Below is my message for Sunday, September 5th. Please feel free to forward or reply. As always, your comments are always appreciated.
May God continue to bless you in all you do in His service and in service to our most worthy Southern Cause.
Bro. Len Patterson, Th.D.
Chaplain, Army of Trans-Mississippi
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Markers
There are those who seem to always follow the path of, "Out with the old and in with the new." An evangelist preaching in a church I was pastoring some years ago, stated, "If it's new, it can't be true." That statement may not apply to everything, and of course there are times when updating is important, but it does apply. Out with the old, and in with the new is not always a good idea, and in many circumstances, leads to destruction.
The Scripture says, "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set." (Prov: 22: 28) Obviously, the landmarks referred to in these writings (and gatherings) of Solomon about three thousand years ago, are not the same today. For example: The Bible, and especially the New Testament, written by our Christian Fathers under the inspiration of God, does not need to be changed, amended, updated, and certainly not removed. But it has been. The Bible has been removed from our schools, courts and public assemblies, and the result has lead to chaos, destruction, and even death. Prayer has also been removed along with the Cross, Nativity scenes and anything else that represents the "Faith of our fathers." What can we, as a people, expect when we remove these ancient landmarks which our fathers have set.
Not only has the faith of our fathers been removed, but so has their morality and sense of decency. We can say America is a "Nation under God, and sing "God bless America." However, God is not going to be moved or impressed by our slogans, pledges, and songs. How can America expect God's blessing when it is more socially acceptable to be a practicing homosexual or lesbian than it is to be a practicing Christian. Did God bless Sodom? The ancient landmark of morality and decency set by our fathers has been removed. Far removed. I doubt our fathers would have thought such a condition existing in this country even possible.
As members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, we also have ancient landmarks set by our fathers that must not be removed. Our Confederate forefathers set and example of courage and determination in the face of a destructive and unwarranted invasion, which we are to preserve, uphold and emulate. It is their name, their flag, their monuments, and their honor which is under attack today. This is the legacy, this is the responsibility, this is the honor they passed on to us, and it's up to us to insure that these ancient landmarks are preserved and never removed.
Nineveh repented under the preaching of Jonah, and God spared the city. Can the same thing happen in America? Can America be blessed? That, I can't say. However, the Sons of Confederate Veterans can be. But we must do as General S.D. Lee said, and that is to emulate the virtues of the Confederate soldier. That means we must be a Godly Confederation. We must be a "Army under God."
May God grant to the Sons of Confederate Veterans the strength, unity of purpose, spiritual guidance, and faith, to protect and preserve the ancient landmarks set by our fathers. Amen.
Bro. Len Patterson, Th.D
Chaplain Army of Trans-Mississippi
No comments:
Post a Comment