I have a couple of thoughts about the election. People feel very strongly about elections and candidates and the impact on our country. I appreciate all of that. I have been thinking and this is what I think. No political party will usher in the Kingdom of God and no political party will usher out the Kingdom of God. The mandate for us as Christians remains the same through every political change. We are to be the salt and light. That does not fall to the government. The more we impact those around us the better. If you feel our country is sliding into the night then your light should burn all the brighter. If you feel our country is moving toward the light then it is a call to turn up the wattage and increase it all around. So, that is my first point. Let's never lose sight of what God has called us to be and do. The second point is that it is an extraordinarily wonderful thing that in a country founded in liberty but with the shackles of race based slavery that a black man has been elected to the highest office in the land. That means that light and salt has had an impact. I pray that this is a death blow to the racism and bigotry that has been a plague on our country since it's inception. I don't know anyone who thought this would happen in their lifetime. The United States of America continues to surprise people and sometimes in a very good way. So it was on Tuesday night and that alone was enough to make me thankful. Now, I want to commit to praying for our country and the leadership of our country. I also want to pray for the church of Jesus Christ. I pray our country will be everything God wants it to be. I pray that the church will be everything God wants it to be. Far and away the institution that will have the greatest impact if those prayers come true is the church.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
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AMEN!
"And you will be my witnesses."
- Acts 1:8
We must honor and pray for Barack Obama and Joe Biden. They are our elected leaders. Some voted for them and others did not, but we must remember that scripture commands us to show honor to them:
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom 13:1).
Despite our disagreements, we must “be subject to the governing authorities”. This is not a suggestion, it a command from the Word of God. It may be hard for us, but “there is no authority except from God”.
God granted Barack Obama the presidency. This does not mean that God approves of everything espoused by the President-elect, but He allowed it to happen for some greater purpose. As with almost everything, the purposes of God are unknown to us.
Some great good must come out of this. We should not despair or fear, or we have chosen to allow something else to become our god.
On Wednesday morning, my black friends and co-workers were hugging, laughing, and wiping away their tears. They were celebrating a victory, and rejoicing. It seemed to me that a good dose of healing was poured out on Tuesday night. Long broken relations and deep, racially inflicted wounds got just a little bit better for the moment. Those experiences, wrapped up together: joy, victory, redemption, and healing - immediately remind me of God’s gift to us - Jesus Christ.
The election of 2008 has stirred strong emotions among believers and non-believers alike. We should recognize that God gives us opportunities to be salt and light, to shine for Him in every relationship and every interaction we have. Racial slurs and comments should not be heard among us. For those who believe the Bible, that all are equal in God’s sight – our response should be one of love. We should rejoice with, and embrace our African American brothers and sisters in Christ today. One day, we’ll all be standing together, shoulder to shoulder, singing praises to the King of Kings. On that day, you may find yourself to the right of Barack Obama, and to the left of John McCain (let that sink in for just a second). But we’re all in the same boat: none better than the one standing next us, none more loved by God – all in need of a Savior, all thankful for the gift – Jesus Christ.
I could not agree more. Through the past few weeks and most recently in the past few days, Christians have begun to think of themselves as "stronger Christians" because of how they voted.
Which has reminded me that I am so thankful that I have a Lord who has saved me - not through what I have done, but what has been done for me. If I had to live up to the standards of "strong Christians" or put my stock in the morals of the Christian worldview, I would be waiting at the doors of their heaven forever.
In recent days, with something so eternally inconsequential as an election, many Christians have failed miserably at displaying the characteristics of Christ.
It is my prayer that as Christians, we refuse to exploit Christ out of our own arrogance and pride.
It is interesting to watch the responses of the world leaders to Obama's victory.
I pray these two men who have been elected to lead our country are used by God in a mighty way.
Jesus said, He sought out "sinners," "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). "If we are going to be like Jesus, we will welcome all to our table. The ones the world shuns are the ones Jesus sends us to save." D.Jeremiah
God sees no color only the lost.
Very thought provoking comments.
Joe - I can't begin to thank you enough for these comments.
I do not agree with many of these comments. While, yes we should love all others like Christ, God has given us the ability to discern and make decisions based on His word. It seems to me that many Christians are just willing to accept the World's decisions not based on God's word. I do not think I am a "better" Christian than my brother and I know that God has the ultimate control of all of this. I do feel though, that if we refuse to stand up to elected officials that do not govern according to God's word, we are being weak in our Christian faith, not strong. I will respect our newly elected president but I will not support his views that contradict my faith. I know that I must yield to the word of God, but let us not be blindly led by what the world has decided is the right choice. God will use everything for the greater good, so with that, I will rest and know He is in control of it all!
Very good thoughts, comments, and dialogue here. Everyone has said something of truth and value that I agree with. The only thing I would like to voice is a small, petty, pet peeve of my own. The huge emphasis on Barack Obama being black. He is a black man. But he's just as much white , being he has a white mother, grandparents,etc. I never gave thought to the previous president's being white. And yes I do recognize how big this outcome is, but it would be nice to just say Obama is the man who won the election and is our, everyone's, next President. May he seek the Lord in this incredible responsibility ahead and may we be committed to pray for him.
A couple of thoughts:
- "I do feel though, that if we refuse to stand up to elected officials that do not govern according to God's word, we are being weak in our Christian faith, not strong." --- from a past comment --- in my opinion, you cannot pick and choose what political issues should be held up to God's word. Abortion is not the only issue that this should apply to, even though this is the most vexing issue in our country. There are issues that are controllable by man, and those that are true issues of the heart that legislation cannot change, but only the Lord can.
- I don't think that we can even begin to comprehend the significance of the next President having an African American background unless we have felt deep down the inequality that exists because of the color of skin. Just because we have not pondered the color of a President's skin in the past, does not mean that we should make light of the huge gift God has given through this election. For 232 years an entire group of people have been set apart in this country as less than human, and finally, it seems as though healing has begun. The color if Obama's skin likely had very little to do with the election outcome, but it truly is a gift from God.
RELIGIOUS RIGHT R.I.P.
By Cal Thomas
Tribune Media Services
When Barack Obama takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, he will do so in the 30th anniversary year of the founding of the so-called Religious Right. Born in 1979 and midwifed by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, the Religious Right was a reincarnation of previous religious-social movements that sought moral improvement through legislation and court rulings. Those earlier movements — from abolition (successful) to Prohibition (unsuccessful) — had mixed results.
Social movements that relied mainly on political power to enforce a conservative moral code weren’t anywhere near as successful as those that focused on changing hearts. The four religious revivals, from the First Great Awakening in the 1730s and 1740s to the Fourth Great Awakening in the late 1960s and early ’70s, which touched America and instantly transformed millions of Americans (and American culture as a result), are testimony to that.
Thirty years of trying to use government to stop abortion, preserve opposite-sex marriage, improve television and movie content and transform culture into the conservative Evangelical image has failed. The question now becomes: should conservative Christians redouble their efforts, contributing more millions to radio and TV preachers and activists, or would they be wise to try something else?
I opt for trying something else.
Too many conservative Evangelicals have put too much faith in the power of government to transform culture. The futility inherent in such misplaced faith can be demonstrated by asking these activists a simple question: Does the secular left, when it holds power, persuade conservatives to live by their standards? Of course they do not. Why, then, would conservative Evangelicals expect people who do not share their worldview and view of God to accept their beliefs when they control government?
Too many conservative Evangelicals mistake political power for influence. Politicians who struggle with imposing a moral code on themselves are unlikely to succeed in their attempts to impose it on others. What is the answer, then, for conservative Evangelicals who are rightly concerned about the corrosion of culture, the indifference to the value of human life and the living arrangements of same- and opposite-sex couples?
The answer depends on the response to another question: do conservative Evangelicals want to feel good, or do they want to adopt a strategy that actually produces results? Clearly partisan politics have not achieved their objectives. Do they think they can succeed by committing themselves to 30 more years of the same?
If results are what conservative Evangelicals want, they already have a model. It is contained in the life and commands of Jesus of Nazareth. Suppose millions of conservative Evangelicals engaged in an old and proven type of radical behavior. Suppose they followed the admonition of Jesus to “love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison and care for widows and orphans,” not as ends, as so many liberals do by using government, but as a means of demonstrating God’s love for the whole person in order that people might seek Him?
Such a strategy could be more “transformational” than electing a new president, even the first president of color. But in order to succeed, such a strategy would not be led by charismatic figures, who would raise lots of money, be interviewed on Sunday talk shows, author books and make gobs of money.
Scripture teaches that God’s power (if that is what conservative Evangelicals want and not their puny attempts at grabbing earthly power) is made perfect in weakness. He speaks of the tiny mustard seed, the seemingly worthless widow’s mite, of taking the last place at the table and the humbling of one’s self, the washing of feet and similar acts and attitudes; the still, small voice. How did conservative Evangelicals miss this and instead settle for a lesser power, which in reality is no power at all? When did they settle for an inferior “kingdom”?
Evangelicals are at a junction. They can take the path that will lead them to more futility and ineffective attempts to reform culture through government, or they can embrace the far more powerful methods outlined by the One they claim to follow. By following His example, they will decrease, but He will increase. They will get no credit, but they will see results. If conservative Evangelicals choose obscurity and seek to glorify God, they will get much of what they hope for, but can never achieve, in and through politics.
Cal Thomas wrote this on November 11th, I believe. Amen!
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