Jun 25, 2022 – Prayer Focus

Saturday, June 25, 2022 – The 24/7 National Strategic Prayer Call  

“A CALL TO THE WALL…ONE NATION UNDER GOD”

1-712-770-4340 Code: 543555 # (Ongoing call…24 hours a day!)

We begin our hour by praising and giving thanks to God!

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.

My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret,

and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” 

Psalm 139:13-16

We sing: With All I Am

Into Your hands I commit again, with all I am, for You, Lord.

You hold my world in the palm of Your hand and I am Yours forever!

Jesus, I believe in You. Jesus, I belong to You. 

You’re the reason that I live, the reason that I sing with all I am.

I’ll walk with You wherever You go, through tears and joy I’ll trust in You

And I will live in all of Your ways and Your promises, forever.

Jesus, I believe in You. Jesus, I belong to You. You’re the reason that I live, the reason that I sing.

Jesus, I believe in You. Jesus, I belong to You. You’re the reason that I live, the reason that I sing.

I will worship, I will worship You! I will worship, I will worship You!

I will worship, I will worship You! I will worship, I will worship You!

I will worship, I will worship You! I will worship, I will worship You!

I will worship, I will worship You! I will worship, I will worship You!

Jesus, I believe in You. Jesus, I belong to You. You’re the reason that I live, the reason that I sing. 

Jesus, I believe in You. Jesus, I belong to You. You’re the reason that I live, the reason that I sing. 

The key assignment for the 24/7 National Strategic Prayer Call is to intercede hourly 

for the safety and security of our duly elected President, Donald John Trump, 

and to pray for that which pertains to our nation!

We pray for his protection, for our First Lady, Melania, and their marriage

 and for all the members of their family. We cover them all with the Blood of Jesus.

In every situation and decision, let our President be led by the Holy Spirit, so that he learns the truth and acts accordingly, for the good of the nation. 

Pray.

For the removal of Joe Biden and restoration of Donald Trump to his rightful office.

Pray.

That as the REDEMPTION of the AMERICAN REPUBLIC takes place, those leaders that God anoints and appoints will take their places in the governments of each state and in our nation’s Capitol! 

Pray. 

 For protection, provision, and peace 

for all working to expose the fraud and corruption of the 2020 election!

Pray.

Strategic Focus for Saturday 

WELCOME THE KING OF GLORY INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL! 

THE BATTLE TO SAVE AMERICA! – Part 46

Standing in the GAP – Part 14

“I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”

Jeremiah 15:21 

Yesterday, millions of unborn babies were “delivered from the hand of the wicked” when the US Supreme Court,  ruled in favor of LIFE in the  Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization.  The Justices’ 5-4 decision overturned Roe vs Wade, putting an end to leagalized abortion in the United States. For that we praise God and give him all the GLORY! Pray.

Now, as the decision regarding LIFE is returned to the individual states for their determination, our 24/7 State Strategic Prayer Calls are even more critical. While we all continue upholding the 24/7 National Strategic Prayer Call, we must also stand our ground in our individual states, and like David’s mighty men, refuse to give in to evil!  This is a critical “call to the wall” for the national and state calls! “Whomsoever hears”, COME!  Pray.

~~~

 The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates

A PROPER RESISTANCE TO TYRANNY AND A REPUDIATION OF UNLIMITED OBEDIENCE TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT.

MAGDEBURG AND THE LESSER MAGISTRATES – CHAPTER 7

Martin Luther was rescued from death by the interposition of a lesser magistrate who defied the order of his superior. From the time Luther pounded his “Ninety-Five Theses” to the church door in Wittenberg in 1517, there were religious and political forces that opposed what he stood for and wanted him dead.

Prince Frederick the Wise was the Elector of Saxony, and as such, he was a lesser magistrate. His superior, Emperor Charles V, had ordered Luther to defend himself against the charge of heresy in Worms, Germany, in the spring of 1521. Through Frederick’s efforts, Luther was guaranteed safe conduct so that he could personally answer charges and renounce or reaffirm his theological views. Luther, therefore, attended what became known as the Diet of Worms.

When Luther failed to renounce his beliefs and submit to Roman Catholic rule, Emperor Charles V ordered Luther’s “apprehension.” Charles forbade “anyone from this time forward to dare, either by words or by deeds, to receive, defend, sustain, or favor the said Martin Luther” and commanded that the reformer be brought before his court for punishment as a “notorious heretic.” Such language was tantamount to a death sentence.

Though directly under Charles’ authority, Prince Frederick did not arrest Luther and turn him over to Charles as ordered. Instead, he feigned Luther’s abduction in order to hide and protect him. He used his lesser authority to countermand Emperor Charles’ unjust order and defend Luther, who resided in his jurisdiction.

This act of interposition by this lesser magistrate had far-reaching implications for the future of the Reformation. Thirty years later, the protection afforded Luther by a lesser magistrate clearly had an impact on the men of Magdeburg, Germany. Emperor Charles V imposed his Augsburg Interim on May 15, 1548. This law was an attempt to force Protestants back under traditional Roman Catholic beliefs, practices, and rule. Only one city in all of Germany stood against the Interim – Magdeburg. In that city, the magistrates protected the people and defied political and religious tyranny. They upheld God’s law, Word, and Gospel. While all the rest of Christendom went along with the Interim’s sanctions in order to preserve their own well-being, the lone city which stood in opposition was the outlawed Magdeburg. Pray.

As tensions mounted, the pastors of Magdeburg wrote a defense of their position for standing in defiance of Charles V and his unjust Interim. They published their Confession and Defense of the Pastors and Other Ministers of the Church of Magdeburg in April, 1550. This document later became referred to simply as “The Magdeburg Confession.” The magistrates of Magdeburg refused to submit to the emperor. Their consciences were resolute because of their fealty to Christ and their understanding of His Word, and they stood their ground because they understood the doctrine of the lesser magistrates. In October of 1550, Charles’ forces surrounded the city. The people of Magdeburg burned everything outside the city walls and closed the gates. The siege of Magdeburg had begun.

The Magdeburg Confession is an important historical work because the pastors of Magdeburg were the first in the history of mankind to set forth in a doctrinal format what only later came to be known as the doctrine of the lesser magistrates. Though many men acted in accordance with this doctrine prior to Christ (showing that this doctrine is not only found in special revelation but also in general revelation, also referred to as “nature”), and though many Christian men acted in accordance with it subsequent to Christ’s time on earth, it wasn’t formalized as a doctrine until the Reformers of the 16th century made it such. Pray.

Other Christian men who wrote of such matters prior to the Reformation include John of Salisbury and Azo in the 12th century. But the pastors of Magdeburg were the first in history to identify many historical examples of the lesser magistrate doctrine in action, both from the Bible and from extra-Biblical sources. They wrote in the Confession that they were prodded by their difficult circumstances into formalizing a doctrine rarely articulated. They write: “We would have desired even now to hide this true opinion as it had always been hidden hitherto, had we not been defeated by the present injustice and tyranny of certain men, and deemed that the preservation of the Gospel and the True Church ought to be put before such dangers from those ignorant men.”

The “true opinion” that had “always been hidden hitherto” is the doctrine of the lesser magistrates. These pastors were the first to write down the doctrine as proven sound in Scripture and practiced in history. The first name affixed at the end of the Magdeburg Confession is Nicholas von Amsdorff. He was a close friend of Martin Luther, and accompanied him to his hearing at Worms in 1521. He was also with Luther on the return trip when Prince Frederick “kidnapped” Luther (to which Amsdorff was privy) in order to hide and protect him. Amsdorff remained a close friend until Luther’s death in 1546.

The Magdeburg Confession consists of three parts. The first part is designed to assure the Magdeburg magistrates of the confessors’ orthodoxy that they stood doctrinally with Luther. Therefore, they laid out in detail their Lutheran theology. The third part is a warning and exhortation to all those that would take actions against them, whether directly or through complicity, as well as those who would stand by and do nothing to help them. Much wisdom is declared in that section. The second part of the Confession, however, lays out the lesser magistrate doctrine. This section begins with an appeal to Charles V. The pastors exhort him to remove those surrounding him who give him bad counsel. They make clear to Charles that the only reason for this impasse is due to his attack upon their Christian faith; that when those in civil authority make law which impugns the law or Word of God, Christian men have a duty to obey God, rather than men. Pray.

They also assure Charles that they are his best citizens. They write: “We will give from our Churches the greatest possible number of men who, if they be able to enjoy their own religion through you, will declare their obedience toward you in all owed and upright duties, and loyalty without hypocrisy… perhaps more than all those whom you say are obedient to you.” They declare they have taken their stand against him only because of their love for Christ, and His law and Word. Therefore their stand is sure, and they tell Charles, “We are not swayed by the majesty or wealth of anyone.” The pastors then introduce their formal presentation of the lesser magistrate doctrine – “this doctrine which we hand down about the legitimate defense of the lower magistrate against a superior.”

They proceed to make three distinct arguments, which include a list of examples both from Scripture and from history. The pastors commence their arguments by stating: “The Magistrate is an ordinance of God for the honor to good works, and a terror to evil works (Romans 13). Therefore when he begins to be a terror to good works and honor to evil, there is no longer in him, because he does thus, the ordinance of God, but the ordinance of the devil. And he who resists such works, does not resist the ordinance of God, but the ordinance of the devil.” Hence, when a superior magistrate perverts his God-given function and begins to uphold evil and to be a terror against good, the lesser magistrates under his authority must decide to either join the unjust magistrate in his rebellion against God, or, as the pastors say, “vindicate the honor of God” and obey Him rather than man. Pray.

In their arguments, the pastors declare the idea of unlimited obedience to the State as “an invention of the devil.” They rightly assert that all authority is delegated from God. Therefore, if the one in authority makes commands contrary to the law or Word of God, those subject to his authority have both a right not to obey, and a duty to actively resist. The pastors proffer an example from family government. They write: “Let us take an example concerning a father of a family. If he should come to his wife or grown daughters in his house with some scoundrels in an obvious attempt to prostitute them, then his wife and daughters not only would not render their husband and father the obedience they otherwise owe him, but when they are not able to preserve their chastity in any other way, they would drive him off with stones.”

The pastors then take this example and make an analogy to civil government. Their point is that no one in authority – whether in family, church, or civil government – holds his authority autonomously. Rather it is delegated to them from God. If the authority, therefore, makes a law which contravenes the law of God, those subject to their authority can refuse obedience because, as the pastors write, “divine laws necessarily trump human ones.”

To the pastors of Magdeburg, all magistrates, higher and lower, possess delegated authority from God. Therefore, the lesser magistrates have a right and duty to oppose the superior magistrate-turned-tyrant when he makes laws contrary to the law and Word of God. The pastors did not view unjust or immoral laws and edicts by the higher magistrate to be an excuse for lesser magistrates not to protect the citizens of their jurisdiction. Rather they viewed resistance to unjust or immoral laws and edicts by the higher magistrate as the duty of the lesser magistrates in order to protect the citizens within their jurisdiction. Pray.

The pastors are so detailed in their Confession that they carefully define four levels or degrees of tyranny by a superior magistrate, and the legitimate and proper response of the lesser magistrates to each. There was order to their resistance. Their position was well thought-out, adhered to standards, and appealed to immutable truth. These Lutherans were first to set forth a doctrine on the lesser magistrate. The Confession set forth a biblical and historical foundation that strengthened the consciences of the magistrates in Magdeburg to resist the unjust law of Charles V. Its implications went far beyond Magdeburg, however. Their writings clearly impacted others of the Reformers in Europe, including John Knox, Theodore Beza, Philipp Mornay, and Christopher Goodman – all four of whom went on to further build the doctrine of the lesser magistrates.

The influence of the Magdeburg Confession upon John Knox was seen during a debate in 1564 with William Maitland of Lethington, who was Secretary of State for Mary, Queen of Scots. Maitland chided Knox for his position that lesser magistrates and the people could oppose the higher authority. He stated of Knox’s position, “I think ye shall not have many learned men of your opinion.” Knox replied: “My lord, the truth ceases not to be the truth, howsoever it be that men either misknow it, or yet gainstand it. And yet, I praise my God, I lack not the consent of God’s servants in that head.”

Knox then handed a copy of the Magdeburg Confession to the Secretary and bid him to read the names of the pastors signed at the end of the document declaring the just defense of the city. Then he added, “To resist a tyrant, is not to resist God, nor yet His ordinance.” After looking at the names of the pastors, Lethington mockingly stated, “Men of no note.” Upon which Knox replied of the Magdeburgers, “Yet servants of God.” Pray.

John Calvin’s successor, Theodore Beza, when writing of the right and duty of lesser magistrates to resist superior authority which makes unjust laws or orders, said of Magdeburg, “The city of Magdeburg, situated on the Elbe, offered the outstanding example of this in our own time.” Twenty years later, while writing On the Right of Magistrates in 1574, Beza included in the title itself “A Treatise Published by Those in Magdeburg in 1550.” Beza first published his work anonymously due to the political situation at that time, and he thought so highly of and was so deeply influenced by the Magdeburgers, that he ascribed his writing to them. 

The Magdeburg Confession is of vast historical significance precisely because it laid out the lesser magistrate doctrine from Holy Scripture and history. The siege of Magdeburg lasted for over a year from 1550-1551. About 4000 of Charles’ forces were killed, while 468 Magdeburgers lost their lives. The siege ended on November 4, 1551 with favorable terms for the Magdeburgers – they were free to practice their Christian faith. If not for the actions of the Magdeburgers, the entire Reformation itself may very well have been a blip on the radar screen of human history. Charles had intended to re-Romanize all of the Empire. However, the actions of these reformers clearly led to two very important councils and subsequent treaties. After the siege ended, Maurice of Saxony left Magdeburg, and along with other German princes attacked Charles and drove him out of Germany and into Italy. Charles V, weary of civil war, granted religious freedom to the Reformers at the Peace of Passau in August of 1552, just nine months after the siege of Magdeburg had ended. Pray.

The Peace of Passau granted peace only until another Imperial Diet could be held. That Diet was held in Augsburg in 1555. The result was the Peace of Augsburg (Sept. 25, 1555) which declared – cuius regio, eius religio (“whosoever region, his religion”). Prior to and during the siege of Magdeburg, the pastors and other ministers wrote over 200 pamphlets that set forth a defense of their actions. These pamphlets were printed by the thousands and distributed not only throughout Germany, but also throughout the Holy Roman Empire, England, Scotland, and France. Greatest of all – the siege of Magdeburg produced the Magdeburg Confession, which is the earliest known historical document to formalize the doctrine of the lesser magistrates.

We pray:

• Lord, we thank You for the HOLY BOLDNESS of those in Magdeburg who trusted You, and “stood in the gap”, as Lesser Magistrates. Pray.
• Protect and grant each one who willingly stands at this hour, and as they step up to this assignment, grant them favor to confront and prevail as they battle unjust laws. Pray. 
• Let local County Commissioners across the nation recognize TRUTH and enter into the process of exposing and rectifying fraud in our election process! Pray.
• Guard and protect our 24/7 family with the Blood of Jesus, as we engage with and undergird patriots across this land who are “standing in the gap”, in this BATTLE TO SAVE AMERICA! Pray.
• Place Donald Trump back in the White House as President of the United States, and allow him to lead this nation out of the darkness in which we are enveloped Pray. 

• Now that Roe is overturned, protect our Supreme Court Justices and their families, and honor them for their stand for LIFE! Pray.
• Protect the sovereignty of the United States of America and do not let it be compromised in any way! Remove Biden and all those who have betrayed our Constitution and sold us out! Pray.

• Let our homes get in order so that they might be places for Your HABITATION and sanctuaries for others! Pray.
• That we will joyfully release the LOVE of GOD from our hearts over this, our beloved nation. Pray. 

~~~ 

Listen to the song ahead of time, then either sing or pray it! 

~~~

HINENI, ADONAI! HERE I AM, LORD! 

ENGAGING IN A WARFARE OF LOVE! THE BATTLE OF THE BRIDE!

KADIMA! ONWARD…FORWARD!

“LAYNA!” LIGHT AND TRUTH!

BE STRONG…COURAGEOUS…BRAVE!

UNASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST!

GOD’S CHAMPIONS FOR LIFE!

MARANATHA! COME, LORD JESUS!

BE READY! REVIVAL IS COMING! 

ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL! 

ONE NEW MAN!

VICTORY!

STANDING IN THE GAP!

To print, use the attached PDF file

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:0b0a554e-3c92-41d2-bb9b-25189e7d991a