Category: Living For The Gospel

Perspective for those Fearful and Freaked out by the Upcoming Election

10/22/2020

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God grant you joy in knowing that as a believer in Jesus Christ you dwell in a glorious Lordship, no matter what earthly political system you live under.

Hooray for the Lordship of Jesus Christ! Today as I remembered the fact that Jesus is Lord (not we make Him Lord – that is unbiblical) I was honestly filled with joy! If you are like me you’ve been living in a world that has been dominated lately with talk of who will be our leader and president after November 3rd. I can tell you with absolute certainty that I have no idea who is going to win that contest. But regardless of who does win that election, it will not alter for one millisecond Who is Lord.

Christians have lived under every kind of political system under the sun. The early church lived under a Roman system that eventually was ruled by a dictatorship (or Caesar – it honestly was the same thing). There were some real doozies who ruled the Roman Empire. There was Claudius and Nero, Domitian and Trajan, Marcus Aurelius and Septimus Severus, Decius and Valerian, and then Diocletian and finally Constantine I, who supposedly converted to Christianity. Some of these leaders persecuted Christians with great passion, while others considered them more of a nuisance. The early church did not ever know any kind of “rights-based” democracy or republic. But, then again, they already knew the One Who is Lord. Jesus Christ ruled their lives in the midst of life in the Roman empire.

How did these brothers and sisters fare with such a horrible political situation? Oh, they did well as they saw the Gospel of Jesus Christ represented all over the empire. They lived with the command of God to honor their leaders (yep, even Nero and Caligula), pray for them, and submit to the governing authorities unless doing so meant denying Christ. Then they chose to honor and obey God rather than man. They did not try to start a revolution – unless you mean the one that overtook those who came to Christ. In them a revolution took place in their heart as their heart of stone was removed and they received a heart of flesh. They experienced a revolution where their hearts and loyalties were turned to Christ Jesus, their new Lord. They loved Him, lived for Him, and spread the good news about Him all over the empire. When faced with the choice of bowing their knee and saying Caesar is Lord, the chose imprisonment and death rather than deny their only Lord, Jesus Christ. The majority did not endure that fate. They simply lived out their lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Ultimately He was the one they looked to and obeyed as they lived out the days appointed for them. They endured the kings and kingdoms of men, knowing that the day would come when the kingdoms of this world would become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

This revolution has had its adherents in every nation, tribe, and tongue. Each has known the replacement of self on the throne of their lives by the Lord Jesus Christ taking His rightful place. The result of that wonderful change has been salvation from sin and the specter of the wrath of God at the end of the age. The result has also been a radical change in how one views and lives in this present evil age. Elections continue in the earthly realm – with rulers taking their place for a brief breath of time. Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall in the current age – and within those kingdoms, nations, and empires the true church continues to obey her Lord as she awaits the day He returns.

No matter who wins this election, on November 4th every true believer in Jesus Christ will not know any change in who they ultimately obey. They system under which they live and labor for Christ may change, but their Lord will remain the same. Throughout today this fact has comforted my heart in ways that cannot be understood except by fellow Christians. I do not live in fear of what the future ultimately holds. I do not live with a sense of dread any more if who I vote for does not win the election. Because all I’m doing is voting for one who will be an earthly leader who will live, die, and face the same judgment all other men and women will face. My Lord will not be altered – nor can He be.

On November 4th I will awaken much like I’ve awakened to other days in this life God has given me. I will turn to the same God who has created all things – and thank Him for the day He has made – and make the conscious choice to rejoice in it. I will turn to His Word and fellowship with Him through it, relying on His Holy Spirit to teach and lead me through whatever day comes. I will hopefully submit to Him in all that I do and say that day so as to honor and glorify Him by living in a manner worth of the Gospel I’ve received – and worthy of the Lord Who has saved me. The world will most likely be in some sort of upheaval. The world is like that because it continues in ungodliness and unrighteousness – and disobedience to the One Who IS Lord. My goal on that day will be to love God with all my heart, love my neighbor as myself, share the Gospel with those who do not know Christ, and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

The reason we can know such peace . . . is because we know the Prince of Peace. The reason we can walk in stability regardless of how unstable everything is around us . . . is because we know the Lord, who gives us a kingdom that cannot be shaken. This will not change no matter who is elected president of the United States.

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The “Us vs. Them” Trap, and the Gospel

9/27/2017

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To NFL or not to NFL, that is the question. Is it? For the past several days I’ve read various points of view on the entire NFL flag and national anthem debate. At times I’ve felt myself pulled to take one side of the other. Yet, even though I’ve started more than one article on this - I did not have a great deal of peace about where to stand in the midst of the heated discussion on the matter. The more I thought about it the more I felt that I was being asked again and again, “Are you for Us or for Them?” As someone who is supremely interested in the glory of God and the proclamation of the Gospel, I respectfully want to say, “Neither.”

The danger of being forced to take one side or the other is that I don’t completely agree with either. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” At the present time I do not see a whole lot of peacemaking being advanced. Being part of the Us or the Them (however you want to currently define each group) is not fostering any good will toward the other side. I watch as these kind of alliances are only fostering further vitriol - verbal now, but I fear it may not be long until it becomes physical. Let me hopefully give you something to think about if Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior.

Philippians 2:1-11 is a passage that we need to consider before we side with Us or with Them. In that passage our Lord is used as the supreme example of the “attitude” we should have in our lives.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:3-8, NASB)

Jesus is God with all the rights and privileges of being God. Yet He gave up His rights and privileges (while continuing to be God of very God). He humbled Himself and gave His life as a sacrifice to pay for sin He had never committed. If there was anyone in all of history who was more wronged by what happened to Him, it was Jesus. Yet He gave Himself to God first - and to others who did not deserve what He did. We are called to do NOTHING unless we have a humility of mind that regards others as more important than ourselves. Because I try to understand how the person who has experienced racial injustice feels, as well as the police officer who has never abused his position - I cannot choose to be an Us or a Them. I want to love both of these people and hopefully share the love of God with them through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because I don’t want to diminish people who have been wronged by our justice system, as well as not treat lightly the sacrifice of our soldiers - I cannot become an Us or a Them in this conflict. Even if it costs me everything I want to do my best to walk with Jesus - make His gospel known to both the Us crowd and the Them crowd - refusing to be mischaracterized by both groups. They both need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Philippians 4 Paul also gave us some strong words from the Lord. These words were meant to provide us spiritual stability. It also might be good to remember that Paul wrote these words while sitting in a Roman prison. He was there because he had been falsely accused and was being held to placate his accusers. His house arrest was not for the most just of situations. Yet, he rejoiced not in personal vindication of his situation, but rather because the Gospel continued to be proclaimed in the world around him. His words were these,

“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7, NASB)

As I considered these words I realized that by becoming an Us of Them in this conflict I really would not be ultimately rejoicing in the Lord. What Paul meant by this was that my attitude should be that of rejoicing in the fact of my salvation in Jesus Christ and God’s grace. That is truly how I am identified. I am one who has received Jesus Christ by grace through faith - and therefore I have been rescued from the wrath and punishment rightly due for my sins. Next, I wanted to be known to all men by my “gentle spirit.” Any time I considered becoming an Us or Them - gentleness was not what I was being encouraged to express. I felt compelled by whatever side I was going to choose to lash out at the other side. That, I knew I could not do - and walk in the Spirit too. Then I saw that I was to be anxious for nothing. That was not how I felt at the thought of taking one side or the other in this. Anxiousness rose in my heart - along with a lot of other things that far more represented the deeds of the flesh rather than the fruit of the Spirit. Finally, I had to wonder if I fell prey to the Us vs. Them labels, would I truly be able to give myself over to prayer with thanksgiving to God? Would peace flood my heart if I did this? The answer to my questions due to the impact of the Scripture was, “No.”

So, what am I supposed to do in the midst of all this? First and foremost I am to submit myself to God for His direction in this situation. He calls me to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Next, He calls me to love my neighbor as myself. That is hard to do when my neighbor becomes, ‘one of Them.” I want to find ways to serve and love my neighbor - and especially to love my enemies (whoever they wind up being perceived as being). So, if anything - the “Thems” in this matter are those I should especially be seeking to love with the love of God.

Some will be frustrated by this article because they want me to “man up and take a side.” The side I want to take is that of making the Gospel of Jesus Christ known to all men. Consider this as I finish this article. What is the “Ultimate Us vs. Them Conflict” in the world? The Us is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit vs. the Them, all humanity who are sinners. Unlike the current conflict we face - there is an absolute truth about Who is right and who is wrong in this conflict. God is the One Who is wronged - infinitely. Sinners (which includes all the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve) - are those who are infinitely guilty for their rebellion against God as evidenced in their disregard of His Law and their ungodliness and unrighteousness. Did the Trinity decide to remain in the Us vs. Them attitude or did God, in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ, choose to humble Himself and seek redemption and reconciliation? Thanks be to God for His wonderful grace and mercy, He chose redemption and reconciliation. He chose to come among Them as one of Them (except for sin) and then redeem Them by paying the penalty that all of Them deserved to pay themselves. This is why I have to answer the question, “Are you for Us or for Them?” by saying, “Neither.” It is my hope to speak the truth in love to the injustices for all men and women - and then to turn to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as our only hope for peace.

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Perspective for those Fearful and Freaked out by the Upcoming Election

The “Us vs. Them” Trap, and the Gospel

Biblical Articles

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​Articles

Perspective for those Fearful and Freaked out by the Upcoming Election

The “Us vs. Them” Trap, and the Gospel

Biblical Articles

Categories

Articles