We are being told that the current political environment will destroy the country as we know it. We are also being told that we as Christians need to rise up and do something about it, even if it means taking up arms. We are also being told that it is our duty toward God.

          Cool your jets, Bubba. Before you let religious leaders and political leaders and survivalist leaders tell you what you should be doing, let’s look at the Word of God to see what we really should be doing.

          Ah, yes, of course. We don’t really want to do that, do we? We want to snatch a verse here and a verse there to make our point. That is what much of Christianity has become. Manipulating Scripture to make our point. Back in 1974, when I surrendered to the ministry through the leading of the Holy Spirit, I really didn’t know much. But I knew enough to know that EVERYTHING I did needed to be rooted in Scripture. That has been a lot of years ago, but it is still true.

          First off, we need to pray for our leaders. Not pray that a meteor will crash down on the White House while the new president and his VP are sitting down to double lattes, or whatever it is they drink. 1 Timothy 2:1-7-

1.)            First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2.) for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, Godly and dignified in every way, 3.) This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4.) who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5.) For there is one God, and there is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6.) who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7.) For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. Look at verse 1; among other things we are to be thankful. Verse 2 says our lives, because of our prayers, are to peaceful and quiet and Godly and dignified. Verse 4 seems to indicate that our purpose in life is to seek to see people come to Christ. What is our job as a Christian? To see people come to Jesus. If we are marching on Washington or tearing our leaders down, we are not winning people to Christ. “Yeah, but Pastor, look what they are doing!!!” Doesn’t matter. We have a job. Remember…..Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel.

I had a huge blessing this week. Back in the late 1990s the church I was at had some of our younger girls who were Girl Scouts. One of the girls brought another Girl Scout in her troop to our church. Her name was Nicole and she was one wired up little squirt. I only got to have her for a few years and then her parents took her away. It is sad, but it happens. Now it has been 23 years. She has been trying to find me. She did an on-line search (she only ever knew me as Pastor Wade, no first name) and came up with the Yoke’s Facebook page. Mary Earle is the administrator and so Nicole reached out to her. Mary connected us and on Wednesday we had our first conversation in two decades. It seems the turning point in her life came because when she was nine years old, I gave her a Bible and shared Jesus with her. She had some rough years after that, but she always came back to that Bible. Now, she is a mother of three, the wife of a Christian man and is in church on Sunday. Why do I mention that? Because Bill Clinton was president, religious leaders were up in arms over having someone like him in the Oval Office and we were being told that society was about to collapse. If I had been all fired up about Clinton and had been allowing Jerry Falwell to work up my congregation and been planning to be in the Moral Majority Christian march on Washington, would I have sat down on that front pew one Saturday afternoon and handed that Bible (which she still uses) to Nicole and would I have taken the time to tell her about Jesus? No. And I would have felt justified, thinking I was doing God’s work. But I will tell you this; Nicole’s salvation and the witness she presented to her boyfriend and his ultimate salvation and the very possible salvation of her little ones is of far greater importance to me. It is my primary job and it is your primary job. ACT LIKE A CHRISTIAN.

Then we have Romans 13. Romans is an awesome book. Well, they are all awesome, but I really like Romans. Well, I really like all of them. sigh Anyway, Romans 13:1-7

1.)            Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2.) Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3.)  For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4.) for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5.) Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6.) For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7.) Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. “Nononononono! That can’t be right!” Look it up in your own Bible. Verse 1 tells us to be subject to governing authorities. The word ‘subject’ here is the verb, meaning we allow ourselves to be governed. We are also told that all authority is placed here by God. “Nononononono! Biden endorses the killing of babies! That isn’t from God!” No, it is not from God. But God is allowing him to be president. Verse 4 says he (the leader) is God’s servant. “Nononononono! Stop! You’re making my eyes bleed!” Verses 6 and 7 calls the leaders the ministers of God! How can this be?

In the Old Testament, the Jews had times when they were overthrown by foreign powers or when they had evil rulers rise up from within. These were times of teaching by the hand of God and it was only relieved when the people were broken and began to act like God’s people again. Could it be that God’s people have strayed so far away that they no longer resemble His people? Do Christians, do you, live holy lives? Do we have the right to dictate to others how to live their lives? If we are living holy lives, then we will be leaving it up to God.

“OK, Pastor (you stinking, socialist, Godless commie), wait now! What happens to leaders if they go contrary to God’s will and way? Isn’t it our job to set them straight?” No, it is not. It is God’s job. Psalms 2:10-12

10.) Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11.) Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12.) Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him. God is not mocked. Those leaders who go in contrast to the Lord will pay the price the Lord works out. It may not come in the time we want, but it will come in the time He wants.

          Our job is to ACT LIKE CHRISTIANS!

2 Chronicles 7:14-If My people, who are called by My name, humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. The very first step is to humble ourselves. If we humble ourselves before God, we give Him power and authority. Then we can truly seek Him in prayer. AND then and only then, will He hear and forgive and heal.

          People do not like when I say this, but we are in the state we are in because Christians became more political minded than Christ minded a long time ago. We really, really need to act like Christians.