In a world of miss information, alternative facts, indoctrination and weak education, we see the recession of Christian thinkers, while secular foolishness seems to permeate every avenue of society. The fabric of ethics and morals have eroded to the measure of the law. We see this through legalized abortion, abandonment of the sanctity of marriage, atheistic evolution in the school system and the emergence of postmodernism. By using democracy to play god, we change what is seen as right and wrong simply by legislating away the conscience of the masses. however you cannot legislate hate out of the human heart. It is overwhelming at times to look and see the blatant degradation of the United States. It makes it difficult to stand firm in our faith when it looks like the bedrock of morality and thought is absent when we need it most . It’s important to remember that the trajectory of the country does not mirror the direction of the church. They can, and often do move in oppositional paths. The Justices and the Just have separate founding, separate goals and separate destinies
It would be an unfair assessment to judge local government in any state or nation and assume a church’s devotion to Christ or impact on the community. This is because the power and purpose of the Church differs greatly from those of the Government. The United States prides itself on being “Of the people, by the people and for the people” while the church is “Of God, By God and for God”. A government draws it’s strength from the people, yet the church the people draw their strength form the all powerful God.
Where do christians look for guidance to deal with world authorities that are ever increasing in hostility? The Church in Acts is a great place to look. From the very beginning, there were not one but two hostile governing bodies over the early Church. Hebrew government and Roman authority both were hostile to Christians. Neither had any qualms in actively persecuting the church. From the Coliseum where christians were sacrificed for sport, to Saul’s authoritative letters of recommendation to carry out the incarceration of people that followed Jesus. Even in that, the church was not instructed to sign a petition freeing all Christians. They were not told to try and elect a new leader in order to have christianity enforced as the new Roman religion. if reforming Rome was not their modus operandi, then what was? Scripture11 Timothy 2: 1-3 informs us that prayer is absolutely essential for the life of the Christian. We’re instructed to pray for kings and all that are in authority over us. With early church numbers still small, while Jewish leaders sought them out to end them, Rome belittled their cause and imprisoned them, they were told to pray… render to Caesar what is Caesars, and pray.
Beyond reasonable doubt the divinely inspired word of God is still the answer today. In America we are indoctrinated to believe that if you do not vote you cannot complain about what happens in the Government. For Christians this is only half true, we aren’t given a pass to complain even if we do vote. We are told in America it is our duty and responsibility to vote and keep this nation a Christian nation. I’m not aware of any biblical examples where God uses democracy as a primary means to bring about change in any institution he has put in place. the Bible says that God removes kings and sets them up, all without the electoral college or popular vote. I’m not here to cast blame, I don’t want to vilify the American Government or discourage participation. However There is a vital difference between praying and voting. Voting in it’s most powerful form, simply promotes the will of the individual and is restricted to the arm of the law. While praying evokes the will of the Almighty and brings the kingdom of heaven closer to all of creation. We are not to rely on a human institution in order to fulfill our divine purpose. Voting is a privilege given to the American citizen, Prayer is a responsibility given to all who claim the name of Jesus. Even as American Christians can our patriotic duty ever be complete until our heads are bowed before the Father?
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