Let Christians Vote as Though They Were not Voting

John Piper at the Desiring God Blog posted a great article which will challenge us as believers to consider our priorities when it comes to politics and elections. He reviewed Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31:

The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

Dr. Piper goes on to share:

...So it is with voting. We should do it. But only as if we were not doing it. Its outcomes do not give us the greatest joy when they go our way, and they do not demoralize us when they don’t. Political life is for making much of Christ whether the world falls apart or holds together.

...So it is with voting. There are losses. We mourn. But not as those who have no hope. We vote and we lose, or we vote and we win. In either case, we win or lose as if we were not winning or losing. Our expectations and frustrations are modest. The best this world can offer is short and small. The worst it can offer has been predicted in the book of Revelation. And no vote will hold it back. In the short run, Christians lose (Revelation 13:7). In the long run, we win (21:4).

These are great words to keep in mind as we approach the coming election.

Read Dr. Piper's complete article

Embracing Our Mission

"For the church to be the church, she must bow before her King and embrace the mission He has given to her. Yes, we desire a cultural reformation and a restoration of public morality. But that is secondary to and dependent on our mission to bear witness to the truth. Doctrine is important because its central concern is for an understanding of truth, without which there can be no godliness. It is the truth that sets us free, reforms our behavior, and defines us as disciples of Christ."

From the Ligonier Daily Devotional

Is It Good or Bad to Be a "Gospel Reductionist"?

Owen Strachan at the 9 Marks Blog asks the question, "Is it good or bad to be a gospel reductionist?"

From the article:

"...(Scripture) seems to suggest that Paul was himself what we might call a "gospel reductionist" (one might also look at texts like 2 Timothy 1:8-14 and consult resources like Ligon Duncan's 2008 T4G talk). That is, the entirety of his life and ministry centered in the cross. The crucifixion of the Christ formed the cornerstone of his worldview, the grid by which he interpreted, well, everything. Paul's categories of thought boiled down to this: the cross of Christ.

"Moving from Paul's day to our own, it seems that we would do well to imitate Paul in our life and thought. It would be no bad thing, therefore, to be a 'gospel reductionist'."

Read the entire post here.

Weep for the Helplessness of the World

This great article by John Piper should certainly help our attitudes toward those who do not know Christ. From his conclusion:

"...Weep for the helplessness of the world the way Jesus wept over Jerusalem’s blindness: “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42). Rejoice that the providence of God is so massively active in restraining evil and prompting so much external conformity to righteousness. Trust in the triumph of Christ at Calvary. Resist the devil in faith that the one in you is greater than he. Risk your life to spread the liberating news as far as you can."

Read the full article here.

Finish the Course: A Mandate for Ministry to Leaders

From my message at Appalachian Bible College in recognition of Constitution Day:

If Paul were to stand before Barak Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, or Jay Rockefeller would his message be any different than what he proclaimed before Festus, Felix, Agrippa, or Caesar?

Do not let the message of the Gospel be drowned out by that of Tea Parties or Town Hall Meetings. Do not let our love for the lost be overshadowed by opposition to policies or political parties. Don’t let our mission of taking the good news of the gospel to every creature be sidetracked by a desire to “Take America Back”.

Download the complete message here.

"Why Moralism Is Not the Gospel -- And Why So Many Christians Think It Is"

From an article by Dr. Al Mohler:

"The deadly danger of moralism has been a constant temptation to the church and an ever-convenient substitute for the Gospel. Clearly, millions of our neighbors believe that moralism is our message. Nothing less than the boldest preaching of the Gospel will suffice to correct this impression and to lead sinners to salvation in Christ."


Read the complete article.

The Christian and Politics

Good advice from John Angell James on The Christian and Politics:
(Written in 1837)

"The calm, dispassionate, charitable, and conscientious exercise of your political rights, without sectarian bitterness, and party animosity, in such measure as does not interfere with your own personal religion, and in such manner as does not wantonly injure the feelings of those who are opposed to you; which does not take you too much from your closet, your family, and your shop; if indeed you can thus exercise your rights, is quite lawful for you as professors. These rules and restrictions, however, must be imposed; for, without them, the subject will be sure to do you harm. A Christian must carry his religion into everything, and sanctify everything he does by it. "Whatever he does, he must do all to the glory of God." Everything must be done religiously, done in such a manner that no one shall say justly, "this is contrary to his profession." His politics must form no exception to this. Even in these he must be guided by conscience, and his conscience by the word of God. He must look well to his motives, and be able to appeal to the Searcher of hearts for their purity. If his attention to these matters, be such as to flatten his own devotional spirit, take him off from his religious duties, or diminish seriously the power of godliness and the vigor of faith; if it fills his imagination, make him restless, uneasy and anxious, disturbing the calmness of his religious peace and comfort—if it interferes more with his business than is good for his worldly prosperity, or with his family more than is consistent with his obligations to instruct and benefit them, if it injures his charity, and fills his bosom with ill-will and hatred to those who differ from him; if it leads him into political associations, and places him upon committees; if it make him looked up to as a leader and champion of a party; if it causes his pious friends to shake their heads and say, "I wish he were not quite so political," we may be very sure, and he may be sure too, that although it is not easy to fix with precision the boundary that separates right from wrong on this subject—he has passed the line, and is on dangerous and unlawful ground."

Read entire message at Grace Gems.

"God Forbid That I Should Glory Save in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ"

From C.H. Spurgeon’s Sermon, "The Story of a Runaway Slave":

"Look at the difference between the man who robbed and the man who now comes back to be profitable to his master. What wonders the Grace of God has done! Brethren, let me add—what wonders the Grace of God can do! Many plans are employed in the world for the reformation of the wicked and the reclaiming of the fallen—and to every one of these, as far as they are rightly bottomed, we wish good success—for whatever things are lovely and pure, and of good report, we wish them God speed.

"But mark this word—the true reforming of the drunk lies in giving him a new heart! The true reclaiming of the harlot is to be found in a renewed nature! Purity will never come to fallen women by those hideous Contagious Diseases Acts, which, to my mind, wear, like Cain, a curse upon their forehead! Womanhood will but sink lower under such laws. The harlot must be washed in the Savior’s blood or she will never be clean! The lowest strata of society will never be brought into the light of virtue, sobriety and purity except by Jesus Christ and His Gospel—and we must stick to that. Let all others do what they like, but God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"I see certain of my Brethren fiddling away at the branches of the tree of vice with their wooden saws, but, as for the Gospel, it lays the axe at the roots of the whole forest of evil! And if it is fairly received into the heart it fells all the Upas trees at once—and instead of them, there spring up the fir tree, the pine tree and the box tree together—to beautify the house of our Master’s Glory! Let us, when we see what the Spirit of God can do for men, publish the Grace of God and extol it with all our might!"

Read Spurgeon's complete sermon here.

The Devil Votes Christian Values

Dr. Russell Moore preached a powerful message entitled "The Devil Votes Christian Values: Why We're Tempted to Be Glorified Satanists Rather Than Crucified Followers". This sermon deals with our temptation to be taken with the kingdoms of this world rather than the cross of Christ.

From Dr. Moore's message:

"Satan ultimately has a power that is not found most importantly in moral decay or in cultural chaos. His power is in the authority to accuse.

"The power of accusation. The power of holding humanity captive through the fear of death and the certainty of judgment.Satan is not fearful of external conformity to rule. Not even to the external conformity of the rule of Christ--provided there is no cross.

"Satan does not mind family values--as long as what you ultimately value is the family.

"Satan does not mind social justice--as long as you see justice as most importantly social.

"Satan does not tremble at a Christian worldview. He will let you have a Christian worldview as long as your ultimate goal is viewing the world.

"If Jesus will receive the kingdoms of the world, this crafty serpent thinks, then he can hand them to him apart from the shedding of blood at the cross. Apart from the overthrow of the demonic powers through the empty tomb. Apart from a reconciliation between a holy God and a renegade humanity.If he can just bypass the cross--and get to the kingdom apart from the cross--then he will have everything that he wants."

From his conclusion:

"We're tempted for now to remain content with a flurry of influential, self-referential, and irrelevant power and glory. But they (the world) still don't listen to us. The day they listen to us is when the Spirit of God comes through what we are saying to point to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ."

This is a MUST HEAR message. Download or listen to the sermon here.

Dr. Russell Moore's Website.

Are You Thinking in Political or Biblical Categories?

When dealing in politics, the terms “conservative and liberal” or “democrat and republican” are normally used to describe the competing ideas, priorities, and philosophies dealt with in the capitol. These terms automatically bring up an adversarial and antagonistic relationship. It is easy to see folks on the other side of the issue or the other side of the aisle as an enemy that must be defeated.

I would encourage us to make it a priority to think in more biblical terms. This will help us keep a proper attitude towards those on the opposing sides of issues.

What are the biblical categories? Scripture simply refers to those who are lost without Christ and those who have repented and placed their faith in Him.

There are tremendous implications for thinking in these proper biblical categories:

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. I Corinthians 2:14-16

We must remember that those without Christ cannot think morally, biblically, and spiritually about issues.

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:1-4

We should remind ourselves that those without Christ are perishing and that they are blinded to the truth of the Gospel.

When we look at a politician or a leader, we do not first see their political party or their ideological label. We first consider their spiritual condition. This is not to say that we ignore the political implications and realities that might arise. But our first thought must be that those on the opposite side of issues may well be lost and perishing without Christ. Their minds and hearts are blinded and they need the Holy Spirit to use God’s Word to convict them and open their eyes to the truth. Our priority as believers must be to share the Word and the Gospel. Thinking in these terms and categories will greatly change our attitude towards those with whom we differ so greatly.

"How Are We to Expect the Gospel to Be Kept Alive in the World If We Do Not Hand It On to the Next Generation?"

From Spurgeon's sermon entitled "Cheer for the Worker and Hope for London":

"Next, let me ask how we to are expect the Gospel to be kept alive in the world if we do not hand it on to the next generation as the former generation handed it down to us? It is from one lip to another that the Word of God is passed with a kind of living flame which books are not likely to communicate. Oh, shall it ever be said a century from now, “The people of 1880 never thought of us of 1980? They let the Gospel go! They allowed the doctrines to be denied, one after the other, and here we are without them, to perish in the darkness! The people of the Tabernacle knew the priceless Truth of God, but they cared not to make it known and here we are in ignorance through their indifference”? Oh, let it never be so! Let not the next century have to rebuke the professors of the present one and say, “You were false to God. Your men never preached the Gospel, though they had the gift! Your women never told it out to those about you and so the light flickered and almost went out and we are now left to suffer for your negligence.”

We certainly worry about the next generation in our country. Let us make sure we are faithful in the most important task of boldly proclaiming the gospel.

Read the complete sermon.

"The Very Existence of a Nation Depends Upon the Proclamation of the Gospel" - Spurgeon

From "Confidence and Concern", a sermon by C.H. Spurgeon:

"I believe that the moralities, the liberties and, perhaps, the very existence of a nation depend upon the proclamation of the Gospel in its midst! Have you not noticed that where the Gospel has been given up and various forms of infidelity have ruled, foul pollution has also boiled up from below! The very idea of morality seems to have departed from some men by whom belief in God has been rejected. The Lord save us from the general spread of this mischief! Let the sea, itself, cease to ebb and flow sooner than the Gospel fail to be preached among the sons of men! If the whole Church were to die for the defense of the Gospel, it were a cheap price to pay for the maintenance of it! I speak solemnly when I say that our main care in life should be to preserve this Gospel intact and hand it down to our descendants."

Read complete sermon here.

"Beyond Culture Wars" How Do We Reach Our Culture for Christ?

I just ran across an article by Michael Horton entitled "Beyond Culture Wars". It was published in Modern Reformation back in 1993 but I believe his observations have proven accurate over the last 15 years. It has become even more important for us to look closely at his message as we consider how we should go about reaching our world for Christ.

A challenging quote from His article:

"We have become the rock of offense rather than Christ. The irony is we have taken the offense out of the gospel--we don't preach sin and grace anymore--and have taken it over for ourselves. We're offensive for all the wrong reasons while we leave the gospel itself devoid of its power. The minorities, the feminists, the gays, and others who practice immoral lifestyles--people with whom we may not agree--will not give us a hearing at the end of the twentieth century. Not because we have preached the gospel and called them to repentance and they don't like that, but because we have framed our communication with them in terms of a war for social, political, and cultural control. Contrary to the religious leaders of his day, Jesus was the friend of sinners. Prostitutes turned from their prostitution because, as Jesus said, "He who is forgiven much loves much." The Holy Spirit will not convert a single soul through moral crusades. He will not convert a prostitute through Senate bill 242, or change the direction of the homosexual by prime-time denunciation from moralistic preachers. Yes, we are called to preach the good news and to call men and women to repentance, but that is not a political issue, that is not ultimate a moral issue, that is a gospel issue. Repentance can no more be coerced by the state than faith; both are the gracious gifts of God."

Read complete article from Modern Reformation



I just ran across Horton's book by the same title: "Beyond Culture Wars: Is America a Mission Field or Battlefield?" and look forward to reading it.

Are You Discouraged About the Legislative Session?

Naturally many are concerned about bills which did pass or disappointed in legislation which was defeated during the 2009 regular legislative session. However we should should not be surprised or discouraged as we remember that many of our leaders do not know Christ or consider God’s Word to be the authority for their lives or for their work in the capitol. This simply reflects the spiritual condition of the residents of our state. Instead of becoming discouraged regarding the political situation, this should help us renew our commitment to share Christ and proclaim the Word of God both to our leaders and to the citizens throughout our state. It is only as we see hearts changed through the gospel that we will see genuine change in our state and our nation.

"If the Church Does Not Accomplish This Task, Nothing Else Will"

A great quote from Pierre-Charles Toureille, a pastor in France who risked his life during World War II to keep Jewish people out of Nazi death camps:

"Please understand me: it is not uniquely the church's mission to save men socially, economically, politically. But above all else, it is the church that must save men's souls. If the church does not accomplish this task, nothing else will. A church that does not evangelize is useless on earth. If the Church does not go to the front, with zeal and faith, the world will die, however it might be magnificently equipped technologically, monstrously rich and developed, endowed with superior social legislation and possessed of the best possible material conditions for living comfortably--this world will die because it has no soul. Unless the world has this peace of the soul that authentic conversion and the assurance of eternal life can give, all is useless and in vain. The night comes, when no one can work. Let us work, then, without cease."

Tela Zasloff, A Rescuer's Story: Pastor Pierre-Charles Toureille in Vichy
France (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2003), 211

HT to the Founder's Ministry Blog

Indeed as we consider the needs of the world around us, let us work without cease to share the good news of the gospel.

Victorious King or Suffering Savior

In preparing for this week’s Bible study, I have been powerfully struck by the explanation by the disciples on the road to Emmaus as to why they were so downcast over the events of the crucifixion. They summed it up thus:

“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel…” (Luke 24:21)

The irony of this comment to Jesus, the very One Who had just suffered, died, and risen again in order to redeem Israel and the rest of the world is amazing. Their problem was that they did not yet understand the reason for the Messiah’s coming and what He had to accomplish. They were looking for a conquering, victorious king, not a suffering savior. What an answer Jesus gave them:

“O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” (vs. 25-26)

I am afraid we are often tempted to make the same mistake. We may begin to think our nation can be “redeemed” through electing moral leaders, legislation, and political activism. In the midst of these activities we must remember that it is only through the Savior Who suffered, bore the wrath for our sin on the cross, and rose again, that individuals, or nations can be redeemed.

A good reminder as we finish up the 2009 regular session on Easter weekend.

Moralism: Perverting the Gospel

My pastor is preaching through a series on the Gospel of Mark. He is currently covering 2:18-3:6 and Jesus’ confrontations with the Pharisees. The Pharisees proclaimed a message of moralism while Jesus shared a message of changed lives through the Gospel. Pastor Mark will be sharing a three part message on how moralism perverts the Gospel.

From part one:

Moralism: A passionate promotion of outward conformity to the neglect of inward transformation.

Gospel: Believes people will continue to be immoral until they have been changed by a personal salvation experience. The church should be more concerned about preaching the gospel than passing legislation.

"Jesus doesn’t want better, patched up people. He wants entirely new people through the message of the gospel."

Listen to or download the first message here.

Making Bad People Good or Dead People Live?

From Ravi Zacharias (as heard on Wretched Radio):

"Man is not just unethical, he is lost and dead... The biggest difference between Jesus Christ and ethical and moral teachers who have been deified by man is that these moralists came to make bad people good. Jesus came to make dead people live."

Let us be careful never to merely seek to make bad people good through legislation or any other means. We must always strive to share the good news of the gospel which changes people’s hearts through new life in Christ.

Praying for "Moral Rebirth" in America?

One Christian organization is calling on believers to gather at city halls across the nation to pray for a “moral rebirth” in America. I do not find anywhere in Scripture where we are called to pray for “moral rebirth”. Indeed, there can never be a “moral rebirth” apart from the spiritual rebirth of individuals through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is this for which we must pray and work as we seek to reach both political leaders and regular citizens with good news of the gospel.

Getting the Gospel Right

From Matt Chandler's message at the Desiring God Pastor's Conference:

"The gospel matters. Getting the gospel right matters. If you get the gospel wrong, and you don’t distinguish the difference between what morality is and what the gospel is, then what you’ve done at best is restrained the hearts of people, but you will not see their hearts transformed.

"If you don’t get the gospel right then what ends up happening is that men and women become conformed to a pattern of religion but they are not transformed by the Holy Spirit of God.

"Without the gospel you inoculate people against Jesus Christ. You give them just enough of Him to never know Him. The gospel matters."

You can listen to or download the message here.