Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

PASTOR'S PENS 2008

October 19th “Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good.” Henry Mencken                 On November 4th, Americans across the country will go to the polls to choose the leaders of our various levels of government. When we go to the polls, we chose government leaders based on their past performance, their future plans, and their ability to lead. Hopefully, we also want to know what the candidates believe and where they stand on various important issues. We want to know if their actions match their rhetoric. We want to know if we can trust them to do the right thing, if they have a Judeo-Christian worldview. We want to know if they have a long-term record of good decisions. We want to know if they have been and are going to be agents for positive change in our land. Obviously, as believers, we should choose candidates based on God’s values. If we don’t elect leaders that reflect God’s principles in their lives, then we are in jeopardy of bringing further reproach on our land. Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”                 This morning we’re finishing our series, Kingdom Principles in a Political World. Hopefully, it has helped you have a Biblical worldview of the many issues confronting our country today. The hope for our country, though, is not the next President or leader in Congress – the hope for America is US – the Church corporately and each Christian individually.                 Americans will vote on November 4th, hoping that their candidate will help our country. But what if God went into the voting booth but rather than presidential or congressional candidates He finds your name as a candidate. What you are running for is that person the Prophet Ezekiel wrote of, “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it” (Ezekiel 23:20).                 So would God vote for you? While God may not be casting a ballot, He is nevertheless looking for representatives. He wants men, women and young people from every walk of life. He is searching for those individuals who meet His criteria for becoming catalysts for revival. He’s not looking for good people. God’s standard is so much higher – He’s looking for godly people. He wants those who will reflect His values, represent His philosophy, take the action necessary to carry out His will, and meet the conditions for an outpouring of His presence.                 The real power to change our world isn’t in the hands of the politicians; it’s in ours. The real power is in the hands of the people of God. It rests with those who have experienced the life-transforming message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God has a master plan that goes far beyond our limited comprehension. 1) He wants to save sinners. 2) He wants to revive us; His Church.  Before we vote, we check the candidate’s record on key issues. So if God were to check you out, how would you fare on some of His key issues?                 a) The war on evil (Ephesians 6:10-18). The war on terror in this world is a hot topic in this election year. However, there is a related war and a much greater war that is raging and that has been going on since the Garden of Eden. That is, the spiritual battle against Satan and his forces. As God looks at our war on evil, would He say that you are waging an effective war against the darkness in this world?  b) Homeland Security (1 Peter 5:8-9). Would God say that you have set up the necessary defenses in your life to prevent the Devil from intruding on your home turf? Just as the terrorists are actively looking for any soft spot in our homeland defenses, so Satan and his cohorts are looking for soft spots in our defenses. Are we careful about what comes into our homes, our minds and our lives? Would God say that we’re alert about how the world, the flesh and the Devil may subtly influence our family?  c) Health Care (2 Peter 3:18).Would God say that we are faithfully attending to our spiritual health and to the spiritual health of others? Are we growing and maturing spiritually as we should? Tragically, too many Christians are spiritually malnourished. Some are malnourished because they have no spiritual food to feed on but most are malnourished because they refuse the spiritual food given them. Would God say that we are involved in spiritual exercise? Too many believers are spiritually weak because they’re not involved in spiritual exercise. They’re “spiritual couch potatoes.” It’s vital that we have daily devotions with a time of prayer and a time of reading, studying, meditating, and memorizing the Word of God! Faithful church attendance, faithful devotions in the Bible and prayer, witnessing – all of these are godly spiritual exercises we need to be involved in! Are we involved in making disciples of others? Are we encouraging them in the spiritual walk?  d) Employment (Ephesians 4:1-3).Would God say that we’re actively employed in His service? The typical unemployment rate among Christians is tragic and is totally unacceptable with God! The only acceptable employment rate in God’s service is 100%! We have too many Christians today who are unemployed for God and who just want to live off the benefits provided by those who are employed.  e) Economic Development (Matthew 28:18-20).Would God say that we are seeking to advance His Kingdom? Are we sharing the Gospel with the lost around us? God sent His Son to rescue this world. He gave His life for the mission, yet most Christians have never been “missionary” enough to lead one person to Christ. God’s plan is not that we build big buildings but He does want us to have big churches – the church is people that have come to Christ because we shared the Good News!                 So where do you stand on these issues that are important to God? Would God vote for you? Would He say, “Yes, here is someone who represents Me and My Kingdom?” Friend, are you really on the right side of these issues or is your talk just a bunch of rhetoric...your talk is right, but there is nothing in your life to truly substantiate your position. God wants to vote for each of us but we must make certain that we have His values as ours. We must make certain that it’s not just empty campaign promises but that we truly represent Him well in this dying world!