The Separation of Church and State. (Pasche)

Bender unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s. Matt. 22:21.

This was the authoritative decision of our Lord and Savior. According to these words the interests of the State and the in­ terests of the Church are not the same. We have duties as citizens and duties as church-members. The claims of Caesar, that is, the civil government, must be satisfied, and what God has commanded respecting the service we owe Him is the supreme law for us. Caesar’s claims have their limit; he cannot demand our all. We are to render to Caesar the things which are his in such a manner that God receives the things which are His. What are these things ?

Those who are legally born in this country are, by reason of their birth, American citizens, entitled to all the privileges and bound to discharge all duties of a citizen. Those who by the new birth received in baptism are initiated into the commonwealth of God’s nation are, by reason of their new birth, fellow-citizens of the saints and of the household of God. Besides these there are, both in the State and in the Church, persons who have not in this ordinary way obtained citizenship, but have joined the State and the congregation.

Now, these two domains can never clash because the nature of the two is entirely different. The domain of the Church is spiritual; it rules over souls; it deals with heavenly things; its purpose is to lead people to eternal life; its only weapons are the Word of God and prayer. It promises a crown, and a glorious one, not in this world, however, but in that to come. The domain of the State, however, is merely temporal; it deals with earthly things; its purpose is to protect the bodies and temporal possessions of in­habitants of the country and therefore to make and enforce laws to that end. But any interference of the State in matters of religion is beyond its God-given province; it has no right to regu­late the relations between God and man or in any way to meddle in, or interfere with, matters of the Church.

Prayer.

O Lord, grant us all Thy grace to the end that we may per­ form our duties both in the State and in the Church, be good citizens and faithful Christians, until we shall be translated from this world into Thy glorious kingdom in heaven, where there are pleasures forevermore. Amen.

NOTE: The Declaration of Independence is the premier founding document of the United States - the Constitution is the implementing document of those ideals set forth in the Declaration. The1st Amendment forbids the government from interfering, in the least sense, with the privileges and tights of religious freedom. (Bp Ogles)

DAILY READINGS IN LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller

 

November 30. The Crucifixion

"And it was the third hour, and they crucified him." Mark 15:25

Here we come to the mount of our Redeemer's sufferings, and we should bow our heads in holy reverence as we stand in the silence of astonished love — and gaze upon Him on His cross. Many thoughts will come to us as we contemplate this scene.

What a terrible thing sin is — that its expiation required such a sacrifice! Shall we go on carelessly sinning — when we see what our Savior suffered to save us from our sins? 

What wondrous love must there be in the heart of God — to cause Him to give His Son to endure such a death to save sinners!

What wondrous love must there be in the heart of Jesus — that He was willing to make such a sacrifice of His own precious and glorious life to redeem the lost!

What a pattern for all life have we here! The cross, is Jesus giving Himself to bless and save others. The more completely we forget ourselves and live for others — the nearer do we get to the example of Christ. How can we ever complain again of our little privations and sacrifices for the sake of others? The cross, where Christ is giving all, should make us ashamed even to mention again any little thing that we have done or suffered for another.

Crucifixion was such a disgrace at that time, wrapped a name in such ignominy — that one who died thus was buried forever in shame. He never could be mentioned, but with thought and memory of dishonor. But Jesus, instead of being covered and borne down forever by the cross, in the black waters of reproach — lifted the cross itself to glory, until today it is the emblem of hope, of victory, of blessedness, and of joy wherever the Gospel has gone. Let no one be afraid to endure for Christ's sake, for when the cross is taken up in His name — it becomes "an eternal weight of glory." 

63rd PSALM

 Of Civil Government - Pasche

NOTE: This is one of the simplest, and most erudite, explanations of the role of government; and it is worth sharing broadly - JLO

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. Is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God."  ROMANS 13:

God has given the parents two assistants: the Church and the State. The Church assists the parents in their efforts to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and the State assists them by providing for the secular education of their children and by doing its part in helping them to enforce good order in their homes and families.

The rulers in the State are placed over us by God’s ordinance, and we owe them obedience. In our richly blessed country we elect our own officers of the law and regard them as our servants, and hence we are easily inclined to think little of them. It is doubly necessary therefore for us to remember that the civil govern­ ment is God’s ordinance. This is a truth which in our day not only the Anarchists and Nihilists deny, but also the Socialists, who endeavor to undermine and overthrow every existing form of government. God’s Word, however, is perfectly clear in this matter also. It makes no difference how a government is constituted, whether it be an absolute monarchy, with its powers and functions chiefly in the hands of one man, or a constitutional monarchy, in which the power is limited by constitutional provisions, or a re­public, with the legislative, executive, and judicial powers vested in the people. The question is, Is there an actual government? Has it authority in the land? Is it able to preserve order and to provide for the safety and well-being of the people? If so, then it is of God, then it is entitled to the respect and obedience of every citizen within its boundaries.

An established government, such as ours, is of God. It is ordained of God. It stands in the place of God as far as its power reaches, even as father and mother are the representatives of God in the home. As the Fourth Commandment demands obedience to parents on the part of the children, so it also requires every citizen to obey his government. We must submit to the rulers that have been chosen by the majority of the people. God says: “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers.”

Prayer.

O Lord, Thou hast endowed body and soul abundantly with every manner of blessing. How can I find words adequate for the praise I owe Thee? How can I properly show my gratitude? Behold, O Lord, I offer unto Thee the sacrifice of my poor service and glorify Thy grace and mercy with all my strength and powers. In the congregation will I bless Thee. My soul shall honor Thee, my spirit must praise Thee, my mouth shall thank Thee. Bless our country, give us good government. Amen.

 DAILY READINGS IN LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller (1890)

November 29. The Perfect Sufferer

"They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. it." Matthew 27:34 

The offer was kindly meant. There was an association of women at Jerusalem, a compassionate sisterhood, whose work was to provide such stupefying draughts for those who were crucified. The object was to produce partial unconsciousness, so that the terrible agonies might not be so keenly felt. It is pleasant to find that such an association existed at that early day, and that it was among the Jewish people. True religion always yields such fruits. Christianity has filled the world with just such gentle ministries. Wherever there is suffering — Christian women go to alleviate it.

But it must be noticed that Christ did not accept this potion. He tasted it, showing His recognition and appreciation of the kindness that offered it — but he did not drink it. One reason probably was, that He would not seek to lessen in any way, the bitterness of the cup which His Father had given Him to drink. He would drink it to its last drop, and not dull the sense of suffering in Himself to make the draught any less bitter.

Another reason doubtless was that He would not cloud His mind in the least degree, as He entered the last experiences of life. He would not dim the clearness of His communion with His Father, by any potion that would impair His full consciousness. The example of Christ does not teach that it is wrong in ordinary cases, to use anesthetics to deaden the sense of pain. There were peculiar reasons why our Lord would abate nothing of the bitterness of His suffering. Chloroform and ether have been wonderful agents of mercy and blessing in the world. But it does seem proper that a person should not, when dying, be given any potion which would cloud the mind, or send the soul in a state of stupefaction through the experiences of death and into the presence of God.

The Duty of Parents - (Pasche)

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Eph. 6:4 

 Next to the seeking of their own salvation the highest duty of Christian parents is the bringing up of their children in the fear of the Lord. If parents are required to look to the mortal bodies of their children, how much more to their immortal souls! “ Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” These are the words of the Lord, and they are true.

But why, then, do so many children, even of parents who are professed Christians, turn out bad? Assuredly it is often their own fault. But is it not also true that many parents do not know how to train up a child in the way he should go? To obey its parents is a little child’s delight; but parents who have not them­ selves learned self-control cannot teach their children obedience. To bring up a child in the way it should go, you must go that way yourself. If children are to honor parents, parents ought to honor themselves and each other. If father and mother are rude to each other, it need cause no surprise if their example is followed. Chil­ dren need good models to follow as their examples. Boys learn honesty and girls modesty not so much from books as from their parents. How many a boy’s soul has been poisoned by filthy talk heard from an adult’s lips! How many baptized children learn neither prayers nor Bible stories! Parents should teach their chil­ dren to pray and worship the Lord and urge them and influence them to walk in the ways of the Lord as long as they live.

Here is where they often make a grave mistake. They let their children form their own judgment as to religion. But that is wrong. God demands of you to bring up your children so that they will fear and love Him and trust in Him. That is an express command of God. We should attend to the spiritual need of our children not only before, but also after their confirmation that they may remain faithful and our work may not be in vain.

Prayer.

O heavenly Father, Thou hast appointed and assigned to me my duties; but matters do not always take the turn I would like, and there are so many things troubling and distressing me that I find in myself neither help nor consolation. For this very reason I commit everything to Thee, looking to Thee for counsel and aid. In all these questions be Thou the beginning and the end. Bless all I do. To Thee I will thankfully ascribe all praise for the success of my work. Grant this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 DAILY READINGS IN LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller (1890)

November 28. Take up Your Cross

"And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:)." John 19:17 

At first there was no one to help Jesus to bear His cross; though fainting from loss of rest and from the gashing and laceration of His body by the scourge, and still more from the untold anguish through which He had been passing — He yet had to carry His cross for Himself until his strength gave way. Yet we must remember that while Jesus had to bear the cross unaided — it really was not for Himself that He bore it — but for us. He endured the shame and pain, and staggered beneath the awful burden — that He might set us free from the burden of sin's curse!

The Baptist said, when Jesus passed by Him at the beginning of His ministry, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" We may say the same words, as we see Jesus bearing His cross. That is what He is doing. It was not the mere wood which was so heavy; the real load which Jesus bore that day was the mountain of our sins! It was this that made Him faint and sink down by the way, and that wrung from Him such cries and tears in Gethsemane and on Calvary.

A little later He sank down under the burden, and then the officers compelled a passer-by to help Him. After that the scene was this — Jesus and Simon of Cyrene together carrying the cross, Jesus in advance carrying the heavy end, and Simon coming behind bearing the lighter end. Here again the picture is very suggestive in two ways: 

We must share the cross with Christ before we can be saved; that is, we must accept our place with Him under the cross and follow Him. Then we can turn the picture another way, and we see Jesus helping His people to bear their crosses. Every cross we have to bear, His shoulder is also beneath it, and He always bears the heavy end of it. No believer ought to be unable to bear any cross with Jesus. No load that He shares, should crush us.

THANKSGIVING MESSAGE

Bishop’s Message for Thanksgiving 2025

 

“. . . proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof  . . .” Lev 25:10 (KJV)

 

            When the Mayflower dropped anchor off the coast of Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620, it carried pilgrim passengers weary and worn from cramped conditions, hazardous seas, and the expectation of the unknown conditions of their landing. It is likely that it was by the Providence of God that they landed in Massachusetts rather than their originally intended destination of Virginia.  Had they gone to Virginia, they may have not fallen among the same friendly native peoples as they met in Plymouth. 

            They risked their lives to bring the Christian faith to the New World. It was not a matter of enhanced livelihood, for they faced deprivation of winter cold, starvation, and unknown threats to their existence; however, the Indians were kind in teaching them how to plant and sow in the New World. Above all else, they came to be free to practice their religion as they believed God intended without government or societal persecution. They brought with them the sacrificial impulse to be free and to practice their faith in truth and peace. 

            We owe a debt of gratitude to these courageous Christian men and women. They planted the seed of Liberty on these North American shores that began with the Mayflower Compact and later resulted in the Declaration of Independence. Should we not cherish these freedoms as much as they? 

            We observe the occasion of their coming with a specially mandated holiday - Thanksgiving. On this day, we remember that liberty can only be maintained by vigilance, wisdom, and sacrifice. A multitude of freedom loving Americans have died, of faced the dangers of death, in defense of our Liberties. Let us never cheapen their sacrifices by allowing those hard faught battles for Liberty to go forgotten.

            The only free people are a Godly people who have valued love and wisdom above the opulence of wealth.

            To all, I pray that your Thanksgiving observance is a joyous one, and filled with love and gratitude for the Lord who is the Author of our Liberty.

 

 The Fourth Commandment.

Children, obey your parents in all things; for this is well- pleasing unto the Lord. Col. S, 20.

“We should fear and love God that we may not despise our parents and masters nor provoke them to anger.” Children who disrespect their parents by disobeying them and doing other deeds of wickedness and thus provoke them to righteous anger and sorely grieve them surely are not lovely olive-branches, but sharp and pricking thorns about the family table. They dishonor God by despising their parents.

God says: "Honor thy father and thy mother.” Our parents are nearest, and ought to be dearest, to us: our father, of whom we have been begotten; our mother, of whom we have been born. Next to God we owe to them our very being. Therefore “honor thy father and thy mother.” This is a commandment of the most high God, and woe to him who disobeys it! When children have learned to honor their parents, they can no longer speak of them as “the old man” and “the old woman” ; nor will they marry when they have grown to manhood and womanhood without the knowledge and consent of their parents.

Honor to our parents implies that we serve them, and that we do so not only when bidden, but whenever an opportunity offers to do something of which we know that it will please them. And we must support, nourish, and cherish them when they grow old and helpless in order to “requite” them as the Bible says, that is, to return in part the loving care which they bestowed upon us when we were young and helpless.

Due honor to our parents demands that we also obey them; for the Lord says: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” And again He says. “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord.” We should obey our parents in all things in which God has placed them over us and esteem them as a precious gift of God. Parents, to a certain extent, are the representatives of God over against their children. Obedient children are the pride of a home and give the hearts of their parents great pleasure.

Prayer.

Almighty God and Father, we confess that we have not honored Thee in Thy representatives, our parents, as we should have done, but have set aside Thy precept and therewith provoked Thy right­ eous anger. Grant that we may know our sin and repent of it and accept as the atonement for our disobedience the perfect obedience of Thy dear Son. Give to all parents a due sense of their respon­ sibilities and enable them to exercise their office to Thine honor. Give to us hearts that fear and love Thee, that we may honor those whom Thou hast placed in authority over us and render to them obedience and service, love and esteem. Amen.

DEEPER STUDY by Bishop Ogles

Commandment IV

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the

seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor

thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy

gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the

seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:8-11)

Many Bible scholars today seem to believe that God’s issuance of the Ten Commandments was the mo-

ment of institution of the Holy Sabbath. I disagree for it is mentioned in Genesis: “Thus the heavens and

the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he

had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the

seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and

made.” (Genesis 2:1-3) Again it was observed in Egypt as well in the wilderness Journey prior to Sinai:

“And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sab-

bath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which

remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.” (Exodus 16:23) and “So the people rested on the seventh day.” (Exodus 16:30) 

Though the Sabbath was not instituted at Sinai, it was, indeed, codified into the Table of the Law.

It is important to note that God begins this Commandment with the word, remember. It is important be-

cause God does not want us to forget, or take for granted, this serious Commandment. He tells us to re-

member the Sabbath for He knows that we will be inclined to disregard it. You may feel that you are

keeping the Sabbath today, but you may not be. Is Sunday the Sabbath Day? No, it is the first day of the

week. The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week which the Spanish calendar still depicts as Sábado.

Sunday, by consensus, was set aside by the early church as an appropriate day to set aside to formally

worship the Lord, but it is not the Sabbath described in the fourth Commandment. The Hebrew Sabbath

began at sundown Friday evening and continued till sundown on Saturday. It is intriguing to know that

Jesus was laid in the Garden Tomb precisely at the beginning of Sabbath, and had already arisen before

light of day on Sunday (see John 20:1). So we do not know the precise moment that Christ broke the

bonds of death and rose from the grave. It could have been 4 A.M. or it could even have been at sun-

down on Saturday – the end of the Sabbath. One thing we do know is this: Christ kept that Sabbath Day

in the rest of death in the Tomb!

There have been numerous and voluminous works written to show that the Hebrew Sabbath was

changed from Saturday to Sunday, but all such attempts fall far short of success. The Sabbath was not

changed and still remains inviolate today for Christians. I realize that you are probably thinking that I amproposing that we must still observe the strict observance on a Seventh Day Sabbath – no, I am not;

however, I believe that Christ became our Passover when He died a substitutionary death for us on the

brow of Calvary: “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.

For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:” (1 Corinthians 5:7) In the same sense, I believe that

Christ became our Sabbath (Rest). Can we do any good works apart from Christ working in and

through us? No, we are incapable of such works.

None of our Christian labors are ours, but belong to Christ working in our members. “Neither yield ye

your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those

that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” (Romans

6:13) “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians

2:13) The only works we can take credit for are those of sin and disobedience, for the carnal man is

unable to please God. “Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a

time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them

rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the

people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God

did from his.” (Hebrews 4:7-10)

The Greek word for rest in the above verse is ( or Sabbatismos (sab-bat-is-mos') which

means, ‘keeping Sabbath.’ In my own personal opinion, I understand the Sabbath not to have been

abrogated by Christ, but rather made more stringent. Not only do we keep one day in seven as Sab-

bath, but seven days in seven, for Christ is our eternal Sabbath. All that we do, think, and value is

centered on the Lord Jesus Christ, if we are devout and serious Christians. Our labors are His labors,

and we have that rest promised by God in Christ.

Though Christ has become our Sabbath rest in God, our physical bodies are not immune to weariness

and exhaustion. Therefore, the one day in seven principle for physical rest remains needful for the

mortal body. Governments from China to France, from Soviet Russia to Nazi Germany, have at-

tempted eliminate any day of rest at all in the week, but to no avail. The Sabbath Day was not only a

spiritual rest granted to ancient Israel, but a physical rest given to all mankind in God’s natural laws.

Our keeping of God’s Sabbath today is to allow Christ to labor in and through our members. If we

step back and allow Christ to work in us, we will discover that we have the attributes of the great Ea-

gle. We will not grow weary in good works because those good works came not of our labors but of

Christ. “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator

of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He

giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths

shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall

renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and

they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31)22

in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in

the sanctuary.” (Psalm 63:1-2) We will seek His face early – even before we prepare food for the

belly, we will seek to satisfy the void in the heart.

And not only will our search for God and glorying in Him be in the daylight hours, but also the dark

nights of the soul: “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise

thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night

watches.” (Psalms 63:5-6) There are far too many of us who take a flippant view of our duties, and

love, for God. We believe that we can depend only upon a weekly sermon and reading of the Gospel

and we are set for a week of forgetfulness in the world. Really? No, we need the daily bread of the

Word, of prayer, and of dependence upon our Creator It is by His power and discretion that we receive

the next breath of life (did we labor for it?). And it is from His gracious will that our heart performs

the very next beat. None of the basic functions of life come as a result of our labor, but from God. He

continues those labors of His in maintaining our lives day by day, seven days a week. He is truly our

Sabbath Rest in every way.

There is no man to enforce the Sabbath. It is God who commanded it. His Voice thundered it from the

Smokey Heights of Sinai. That same Voice also thundered again on the Mount of Transfiguration:

“...This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard

it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise,

and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus

only.” (Matthew 17:5-8) Arise, be not afraid. The Law of God is no longer written on Tables of Stone,

but by Love upon the sinews of our hearts – written, not with pick and hammer, but by the Blood of

the Lord Jesus Christ!

 DAILY READINGS IN LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller (1890)

November 27. Fatal Decision

"Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away." John 19:16 

So we see the sad and terrible end of Pilate's weak struggles with his conscience and his sense of right. He first tried every way to avoid the issue; then he temporized, hoping in some manner to get free from responsibility. At last he yielded; and his name goes through history pilloried forever as the man who delivered Jesus to be crucified. He is known by no other act. It had been a thousand times better for him if he had remained forever in obscurity, instead of going to that high place of power where he had to meet and deal with this momentous question of history.

We read that Pilate took water in the presence of the Jews and washed his hands — thus by symbol declaring that he was not responsible for the sentencing of Jesus to die. But the water did not wash away one particle of the stain of the guilt of that terrible sin. Pilate had the misfortune to be the only man in all the province who could send Jesus to the cross. Upon him, therefore, the final responsibility rested, no matter what the pressure was, which was brought to bear upon him by the enemies of Jesus. The fact that others urge us to sin — does not take away our guilt for that sin! No being in the universe can compel us to do wrong; if, then, we do wrong, the sin is our own.

We remember that the Jews responded to Pilate's act of washing his hands, "May His blood be on us, and on our children!" No one who has read the story of the next forty years, can doubt that their self-imprecation was fulfilled. Thirty years later, thousands of the Jews were crucified. The crime of the Jews was successful; but what came of the success in the end? Let us learn the lesson, that sin brings always terrible woe — and that the worst of all sins, is sin against the Lord Jesus Christ.

TWO SIDED GOSPEL

 TRUE ART.—

    The art of exalting lowliness and giving greatness to little things is one of the noblest functions of genius. - Palgrave.

    In a lonely street of Florence Michael Angelo found a fine block of marble imbedded in the mire. He dug about it, soiling his holiday attire, for, said he, "there's an angel in it!" He felt that it was his mission to let the angel out, and he did it.