18: God’s Strategy For Civil Conquest 7 of 7 - CITY

God gave Moses and His people a Great Commission in the Old Testament – to physically conquer all the nations of Canaan (Joshua 1:1-9). God (Jesus) gave His people a Great Commission in the New Testament – to spiritually conquer all nations (Matt. 28:18-20).Both Great Commissions were humanly impossible unless God had not said with both Commissions: “I will be with you!” The ultimate goal for both Great Commissions was virtually the same:* The ultimate goal of the Great Commission in the Old Testament was for God to be King (1 Sam. 8:7).* The ultimate goal for the Great Commission in the New Testament was for God to be King – King Jesus (1 Tim. 1:17).In the Old Testament God’s people made progress in their Great Commission but they did not fulfill conquering all Canaan. There were parts of Canaan that they never conquered. With Jesus’s Great Commission, since the time of Christ, there have been some city-states and nations that have been true Christian nations. This was especially true in the first couple centuries of America’s history and some nations in Europe about that time, and some other nations in even earlier centuries.Even though most cities or nations today may not be Christian, that does not mean that cannot happen today. What if Martin Luther had thought that in Germany? Or John Calvin in Geneva? Or Huldrych Zwingli in Zurich? Or John Knox in Scotland? Or John Carver in Plymouth Colony? Or John Winthrop in Boston? Or countless others before or after these Christian leaders – they all established Christian city-states or nation-states.All these Christian leaders had one thing in common - they followed all of God’s 7 biblical strategies for their successful civil conquests, including this last strategy - God’s “city strategy.” We see this city strategy in both the Old and New Testament. We’ll look at it first in the New Testament.New Testament – City StrategyThe New Testament Apostolic strategy was NOT to focus on rural areas but reading through Acts and the Epistles you see they only focused on cities. Building God’s spiritual army in a city, the Word inevitably spread to all the rural areas.In Jesus’s Great Commission of Acts 1:8, Jesus made it clear that His disciples were to initially focus on a single city, Jerusalem, before they targeted other cities in their nation or world (Acts 5:28):“They filled all Jerusalem with their teaching!”The Apostle Paul clearly had a strategic city strategy. On his first missionary journey he never spent any time in rural areas but targeted four cities: Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. In these towns he established committed congregations and appointed their leaders. In time they impacted their nation Galatia, which Paul later wrote to all of them in the Book of Galatians.All of Paul’s letters were written to major strategic cities: Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossi, and Thessalonica. We see biblically and historically that all the Apostles and New Testament Christians focused on cities, one city at a time, eventually “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).In centuries past, as we saw in early America and with the European Christian Reformers, many cities were formed or reformed to be Christian cities ruled by Christian rulers under King Jesus and God’s Law. They changed nations by focusing on and changing one city at a time. This is the only way to fulfill Jesus’s Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20).They conquered cities with “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph. 6:17). The Apostle Paul said (2 Cor. 10:2-6):“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.”When Christians gain civil authority - they then are mandated to use the physical “sword” to maintain God’s righteous civil Law (Rom. 13:4):“For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servant, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”In most every century since the time of Christ we can find Christians that took over one city at a time becoming city-states or nation-states ruled by Christians under King Jesus and God’s Law. This was especially prevalent in the western world in Europe and America from the beginning of the 16th century up through the 18th century. This can and would be done in any city today … whenever a critical mass of Christians in any city would mobilize to take over their city for King Jesus and His Law-Word.Old Testament – City StrategyGod’s Great Commission for His people in the Old Testament was for them to physically conquer the nation of Canaan. When they stepped out in faith to obey God, He always gave them victory. But there is only verse in the Old Testament where God explained His strategy for His people to be able to take over the whole nation - capture the nation “little by little” - one city at a time (Ex. 23:29-30):“I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.”Joshua had an enormous army for that time in history - a 600,000-man army. The average population of Canaanite towns at that time was under 10,000, including women and children. Joshua could have thought, I’ll spread my army out along the western front and easily conquer many towns all at the same time. But that was not God’s strategy.Joshua followed God’s strategy - “little by little” – attacking only one town until he had fully conquered it. The first town Joshua attacked was Jericho. It only had a population of about 3,000 people! After Joshua had conquered Jericho, he then went to the next adjacent town of Ai, a town under 10,000 population.After conquering Ai, Joshua continued following God’s “little by little,” one city at a time strategy. Joshua conquered each town, one at a time: Makkedah, then Libnah, then Lachish, then Eglon, then Hebron, then Debir, then the city of Hazor. Joshua never advanced until he had fully completed the mission for each town - God’s one city strategy.Joshua used the physical sword to conquer, and Paul used the “sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” to conquer. But they both focused on completing their mission in one city at a time to conquer a nation.Christian Towns Taken Over By Non-ChristiansOriginally in America, it was primarily individual church congregations that established Christian towns with only Christians being allowed to be their civil rulers. Their civil pledges varied in wording, but all were based on Christianity – “I believe the Old and New Testament … the gospel … to advance Christianity and the Kingdom of God,” etc.But in 1788 the Federal Constitution was ratified eliminating the Christian religious test requirement for the federal civil rulers. Previously non-Christians could live and be blessed living under God’s Law in the Christian towns and colonies, but they were not allowed to vote or be civil rulers, as God’s Law required (Deut. 17:15):“Be sure to select as king the man the Lord your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner.”“Israelites” were the people of God, “foreigners” were not unless they converted to believe in the Lord God of the Israelites as Ruth did in the Book of Ruth (Ruth 1:16). The New Testament reaffirms this law (2 Cor. 6:14-15):“Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?”But throughout the 19th, century States began to ignore and then finally remove the Christian religious test from their State Constitutions, thereby allowing non-Christians to vote and be civil their leaders. However, for years this did not make much difference in our cities or nation - because the vast majority of the population already embraced Christianity and our society had been overwhelmingly Christian in culture.But in the 19th century with the secularization of the Federal Constitution and then the secularizing of the State Constitutions, non-Christians and unrighteous men and women began to slowly fill the ranks of our civil leadership. In addition, by the end of the 19th century and for the first time in history - Christians began abdicating their Christian civil mandate and mass media mandate, thus losing media dominance. In the 20th century non-Christians increased their unrighteous influence through their mass media dominance.Originally Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and 99 of the first 100 universities were all dedicated in and for Christianity. For example, the original motto for Harvard University was Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae, which translated from Latin to “Truth for Christ and the Church”. But by the 20th century, virtually all universities had long been in moral freefall. And before the end of the 20th century, universities were and are the bastion of open anti-Christian indoctrination and centers for anti-Christian movements.With the universities and mass media’s 24/7 influence, they are indoctrinating Christians and non-Christians alike on every area of life, far more than churches can in a 30-minute puff sermon once a week. Secularists have finally even brainwashed pastors and Christians to think - it is only “right” to give non-Christians, those who reject or even hate Christ, the right to vote and rule over Christian! What an amazing indoctrination of even Christians. The Apostle Paul said:“Don’t you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?”Paul wrote this verse to the church in Corinth and again to all the churches in Galatia (1Cor. 5:6; Gal. 5:9). Did you know Paul was quoting from the Old Testament in Hosea 7:4? And the context was referring to unrighteous civil rulers! It is the same for church or government – if you let a little unrighteousness, even one unrighteous person to be in the church or government – in time it will “leaven the whole lump” of church or government!Jesus warned not only about the unrighteous “leaven” of the religious leaders but also against the unrighteous “leaven” of civil rulers (Mark 8:15):“Jesus warned them, ‘Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of King Herod.’”God’s Law, Jesus, and Paul – all warned against non-believers being in government!From the time of Christ until the19th century, most Christians knew it was unbiblical to have non-Christians as their civil rulers. They knew that was in direct violation to God and His Law. They viewed the New Testament epistles primarily to be instructions for the church and individuals and God’s Law primarily to be the instructions for the government and individuals.They knew 80% of the bible (Exodus up to Acts) was written in the context of God’s Law - instructing how Israel and all other nations should live under God and His Law. Israel was to be the model for other nations. But contrary to what many Christians think today, God’s Law was NOT just for Israel!There are over 100 verses in the book of Psalms alone that reference all “nations” and the “world” to honor God and His Law! All the prophets have major portions of their books addressing other nations and the books of Jonah, Nahum, and Obadiah were written exclusively for other Gentile nations!If Christians don’t understand that God’s Law is to be our civil law today and understand it quickly, they will totally lose the nation that their Christian forefathers established. And for the foolish Christian who says all God’s moral Law is not to be our city or national law for today, then the Ten Commandments (the preamble for all God’s Law) are not for today. That would leave only man’s opinion for what is moral law for today. Therefore, a Hitler could have just as much right to his legal opinion as that foolish Christian’s opinion, unless God’s Law is supreme.* David said God’s Law is “forever” (Ps. 119:44, 89, 111, 152, 160).* Jesus said God’s Law is “until heaven and earth pass away” (Matt. 5:17-19).Every early American town was a Christian town. Today every American town has been taken over by non-Christians or carnal Christians ruling it as secular non-Christians. God’s Law, the Bible is out. King Jesus is out.What can we do?First: There must be one church or a critical mass of Christians in one town today with committed biblical conviction:* That Jesus truly has “all authority in heaven and on earth!”* That Jesus truly is “King of kings” to rule through His people.* That “God’s Law” is truly to be the only civil law for their town.Second: Since all our towns today are secular and many in open defilement of God’s Law and King Jesus, a critical mass of Christians in some town must get God’s heart and vision to Christianize their town. Jesus’s Great Commission did not say to disciple or teach believers or the church, but for the church and disciples to - disciple and teach the nation (Matt. 28:19). But to disciple a nation it starts with God’s “little by little” city-by-city strategy. A critical mass of Christians must unite, strategize, and mobilize in their one town to work in taking over the civil leadership for the Kingdom of God. Work to have Jesus’s Kingdom take over you town. Have wise Christians run and be supported in getting into these civil leadership positions:* Mayor* City council (need majority)* Chief of Police* City Attorney* School board (need majority)Controlling even the first two positions a town could begin to be transformed for the Kingdom of God if courageous God-fearing Christian are in these civil leadership positions. Most towns have far more than enough Christians to accomplish this mission! Often times in local elections a mobilized church of less than one 100 could determine the outcome. “Don’t be a hearing only but also a doer.” If only one town became a truly Christian town being ruled according to God’s Law, that town would spark a Christian fire for other Christians to rise up and do the same across the state and nation.Sadly, the best “religious zealot” models we have today for taking over cities in defying federal laws and replacing them with their own immoral policies and laws are the Marxists/Leftists. They call their cities “Sanctuary Cities.” What an enduring name though in practice destructive and really demonic. Did you know this emerged from a religious movement in 1982 when Leftist churches defied cooperating with our federal government and these churches started sheltering illegal refugees. Thereafter their mayors and cities councils continued to establish more anti-Christian laws. Today these autonomous “Sanctuary Cities” have multiplied into being over 200 cities in the United State! They are ruled by Satan and his agents.Where is even ONE openly Christian city in America today! Is there not even ONE Christian town today defiling federal immoral laws and establishing God’s moral Law! Sooner or later Christians may need to have their own town or enclave even for their own freedom and safety, much less for God’s glory! And thousands of Christians would flock to any town in the United States today that became a Christian Sanctuary city!God has said (Ezekiel 22:30):“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land.”The Bible says (Prov. 21:22; Ps. 94:16):“The wise conquer the city of the strong.”“Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?”Who will rise up today? As said - If not now, when? If not you, who? Of course all this will not be easy, in fact it will be impossible in our own strength. But this is why Jesus concluded His Great Commission declaring (Matt. 28:20):“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”___________________________________________Jim McCotter is part of a team that privately supports, consults, and helps civil leaders, locally, nationally, and internationally, who desire to advance God’s Kingdom and Law in their city or nation. To request more information about this or for McCotter to speak, email: [email protected]. Get God’s National Constitution ~ God’s Civil Law For Today and other books by Jim McCotter: www.JimsBookstore.com. Get full access to Jim McCotter LIVE at jimmccotter.substack.com/subscribe