In previous Special Bulletins I felt that it was important to biblically establish how there are different mandates given to the civil government and the church. This is crucial for us to understand if we are to know our own specific purpose in the times ahead.

As stated, the civil government is an authority established as "... a minister of God... it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil" (Romans 13:4). Because of this mandate the civil government would be in disobedience not to bring wrath on those who do evil because it is given the sword for that purpose.

However, the church is given a different mandate. We are told to love our enemies. We will be in disobedience if we try to use the sword against them instead of loving them. We must keep these two mandates separate and clear if we are to walk rightly.

Then what about the Christian who is serving in a position of civil authority, such as a policeman, soldier, mayor, president, or even a school principle? In these cases we must keep our two mantles of authority separate. While on duty I must be willing to use the sword. While not on duty, or serving the church in ministry, we must lay the sword aside to seek the anointing of the Holy Spirit to do the work of the ministry.

Many Christians do not think that they can do both, but we should remember that King David, who was the only one about whom it was said that he was ãa man after Godâs own heart,ä was one of the greatest warriors and one of the greatest worshipers in all of Scripture. Sometimes it is by seeking the balance between extremes in our life that we are led to the straight and narrow path that leads to life. If you are a policeman, or soldier on duty, do not hesitate to use the weapon that the state has given to you. If you are serving in ministry we have a greater sword that we must useöthe truth.

This morning I heard a most encouraging broadcast on Fox news. They reported that for every attack on Moslems in the U.S. since September 11 there had been at least ten acts of love, kindness and reaching out to them, mostly by churches. They interviewed a number of Islamic Americans who were overwhelmed by the kindness and support that they had received from their neighbors, confessing that this was something that they were not expecting. To me this was one of the most encouraging signs of the health of the American church, and the American soul as a nation, that I have heard in a long time.

It has also been most encouraging to see how many have responded to these attacks by turning to God. Backsliders are being restored, and many are being lead to the Lord who never had faith. It is probable that many more souls have now been saved because of these attacks than were lost during them. As events are likely to intensify, it is likely that the church is going to experience considerable growth. Those who are coming are spiritual refugees who are seeking the Lord for refuge. We need to prepare for these spiritual refugees spiritually just like we would for natural refugees in the natural. How do we do this?

If you were preparing for natural refugees you would do so by stockpiling food, preparing shelters, medical and sanitary facilities. The church needs to be doing this for the influx of spiritual refugees. We should start stockpiling Bibles, Bible Study Guides, books and tapes on basic teachings, set up healing and deliverance teams that are well trained and willing to give themselves to this great task, and be ready to open our church doors every night of the week to give spiritual shelter to those who are going to be needing it. We need thousands of home groups set up to teach basic Christian doctrines to new believers, pray for the sick and oppressed, and reach out as spiritual families to take in our new brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Also, just as many of the worldâs terrorists are recruited from among the refugee camps, we need to view all who are now spiritual refugees coming to Christ as potentially great warriors in the last day army of God. After their basic needs are taken care of spiritually, we must equip them for their purpose of fighting against the great darkness of these times.

We also need to prepare for this war to last a long time. In most wars there can be months, and sometimes even years, between major battles. This one is likely to be the same. There will be lulls in the fighting, and there will be lulls in the influx of both natural and spiritual refugees from it. It is obvious that America was caught unprepared for September 11. If we forget what happened it will happen again. We cannot let our guard down again just because some time passes since the last attack.

The same is true in the church. Let us not get caught unprepared for the great influx of those who are going to be seeking refuge in Christ. Let us not get caught sleeping again while the enemy destroys the very fabric of what made America a great nationöfreedom with responsibility.

As we are told in II Corinthians 3:17, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, {there} is liberty." The reason why the Lord put the Tree of Knowledge in the garden in the first place is because there could be no true obedience unless there was the freedom to disobey. I should also respect the desires of others not to hear my message if they do not want to. In this age even the Lord will stand outside of His own church and knock, and will only come in when the door is opened for Him (see Revelation 3:20). If we are abiding in Him we too will have the same grace. We are not here to force our message on others.

We should also respect the desires that people have for their children not to have the gospel imposed on them at school. However, I should also have the right not to have the humanistic philosophies, immorality and other perversions forced upon my children at school, as they now are in sex education, social studies, and now even in almost every other curriculum.

Secular humanism, evolution and other philosophies are preached with religious zeal in our schools, but it is not acceptable to even mention the Christian foundations of our nation, or to mention historical figures as Christian unless it is in the most derogatory terms. But to assert that great historical figures were homosexual it not only acceptable, it is promoted.

Has anyone else noticed that the homosexual activists who are demanding so much tolerance, acceptance and understanding are the most intolerant, and the most unwilling group of all to accept or try to understand anyone who disagrees with them? When Reggie White simply stated what the Bible says about homosexuality CBS dropped Reggie's contract as a sports commentator because they were afraid of the backlash from the homosexual community. Then companies who Reggie had endorsements also dropped him because of the same threats. Any leader who stands up to speak out against the homosexual agenda is assaulted with all manner of attacks, including death threats. That too is terrorism, and we must fight against this terrorism as well.

Those who dropped Reggie's contracts admitted that they were afraid of the harassment from the homosexual community, but they did not fear any repercussions from Christians because ãChristians wonât do anything.ä Presently we have to admit that theyâre right about it being unlikely for Christians to do anything. We let them take the foundations of our freedom of speech, and our freedom of religion, without doing anything about it. How can we call ourselves shepherds of the sheep if we let the wolves come in and ravage the sheep without doing anything about it? How can we call ourselves prophets and watchmen if we do not sound the alarm?

People are concerned about us losing personal liberties during this time of national crisis, but I am just as concerned about the ones we have allowed to be lost without the crisis. Both our freedom of speech and freedom of religion have already been taken from the public life of America, and they are now being attacked in our private life as well. If you have not noticed there are homosexual thought police that are not only in control of Hollywood, but are obviously seeking control of all public speech in America. Immorality is now being forced on America with much more intolerance than any ãright wing Christiansä have ever tried to impose morality. I personally do not believe that either group is right to impose its agenda on others, and that both extremes are a threat to who we are as a nation, and to the atmosphere of liberty that the Holy Spirit requires.

But how are we going to fight this war that is eroding the very fabric of freedom and morality in America? Christians must now stand up. We must resist the immoral tyranny that is being forced on the nation, and we must rise up to address that which has opened the door for these tragedies to come upon us from Columbine to the WTCöwhich has been our allowing the secularists and immoralists to remove not only prayer, but all mention of God from our schools and public places. We can trace the meltdown of morality in our nation from the date of the removal of prayer from our schools. Sin does separate us from God, which opens the door wide for the devil, and he comes to destroy.  
I have been awed by the wisdom and leadership our present administration has exhibited during this crisis. I have no doubt that they are the right team to be leading us during this time. This is a war that we cannot lose or we will lose everything that we are as a nation. We now have an international mandate to fight it so as to win, and we need to take advantage of this, but we need to fight it so as to win regardless of what anyone else thinks. Thatâs what leadership is all about. Even so, we will not win this war because of any human mandate. We need a mandate from above.

 We must continue to pray for our government leaders like never before. We must also pray for our spiritual leaders like never before. In both areas we have had a dearth of leadership that has allowed us to drift to the place that we now find ourselves. The spiritual war that is raging is just as threatening to the future of our nation as the terrorists war, and maybe even more so. If the moral fabric of this nation is destroyed then it will be useless to have won the war against terrorism. Even so, the war on both fronts can be won, and won decisively. Even so, we must understand who the enemy is. Homosexuals and secular humanists are not our enemy. The ones trying to destroy this nation are bigger than all of the terrorists organizations combined. They are bigger than Islam. As we are told in Ephesians 6:12-20:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual {forces} of
wickedness in the heavenly {places.}

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil
day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the
breastplate of righteousness,

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to
extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil {one.}

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on
the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

As I have written a number of times over the last fourteen years, events are going to come that would drive all to prayer in schools and every public place. Maybe those events are now here. Even so, prayer is our greatest power, and we must give ourselves to it like never before. We must also remove the sin that has so easily entangled us, and we must rise up to stand for truth and righteousness with all of the dignity, honor, and class that ambassadors of our great King should display.