There is nothing this country needs more than God’s Word. The plans of the Great Designer, the thoughts of the Great Author of the book of everything, the foundation of our rights and freedoms are under constant attack.
Christian moral teaching, forgiveness, and Bible truth are where the political battle is. The corrupters are trying with all of their might, power, laws, education, courts, news, entertainment, and institutions to ‘redefine’ the truth. Nothing stands in their way except God and us. It’s a spiritual battle and we are struggling to find a way to fight it on their terms.
But politics is not the solution because you can’t depend on people to vote on what is right and good. You can’t crowd-source truth. Politics is compromise and you can’t compromise morality because all you get are worse shades of bad. Politics is about ruling with power but God, who has all power, wants us to love and serve one another. They are opposing plans.
Calling Good Evil
Right and wrong are God’s department. Without God’s Word, we are too corrupt to even trust ourselves. And if the church gets distracted then we can count on the fact that no one else will mention God.
But the culture will actively promote every other human philosophy possible, anything to oppose God. It doesn’t matter how crazy it seems. The more divisive, the better. The more they get to lie the happier they seem to be. The term gaslighting doesn’t even begin to describe it. They delight in lies. They promote them and when we finally refute them they have more lies waiting. They are gleeful liars.
Hunger For Truth
But in such a truth-challenged country there is an active hunger for the truth. Most people do not live in D.C. We live in the real world where the contrast between good and evil couldn’t be more clear.
We obey laws and work hard and act responsibly. We love the police, firemen, doctors, nurses, soldiers. We mostly pay our bills and drive on the correct side of the road somewhere near the speed limit. We don’t like people who leave their dogs out in the cold to bark all night and keep us awake and make us miserable at work the next day. (Sorry. Still grumpy.)
What we don’t get is much confirmation that we’re doing the right thing. We get no encouragement. We get no news coverage. We don’t get rich writing books about it. The culture at large gives us no support at all.
The Power Of One True Voice
That’s why we so desperately need someone to stay focused. Studies have shown that people who regularly attend church have all sorts of real-life benefits that you will not hear about. We are healthier, happier, stronger in a crisis, have better families, and live seven years longer.
That’s not counting peace, joy, hope, love, forgiveness, purpose, endurance, and meaning we get from connecting with our Father who gifted us eternal life. God, Himself came to us, as one of us, to save us and teach us how to live this eternal life, starting here and now.
One person speaking God’s love can change nations. One person, standing firm, can give all of us the courage to speak the Truth. One person speaking God’s Word, empowered by the Holy Spirit, has more power than hundreds of naysayers.
Because the Truth resonates and rings in our hearts. Even if we are on the wrong side of right, a call to do the right thing convicts in a way that lies cannot touch.
The Options?
But all political ideas are compromised by the human mind with all of its limitations. Pick one.
• Social justice is one-note justice focused on possessions.
• Wokeness is one-note immorality based on hourly political correctness.
• CRT is one-note, based on skin tone.
• Abortion is freedom – to murder.
• Sex is surgery.
• Family is an opinion.
• All loveless. All endless. All soul-crushing.
They are all narrow, limited corruptions of God’s perfect character. One tiny element is exalted above all else by our self-focus until it’s doesn’t resemble the God of holiness, justice, love, and forgiveness at all.
In fact, every political idea is man’s microscopic view of God’s unlimited whole. It’s not blind men describing an elephant. It’s blind men describing the night sky or the view from the Hubble telescope or the value of truth or the power of love.
At a certain point, we are all blind to the vastness of God. But post-modern culture celebrates sightlessness. It glories in manipulation and lies. It is a religion of stuff and power.
The Distraction!
By the time your paster defined the cultural vocabulary of the week and gave priceless pulpit time to explain the problem, it would be time to leave. It wouldn’t help the church because our goal is unity. And it wouldn’t help others because the enemy’s goal is to force people into an emotional response. No one ever proved God to a person drunk with their own feelings.
But the Truth cuts through. And love astonishes. And creation amazes. And forgiveness staggers. In short, God breaks through the fog of life like a morning sunrise after a storm. This country is hungry for God with no arguments needed.
That’s not to say we don’t have better arguments and more scientific, archaeological, mathematical, and historical evidence supporting our side than ever before. But that’s another post – or book.
Pastor’s Priorities
Yes, we want the guidance and the approval of our spiritual guides. Yes, we are talking about very serious issues, life or death issues. We are concerned about jobs and children and the future and riots and viruses and vaccines and masks and freedom of religion and election security and more.
It’s a turning point in our country. And possibly in history.
But pick any politician, anywhere, in all of history. Hold them up to God’s light and compare. Choose between them and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is no one else to give us eternal life. And there is no time but now.
We can’t put off such issues until after the next election. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. This is spiritual life or death, an eternal decision.
Spiritual Warfare
Our pastors need to focus. We need them to focus. There is only one Truth, one soul saver, and one God. There is just one eternal Kingdom and there are no elections.
No one has special privileges. No one comes before God’s throne with rights. There are no courts of appeals. There are no race or sex loopholes. His judgment is perfect because God knows you completely. His love is perfect.
There is no one better for this country than God and no greater help we can turn to in our time of great need. There is no greater hope and no stronger defender. We must focus on our relationship with God Our Protector. He will fight for us.
So, Do Nothing?
Does that mean Christians should ignore politics and culture? No! Does that mean we shouldn’t fight the good fight? No! Does that mean we can’t develop strategies and tactics? Does that mean we can’t coordinate battle plans? No and no!
We should prepare with all diligence. We should be aware of the culture war that’s drawn up against us. But if we fall for their distractions, if we walk into the traps they have laid, if we approach the battle unarmed and unprepared, then we will continue to be overrun.
Both political camps are promoting fear and panic. Both are pounding the drums of urgency and demanding our money. Both want to occupy our time. Both are claiming the answer lies in this politician or that one. Both are demanding that we follow them.
But we must follow God.
Government of the people by the people and for the people depends on the core values of the people. We need to be the people worthy of leading a nation, a people worthy of leading the world. We will not find that kind of strength within politics or even within ourselves.
We need our pastors to stay focused on God’s Holy Word. And we need to show up and listen. And we need to walk away full to overflowing so that we have the water of life to give to a dry and thirsty world.
The battle is not between us and them. The battle is between us and God. Victory in Jesus means victory for all. For He did not come into to this world to condemn the world, but to save it.
Until that great day, let us pray to God for our pastors, the church, our family, this county, and our world which all falls within God’s grace.
