How then shall we live?

This is the question of every God seeking generation:

In light of God’s commands and in light of circumstances, opportunities, and moral obligations, how shall we live?

The answer varies to some extent each individual as “to his own Master each servant stands or falls”. What follows is my own attempt to discern the will of God for me and my house given the principles of God’s word, the calling of God on our lives, and the times we live in.

The principles of God’s word are often in tension with one another.

The calling of God on our lives involves tension; provide/protect for your family and change/reach the world. One can haggle about the sequence of those priorities. We can read the annals of missionary advances and church growth books and literally see the trail of broken marriages and families. Tension between two good and valid principles is an important aspect of how we live our lives.

The times we live in, like all times, are evil but now the tension between government entities has failed. 

God has instituted rulers among men to punish evil and to do justice. But rulers are obviously human and so are prone to sin in the best of circumstances. But when they are given too much power they often become corrupt and despotic. It was for this reason that the founders of the United States contrived a multi-branch and multi-entity government so that the tension would be there between the branches to restrict their thirst for power and their corruption. 

In our day, the tension has failed, the checks and balances have been undermined, and the nation sits on the edge of collapse, teetering. The next election may move us back from the edge, but those who are seeking power will not stop their pursuit of it even if they are voted out of office. They will simply shift strategy to bottom up instead of top down. They will attempt to use violence and class warfare to achieve their ends instead of backroom deals and usurpation of rights.

In the times we live in, a one world government is now trying to emerge.

Powerful corporations, central banks, secret societies of uber wealthy elite have been centralizing power from behind the scenes for decades. They are now openly using political ideologies and tension between economic class, religious worldviews, and ethnic groups to set the conditions for worldwide feudal system where they are the only rulers. They offer a world where dissent, liberty, and organized resistance are not just forbidden, they are crushed ruthlessly. In the future they imagine for us there will be no tension.

The fate of future generations, their quality of life, their religious and civic freedom depend on how we handle the very salient question:

How then shall we live?

I believe WE must restore the tension.

They seek to induce total dependence, we must reduce our dependence on a world that is growing increasingly hostile towards us.

They seek to herd  us into the cities (UN agenda 21), we must return to the country.

They seek to educate our children in their dogma, we must educate our children ourselves at home.

They seek to fund the consolidation of their own power through our taxes, we must reduce their power by adopting voluntary simplicity.

They seek to centralize power (first federal, then global governance), we must champion inalienable rights and pursue a policy of non-acquiescence with laws that seek to remove our rights. We must work tirelessly for local and state sovereignty with other liberty minded individuals.

They seek to silence us and intimidate us, we must be bold, now, in educating our neighbors.

They seek to route all our communications through the web so they can monitor and censure any dissent (FCC), we must revert to paper and word of mouth and we must work tirelessly.

They seek to devalue all paper currencies and replace them with a single worldwide electronic currency (SDR), we must revert to precious metals and durable goods for trade and for wealth preservation.

They seek to force us into a global collective (like Babel of long ago), we must revert to family and community units that can stand together in self-reliant unity.

They seek to play god with our lives, we must humble ourselves before the true God and pray fervently (2 Ch 7:14).

They seek to tell us that they own the water that falls from the sky (some western states already restrict collecting rain) and that we have no right to what God gives freely, we must refuse to surrunder our God given rights so that the rights of future generations are secured.

They seek to centralize all food production (Monsanto), we must propagate non-hybrid seeds and raise livestock wherever possible without reliance on high technology.

They seek to route all charity through the state (welfare and entitlements) so that no gratitude is owed to any competing ideology. We must be charitable and relational, and we must refuse to co-operate with state sponsored redistribution of wealth (such as inappropriate questions on census forms).

They want a pastor in every pulpit who will keep the flock docile (like in Nazi Germany) as they execute on their agenda, we must boldly serve as the salt of the earth and the light of the world without fear of reprisal for speaking out.

They want our people to be motivated by self-actualization (be the best you..), we must preach a crucified Christ that requires his followers to count the cost (in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer..).

They don’t mind docile dependent Christians because when hunger and fear are widespread, most will join the great falling away and will surrender their rights gladly for a bowl of porridge. We must refuse to participate in the great falling away and we must not give up our rights but instead anticipate trouble and store up food, arms, and ammunition.

They seek to reduce the population of the earth through war, famine, and disease, we must attempt to be one of those Jesus spoke of -> “He who endures to the end will be saved”.

Human nature demands tension.

It turns out that  in answer to the question, “How then shall we live?” , our choices are tension or tyranny.

I choose tension. This is what “having done all, stand (eph 6:13)“ requires of me.