This has been quite a year so far and with this month’s elections, it’s only gotten more confusing, or so it seems for many. But as believers should it be?
Does it matter to The LORD who our president or other elected representatives are? Will who they are change His plans for this world, our country, you, and/or me? Will any of it be a surprise to Him? Will He be any more or less The LORD God based on who is or isn't elected?
I believe that Christians often times either forget Scripture, don’t know Scripture, and/or simply just don’t care to believe Scripture.
God told us this in Isaiah 55:8-9-“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts." This makes me believe that since I’m not God it really doesn’t matter what I think needs to be done. For me to one minute believe that I know better than Him, have a better way, etc, would go against the character of who God really is and just plain be a sin since in essence I'd be saying I was God and He is not!
So what then do we as Christians need to do? How do we live our lives in a world that is clearly becoming less and less like how God created it to be? Remember that what is happening in this world is a result of sin in the world. That process began in the Garden of Eden. continued all the way up to today and will continue to get worse until we’re living in The New Heaven and New Earth where sin will no longer exist!
Paul told us in Romans 1:18-32 that this world would continue to get worse. Jesus also warned us that things would get worse on this earth before He would come again. So either God is a liar or things will continue to get worse, there really is no other answer.
No matter who our president or other elected representatives are, as believers, we are called to pray for them (I Tim 2:1-3), particularly their salvation and governance, not to curse them continually (Exodus 22:28, Ephesians 4:29), and to support them where we can in terms of policy. God loves democrats and republicans and everyone in between!
We’re also not called to blindly obey and follow them. As Peter and the apostles told their government, they had to obey God over man, (Acts 5:29). When we have any elected representative, government, etc, that opposes anything Biblical, no matter who they are, then we are to oppose the agenda found in Romans 1:18-32 that will be advanced through them, what is unbiblical, and we do it through prayer and legislation not hate, slander, etc. In other words, if they actively support and exalt fornication, homosexuality, gay marriage, transgenderism, abortion, lawlessness, confusion, and doing anything that prohibits us to worship The LORD, etc, this is what we oppose and stand up against, not the person themselves.
According to Romans 1, these sins and others, are the fruit of a society that has been given over to its sin by God as a form of judgment in an effort to allow the consequences of their sins, which we should NEVER remove, to be used to draw them to Christ Jesus. When we stand against these sins in love we should expect persecution and potential legislation to silence us. Satan will do EVERYTHING he can to try and stop what The Holy Spirit is doing, including attempting to isolate us from each other and those who don’t know Jesus, shutting down facilities such as bars, restaurants, music, sports venues, etc, etc.
The church in America will more than likely enter a time of persecution, if not today then soon. This should not surprise us, it has been happening since Jesus was on this earth and is going on in many other parts of the world today. It will be good for the real Body of Christ! Persecution will weed out those who really have no interest in loving Jesus by obeying Him, denying themselves and their desires, and taking up their crosses daily, (John 14:15, Luke 9:23).
As true Christ followers we’re not saved to be like the world, but rather to live our lives in the world so that when Jesus is lived through us, our lives would draw those around us to a true relationship with Him, (John 17:13-21). We need to keep in mind that living lives for Christ and standing against sin IS the loving thing to do, but it is also the thing that will cause the world to hate us, just like it hates the true Jesus of the Bible, (John 15:18-21). Our aroma is to be Christ, to some it will be sweet smelling and draw them to Him, to those who choose to not want Christ, it will be the smell of death, (2 Corinthians 2:14-17). How they react to our lives lived out as Christ is up to them, not us!
We’re to be the salt of Christ, seasoning everyone’s life with the truth of Him. We’re to be the Light in the dark world around us, (Matthew 5:13-16). We’re to speak the Truth in love as we live out Jesus in our lives so that those around us would become more like Christ and be in unity with God’s will instead of being tossed around like waves in the ocean by being deceived and tricked, (Ephesians 4:14-16). We are not to want what the world has to offer, it is fleeting, non-eternal, just like life on this earth itself, (Matthew 6:19-21).
Any church or Christian who tries to go along with the immoral agenda to be popular with the world, is either not saved, or is a undiscerning believer who clearly does not know or understand Scripture. So many of today’s churches are committing the same sins of the churches in Revelation 2-3 by bringing the world into the church, combining worldliness with Christianity, something Jesus is totally against. Few are trying to be like the church of Philadelphia.
To the church in Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11), Jesus said they would suffer persecution and those who were faithful until death received the crown of life.
To the church in Pergamum (Rev 2:12-17), Jesus said they needed to repent for following teachings that weren’t from Him and that those who overcome will get the foods only found in heaven.
To the church in Thyatira (Rev 2:18-29), Jesus said that many of them were following the practices of the world and if they didn’t repent many misfortunes would come upon them and their children, but those who overcame would rule with Christ one day!
To the church in Sardis (Rev 3:1-6), Jesus said that He knows their deeds and they are spiritually dead and if they didn’t repent they would not go to heaven!
To the church in Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-13), Jesus said that because they kept His Word and had not denied Jesus Name, they will be kept from the hour of testing that is coming soon to the earth, and they will not lose their crown but rather spend eternity with God! This is the church we should imitate.
To the church in Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22), Jesus said that they were neither for Him nor against Him. They were fence sitters, lukewarm. He said because they weren’t for Him 100% that they could not have any part of Him.
Unfortunately far too many churches and Christians are not like the church of Philadelphia but rather are like at least one of the others. Jesus couldn’t be more clear than what He is here, we need to repent and live Godly lives, Biblically following Christ and being heavenly minded in all we say and do!
It’s actually quite a blessing to be alive and to serve Jesus today. As the world gets worse, the more exciting it should be for us believers as we realize what we’re actually here for and that God would have us alive now to be His ambassadors to the lost and dying world around us, (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
If we honestly believe that being a Christian is the easy road, then we really have no clue what The Bible says about life on this earth, we seriously know nothing about what all Jesus went through while He lived here and we don’t understand what denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily truly means, (Matthew 7:13-14, Luke 9:23).
In James 1:2-4 we’re told that going through trials and tribulations, perfects us, they’re meant for our good. As Paul told is in Romans 8:28-29, all things work out for our good if and only if we love God, obeying Him and doing those things He’s called us to do, which will involve trials and tribulations. And then we need to remember that good is becoming more like Christ, NOT an easy life on this earth! Jesus said they persecuted Him and they will do the same to us, (John 15:20)
We need to be ready for whatever satan throws at us. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10-18 that we need to armored up!
In Hebrews 12:1-12 we’re called to live a disciplined life and to live it with endurance. The Greek word used is hupomoné, which means cheerful (or hopeful) endurance constancy: - enduring patience, patient continuance (waiting). This same word appears several times in this chapter. I’m stealing this from Mary Jo, here’s her notes:
We begin by looking at those who successfully endured/lived a disciplined life before us despite all the hardships they faced (detailed in Hebrews 11). (All words/phrases that were originally hupomoné will be in italics below)
V1-Get rid of everything that keeps us from living a disciplined life and endure on the path marked out for us- a course that the Lord already knew we would be on.
V2-Look how Jesus endured/lived a disciplined life. He set everything aside in order to gain us. Can we not do the same?
V3-Look to His example - enduring such opposition- and be disciplined so that we will not grow weary and lose heart.
V4-6-We have not had to endure as Christ did- shedding His blood. And what He did made us sons, and that is encouraging, as sonship includes discipline from our Father.
V7-Whenever things are hard, endure it as discipline:
V8-Discipline is proof we are true sons
V9-Discipline is completely trustworthy because it is from our perfect heavenly Father
V10-Discipline is for our good so that we may share in God’s holiness
V11-Discipline though unpleasant, produces growth in us – a harvest of righteousness and peace
V12-Therefore, because of all of the above and based on what those before us did (chapter 11), we endure so that we can finish the course. Opposition and difficulty are what is supposed to happen in the Christian’s walk. We should respond by trusting the Lord, praising Him and letting nothing move us.
Honestly we should, like the disciples, consider ourselves to be blessed to be alive and used by The LORD as He chooses to use us, even when, and it will, involve worldly loss, suffering, persecution, etc, (Matthew 5:11, 10:22, 10:39, 19:29, Acts 5:41, Romans 8:17, 2 Corinthians 1:7, 4:11, 12:10, Philippians 1:29, 3:10, 1 Peter 2:20, 3:14, 4:16, 5:10). What better time to be alive and be a witness for Jesus in America or wherever else you live!
We need to press on until the end, (Philippians 3:14), finish the race well that is set out before us, (2 Timothy 2:4-7, Hebrews 12:1), knowing that we can do ALL things through Christ living in and through us, (Philippians 4:13), and learn not to trust in ourselves but to trust in and submit to The LORD fully, (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Remember my friend to take hope in Jesus words from John 16:33-“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions, prayer requests, etc. We'd love to pray with and for you and to the best of our ability answer any questions you may have soley using God's Word!
Love y’all and LORD Bless,
Curt & Mary Jo
