I recently was able to preview the new movie Police State with the Wilson County TN GOP and share some thoughts after. I greatly enjoyed the opportunity. It is providential to note this is the county where the abortion clinic was located related to our case. The notes below are the revised content I was able to share. They are a very short and abbreviated version of a deep and varied topic. But I hope they at least provide some encouragement for us to consider. I’ll leave comments open and would love to hear your thoughts.
No updates on the trial. We are scheduled to appear on January 16th 2024.
The government is not called
to be the savior of man.
The Church with its ordinances
aid this part of God’s plan.
Civil justice eyes not the individual
but looks to the bigger picture.
A people in mass reap what is sown.
An individual does not himself own.
Man is tied to his roots,
to family, and a larger culture.
Nothing happens that is not in cahoots
with our broader social structure.
If a man steals and is not confronted,
his deed is given standing.
What was once a sin uncontested,
people now will be demanding.
This is where the church and state
each other’s hands they hold,
Not with the same power
but to the same God their allegiance they owe.
The state by the power of the sword
judges and punishes those in Satan’s grip.
To protect, not just the individual
but the culture at large, that is at risk.
The church, by the power of God’s word,
preaches to those who deserve the blame.
She calls for repentance from the individual
She protects them from eternal flames.
The family, God’s first line of defense,
teaches, trains, and demands obedience.
First to mother and father, then to the family whole,
next to friends and neighbors, relationships to train our soul.
These three; Family, Church, and State
the governments God did create.
Each with its own dominion and rule,
designed to bring correction to the fool.
- Paul Vaughn vaughnshire blog 2006
It is fairly obvious we are in a mess. Everyone seems to agree on that. But no one that I can see is putting together a real plan for how to fix it. Vote for Trump is about all I hear. I’m for that. I will be voting for him. But he is only one man and only a man at that. He might fix some of the issues at the national level, but then what? What about the next four years after that? What happens if he doesn’t win? You know, maybe, I guess, it could happen, that the election could be stolen - Then what do we do?
I have a couple ideas, hardened by the recent unpleasantness of my federal indictment, that I would propose to you. If you will give me just a few moments of your time. I know it is late and the movie was long. But it was a worthy investment of our time and I pray the next 10-15 minutes will be worth our time as well.
The preceding poem was written in 2006 considering how our basic human institutions are designed to work together. I think we will find, in these specific governments, a model we can use. They will give us practical steps we can take right now. We don’t have to complain about Washington. We don’t have to rant on the latest conspiracy designed to subvert our God given freedoms codified in our US Constitutions. We can simply refuse to be part of the insanity masquerading as our government and work on becoming fully human so that we can be the change we want to see.
Humans were created and placed in this world by a loving creator. He created us with a purpose, what has been called our eternal vocation, or calling. But we had issues as we chose to be less than what we were created to be. We chose to determine for ourselves what was right and wrong. We wanted to be like God, instead of reflecting God. Instead of reflecting the light of “Christ in us the hope of glory”, we believed a lie and we became darkness.
The same is true today as we look around our nation, and indeed around the world. As Tucker Carlson stated in his speech to The Heritage Foundation earlier this year, “None of this makes sense in political terms… what you are watching is not a political movement, its evil”.
There is only one weapon that can overcome evil. It is the Cross of Christ. When Christ died on the cross, he said, “It is finished”. But what was finished? He made the way for us to be restored to our garden existence. He made the way, through repentance, to be full of the spirit of God and to properly reflect Him to our culture around us. He made us, and through the cross enabled us, to push back against evil forces.
As many have said, the cross changes everything. As renewed humans who are ever being sanctified through the cross, we can speak into our culture. The same roll we were originally created for in the Garden of Eden is now restored through the cross and God places us in specific spheres of influence to be His ambassadors on Earth. See 2 Corinthians 5:20
We have four institutions or governmental orders in which we can do this. We have self-government, family-government, church-government, and civil-government. Each of these has a different part and role to play in restoring and maintaining sanity, which flows from truth and justice, in our society. We can think of these like the interlaced Olympic rings. They have their own sphere, but overlap in areas.
Self-Government: A populace with Godly Character is the foundation for all other institutions. As a people, we must make the development of our soul the highest priority in our lives.
a. "Bless you prison, bless you for being in my life. For there, lying upon the rotting prison straw, I came to realize that the object of life is not prosperity as we are made to believe, but the maturity of the human soul.” - Alexander Solzhenitsyn
b. We must determine not to be athletes in the rat race on the ladder of corporate wealth and greed. But rather let us be athletes for Christ on the ladder of divine ascent. Let us run the race set before us, not giving heed to the distractions of the world. We must know there is no value in any of them. The only object of value, the only thing that provides a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment, is to hear well done thou good and faithful servant at the end of our race. – Matt 19:21
Family-government: First having a family, then keeping the family, finally training the family to be Godly.
a. Part of our training and spiritual development comes from being part of a family.
b. Living a lifelong commitment is hard and takes sacrifice and I know many of us have failed at this. The divorce rate in the American church is the same as for people outside the church. This is not a casting stones session. But we must identify the issues that led us to this mess and the breakdown of the core family unit is high on that list. That is why one of the planks of the communist manifesto is the destruction of the family unit. Be a rebel against communism - stay married.
c. Once we have a commitment to a spouse and we understand what we are signing up for. We need to have children and raise them to serve God. I know the world system is set against the very idea of having a Godly family. God says Children are a blessing, but the world tells us children are hard work and rob us from “being successful”.
d. Make sure we value the things God values. Family and Children are high on his list.
Church-government: Teaching full orb salvation and the restoration of all things.
a. Separation of church and state is a lie from the pit of hell. You cannot be separated from the one who created you in any endeavor. What nation does not base their government on the religious ideas the people hold?
b. We tend to only focus on the Bible as a means of personal salvation, which it is. But it is also the most complete and perfect book for how a society can and should function.
c. We must have church unity. The American church is as big of a mess as the culture and is to blame for much of what happens in our nation. We are weak, dis-unified, schismatic, and in many places false. There is one bride. God is not a polygamist. I don’t know how God will restore the Church in America, but I do know it will take much humility. Pray our church leaders are willing to humble themselves and not that God would have to humble them.
State-government: All legitimate government comes from God.
a. The foundation for leadership is moral character – You cannot fix our mess with men who are immoral, take bribes, and care more about their political future than they do about their neighbor or even their own soul. “Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.” – Exodus 18:21
b. All politics is local. It is built on relationships with people you know and can trust. We must build strong local communities and local government based on people we know and who know us. From there we send those trustworthy leaders to our state to represent us. If we can’t trust them, don’t send them. If we don’t know their moral character and it has not been proven among us, don’t send them. If we send them and they fail, bring them home, and don’t send them again.
c. Politics connects truth and justice in a system that requires a moral foundation. A moral foundation must come from God. Every other governmental system that has been tried has failed for this one reason. We put man above God. Only God has the answers.
These four governments could be consolidated based on the outcome of their rebellion in the following way.
If we don’t submit to God in our self-government and our family government, the culture is overcome by anarchy.
If we don’t submit to God in our churches and our political institutions, then the culture is overcome with tyranny.
It is fair to say today in America we have both anarchy and tyranny. It is time to make some changes and it must start with us. Those who are called by God’s name are required to be bear the responsibility for the sins of our nation and to pray and fast for her salvation.
Our vocation in this Earth is to reflect God. If we want a just society, we must reflect his truth and justice in our politics. If we want a church that is sound and good, we must reflect his honesty and integrity in our ministry. If we want a family that is strong, vibrant, and enjoyable, we must reflect his love and commitment in our relationships. If we want a life that is meaningful, fulfilling, and complete, we must reflect all of Him in our in most being.
We must cultivate mature American souls.
Mr. Vaughn, I completely agree with the premise of your article. Jesus Christ is King and must reign in all aspects of life. I believe where we have failed is in the upbringing of our children. maybe not when they are small but once they begin school, we have foolishly trusted that the schools and the teachers within are teaching the good when nothing could be farther from the truth. I do not believe that the government schools can be redeemed at this point and parents should not and must not send their children there. If they have done their research and can find a trustworthy private or Christian school, fine. I think however that homeschooling is the answer to making sure our children/grandchildren are learning not only reading, writing and arithmetic but are learning the foundations of Western Civilization and Christian dogma. The demonic Marxists are indoctrinating our children and have been doing a very thorough job of it to this point. That chain must be broken if we are to have any chance of survival. It is a spiritual battle of good vs evil. Of that I have no doubt.