Chaplain
JESUS CHRIST, THE FIREFIGHTER
(Isaiah 43: 1-3 and II Chronicles 7:14)
by: Billy Reiter, Chaplain
As the Chaplain, I have a unique opportunity
to present Jesus Christ, but not by myself! This is accomplished
with His help and the many resources He makes available. The
latest of these resources is our new Website, created by Brother
FF and friend Greg Careins. Greg will realize that Jesus Christ
is actually using him to further His command to us just before
He ascended to Heaven. (Read Matthew 28: 18-20) So on behalf
of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Thanks Greg!
You may be wondering about the title, JESUS CHRIST, THE
FIREFIGHTER. First, let me explain that this will be an
ongoing title for the Chaplains page, and rightfully so. A
Chaplains goal is to present Jesus Christ, by word and deed.
Hopefully, we may get to see the fruit of this work, to see
someone live life to it's fullest and bring honor to God.
We know from experience that life to the fullest can only
be achieved by living our life in the Spirit and this is a
Gift from God. (Read John 4:23-24) So although I could conceive
different titles with related dialogue and theme, this one
must be ongoing in order to present Jesus Christ, The Firefighter.
Most recently, a Federal Judge in Calif., appointed for life,
took it upon himself to continue an agenda that attempts to
undermine this Nation's Foundation, the true soul and spirit
by which this country was founded. This judge ruled with great
fan-fare and media attention that our Pledge of Allegiance
forced citizens to believe in God. "One Nation, Under
God" infringes upon a citizens right to live their life
without God. What I believe this judge fails to understand
is that the very foundation of this nation is GOD! Our
ancestors were being persecuted by state and religion because
of their belief in God and the way they chose to worship Him.
They left their homelands to venture onto the shores of this
Nation where they could freely serve and worship God in Spirit
and Truth. They established a nation with blood, sweat and
tears (more importantly with trust and faith in God) with
God's help. They formed a democracy and defined it's principle
with the Constitution, and then defended it with the ultimate
sacrifice.
For a Federal judge to misinterpret our Pledge of Allegiance
is not surprising to me though. Why? Because he may not know
God. He may not know that God is not a dictator but rather
has given us freewill. We can chose to honor and worship Him
with our lives or we can chose not to. For an atheist not
to believe in God, he or she must first acknowledge that God
exists and they have chosen not to believe in Him. I believe
that every citizen, believer or nonbeliever, must know that
this Nation was founded on Godly principles and that is why
our Pledge to the Flag includes "One Nation, Under God."
Our Flag is our expression of Freedom, paid for by the blood
of citizens and the Blood of Jesus Christ. The same Blood
that extinguished the fires of hell for me on Palm Sunday,
1994. The date I began to believe in Jesus Christ, The Firefighter.
Now that I have begun this theme, I will endeavor, with the
help from God and this great Website, to construct a portrait
of my best friend, Jesus Christ. I hope you will check back
often, especially if you are an unbeliever.
God Bless Thornville-Thorn Township VFD and the Community
we serve!
