How Historical Christians Took Over Cities… And How We Can Again – Part 3

Christian History “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6

In Parts 1 and 2, we saw in the 17^th century how early American Christians established totally Christian towns and cities being literally ruled under Jesus, as King of kings, and God’s moral civil Law. And what an amazing American history that has proved God’s Word to be true, exactly as God promised and we saw in Deuteronomy 28! But from whom did our early American Christians get their teaching, example, and inspiration?

In the 16^th century there were Christian men called Protestant Reformers . They were called Protestants because they were public protestors to everything and everyone who was NOT following the Bible! The word “Protestant” comes from the word “protest”.

In Part 3, we’re looking at how practically did Christians take over godless cities to become Christian cities… to be led by godly Christian civil leaders under Jesus, King of kings, and God’s moral civil Law? Well, we start here. Their name, or historical identity, is enough to be a wakeup call for any Christian today that is expecting to realistically transform any town or city today from godless to Christian .

The strongest protestors in any nation of any age will always win the day! I don’t have time here to take you through the history of different nations today or throughout the ages to have you see this if you don’t already know this. But look at America alone. Who has been the loudest and strongest protestors in our generation? Certainly not the Christians. It’s all the immoralists – the Socialists, the Marxists, the homosexual/sodomites, the transsexuals, the Left, the Democrats. Is this not obvious to you?

The immoralists have flooded our courts with immoral judges , our schools with immoral professors , with immoral entertainers , immoral news media , immoral progressive churches and yes, even immoral evangelical churches if /when they shut their mouth to the immoralists of our day. The greatest protestors in America in this generation are clearly the immoralists and they have clearly been winning, routing out all vestiges of Christianity one step at a time.

The 16^th century protestors/Protestants were so dominate in their cities that they transformed their cities – all their civil law, civil leaders, and all social life, from godless to Christian, one step at a time and one city at a time. That is why they were not just called Protestants but Protestant Reformers . They reformed all society, civilization itself. That is what God wants to do and can do anywhere, anytime , but He has humbly restricted Himself to do it only through His people . That is either exciting to think about or scary to think about… “For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household” (1Peter 4:17).

To call the Protestant Reformers radical, may be an understatement but to call them “fools for Christ” would be more appropriate. But I wonder if the rest of the verse may reflect Christians or Christian leaders today, as the apostle Paul wrote: “We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!” (1Cor. 4:10). If as Christians or Christian leaders we’re more concerned about our reputation, about not offending anyone, then condemning by name the wicked rulers of today, we will never be like the Protestant Reformers, much less like the apostles or Jesus.

The 1555 Burning of Master John Rogers

Through the ages, not all popes have been the same. But in the 16^th century Pope Leo X was definitely not a good Pope. And Martin Luther often publicly referred to him as “Satan”. Martin Luther was scathing in publicly identifying by name the ungodly – religious leaders, civil leaders, and any others. If spiritual leaders today don’t publicly identify by name the wicked – religious, civil, and others – no wonder their flocks or Christian world today doesn’t identify the wicked, or vote against them, or protest against them! And this was not just true with Martin Luther, but it was no less true with all the Protestant Reformers – Calvin, Zwingli, Knox, and all others. They were all public against all unrighteousness and those promoting unrighteousness.

Preachers are blowing their horns but “if the bugler doesn’t sound a clear call, how will the soldiers know they are being called to battle?” (1Cor. 14:8). Today Christians don’t even know they are soldiers, much less in a battle, and really a battle greater than WWII. They don’t know what to fight, how to fight or who to fight – they have no definition of what to win or how to win! But Paul said, “Run in such a way that you may win! … I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air!” (1Cor. 9:24-26).

Some group is going to win America. The immoralists, the Left, has already mostly done that, and when they complete it… YOU Christian, you will have NO freedom. And you, your children, and grandchildren will be persecuted beyond what you can now imagine – history and the Bible guarantees it. UNLESS – “The righteous one considers the house of the wicked, turning the wicked to ruin” (Prov. 21:12 NASB).

Tyndale, before being strangled and burned at the stake, cried out, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes”.

So we must now identify and route out the wicked or they will complete their total destruction of the righteous. The Protestant Reformers followed the examples from the Bible, and we must also while we still can without being put to death, despite even now with growing persecution. But here are some of God’s examples:

King Ahab called Elijah, “you troublemaker of Israel!” Elijah retorted straight back to the king, “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord!” (1Kings 18:17-18). Later, Elijah publicly mocked the national false religious leaders, the prophets of Baal praying to their god: “About noontime Elijah began mocking them. ‘You’ll have to shout louder’, he scoffed, ‘for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself! Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!” (1Kings 18:27).

What about John the Baptist? “John publicly reproved Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. So Herod put John in prison” (Luke 3:19-20 NLT). Herod had not broken any Roman law, but John the Baptist publicly rebuked his top civil authority for breaking GOD’S LAW! For this he was put in jail and soon thereafter killed.

John the Baptist was the first martyr in the New Testament. But he was not martyred for preaching the gospel but for publicly reproving the top civil ruler for breaking God’s Law, who he knew could easily put him to death, and did. And Jesus said of John the Baptist – “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist” (Mat. 11:11). David said to God, “I will speak to kings about Your laws, and I will not be ashamed” (Ps. 119:46).

Then there was Jesus Himself. Jesus also mocked His top civil ruler, Herod Antipas, calling him “that fox!” (Luke 13:32). Jesus’ civil rulers in Judea were the religious and political Pharisees, sitting in the top civil set, “the set of Moses” (Mat. 23:2). Jesus spoke scathingly to all these religious/civil leaders: “Inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!… your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness… Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?” (Mat. 23: 25, 28, 33).

Did God’s men act any different in our church age? “’Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,’ they shouted, ‘and now they are here disturbing our city, too. And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus!’” (Acts 17:6-7).

This is why there was a Reformation Era in history, the Protestant Reformers followed the Bible and many who lost their lives in Europe doing it. The 16^th century European Protestant Reformers were the amazing Christian Forerunners for our American Founders.

Martin Luther once said:

“If I profess with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God, except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”