Two Kingdoms

mindlight

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what are my obligations to the earthly authorities which God has appointed?

To what extent do my higher obligations to Gods Kingdom contradict or override my citizenship of the earthly Kingdom?

It it alright not to pay taxes, to refuse to serve in the army as a conscript or to disobey laws against evangelism or public worship for instance.

Should i respect laws on gay marriage, abortion, witchcraft, false religion etc
 

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It it alright not to pay taxes

I wouldn't advise this one.

It's a quick ticket to a financial wipe out after back taxes, interest and penalties are demanded from you, and a one-way pass to prison.

The IRS can take your bank account, your furnishings, your shoes, your art and your home without due process.

While you sit in jail, your family will be penniless, homeless and all but naked.
 
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Halbhh

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what are my obligations to the earthly authorities which God has appointed?

To what extent do my higher obligations to Gods Kingdom contradict or override my citizenship of the earthly Kingdom?

It it alright not to pay taxes, to refuse to serve in the army as a conscript or to disobey laws against evangelism or public worship for instance.

Should i respect laws on gay marriage, abortion, witchcraft, false religion etc

obligations to the earthly authorities include to pay taxes (give to caesar), and to be a good citizen, not fomenting violence even when there is injustice. We are not too caught up in the political because we are "not of this world" in the truth. Instead, our voting and such is only like....a good analogy to me is that it's like janitorial duty -- someone has to mop the floors and clean the dishes. It's not important in itself but a mere duty. Secondary! -- even being a hostess was very secondary! -- Martha and Mary when Christ visited.

So earthly = janitorial.

To what extent do my higher obligations to Gods Kingdom contradict or override my citizenship of the earthly Kingdom? -- Entirely.

It it alright not to pay taxes, to refuse to serve in the army as a conscript or to disobey laws against evangelism or public worship for instance. -- Not usually, because remember we are not the ones in charge, but in extraordinary situations yes you can absolutely refuse to do wrong actions when pressed into service to do what is wrong. If you can't have Christian fellowship on a street corner, for example in Rome before a certain time, then you do it inside houses, etc.

Should i respect laws on gay marriage, abortion, witchcraft, false religion etc -- Great question -- the main answer is you are not responsible to go and do wrongs while trying to stop other people from doing wrongs. People sin.

People sin.

We cannot stop them from sinning by opposing them, or the sin!

Instead, we can only, only correctly, try to individually tell them of Christ, in a loving way, one at a time.

But, sin will continue. Don't go agitating and causing a ruckus trying to stop sin by laws and political action and opposition.

Instead, bring people to Christ!

He is the solution!

Not anything else. Not one other thing else. Only Him.
 
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Halbhh

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Let me add it's sharply important to know that telling people of Christ is not telling them about our own favorite sin to oppose. Christ is not "the guy who is against gay people" or "the guy who is against sinners".

No. That's not Who He is.

It's telling them about the very Son of God, who saves any sinner that comes to Him, even you and even me!

Our own preaching against whatever sin we like to preach against = zero value for lost sinners.

Telling them about Christ -- infinite value.

-------------

Just to avoid confusing anyone, let me add it is not a sin to be 'gay' and be celibate. It's not even a sin to be 'gay' and 'in a relationship'. The specific sexual sins include things like sodomy, fornication, and adultery, but they do not include simply love itself. We have to be careful not to allow the Enemy to trip us up on this one! The enemy has already gained greatly on this issue of what is sin because of people not even knowing accurately what the sins are to begin with, and having the wrong idea, and then also wrongly preaching it also.
 
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mindlight

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I wouldn't advise this one.

It's a quick ticket to a financial wipe out after back taxes, interest and penalties are demanded from you, and a one-way pass to prison.

The IRS can take your bank account, your furnishings, your shoes, your art and your home without due process.

While you sit in jail, your family will be penniless, homeless and all but naked.

Clear - Jesus himself paid Caesars taxes giving to Ceasar what was Ceasars.
 
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mindlight

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obligations to the earthly authorities include to pay taxes (give to caesar), and to be a good citizen, not fomenting violence even when there is injustice. We are not too caught up in the political because we are "not of this world" in the truth. Instead, our voting and such is only like....a good analogy to me is that it's like janitorial duty -- someone has to mop the floors and clean the dishes. It's not important in itself but a mere duty. Secondary! -- even being a hostess was very secondary! -- Martha and Mary when Christ visited.

So earthly = janitorial.

To what extent do my higher obligations to Gods Kingdom contradict or override my citizenship of the earthly Kingdom? -- Entirely.

It it alright not to pay taxes, to refuse to serve in the army as a conscript or to disobey laws against evangelism or public worship for instance. -- Not usually, because remember we are not the ones in charge, but in extraordinary situations yes you can absolutely refuse to do wrong actions when pressed into service to do what is wrong. If you can't have Christian fellowship on a street corner, for example in Rome before a certain time, then you do it inside houses, etc.

Should i respect laws on gay marriage, abortion, witchcraft, false religion etc -- Great question -- the main answer is you are not responsible to go and do wrongs while trying to stop other people from doing wrongs. People sin.

People sin.

We cannot stop them from sinning by opposing them, or the sin!

Instead, we can only, only correctly, try to individually tell them of Christ, in a loving way, one at a time.

But, sin will continue. Don't go agitating and causing a ruckus trying to stop sin by laws and political action and opposition.

Instead, bring people to Christ!

He is the solution!

Not anything else. Not one other thing else. Only Him.

Jesus first absolutely. But his example teaches me to pay my taxes, respect the authorities as he respected them even to the point of allowing Pilate to execute him. But Pilate would have had no power over Jesus were it not given to him from above. There is a value in an orderly society that Christians are taught to respect even as they focus on growing the Kingdom. The powers that be are there to serve the common good and their objective value is measured in those terms.
 
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mindlight

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Let me add it's sharply important to know that telling people of Christ is not telling them about our own favorite sin to oppose. Christ is not "the guy who is against gay people" or "the guy who is against sinners".

No. That's not Who He is.

It's telling them about the very Son of God, who saves any sinner that comes to Him, even you and even me!

Our own preaching against whatever sin we like to preach against = zero value for lost sinners.

Telling them about Christ -- infinite value.

-------------

Just to avoid confusing anyone, let me add it is not a sin to be 'gay' and be celibate. It's not even a sin to be 'gay' and 'in a relationship'. The specific sexual sins include things like sodomy, fornication, and adultery, but they do not include simply love itself. We have to be careful not to allow the Enemy to trip us up on this one! The enemy has already gained greatly on this issue of what is sin because of people not even knowing accurately what the sins are to begin with, and having the wrong idea, and then also wrongly preaching it also.

The point about the gay lobby or indeed extremist feminist one is that it is the heart of opposition to christ and the advance of his Kingdom in our times. Christians need to be real about what Satan is doing in our age even while focusing our own hearts on the purity, truth, excellence, nobility and sheer awesomeness of Jesus.
 
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Percivale

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The point about the gay lobby or indeed extremist feminist one is that it is the heart of opposition to christ and the advance of his Kingdom in our times. Christians need to be real about what Satan is doing in our age even while focusing our own hearts on the purity, truth, excellence, nobility and sheer awesomeness of Jesus.
It is an aspect of opposition to Christ, not sure it's the heart of it. If we get hung up on opposing it to where we neglect other important parts of Christlike life it will have served Satan's goals. We obey God whether or not the government allows it, but don't try to force others to do so
 
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