Are You Thankful for Your Leaders?

As you approach the Thanksgiving holiday and pause to consider all God’s blessings, are you thankful for your political leaders? ALL your political leaders?

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Paul challenges us to make it a priority to pray for our political leaders (“for kings and all who are in authority”). He uses four distinct words for prayer: entreaties, prayers, petitions, and THANKSGIVINGS. We are to be thankful for the leaders God has set up to rule over us. The leaders of whom Paul spoke in his day were those of the Roman Empire. They were immoral, brutal, and corrupt, soon to bring great persecution upon the church. Yet Paul exhorted the church to offer God thanksgivings for them.

We are to be thankful for all our leaders, regardless of party or ideology. This becomes easier when we remember they are established by God (Romans 13:1; Daniel 2:21) and are God’s servants (Romans 13:6).

We should be thankful for the order our government and its leaders provide as opposed to the chaos and disorder that would result in their absence.

We should be thankful that God is in control and has a purpose and plan to work out through the leaders He has put into place.

We should be thankful for how God is working in the hearts and lives of leaders and pray they would turn to Christ and grow in their walk with the Lord.

We should be thankful for Christian leaders who take a stand for the truth and pray they will have a tremendous testimony for Christ before those they serve as well as their colleagues.

As you take time for giving thanks, please remember to be thankful for the leaders God has placed over our communities, our state, and our nation.

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

Submission to God and Submission to the State - By John Piper

From John Piper's Series on Romans. As he comes to chapter 13 he deals with the issue of the church's relationship with government.

"This text has implications for war and peace, dictators and totalitarianism, concentration camps and gulags, revolts and revolutions, laws and law enforcement, political activism and civil disobedience, elections and lobbying, voting and paying taxes, speed limits and seat belts, stop signs and baby seats. This is not a small text. It is one of those mountain peaks of the book of Romans that makes a reader dizzy with implications."

Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part 1

Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part 2

Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part 3

Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part 4

"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.

"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.

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.

Pointing People to "The Christian Way" or to Christ

My pastor has been preaching a series on the Gospel of Mark. On Sunday morning he spent time on the history and background of the Pharisees since they play such a prominent role in the Gospels. I found it helpful because so much of the Sermon on the Mount has to do with challenging the teaching and attitudes of the scribes and Pharisees. Some interesting observations and applications from his message:

"The Pharisees were more concerned about pointing people to the Jewish way than they were about pointing people to the One True God."

"We must be careful not to fall into the same attitude of moralism. If we are not careful our churches will become more known for trying to push people into a Christian way of life without pointing them to Christ."

"Christ and His message must be central to the life of the church. (1 Corinthians 2:2) The day when churches become more concerned about pushing “the Christian way” in our country apart from the gospel is the day we lose the battle. That’s the day we begin to reflect the Pharisee of Jesus’ day more than the disciple of Jesus’ day. If all we do is point people to “the Christian way” apart from Christ we may get a bunch of cleaned up people who die and go to hell. But, if we point people to Christ, He left a comforter, one who will guide them into truth, who will then guide them into 'the Christian way'. "

A great reminder not to focus on moral issues apart from the message of the gospel.

You can download or listen to Pastor Mark’s message here.

Os Guinness on the Results of Evangelical Political Activism

I ran across a great video of Os Guinness speaking at the Trinity Law School God and Governing Conference in February 2008. While his topic was on sustaining freedom in our nation, in his introduction he related what he thought were the results of evangelical overemphasis on political activism:

Theological Unfaithfulness

Political Ineffectiveness

Cultural Counterproductiveness

When we consider the state of both the church and our nation today, I believe he has a point.

Other messages at the conference dealt with this issue further. I hope they might be available soon.

The Relationship Between Christianity and Culture

The January 18 edition of The White Horse Inn discussed the relationship between Christianity and culture. From Michael Horton's commentary:

"You know it is significant that Jesus Christ never founded a college, never wrote an encyclopedia, he never held public office, he never funded a voluntary organization for transforming society and nevertheless he turned the world upside down. Same thing with the Apostle Paul. He says, "I determine to know nothing among you but Christ and him crucified." He said, "We preach not ourselves, but Christ." He never laid out a blueprint for transforming the culture, and nevertheless the culture was remarkably transformed in the wake of his ministry."

You can download the episode "The City of God" here (free with registration).

"Trickle Down" or "Trickle Up" Morality

Todd Friel on Monday’s Wretched Radio program had a thought provoking point regarding “trickle down” or “trickle up” morality and how the church is to impact politics and society:

"The church has seemingly been so preoccupied with trying “trickle down” theology and morality. By getting people to behave through the government we’ve neglected being a powerful church that preaches the gospel. So we end up having a church that is impotent; pews packed with people who aren’t saved; and now the government simply reflects it. The way God says we should go about doing business is to preach the gospel, get people saved, and a result is that the religion of the people is going to “trickle up”. But we have forsaken the preaching of the gospel; clear theology and teaching; practicing church discipline…We now have a people such that you could have every politician in office be a born again believer, but you can’t manage a people under our system who aren’t saved."

Wretched Radio (formerly Way of the Master Radio) is now a subscription based service.

Remembering the King at Christmas

Many of our carols speak of Christmas as the celebration of the birth of our King. Not only should we stand amazed at the incarnation of our Lord, we would do well to remember He is ruler of all. Here are some pertinent passages as we consider the birth of our King:

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. Isaiah 9:6-7

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:2

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” John 18:36

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Matthew 28:18

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 1 Corinthians 15:22-25

Sometimes we get so caught up worrying about the rulers of this world, we forget what it means that Christ is the King. While we recognize these are ultimately fulfilled in Christ’s reign in His eternal kingdom, we also realize that He rules today. Jesus taught us to pray for His kingdom to come and be more fully expressed in our world (Matthew 6:10).

Let us consider anew Christ as our king. Let us pray that Christ’s rule will grow in the church, in our families, in our own lives, and in our nation.

Read the study from our series on The Lord's Prayer entitled, "Thy Kingdom Come".

True Freedom: Why Evangelism Must Be Our Priority

In an article at the Ligonier Ministries blog entitled "Sweet Land of Liberty", Dr. Gene Edward Veith writes of our freedom as believers. To most in our country, "freedom" has come to mean getting to do whatever we want, even sin and wickedness. Any restriction on behavior is seen as a violation of our freedom. However, true freedom is found only through faith in Christ:

"Jesus, through the power of His sacrificial death and resurrection, frees sinners from the bondage of sin. By the power of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel, we are set free. Though while we are still in the flesh we may still struggle with sin, we are free from sin's dominion. To the extent we are in Christ, through faith, we no longer even need the external Law to keep us in line. We voluntarily -- freely -- do God's will, not out of compulsion or threats, but because we really want to please Him, and, because we are in God's love, we really do love our neighbors."

This has implications for the freedom we desire for our nation. Dr. Veith concludes:

"People who are slaves of sin require laws, authorities, police officers, and government control to prevent them from harming other people. But people who have been freed from sin do not need external controls on their behavior. They internalize the moral law. They voluntarily -- of their own free will -- do what they should. They govern themselves, freely directing their own behavior; therefore, they are capable of governing themselves in a free political order.

"That free political order is not just for Christians, of course, and others who can, by whatever external means, govern their desires can also enjoy its liberties. But laws -- and prisons -- will still be necessary for those who refuse to govern themselves. Meanwhile, those who wish to preserve their freedom must be on guard against both tyrants and their own sin."

Perhaps this is what John Adams had in mind when he said, "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Our best and only hope for maintaining political freedom in our nation is through evangelism and discipleship. It is through presenting the gospel and proclaiming the Word of God both to our leaders and our nation's citizens. To do otherwise is to fight a losing battle against the enslavement of people's hearts and lives to sin.

• Read "Sweet Land of Liberty".

The Church's Relationship with Civil Authorities

The church has long been concerned about maintaining a proper relationship with civil authorities. Historic confessions all contained a statement regarding how churches and believers relate to government leaders. Here are a few examples.

From the Belgic Confession of 1561 (Reformed):

We believe that because of the depravity of the human race our good God has ordained kings, princes, and civil officers. He wants the world to be governed by laws and policies so that human lawlessness may be restrained and that everything may be conducted in good order among human beings.

For that purpose he has placed the sword in the hands of the government, to punish evil people and protect the good.

And being called in this manner to contribute to the advancement of a society that is pleasing to God, the civil rulers have the task, subject to God's law, of removing every obstacle to the preaching of the gospel and to every aspect of divine worship.

They should do this while completely refraining from every tendency toward exercising absolute authority, and while functioning in the sphere entrusted to them, with the means belonging to them.

And the government's task is not limited to caring for and watching over the public domain but extends also to upholding the sacred ministry, with a view to removing and destroying all idolatry and false worship of the Antichrist; to promoting the kingdom of Jesus Christ; and to furthering the preaching of the gospel everywhere; to the end that God may be honored and served by everyone, as he requires in his Word.

Moreover everyone, regardless of status, condition, or rank, must be subject to the government, and pay taxes, and hold its representatives in honor and respect, and obey them in all things that are not in conflict with God's Word, praying for them that the Lord may be willing to lead them in all their ways and that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all piety and decency.

From the Philadelphia Confession of Faith, 1742

1. God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates to be under him, over the people, for his own glory and the public good; and to this end hath armed them with the power of the sword, for defence and encouragement of them that do good, and for the punishment of evil doers. (Rom. 13:1-4)

2. It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate when called there unto; in the management whereof, as they ought especially to maintain justice and peace, according to the wholesome laws of each kingdom and commonwealth, so for that end they may lawfully now, under the New Testament wage war upon just and necessary occasions. (2 Sam. 23:3; Ps. 82:3, 4; Luke 3:14)

3. Civil magistrates being set up by God for the ends aforesaid; subjection, in all lawful things commanded by them, ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but for conscience sake;and we ought to make supplications and prayers for kings and all that are in authority, that under them we may live a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty. (Rom. 13:5-7; 1 Pet. 2:17; 1 Tim. 2:1, 2)

From the New Hampshire Baptist Confession, 1833:

We believe that civil government is of divine appointment, for the interests and good order of human society; and that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed; except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of the kings of the earth.

Indeed, today we must still be careful to maintain biblical relationships with our civil government. As we do so, we should also consider the priority of evangelizing and discipling our government leaders. We believe we have a Mandate for Missions that the Word of God and the gospel be proclaimed to those in positions of authority.

As you fulfill the biblical responsibilities of honoring and obeying our leaders and praying for them, please consider taking part in in the mission of seeking to share the gospel and proclaim the Word of God to them as well.

"What Happened at Your Church Sunday Morning Is More Important Than What Happened on Tuesday"

Michael McKinley writing at the 9 Marks blog:

"I went to DC years ago to study economics and politics. My goal was to become a US Senator. What I learned in a few short years at college is that God's plan for the universe runs through the church, not the Capitol building. For me, that's why I became a pastor (though I am deeply grateful to God for believers who are called to careers in politics). I am convinced that what happened last Sunday morning at your church and mine is actually more important than what happened on Tuesday. I can understand why it doesn't seem like that to the world, but I wonder why more Christians don't act like it's true."

Read blog post.

The Sovereignty of God and Elections

Here is a great verse to remember at election time:

"...The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men.” Daniel 4:17

"The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes..." Note this phrase is repeated four times in Daniel (4:17; 4:25; 4:32; 5:21) and is one of the themes of the early chapters as well as for the rest of the book. God has ordained the means for us to select our leaders (elections) so certainly we vote and stay involved in the process. However we do so knowing God is in control and will indeed choose those leaders He desires on Tuesday.

John Piper's Thoughts on Voting and Politics

In a video commentary at Desiring God John Piper shares his thoughts regarding voting and politics.

Bible Study: Worried About Tuesday's Election?

Paul Meinsen, our state director in Missouri presented a good Bible Study for those who might be worried about the upcoming election.

From Paul's introduction:

"People are worried about next Tuesday. Regardless of what side of the aisle someone may be on, worries and anxieties over the results of next week’s election can be seen and heard across our country. Political ads, radio & T.V. talk shows, town hall meetings and even family-table discussions are filled with despair and discouragement if, by chance, the other side wins. A number of you reading this have another concern because a loss in the election means you are out of a job and need to look for another. There is always uncertainty about the future, but it seems to be emphasized even more because of the domino effect of next week’s vote.

"Friend, the point of this study today is to inform you that there is no place in the believer’s life for worry over who wins next week. I am, in no way, advocating a “fatalistic determinism;” that is, an “I can’t do anything about it so who cares” attitude of giving up and not doing anything. I am, in no way, throwing out a flippant answer in case things do not go the way I want them to go. What I am teaching from God’s Word is that believers can truly proceed in peace and confidence regardless of what happens because of the nature of the one we call Father.”

Read Paul's complete study here.