I have had my heart breaking for some many as I read my social media news feed lately. There is so much hatred in the realm of politics and in the upcoming presidential elections, and my biggest concern is those "Christians" who are saying they are not going to vote or write in their own choice for candidate over those who are eligible based on what the primary elections have chosen for us as candidates.
God wants us to get involved in politics. God commands us to pray for our leaders. Pray for their salvation. For wisdom. To do the right things. For God to use them. That they would have a great walk with God.
Today we are going to learn how not to be led to vote for a candidate based on how we feel, but in lining them up and comparing them to the biblical world view and the things they support. As believers in Christ, we are mandated by Scripture on how to vote, and there will be a candidate that comes to the most closest to a biblical world view, not on our own views of what matters.
People today don't even understand the term "separation of church and state," and have it all confused. It simply was a statement issued in the 1st Amendment in the Declaration of Independence not the Constitution, and it states, " Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there of or abridging the freedom of speech." It means no state or government could mandate a religion to apply for everyone. A state supported religion like England had. They allowed for no freedom of religion. You could not evangelize without permission from the Church of England in Europe.
Even when our Founding Fathers came to America and started to evangelize King George the Third, got involved and wanted it stopped because they were doing it without his permission here in America. Our Founding Fathers said "No! There will be no government mandated religion in this nation!" In that case there will be a secular nation, doesn't mean we don't believe in God, it means we will not have a United States of America church. You should have the freedom, not to worship or to worship. Only people who can think or reason would agree with that. THAT is what separation of church and state is, not what people have been spoon-feeding you to believe. Do you own research on it!
Did you know that Congress can not tell you when, where or how you can worship in your religious community? It's against the law for them to tell you that you can or can't practice your religious faith. From handing out Bibles to praying publicly, you have a Constitutional right based on what our Founding Fathers established.
The greatest way for you to lose these freedoms is to tune all this out and not vote wisely. Don't you know how we prevent bloodless revolutions in this country? We vote! Every 2 to 4 years, we have a revolution in this country without blood. You vote! The power of the vote and we have a responsibility from God to do the right thing at all times.
Ephesians 2:8-10 ~ "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
"Good works" here means righteous acts, to do the right thing. Set your feelings aside, and how you feel, because we are commanded by God to do the right thing.
Young people today don't know the real definition of tolerance. Today it means you all have to think like I think and if anyone doesn't, we'll destroy them. We will marginalize them. We will mock them into oblivion. That's not tolerance, that's tyranny. If you're tolerant, you can get along with someone even if they don't agree with your biblical world view or any other religious view. You don't kill them or call them bigots, haters, intolerant and any other label you can slap on them because they disagree with you.
So why should the Christian care about politics? Because we are to be the voice for good. Christian influence throughout history can not be ignored. We know what is good, because we have the Bible as our standard. Who will speak up for the things that are wrong? How do we speak up? You call in. You vote! Use it! Do it! We have the opportunity to do it.
Proverbs 29:18 ~ "When people don't accept divine guidance, they run wild." ~ NLT
Hosea 4:6 ~ "My people are destroyed by a lack of knowledge,because you have rejected knowledge. I also will reject you from being a priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children."
We speak into our culture in various ways and voting is a very important way we speak. We're to warn our culture, we're to be salt and light; we're to be defending the defenseless and economically moral. Voting is the opportunity before us.
Isaiah 62:6 ~ "I have set watchman on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent."
Ephesians 6:10-14 ~ "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate or righteousness,"
Be a voice for good, tell women not to have abortions to pray about it and give it more time!
We are the keepers of civility. If you want to understand Christianity, look at the Spirit of Christianity which is revealed in the sermon on the mount.(Matthew 5-7).
Matthew 5:3-9 ~ " Blessed are the poor in spirit (humble), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, (hurting from widows, homeless, orphans), for they shall be comforted. Blessed at the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
The Judeo-Christian worldview has created the greatest civilization, economy, liberty, compassion, freedom, and religious tolerance in the history of mankind. Why? Hospitals, schools, universities and missionary ventures have all been started overwhelmingly by Christians. No place should be exempt from any area of influence you might have. You can look at the UCLA logo, which has a book open in the middle with the phrase, "Let there be light" on it.
We are to persuade our culture. Biblical faith, scientific logic and practical reason should never be in conflict if the Bible is your source book. They should exist in perfect harmony.
Acts 17:1-4 ~ "Now when they have passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again fro the dead, and saying, "This Jesus who I preach to you is the Christ." And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Silas and Paul."
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." ~ John Adams, Founding Father, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, 2nd President of the United States.
"Providence has given our people the choice of rulers, and it is the duty, as well as privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." ~ John Jay, Founding Father, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, October 12, 1816.
How the mighty have fallen!
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." ~ Patrick Henry, Orator, Governor, Founding Father.
We are to obey God in all things. To choose our leaders. Other than God, government dictates our lives. The United States of America stands alone. That those who govern us do so by the consent of the governed.
"That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." ~ Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States.
1 Corinthians 10:31 ~ "Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
It's known as the American trinity and it's on every coin..."In God We Trust/Unity/Liberty
"Have you come to the point where evangelicals will only vote for people they consider Christians? I hope not, for nothing in the Bible says that people have to be born again Christians before they can be governmental authorities who are used greatly by God to advance His purposes. God used Pharaoh, King of Egypt, to raise Joseph to a position of authority over the whole country, so he could save his people from famine (Genesis 41:37-57). God used Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, to protect and raise up Daniel and his Jewish friends to positions of high authority over Babylon (Daniel 2:46-49). God used Cyrus, King of Persia, to restore the Jewish exiles to their homeland (Isaiah 45:16; Ezra 1:1-4), and used Darius, King of Persia to protect the Jewish people as they rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 6:1-12). God used Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to raise up Esther as Queen and to give Mordecai high authority and honor in his kingdom. (Esther 6:10-11; 8:1-2, 7-15).
In the New Testament age, God used the peace enforced by the secular Roman Empire, the Pax Romana, to enable the early Christians, to travel freely and spread the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean world.
Without Christian influence, governments will have no moral compass. Consider how many political issues that now face the United States, and that face other nations, have significant moral components to them. War, same-sex marriage, abortion, pornography, poverty, care for the environment, capital punishment, education and moral standards. The United States at the present time has a tremendous need for moral guidance and if pastors and churches, believers in Christ, say, "I'll let somebody else speak about that, where will the nation's moral standards come from?"
If Christians do not speak out publicly about moral and ethical issues facing a nation, who will? Where will people learn about ethics? Where will a nation learn how to tell right from wrong? If Christians are silent and opt out of voting about such moral and ethical issues, then where will moral standards come from? We cannot leave a moral vacuum, and allow the ultimate adversaries of the gospel, Satan and his demons, to rush in and influence every decision in a way contrary to biblical standards. And if that happens, then governments around the world will increasingly use their tremendous power to silence the church." - Politics According to the Bible, Wayne Grudem
This is why Christians, believers in Christ, need to vote. By not voting, you are voting. You are saying in a nutshell, you don't care about what happens because you don't feel any of the candidates are worth voting for. That is the definition of apathy and that is what Jesus warned about would happen in the last days. Take another look and see where each of them simply line up with the issues above and take a biblical worldview on the issues that remain.
You, as a Christian believer, are not called to remain silent, but to speak out on the issues that matter!