IDENTITY IDEALS

by Jim Jester

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4

This is part 4, concluding my series on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. This week we have entered into the 501st year of the anniversary, Oct 31, 2018.

According to Philip Melanchthon, 31 October 1517 was the day German monk Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire. Historians and other experts on the subject argue that Luther may have chosen All Hallows’ Eve on purpose to get the attention of common people, although this has never been proven. This became known as the start of the Protestant Reformation.

Christian Identity shares many of the doctrines of the Protestant Reformation. However, our principles and ideals go just a bit deeper than what has transpired in Christendom since that time, 500 years ago.

Copied from the Sermon Notes of Pastor Don Elmore

October 21, 2018

Scripture Reading:  2 Kings 21:1-3, 6, 9

Halloween has now progressed to second place in the holiday spending in America. This will be the message as to why I do not celebrate this non-Christian holiday. My family does not decorate or pass out any candy. It is one of the holidays of the pagan.

King Manasseh seduced the citizens of the kingdom of Judah to do much more evil than did the Canaanite nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel. What a sad commentary this is. King Manasseh, the longest reigning king of either house, 55 years, did as much evil as he could. He sacrificed his son to Baal by having him burnt to death in his arms while the drums beat to drown out his son’s cries of anguish. He built the high places, built altars to Baal, worshiped all the host of heaven, observed times, used enchantments, dealt with familiar spirits and wizards, set up a graven image in the temple, shed much innocent blood, and seduced Judah to commit more sins than the nations which had been destroyed out of Canaan.

Copied from the sermon notes of Pastor Don Elmore

October 7, 2018

Scripture Reading:  Judges 2:11-13

11) “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

12) And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and provoked the LORD to anger.

13) And they [Israel] forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.”

Joshua had died. Israel had served the LORD all the days of Joshua. And they had continued to serve the LORD all the days of the elders that had out-lived Joshua. The elders had known all the works of the LORD that He had done for Israel.

Joshua 24:31:

31) “And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that He had done for Israel.”

So, for the thirty years that Joshua was in Canaan and afterward during the few years of the elders who out-lived him, Israel served the LORD. The elders remembered the works that the LORD had done on behalf of Israel while they were freed from bondage in Egypt, when they were in the wilderness and when they had entered Canaan. What happened when these elders died?

THE REFORMERS ON ETHNO-NATIONALISM

By Jim Jester

September 23, 2018

Scripture: Deuteronomy 17:14-15

Ethno-nationalism, also known as Ethnic Nationalism, is a form of nationalism wherein the nation or country is defined in terms of ethnicity (or race). The central theme of ethnic nationalists is that political nations are defined by a shared heritage, which usually includes a common language, faith, culture, and ethnic ancestry; and tends to be exclusive.

In contrast, Civic Nationalism is based on political membership and tends to be inclusive. Thus, the various countries of the world differ on how they define their version of nationalism.

Herodotus was the first who stated the main characteristics of ethnicity, with his famous account of what defines Greek identity. He lists kinship, “of the same blood,” language, “speaking the same language,” cults and customs, “of the same habits of life.”

William Finck informs us that, “Ethnic nationalism is the only valid form of nationalism, and civic nationalism is entirely artificial, unnatural, and can only be enforced by tyranny. It is empiricism and not nationalism at all.”

Copied from the sermon notes of Pastor Don Elmore

September 9, 2018

Scripture Reading: John 19:23

Who do you think the “they” are in this verse? Some interpret the word to mean the “Roman soldiers”; others to mean “the band of chief priest, Pharisees and scribes of Israel(i).” Was it the Roman soldiers who took His garments after the Roman soldiers crucified Him or was it the chief priests, Pharisees and elders of Israel(i) who crucified Jesus and then the Roman soldiers took His garments. Which one do you think it is?

by William Finck

August 26, 2018

Scripture Reading: Psalm 44:19-23:

Being here [at FGCP] in March after the death of Pastor Mark Downey, and now passing through again after the burial of Clifton Emahiser, I thought I should seek to offer our community some encouragement.

Disaster and Death: Why Do We Suffer?

This is a broad topic. I won't ever be able to discuss every detail. But Yahweh willing, here we will hit on the important aspects. Perhaps anyone who hears this will stop blaming God for our woes.

In modern times when we have floods and drought, when we have pestilence and disease, very few people who are affected by these things ever even consider what manner of sin they have committed, or what manner of sin they have allowed to exist in their communities, that they should suffer such things. But as our ancient ancestors believed, when such calamities befall us, they are clearly punishments from Yahweh our God. The proof that such a concept was prevalent even in relatively recent times is found in the very origin of the word that is used to describe such calamities, which is crisis. In English, a crisis is a time of danger or trouble. But in Greek the word is decision or judgment, and in our Scriptures it describes the judgment of God. While modern secularized dictionaries attempt to obfuscate this connection, it is the true origin of the modern English use of the word.

Copied from the sermon notes of Pastor Don Elmore

August 12, 2018

Scripture Reading:  Revelation 2:14-17

On July 20th, 2018, I received an email from the lawyer of the two prisoners in the Michigan jail system, who had filed a law suit against the state of Michigan for their decision in not allowing them the opportunity to participate in a separate Bible study and worship group in the prison. This email came about a month after I had a short talk with the lawyer about my being the “expert witness” in the case in the place of our co-pastor, Mark Downey. Even though everything seemed to be a go, the lawyer and his associates had determined from our short talk on the phone that I would not be a good “expert witness” in the case. I didn’t think that I was auditioning for the role.