Stand Firm and Do Not Back Down

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Acts 11:19-21

19 Meanwhile, the believers who had fled from Jerusalem during the persecution after Stephen's death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the Good News, but only to Jews. 20 However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. 21 The power of the Lord was upon them, and large numbers of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.

NLT

As we approach the New Year, it is time to look forward to what may happen in the next year.  As an eternal optimist, I try to look forward to what good things might happen and what I can do to improve my life in the next year.  As a Christian, this means studying and learning more about God’s Word and most importantly applying it to my life.  However, I am also a realist and must realize that the coming year will include its share of struggles but I also know that my God shall be with me through the struggles and meet any need I have (Philippians 4:19). 

It appears that the Tea Party and its followers are set to have their share of struggles in 2014 but this does not mean the election of 2014 is lost for because of the nature of the tea party, I believe it will only get stronger and prevail on to victory in 2014.  The struggles will come from two sides:

1)      The Obama Administration has promised to use the IRS once again to harass Tea Party organizations just as they did in 2012.  In fact, the administration is attempting to legalize this harassment by tightening regulations on nonprofits.  The purpose of nonprofits, like Tea Party Organizations, is to serve the community.  Many of these organizations accomplish this goal by running soup kitchens but others, like Tea Party Organizations, do it by offering information and resources to people.  (1)  The purpose of the proposed regulations is place restrictions on tax-exempt groups bettering their communities by discussing pressing issues affecting the community by claiming their efforts are political thus disqualifying them from tax-exempt status.  This will make it difficult for Tea Party organizations to accomplish their goal of bettering the community by restoring responsible constitutional government.

2)      The Republican establishment through their lack of support of candidates supporting the Tea Party movement.  For example, the Tea Party does not support any form of amnesty for those in our country illegally until the government first secures the border.  However, the Republican establishment, with the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has recently pledged $50 million to support business-friendly candidates in primaries with the stated goal of winning a Republican Senate majority.  (2)  This same chamber of Commerce also supports amnesty because it guarantees cheap labor for its business members.  (3)  Karl Rove’s American Crossroads is also reportedly trying “to influence the 2014 midterm elections by bullying campaigns and creating groups that, on the surface, do not seem to be affiliated with them.”  (4) 

On the surface it might appear the Tea Party will once again be ineffective like it was during the 2012 Presidential Election due to these attacks but this does not have to be the case.  This is because the Tea Party is more than just a political movement, it is a way of life.  Rush Limbaugh recently stated, “The Tea Party is a way of life and that the Republican establishment and Washington’s political class have as much chance of destroying it as eliminating Christmas from American life.”  (5)  Before declaring the Tea Party dead as a movement I recommend the political class and Republican establishment take a lesson from history.

Both the Roman government and Jewish religious leaders believed they could end Christianity and the Church by persecuting them.  Their persecution went beyond harassment like is being done to the Tea Party and escalated to jailing and executing people for their profession of faith.  However, as we are told in Acts 11:19-21, this persecution only assisted in the spreading of the Gospel.  This is because these early Christians had walked with the Lord, saw Him after his resurrection, or heard from eyewitnesses.  Even today, many Christians are just as committed to their faith and even face death just for believing what they have read in the Bible.  What the Roman government and Jewish religious leaders missed was the fact that Christianity was not just another religious or political movement but a way of life for which people were willing to risk their lives. 

Members of Tea Party groups are passionately dedicated to the preservation of this country just as our founders intended in their writings, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence.  These individuals have seen their government change from a small constitution based government whose role was the protection and preservation of individual liberty into a large leviathan that intrudes into every area of their lives.  For example, not only will the full brunt of Obamacare taxes take effect in 2014 (6) we will also see the end of the 60 and 40 watt incandescent light bulb.  (7)

Even if the political and Republican establishment harasses the Tea Party and spends millions in an effort to stop it, it will fail because they cannot stop us from speaking and taking our message everywhere we go.  Even if they succeed in taking away our tax-exempt status, remove us from social media, use the NSA to spy on our emails, tweets, and Facebook posts, we will not be quiet.  We are passionately dedicated to seeing this nation restored to the once great beacon of liberty it was.   I therefore encourage those in the political and Republican establishment to join us in restoring American greatness for failure to do so will result in their being relegated to insignificance as other failed political movements have done in history. 

During the past week, we witnessed the suspension of Phil Robertson from the show Duck Dynasty because of his biblically based anti-gay statements.  Unlike what others have done when faced with a similar situation, Phil Robertson did not back down and in fact when he broke his silence on the issue, he doubled down on his original statement.  (8)  A&E, the network carrying the show Duck Dynasty surrendered and reinstated Phil Robertson after only nine days of an indefinite suspension due to a swell of grassroots support for his firm stance, which would have resulted in a rebellion against the network and its advertisers.  (9) (10)

This incident with Phil Robertson is an example of what occurs when good people, armed with the truth, can accomplish when they stand their ground and do not back down.  If the Tea Party, which is armed with the truth of the Founding documents of this country, which are supported on Godly principles, does not back down even when facing attack from the political and Republican establishment, it will create a ground swell of grass root support propelling conservatism to victory in 2014 and 2016.  My fellow Tea Party patriots and Political Avengers, it is time for us to stand firm and not back down.

1. Campbell, Greg. Obama Attempting to Make IRS Targeting Tea Party Legal. www.tpnn.com. [Online] Tea Party News Network, December 13, 2013. [Cited: December 27, 2013.] http://www.tpnn.com/2013/12/13/obama-attempting-to-make-targeting-tea-party-legal/.

2. Hall, Wynton. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO SPEND $50 MILLION TO CRUSH TEA PARTY. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, December 26, 2013. [Cited: December 27, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/12/26/Chamber-of-Commerce-To-Spend-50-Million-To-Crush-Tea-Party.

3. Federation for American Immigration Reform. Senate Immigration Bill Delivers Amnesty and Cheap Labor, but Not Immigration Reform. www.fairus.org. [Online] April 16, 2013. [Cited: December 27, 2013.] http://www.fairus.org/news/senate-immigration-bill-delivers-amnesty-and-cheap-labor-but-not-immigration-reform.

4. Lee, Tony. KARL ROVE'S CROSSROADS RELOADING AGAINST TEA PARTY. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, December 26, 2013. [Cited: December 27, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/12/26/Karl-Rove-s-Crossroads-Reloading-Against-Tea-Party.

5. —. RUSH LIMBAUGH: TEA PARTY 'WAY OF LIFE' UNDER ASSAULT. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, December 17, 2013. [Cited: December 27, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/12/17/Rush-Limbaugh-Tea-Party-Way-of-Life-Under-Assault-like-Christmas.

6. Earle, S.A. Miller and Geoff. New ObamaCare fees coming in 2014. nypost.com. [Online] The New York Post, December 25, 2013. [Cited: December 27, 2013.] http://nypost.com/2013/12/25/new-obamacare-fees-coming-in-2014/.

7. McCormack, David. The end of the traditional lightbulb: Forty and sixty-watt bulbs set to be banned from January 1. www.dailymail.co.uk. [Online] The Daily Mail, December 15, 2013. [Cited: December 27, 2013.] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2524152/Traditional-40-60-watt-light-bulbs-set-banned-January-1-manufacturers-forced-produce-energy-efficient-expensive-alternatives.html.

8. Hawkins, John. Phil Robertson Doubles Down: No Apologies. He Meant What He Said. www.rightwingnews.com. [Online] Rightwingnews, December 23, 2013. [Cited: December 28, 2013.] http://www.rightwingnews.com/religion/phil-robertson-doubles-down-no-apologies-he-meant-what-he-said/.

9. Hawkins, Awr. A&E SURRENDERS ON 'DUCK DYNASTY' AFTER PHIL ROBERTSON STANDS HIS GROUND. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, December 27, 2013. [Cited: December 28, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2013/12/27/A-E-Surrenders-Phil-Robertson-Is-Back.

10. Huston, Warner Todd. A&E AVERTED GRASSROOTS REBELLION WITH DUCK DYNASTY SURRENDER. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, December 27, 2013. [Cited: December 28, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2013/12/27/A-E-Averted-Grassroots-Protests-by-Giving-In-to-Phil-Robertson.