make America great.  I will be praying that America will be gallant. 

Speaking to the elites assembled at the 1978 Commencement of Harvard University, the Russian exile Alexandr Solzhenitsyn spoke like a prophet:

“A decline in courage may be the most striking feature which an outside observer notices in the West in our days. The Western world has lost its civil courage, both as a whole and separately, in each country, each government, each political party, and, of course, in the United Nations…Should one point out that from ancient times declining courage has been considered the beginning of the end?”

I have often noted that while liberals (not in the classic but the contemporary sense) are wrong, conservatives are weak. 

We know the truth.  We know Him who is the truth.  And yet we are such cowards when it comes to standing with the Truth.  We look into the eyes of those who oppose the Truth and wilt.

As our faith has weakened—eroded by the Spirit of the age—we’ve lost our confidence.  We kowtow to the culture, hoping that we will fit in rather than stand out.  

Our declaration “Thus saith the Lord,” has turned to interrogation “What do you think?”

It’s reminiscent of Jeremiah’s tragic indictment: “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jeremiah 5:21)

With each accommodation to the Spirit of the age, we draw a new red line, a point of no-surrender—and when we are challenged, we squirm, then turn, and compromise.

Witness the contemporary church walking away from our Lord’s plain teaching on marriage.  Jesus said, “From the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”  (Mark 10:6-9)

Notice all that mattered to Jesus.  Gender mattered.  Leaving and cleaving mattered.  Singularity mattered. Divinity mattered.  But that was then. 

 

Today we have agreed that marriage is decided by the State not by God—so that men can actually put asunder what God has joined together.

We have concluded that two can be made one with more than one—so long as they have a really good reason for dividing the first, or second, or third “one.”

And now we are starting to believe that gender is a rather antiquated concept—so that a wife could be a man, or a husband could be a female.  Rather than two, we are now told there are 72 genders.  Who are we to tell others who they ought to marry?

If only John the Baptist had had the conscience of a modern professing Christian.  He would have had no reason to speak out against illicit marriage of Herod and Herodius and saved his neck.

Oh that God would raise up a new generation of John the Baptists who will courageously declare, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance!” (Matthew 3:8).

So no I will not pray that God will make America great again!  I will pray that God will make America good, godly, and gallant!   Join with me. 

And one more thing.  I’m sure that when America is good, and godly, and gallant, we will be great again!

Posted Yesterday by PASTOR RICK JONES  at https://reachingforth.blogspot.com/?m=1

He also shared this thought:

"I am fearful that our nation will continue heading the same direction rather than changing direction.  Three fourths of Americans believe our nation is headed the wrong direction.  I love C. S. Lewis’ observation, “We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”