https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_Marxism
My grandmother Nancy Wynne Gonce owned 249 acre farm in Little Crow Creek Valley. My father, Ollie A. Gonce, farmed that land on share crop rental when I was growing up. Later he purchased the land from his siblings, and even later it was owned by me and my brother Terrill.
During the farm crisis of the 1980's, thanks to Jimmy Carter, we had a foreclosure sale of the farm at the Jackson County Court House, and my sister Wenda and Ron Lovelace purchased the part of the farm that included most of the home place.
My wife Linda retained ownership of our house place and the old home place because they were on separate mortgages, and we owed more than the market value on each place.
Yesterday, while visiting with Randy Summers in Sinking Cove, he pointed out "Ol' Randolph", the ancient John Deere tractor that he purchased with permission from Bunn Lovelady when we were doing the voluntary liquidation of Gonce Brother's Farm.
1981 I began mission work in India. Bunn Lovelady told me several times that I needed to stay home and take care of the farming operation. Common sense would say so, but I was under what I believed was a higher calling. Charles Scott had invited Lyle Starnes to travel with him to India, 1980, and Lyle was working with me in the Gonce Brother's Farm Drainage business at the time. I paid Lyle's regular salary while he was gone to India.
We planned to go to India together in 1981, but Lyle was hindered from making the trip, and I went on alone until meeting Ken Shoop in New York where our flight to India had been delayed.
https://rgonce.blogspot.com/2017/05/mixed-bag.html
Our voluntary liquidation of Gonce Brother's Farm assets was in 1985, or thereabouts. But I digress. I want to talk about democracy and personal liberty.
My life has been about personal faith, personal decisions, and the liberty that has been provided in our nation. Liberty to make personal decisions, and to fail and to succeed.
Growing up as son of a tenant farmer,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenant_farmer
I have never suffered from white guilt. In fact, I have enjoyed reverse discrimination as youth in Ghana called me Obruni (white man). The work I did as a youngster, hoeing weeds with crook necked hoe, picking cotton, plowing with mules, gathering ear corn by hand, and so forth, were the same work that slaves did.
And many former slaves chose to work as sharecroppers after their release from slavery. But the call of the north was strong, and many moved to the big cities. For many, this move resulted in dependency on government for survival. Dependency on government is a great killer of personal freedom. One big problem with Democratic Socialism is that mankind does a very poor job of managing things. Personal liberty requires the freedom to fail as well as succeed. The Bible calls it sowing and reaping. When we do well we will be blessed, and when we do ill we will be cursed.
History is replete with examples of the fact that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. What is a nation? Why do we have nations?
A nation is a community of people who have some common heritage, with recognized territory boundary and laws. Their heritage accumulates the choices made by people over generations.. The Bible says that God visits the sins of the fathers upon the offspring to the third or fourth generation.
Exodus 34:6-8 English Standard Version (ESV)
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands,[a] forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.
Warning Against Idleness
The Final Judgment
Matt 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[f] you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
My grandmother Nancy Wynne Gonce owned 249 acre farm in Little Crow Creek Valley. My father, Ollie A. Gonce, farmed that land on share crop rental when I was growing up. Later he purchased the land from his siblings, and even later it was owned by me and my brother Terrill.
During the farm crisis of the 1980's, thanks to Jimmy Carter, we had a foreclosure sale of the farm at the Jackson County Court House, and my sister Wenda and Ron Lovelace purchased the part of the farm that included most of the home place.
My wife Linda retained ownership of our house place and the old home place because they were on separate mortgages, and we owed more than the market value on each place.
Yesterday, while visiting with Randy Summers in Sinking Cove, he pointed out "Ol' Randolph", the ancient John Deere tractor that he purchased with permission from Bunn Lovelady when we were doing the voluntary liquidation of Gonce Brother's Farm.
1981 I began mission work in India. Bunn Lovelady told me several times that I needed to stay home and take care of the farming operation. Common sense would say so, but I was under what I believed was a higher calling. Charles Scott had invited Lyle Starnes to travel with him to India, 1980, and Lyle was working with me in the Gonce Brother's Farm Drainage business at the time. I paid Lyle's regular salary while he was gone to India.
We planned to go to India together in 1981, but Lyle was hindered from making the trip, and I went on alone until meeting Ken Shoop in New York where our flight to India had been delayed.
https://rgonce.blogspot.com/2017/05/mixed-bag.html
Our voluntary liquidation of Gonce Brother's Farm assets was in 1985, or thereabouts. But I digress. I want to talk about democracy and personal liberty.
My life has been about personal faith, personal decisions, and the liberty that has been provided in our nation. Liberty to make personal decisions, and to fail and to succeed.
Growing up as son of a tenant farmer,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenant_farmer
I have never suffered from white guilt. In fact, I have enjoyed reverse discrimination as youth in Ghana called me Obruni (white man). The work I did as a youngster, hoeing weeds with crook necked hoe, picking cotton, plowing with mules, gathering ear corn by hand, and so forth, were the same work that slaves did.
And many former slaves chose to work as sharecroppers after their release from slavery. But the call of the north was strong, and many moved to the big cities. For many, this move resulted in dependency on government for survival. Dependency on government is a great killer of personal freedom. One big problem with Democratic Socialism is that mankind does a very poor job of managing things. Personal liberty requires the freedom to fail as well as succeed. The Bible calls it sowing and reaping. When we do well we will be blessed, and when we do ill we will be cursed.
History is replete with examples of the fact that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. What is a nation? Why do we have nations?
A nation is a community of people who have some common heritage, with recognized territory boundary and laws. Their heritage accumulates the choices made by people over generations.. The Bible says that God visits the sins of the fathers upon the offspring to the third or fourth generation.
Exodus 34:6-8 English Standard Version (ESV)
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands,[a] forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.
The modern move to end national boundaries is a reflection of the liberal belief that mankind should be free to do as he/she/it pleases. The post Christian agnostic/atheistic society does not believe in personal responsibility, but rather promotes feel good irresponsibility. They do not want law and order, but prefer a system that supplies needs without regard to work or personal accountability. They are promoting mob rule with selfish motives.
Apostle Paul suggested the need for individual accountability within the community.
2 Thes 3:6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.[d]
But we do not have and do not want a state controlled "Christian" community. We have been there and done that in Europe during the time of the so called "Holy Roman Empire".
When the nation of immigrants were gathering in what is now the United States of America, great effort was given to head off the establishment of state controlled religion. They did not want either Roman Catholic or Anglican bishops controlling things in the new settlements. Yes, the Puritans were making things hard for the Baptists and Quakers. So the founding fathers adopted the separation clause, that the state is not to establish any religious institution. And we have reaped the benefit of that for many generations, not just 3 or 4.
That rule is enforced within our territorial boundaries. Outside there are Roman Catholic nations, Islamic nations, Hindu nations, and so forth. Our nation has laws that reflect our Bible heritage. These laws in support of Biblical morality are a blessing.
But the modern post Christian movement wants to move beyond Biblical moral law to progressive principles derived from privileged paranormal paradigm. And right in the middle of that muddle is the longing to rob the rich and give to the mob. French Revolution revisited. USSR, Cuba, and China. Hiding under our desks in classrooms in the fifties, for Nuclear War drill. Digging underground shelters for protection from Nuclear Bomb blasts. More than 100 million lives squandered in one century.
But Bernie loves democratic socialism, and our young folks like Bernie. Forgive your debts, free education, free medical care, and do not listen to the old folks who lived through the fifties. We are just not enlightened about how it is up to humans to save ourselves.
No need for a savior in a world that can save itself. No need for God in a culture that mocks Him. And all our blessings are going down the drain if we do not honor our Maker.
Yes, righteousness exalts a nation, and sin is a reproach to any people. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus, for all who believe.
Yes, salvation is a gift purchased by the blood of Jesus at Calvary. But that gift is given to and received by those who seek it. It is not given to those who refuse personal responsibility. As Jesus said,
The Final Judgment
Matt 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[f] you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
