I have often mused (and pondered) whether our system of government is God’s final experiment for mankind – at least in the governing sense… I arrived at that conclusion based on the similarities between our founding fathers and early Christianity. One of the most convincing apologetics (or arguments) for the truth Christianity holds is the ultimate destiny of Jesus’ apostles. Judas committed suicide, but all the other apostles (besides John) became martyrs for the Christian faith… They tried to kill John, but were unable to do so – he was exiled to the island of Patmos where he wrote Revelation. In much the same manner, the men responsible for founding our system of government each sacrificed for doing so…
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/killing-jesus/articles/how-did-the-apostles-die/
Benjamin Franklin put it this way… “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
We have a tendency to use the words “apostle” and “disciple” interchangeably. While the words do have similar definitions, there are small differences that are important to keep in mind. Apostle is defined as “one sent on a mission; a person who initiates a great moral reform or who first advocates an important belief or system.” Disciple is defined as, “ one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrine of another; a convinced adherent of a school or individual.” Apostles are leaders – the “first” in creating change – while disciples are followers
In much the same manner, patriot and partisan are similar, yet different. A patriot, by my definition, is, “one who doesn’t choose sides in his government, but promotes change in it when the form and function are no longer serving the people properly.” A partisan, which in my opinion modern society calls a patriot is, “a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person; especially: one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance.”
It is not a coincidence that our government has morphed into something the founders would not recognize, while simultaneously Christianity struggles to cut through the noise and chatter to remain relevant. We have reached a rubicon, “a bounding or limiting line; especially : one that when crossed commits a person irrevocably” where each of us is forced to choose which side of the fence we are on… Are we patriots or partisans? Are we apostles or disciples?
I hope and pray each of us chooses wisely.