“It is a great privilege, as well as our responsibility, 

to pray for our government leaders.” Billy Graham

  It’s embarrassing to admit this but at one time in my life and ministry, I was too far focused on politics. My first voting experience was voting for President Reagan and I cut my teeth on the Reagan Revolution. I nearly equated conservative political values with biblical ones. I was wrong. 

  When Bill Clinton was elected, like many other Christians, I felt very discouraged. Over the years, the Lord has taught me a lot. A vital lesson is that no matter who is in the White House, Jesus is still on His Throne. While I knew this, I almost acted like politics and government could change souls. They can’t. True change will never be brought about by an election. True change only comes from regeneration. Looking back I wasted too much energy on politics. My political “mission” became a distraction from the Great Commission. 

  While political activism on some level is a good thing, it is not the best thing. It’s not what God has called us to focus on. We have a much higher calling and a more important mission as those who belong to another Kingdom. Oswald Chambers was on point when he said that “the good is the enemy of the best.” Political activism by Christians or anyone else with a biblical worldview isn’t in and of itself wrong, it’s just not the best. 

  Heaven, eternity, God’s grace, and forgiveness are far too important to alienate anyone from being approached or listening to the gospel message for the sake of our personal political affiliation. Individual and collective cultural problems will never be altered through the political process. While I believe as Christians that we must be concerned about the moral decline in our country and must not compromise on biblical truth, the only way to transform our nation has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with offering our world the gospel. 

  As Christians, we cannot divide people into political positions. There are only two kinds of people – those who know Jesus and those who don’t. God sent His Son to the cross for everyone – Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, Socialists, Communists and everyone else. 

  Because the real needs are spiritual needs, the greatest changes we will make in our country are not in the voting booth, but in the prayer closet. It’s why every week at Grace we pray for a government leader. It’s why we pray for those we don’t agree with. Scripture is clear that we’re to pray for ALL of our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Scripture never qualifies who we are to pray for. In fact, Paul commanded us to pray for government leaders when Nero, a “Hitler of his day,” was on the throne of Rome. 

  All of this is why I’m so excited to have Brad Harbaugh from the Capital Commission with us this week. I had the privilege of meeting Brad a number of years ago in D.C. He is truly a kindred spirit. 

  The Capitol Commission’s mission is to reach government leaders for Christ, one person at a time, to disciple them, and to prepare them for a lifetime of ministry, wherever God chooses to place them. They’re committed to sharing God’s love, especially amidst the elected leaders of our three governing branches; legislators, judges, governors, and their staff members. Their mission is not partisanship or influencing legislation. Instead, they’re committed to building moral lawmakers whom we can trust to make and guard moral laws that improve the lives of our fellow citizens. 

  God has commanded us to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). We need government leaders who don’t just do “God talk” to get elected but have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God has always used such leaders to make a difference for His glory. Read the biblical accounts for yourself about Joseph, Nehemiah, Esther and Daniel. They were godly individuals who used their position and influence to advance God’s cause in pagan governments. We need another generation of godly, committed Christians. 

  Let me share the account of one such individual, William Wilberforce. Like many political decisions, the horror of slavery was driven by economics. It was so entrenched in Western Civilization that only a handful of people thought anything could ever be done about it. That handful included Wilberforce. As a member of Parliament he wrote, “So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the trade’s wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for abolition. Let the consequences be what they would: I from this time determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition.” 

  When it became clear Wilberforce wasn’t going to let the issue die, pro-slavery forces targeted him. He was vilified; opponents spoke of “the damnable doctrine of Wilberforce and his hypocritical allies.” The opposition became so fierce, one friend feared that one day he’d read about Wilberforce's being “carbonated [broiled] by Indian planters, barbecued by African merchants, and eaten by Guinea captains.” But his antislavery efforts finally bore fruit in 1807. Parliament abolished the slave trade in the British Empire. He then worked to ensure that slave trade laws were enforced and that slavery in the British Empire was abolished. His health prevented him from leading the last charge, though he heard three days before he died that the final passage of the emancipation bill was ensured in committee. Wilberforce was only one person who made a huge difference. 

  God is not asleep. Great moral changes don’t have to be part of the past or history. You and I can make a difference today. Yet, it won’t come through politics or partisanship, it will come on our knees. 

  I wonder what would happen if we spent half as much time talking to the Lord about our elected leaders, as we do complaining about them. Let’s try! I believe it will shock us. Brad Harbaugh is going to challenge us to pray and cry out to God’s throne where our efforts and energy truly make a difference.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

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Finishing Well

The race is not always to the swift but to him who keeps on running.

One of the heroes in Christian History is William Wilberforce. As a young man, Wilberforce was very discouraged one night in the early 1790s after another defeat in his 10 year battle against the slave trade in England. Tired and frustrated, he opened his Bible and began to leaf through it. A small piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor. It was a letter written by John Wesley shortly before his death. Wilberforce read it again: “Unless the divine power has raised you up... I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that (abominable practice of slavery), which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well-doing. Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might.”

  The slave trade ended because one British politician persevered and committed nearly his entire life to see it end. It took forty years and didn’t end until one month after his death. His lifelong perseverance brought about a radical spiritual and societal change.

  Perseverance is to be a trait of all Christ-followers. The Apostle Paul persevered. Near the end of his life he wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

  Yet, many Christians don’t persevere. Nearly every day we learn of another professing Christian, sometimes a very famous one, that’s become disillusioned and jettisoned their faith. Why? How does someone walk away from what at one time they so strongly affirmed that they believed?

  They had unrealistic expectations about God and Christianity. C.S. Lewis referred to this as the “problem of pain.” There’s an erroneous belief, sometimes taught by well-meaning Christians, that God will protect His children and their lives will essentially be pain-free.

  Such teaching flies in the face of the clear teaching of Scripture. The book of Job is right in the middle of the Bible. No one suffered as much as Job. Yet, he was one of the godliest, faithful men in all of the Bible. Beginning in Genesis all the way to the book of Revelation, there’s account after account, even promises of suffering, trials and unbelievable pain.

  God never promises us a pain-free life. The Bible promises something much more powerful, God’s grace to persevere through the worst pain (2 Cor. 12:9) and that all pain for the believer is temporary (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

  While some Christians, because of suffering or disillusionment, abandon their faith. What’s more common is a kind of passive Christianity. Often this is a believer who at one time had a vibrant faith but now are just going through the motions. They may still go church or call themselves a Christian, but something happened, perhaps a struggling marriage or wayward child. While they never say, they no longer “trust” God, they’ve become overwhelmed by pain and sadly, Satan has sidelined them.  

  God rarely conforms His plan to our wishes, which is a good thing. Better than that, we have a Savior who understands all of our sufferings because Jesus has suffered more acutely than any of us ever will.

  They feel betrayed by the Church or a Christian they admired. There are no words for the horror of a spiritual leader molesting or abusing someone under their care. Yet, we know that the poison of a lost world has too often contaminated the church. Then, spiritual leaders can be absorbed with their agenda and self-glory, not God’s. Some manipulate or use those whom they’re responsible for to promote themselves. Narcissism and empire-building is not just a secular world problem. It’s why James warns those in leadership or teaching positions of their greater accountability, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (3:1). Probably, the greatest betrayal takes place in the home with a parent who claims to be one thing at church, yet lives a double-life. While we all sin and none are perfect, such duplicity and betrayal leave deep, lifelong scars.

  The solution is to look to a Savior who was betrayed and murdered, yet trusted God. He understands the depth of betrayal that none of us can begin to comprehend. We must as the writer of Hebrews urged us to do, “Look to Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-3) who will never fail or disappoint us.

  They are covering personal sin. Each one of us is designed by God and made in His image, Imago Dei. We were never designed though to live with guilt or a pained conscience. As a result, one has to do something with guilt because the shame and pain can become unbearable. So, like our first parents, we cover ourselves with fig leaves. Some cover guilt with the fig leaf of bitterness or anger. Blaming others, continually focusing on them and how they have been wronged. It helps keeps us from having to look at the darkness within our own hearts. Others will abandon a Bible-believing church that teaches about sin and personal responsibility, yet keep some veneer of spirituality by being part of a church where, as Scripture describes it, their ears are “tickled” (2 Tim. 4:3). Sometimes they will even go to counseling to rid themselves of guilt and “repressive biblical truth.”

  The only true hope and cure is confession and forgiveness. Jesus died for all of our sin. Nothing surprises Him. He longs to forgive and free us from guilt. He’s the Good Shepherd searching for the lost lamb (Matt. 18:12-14).

  What’s the key to being able to endure? You can’t…on your own. We foolishly believe that we’re strong and sufficient in ourselves. We’re not. The key is to rely totally on Jesus. Paul gives us the prescription of perseverance and spiritual success, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). We plug into His power by regularly reading God’s Word, honestly praying and crying out for His strength, surrounding ourselves with other believers who pray, support and encourage us. And we must focus on our eternal future, the finish line. As Esther Kerr Rusthoi powerfully wrote as part of a hymn many years ago:

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.