Following Judah's Lion

Institutional Allegiance

Ex.20:1-5 - And God spake all these words, saying,
2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God

Matt.6:24 - No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Websters:

Allegiance: devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause.

There are many curious things about this modern stream of evangelicalism. Many publicly claim to believe the Bible completely, and that the Bible is God’s inerrant communication to mankind. They overtly support the principle that the Scriptures are the supreme truth for matters of life and faith, and their statements of faith are meant to reveal that basis for our faith. I have heard thousands of preachers stand behind pulpits and say that we are not to give our allegiance to any man or any denomination, even if that particular church is tied to a denomination.

They teach that we as believers must never give our allegiance to the Masons, or the Moose club, our any organization or institution. And many churches have withdrawn their participation from their former denomination due to the unbearable compromise that their denomination continues to exhibit. If their denomination begins to ordain women, or support gay marriage, or compromise on abortion, or no longer believe in Scriptural inerrancy, then that church many times breaks ties with that denomination. But I would ask this question: Why doesn’t that church continue to show allegiance to that denomination based upon the former days of glory, and actively work to bring that denomination back to its original intent?

The reason is obvious. The Scriptures command us to come out from among them, and to separate ourselves from false teachers. OK, but how many of these same churches refuse to withdraw their allegiance to America, and how many work to “bring Americas back” through political activity and a pitiful expression of prayer which is aggressively touted but sparingly practiced? Why will they refuse allegiance to a backsliding ecclesiastical institution but remain loyal to a nation who actively supports all kind of sin and stand firmly as a pluralistic institution?

There seems to be an open hypocrisy that attempts to appear pious by separating themselves from compromising religious institutions, as well as pluralistic institutions like the Masons, but as it concerns America they remain blindly loyal. I continue to suggest that is a strong deception that significantly stands in the way of any spiritual revival in the church. God cannot and will not bring a revival to his people when the are holding His Word in one hand and covering their hearts in allegiance to Dagan in the other.

And so are faced with the question as to why believers will pledge their allegiance to a sin supporting secular nation but withdraw from other institutions, some that even name the name of Christ. The answer is obvious. The church in America has been systematically brainwashed concerning the nature of America and the principle of separation. We have been taught that America was a divine creation straight from the heart of God, and that Biblical separation includes cigarettes, alcohol, cursing, but not allegiance to a Christless institution that allows abortion, gay marriage, and prays to god through all religions. How pitiful!

Is it not also curious that many in the orthodox community touted John Piper as a great man of God, but when he established alliances with men like Mark Driscoll, Rick Warren, and others they severed those alliances. But those same men continue their alliance, and even allegiance, to America, which in effect has them in alliance with Mark Driscoll and Rick Warren who also have an alliance and an allegiance with America. Yes, it is very curious.

Those believers, as I once was, that are involved with changing America, its culture, its laws, and its collective behavior by leapfrogging the gospel do not actually have a love for the souls within this nation. In fact, they exhibit an idolatrous love for an institution instead of a gospel love for the souls for which Christ died. In the past decade we have witnessed an awakening by some in the church to the compromise of nationalism, while at the same time we have seen a strengthening of the deception of nationalism by many others.

Please do not assume that this kind of teaching emanates from some kind of hatred for America. To the contrary, I believe that if the church of Jesus Christ would purify herself in this area it would present a great infusion in divine power which God could use to reach the lost who live here. If we really loved America, the people, we would pledge our allegiance exclusively to the Lord Jesus Christ and the spreading of His gospel. That is exactly what the precious souls in America need!