There have been quite a bit of reactions recently after the Canadian government seized the church building of Gracelife church. The most common one floating around has to be the argument that the Canadian government has no right to take property that is not theirs. There are some who, holding the theological belief that Christians should not have church buildings, don't really care, or may even see this as a victory. Some have taken the mark and completely sided with the beast. So this got me thinking, what will I do when this happens in the U.S. of A? What follows is what I plan to do, and not necessarily in this order: 1. Break Out My Declaration of Independence
In times like these it is good to remember that the Declaration of Independence reiterates my right to secede from any tyrannical government, and to exercise my right to pursue life, liberty and property. Did you hear that? Someone reading this just thought "wHeRe ArE mY RiGhTs iN ThE BiBlE?" I'm not going to answer that right now, but boy does the US church need some work. Anyways, the US government, whether local, state or federal, has no right to seize the property of the Christian Church. Yes, I'm aware of 'eminent domain', and no, I don't care. Legally, the government may not take the property of a church, and if it does, secession shouldn't be far behind. 2. Remember Why We Have a Building When the church gathers as God’s people to partake of the Word and table, we experience Jesus in a special way as we are whisked into the heavenly places and are nourished by His body and blood in the sacrament. Therefore since the presence of God is mysteriously experienced in a special way during worship, it follows that a sacred place, a church building, still has relevance in this new covenant. When God made the earth He intended it all to be for worship, this is why the tabernacle and temple mirror creation. In the new covenant the promise wasn’t that the temple would be destroyed so that God’s people would be huddled in their houses until the end of time. The promise was that the temple would be destroyed so that the whole world would become a temple. The temple was a tutor, teaching the church what to do with the whole world. Rocks, metal, gold and brick should be used to build beautiful monuments that glorify God on every corner. Church buildings and the architecture therein play an important role in using creation for its intended purpose— worship. Creation is God's, for to Him belongs dominion, authority and power forever. And for those of us who are united to Him, we are given right to this world as sons of God. Calvin rightly said- "God has appointed to his children alone the whole world and all that is in the world. For this reason, they are also called the heirs of the world; for at the beginning Adam was appointed to be lord of all, on this condition, that he should continue in obedience to God. Accordingly, his rebellion against God deprived of the right, which had been bestowed on him, not only himself but his posterity. And since all things are subject to Christ, we are fully restored by His mediation, and that through faith; and therefore all that unbelievers enjoy may be regarded as the property of others, which they rob or steal." (Comm. on 1 Tim. 4:3) This world is ours, and those structures in which the church meets should not be relinquished easily. Those church buildings are the pinnacle of creation. They are a symbol of what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do in making all things new as He puts the capstone on this new creation. 3. Go to the Hardware Store Bolt cutters can be pretty cheap, but I'll probably get some nice ones in case I need to use them a lot. Then I will submit to the constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, and exercise my right to religious freedom. Unless my elders object I will walk up to the chain, crack it open, and open the doors. Then we will continue our garden-work as priests and kings, reconciling this world to Jesus Christ, and sanctifying creation the way we should. Comments are closed.
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AuthorJeremiah is a husband, father, CPA, and is currently studying pastoral ministry at Greyfriars Hall. Archives
February 2024
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