I know many of you were disappointed when Barack Obama won the presidential election. Some feel that he is too liberal in his thinking. This may be true. I’m not trying to defend his moral or ethical leanings. The only thing that I ask, and it is the same I asked when George Bush was elected president in 2000, is that we pray for our leaders, national and local. Prayer can make a difference.
Many, like myself, are concerned that President-Elect Obama might support laws that are pro-homosexual or pro-abortion. He has made statements to that effect. But I am convinced that is we pray for God’s divine influence on the lives of our leaders, they may find themselves doing things differently than they pledged.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 says, Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” God can move upon the hearts of men to do His will even though they believe they are doing their own (see also Rev. 17:17).
I pass on to you the same advice I gave to those who were not happy about George W. Bush’s election to the high office: Don’t complain about it, but pray for him. He is the president now. Christians have a responsibility to pray for those who are in leadership. Peter wrote to his flock, “13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good… 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” Romans 13:4 says rulers are God’s minister to us of good. So whether they be president, congressman, senator, governor, mayor, councilman, or school board representative, pray for God’s leadership in their lives. Also, pray for their families. Spouses can have greater impact than many lobbyist groups.
Praying for those in leadership is not only our civic duty, it is our Christian duty.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
A Christian Nation?
6 Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, 8 but you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day.—Joshua 23:6-8
During my quiet time the other day, I got a strong revelation from the Lord. Now, it may not be a revelation to you, but it was a revelation to me. Then again, I am slow sometimes. But as I was thinking about our state as a ‘Christian Nation’ these verses came to my mind. What was it that led the Israelites astray? It wasn’t that they doubted God. It wasn’t that they didn’t believe in God. It was that they didn’t serve God. It was that they served too many gods.
God’s commandment to them before they entered the Promised Land was to completely and utterly annihilate the inhabitants of the land. If they did not, then the gods of these foreigners would be a snare to them and would lead them away from Him. Yet, they did not obey. They left some of the inhabitants alive with the intentions of making slave of them. Needless to say, the gods of these slaves turned the hearts of the Israelites from their God. They began worshiping them and serving them and doing all sorts of abominable acts, including fornication, sacrificing infants (post-birth abortions), and making idols. The result: a pantheon of gods and no absolute truths.
We did just the opposite with the same results. We were a nation founded on Christian principles. This is represented in our Declaration of Independence, our pledge of allegiance, and our oaths of office. The term “In God We Trust” is on our money. What happened? (This is not the whole answer but this is part.) Instead of going to the land of the infidels, the infidels came to us. Instead of holding fast to the Lord our God, we embraced theirs. Some have said the Allah is just another name for God. Universalism and Unitarianism has penetrated our society. We worship Ashtoreth with free love (pornography and x-rated songs) and Molech (abortion clinics and Pro-choice laws). We have said, if not in word, in spirit, that there is not just one god, but many gods. We have substituted the absolute truth of God’s word for “truth is relative”.
The result is the same. When we turn from God, He will turn from us. Not we have become a nation just like Israel:
And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.—Judges 2:19
Like the Israelites, we have become more corrupt then our fathers. Homosexuality is an accepted “alternative lifestyle”. Pornography is more readily accessible than Bibles. Profanity is readily available on network TV programs and mainstream music. It is practically illegal to talk about God, not to mention Jesus, in any public forum. Supreme Court has banned the Ten Commandments on the walls of public buildings. Bibles cannot be read and prayers cannot be made in public schools. And that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head.
I didn’t hear the context of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s sermon. But one thing I can say. Deuteronomy 28 speaks to this issue. God blesses a land that serves and obeys Him and He curses a land that does not. Like Deuteronomy 28 and Judges 2:21, God will withhold His blessings from us.
I don’t care what anyone says, September 11th was a wakeup call. It may even be part of the Judgment of God. Those who say that it wasn’t sound to me like the Israelites of old. The Prophets told them that judgment would come because of their sinfulness. They persecuted and killed them because they didn’t believe that God would punish His people. God sent the Assyrians to take down Israel and the Babylonians to capture Judah.
Apparently, they forgot that lesson because when the Jesus and His Disciples tried to warn them of God’s punishment, the Pharisee rebuked and persecuted them. They did not believe that God would destroy the City because the Temple was there and they were God’s people. Yet, in AD 66, God did just that. He sent the Romans to sack the city. Israel wasn’t a nation again until 1948.
So if you think that God won’t just the United States because we are a ‘Christian nation,’ think again. We may be a nation founded on Christian principles, but we are not a Christian nation. The problem with our society is that we are a democratic republic not a theocracy. We elect people to lead us. Those people are supposed to reflect the views of society. That is not always the case. Therefore, we get people who pass laws like Roe vs. Wade and declare Bible reading in schools unconstitutional.
The solution: Pray. Pray first for ourselves. Pray that God make us righteous before Him. In order for our nation to be changed, we must first be changed ourselves. (More on that another time). Next pray for our leaders—local and national. Pray that God will lead and guide their hearts and minds so that they might do His will even though they don’t know it. Finally, pray for God’s protection of our nation. In order to be a Christian nation, we must first put Christ in the nation.
During my quiet time the other day, I got a strong revelation from the Lord. Now, it may not be a revelation to you, but it was a revelation to me. Then again, I am slow sometimes. But as I was thinking about our state as a ‘Christian Nation’ these verses came to my mind. What was it that led the Israelites astray? It wasn’t that they doubted God. It wasn’t that they didn’t believe in God. It was that they didn’t serve God. It was that they served too many gods.
God’s commandment to them before they entered the Promised Land was to completely and utterly annihilate the inhabitants of the land. If they did not, then the gods of these foreigners would be a snare to them and would lead them away from Him. Yet, they did not obey. They left some of the inhabitants alive with the intentions of making slave of them. Needless to say, the gods of these slaves turned the hearts of the Israelites from their God. They began worshiping them and serving them and doing all sorts of abominable acts, including fornication, sacrificing infants (post-birth abortions), and making idols. The result: a pantheon of gods and no absolute truths.
We did just the opposite with the same results. We were a nation founded on Christian principles. This is represented in our Declaration of Independence, our pledge of allegiance, and our oaths of office. The term “In God We Trust” is on our money. What happened? (This is not the whole answer but this is part.) Instead of going to the land of the infidels, the infidels came to us. Instead of holding fast to the Lord our God, we embraced theirs. Some have said the Allah is just another name for God. Universalism and Unitarianism has penetrated our society. We worship Ashtoreth with free love (pornography and x-rated songs) and Molech (abortion clinics and Pro-choice laws). We have said, if not in word, in spirit, that there is not just one god, but many gods. We have substituted the absolute truth of God’s word for “truth is relative”.
The result is the same. When we turn from God, He will turn from us. Not we have become a nation just like Israel:
And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.—Judges 2:19
Like the Israelites, we have become more corrupt then our fathers. Homosexuality is an accepted “alternative lifestyle”. Pornography is more readily accessible than Bibles. Profanity is readily available on network TV programs and mainstream music. It is practically illegal to talk about God, not to mention Jesus, in any public forum. Supreme Court has banned the Ten Commandments on the walls of public buildings. Bibles cannot be read and prayers cannot be made in public schools. And that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head.
I didn’t hear the context of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s sermon. But one thing I can say. Deuteronomy 28 speaks to this issue. God blesses a land that serves and obeys Him and He curses a land that does not. Like Deuteronomy 28 and Judges 2:21, God will withhold His blessings from us.
I don’t care what anyone says, September 11th was a wakeup call. It may even be part of the Judgment of God. Those who say that it wasn’t sound to me like the Israelites of old. The Prophets told them that judgment would come because of their sinfulness. They persecuted and killed them because they didn’t believe that God would punish His people. God sent the Assyrians to take down Israel and the Babylonians to capture Judah.
Apparently, they forgot that lesson because when the Jesus and His Disciples tried to warn them of God’s punishment, the Pharisee rebuked and persecuted them. They did not believe that God would destroy the City because the Temple was there and they were God’s people. Yet, in AD 66, God did just that. He sent the Romans to sack the city. Israel wasn’t a nation again until 1948.
So if you think that God won’t just the United States because we are a ‘Christian nation,’ think again. We may be a nation founded on Christian principles, but we are not a Christian nation. The problem with our society is that we are a democratic republic not a theocracy. We elect people to lead us. Those people are supposed to reflect the views of society. That is not always the case. Therefore, we get people who pass laws like Roe vs. Wade and declare Bible reading in schools unconstitutional.
The solution: Pray. Pray first for ourselves. Pray that God make us righteous before Him. In order for our nation to be changed, we must first be changed ourselves. (More on that another time). Next pray for our leaders—local and national. Pray that God will lead and guide their hearts and minds so that they might do His will even though they don’t know it. Finally, pray for God’s protection of our nation. In order to be a Christian nation, we must first put Christ in the nation.
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