"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. - Matthew 5:38-39 (ESV)
I have said this countless times before. Do not fall for the NAR dominionist movement's rhetoric, which scratches our ears to point at other people's sin as the way to avoid the spread of the gospel. Only the devil can hatch a scheme to convince those in the church that the unsaved are somehow the enemy. Beloved, the things of God are foolishness to those who are perishing. They are called the lost for a reason. These charlatans who preach the nonsense of dominionism, worship this world and they teach the churched to idolize it like they do. From a biblical perspective, America is just like any other nation. It is not Israel. It is not under covenant with God. It may be the best secular government experiment in history but that means absolutely nothing to a holy God. These hucksters will do anything, malign everyone and completely eviscerate the bible to suit their desire for political power. Case in point from last month, I present Mark Burns. He calls himself a pastor, but he is not. He is a political operative and biblical hireling. Mind you, this is not about his political preferences it is what he does with them to smear the cause of Christ.
The above verses are from the Sermon on the Mount. What Jesus is teaching is crystal clear. Instead of the desire to seek retribution, which was the standard in the Old Testament, Jesus teaches the exact opposite. He teaches that if someone slaps our right cheek we must, not may, turn to them our other cheek. This is clearly a call to show the peace that Christ wants His church to display. Mark Burns, speaking at a political rally, cited the key verses in a most blasphemous way:
"You got to get to the point where you realize that when they smack you in the face you smack them back two times harder" - Mark Burns
This is not a joke beloved. He cited the key verses to support this quote. It is deadly serious on two fronts. First of all, to essentially calls for political violence and given the powder keg we currently live in is amoral at best and vile at worst. It is a call for the type of carnal chaos that Satan routinely propagates in this world. More importantly, it is a serious affront to God and damages the witness for Christ. Those walking in darkness may not understand the things of God but they can read. They understand that the scriptures he referenced have nothing to do with violence. Do you think God wrote His holy word so people who claim the mantle of Christ's church can openly mangle it in order to hurt the very people who may need the gospel the most? If you do, you need to reread the gospels yourself because you have wandered too far. As if this was not disturbing enough, Burns went on to also mangle another Matthew verse, 11:12:
"Bible says the violent take it" and we take it by force," - Mark Burns
This reference from Jesus is said with a text of Him commending John the Baptist and the crowds that he drew. He noted that now these multitudes were following Him. That is what He meant by the violent take it by force. Not an actual call to violence but a commentary on how hungry the people were for the gospel and His ministry. Either way, what is being "taken" in these scriptures is the Kingdom of Heaven, not the political blood sport Burns revels in.
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,[d] and the violent take it by force. - Matthew 11:12 (ESV)
Do you get that? This scripture actually says that the violent take the kingdom of heaven by force. Burns mixes it in for his call for earthly political violence and simply drops the referent to heaven. Absolutely despicable. Realize though that Mark Burns and his dominionist ilk do not care a whit about the Kingdom of Heaven or the cause of Jesus Christ. They only care about carnal political power. The holy word of God? Just a prop for them to use to give them a false air of piety. Beloved, the lost are not left, liberal, woke, or any other silly earthly political definition. They are lost. They do not need the hatred, vilification, or disdain from people who claim to be churched. They need the gospel. The gospel is not berating them for sin. That is the law. The role of the church is not to conquer cultural mountains, demand the election of equally flawed sinners, or twist the bible to the point of blasphemy. It is to represent Christ and His peace, as the key verses teach, and preach the gospel. Do not chase NAR dominionist false preachers like Mark Burns. Mark and avoid.
Reverend Anthony Wade - June 23, 2023
