There is a lot of discussion today on social media and in
other places about how America and other parts of the world are becoming
increasingly hostile to Christians. This is not surprising, and is in fact predicted
several times in the Bible. The apostle Paul puts it this way “But evil men and
seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (2 Timothy
3:13)
We as Christians need to be aware of what is going on around
us and we need to be prepared to stand for Christ no matter what the cost. We
also need to continue to proclaim the gospel so that others can find the truth
and be prepared for his return. That being said, I feel the need to take some
time to address what I feel is a disturbing trend in Christian circles today.
I recently saw someone on Facebook (and I know he’s not
alone) imply that there is nothing we can do or should do to stand up for our
rights. If we are persecuted, we should just rejoice that we were found worthy
to suffer and move on. I think this is the wrong view on this issue.
While persecution is a very real thing both here and abroad
and will only get worse as time goes on, I believe we as Christians often
contribute to the problem by taking an apathetic approach in the way we respond
to the loss of our rights.
Many people would say that Christians should not be involved
in things of a civic manner because they should be gospel minded. I agree that
the gospel is important, however if the gospel does not change the way we live
our daily lives what good is it?
It’s true that there is a lot in Scripture about heaven
being our home and this earth being temporary. It may be easy for some to infer
that these passages speak against being involved in government or standing up for
earthly rights. It’s worth noting however, that the early church was for the
most part under dictatorships and had little or no opportunity to affect their
government.
As American citizens, we do have a voice. I believe that
only do we have a right to influence the public arena, we have a duty to do so.
The Proverbs say “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but
when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” (Proverbs 29:2) I feel blessed
that I can support candidates who have a respect for the word of God.
Another area in which I believe Christians miss the mark is
that they often believe that legislation is a waste of time. To them I say if
we are to do everything to the glory of God, shouldn't that include the way we
legislate? I think so. I also think it’s important for us to know the law and
to be able to articulate it well. If we are not, we can easily be made to
believe that something we are free to do is illegal.
I am very thankful
for places like the American Center for Law and Justice who defend the
constitutional rights of students and others were simply embracing their
freedom to live out their Christian faith. They have had a great deal of
success, and we should pray that it continues.
Another common misconception is that putting forth godly legislation is forcing our
religion on others. The irony in this is that the reason for most God honoring
legislation is because we as a country fail to see the “self-evident truths”
upon which this country was built. Those of us who speak up
about these things do so because we want to get back to the principles of
freedom that made America great.
I would like to put before you the example of William
Wilberforce. He was a man in the British Parliament struggled with whether he
should leave to be a minister of the gospel. He realized that he could impact
people for Christ while making his voice heard in Parliament on important
issues such as slavery. Because of this, Great Britain outlawed slavery about
half a century before America did. I don’t sacrifice gospel because I love this
country, rather I love this country because it was founded (in large part) by
those who loved the gospel.
I believe that if we stay quiet on the important issues of
our day we will be contributors to the decay of our society. If we do nothing
we in essence contribute to a self-fulfilled prophecy. I believe that we can be
agents of change much like Wilberforce was in his day.
While it is true that the world is getting darker by the day
you must remember that we have been called to "shine as lights in the
world;” (Philippians 2:15) it is time for us to shine brighter! There is too
much at stake to do nothing. What is God calling you to do?
Speaking4Him,
Andrew Gommesen
1 comment:
Well said, Andrew!
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