The Declaration of Independence

Independence Day is the national holiday of the United States of America commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.   

The Declaration of Independence starts out by stating: 

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Praise the Lord, over the course of the past two years, we too have declared our Declaration of Independence on behalf of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

(a) We declared ourselves free from the Institutionalized church system. That lifeless form of religion "created by human organization, chain-of-command styled leadership, and institutional programs. It's marked by a weekly order of worship (or mass) officiated by a pastor or priest. It's controlled by a top-down hierarchical organization and human social conventions (called "offices" or “positions”) that people fill. The institutional church has often been called "the traditional church," "the organized church," and "the audience church." Congregants watch a religious performance once or twice a week, and then retreat home to live their individual Christian lives."*  It is a powerless form of religion that was established "for the people, and by the people" and not by God.       * quote by Frank Viola

(b) We have declared ourselves free from and dissolved the political bands of party spirits and  religious sectism. A sect is a faction, schism, party or group of people forming a distinct unit within a larger group by virtue of certain refinements or distinctions of belief or practice. The Bible clearly teaches that the church, the body of Christ, is but one body. Further, 1Corinthians 12:25  lets us know that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 

(c) We have declared ourselves free from divisive and destructive religious man-made traditions such as (1) the “come to us” rather than “go ye to them” mentality, (2) the overemphasis and focus on outward standards, (3) “the pastor is the head” mentality , (4) the “one congregation per city” rule, (5) the wearing of Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes, (6) the mindset that Christians must worship God in a building, (7) the Jewish teaching of tithing, (8) the one person monologue liturgy, (9) the unbalanced “fire and brimstone preaching”, (10) the overemphasis of emotional appealing altar calls, (11) the “preaching at the saints” rather than teaching the saints approach, (12) the ministerial ordination into a separate and elevated clergy class, (13) the unresolving of conflict by going to the pastor method, (14) the prohibition against women ministering in the Word, (15) the unbalanced focus on Old Testament commandments and ideals.

(d) We have declared ourselves free from the hieratical governing system originally established after the turn of the 1st century by corrupt power-seeking men . We have now adapted the biblical eldership governing where all men and women are equal in the body of Christ and where Jesus is the operating Head of His church.

As there was much jubilation on that notorious and memorable day of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we too rejoice this day in our Freedom in Christ.

He who the Son makes free, is free indeed! May He continue to led on in Truth, for surely His Truth is Marching On!