Dave’s Monday Blast – October 24, 2022
Good Morning Men of Intention,
Last week I began sharing an article by Dr. Mark Turman, Executive Director of the Denison Forum, entitled 6 Significant Midterm Issues for Concerned Christian Voters. I encourage you to subscribe to the forum as a great daily resource for supporting and maturing your Biblical Christian Worldview (click the link to read the article in its entirety or to subscribe). The list follows, but I encourage you to refer to last week’s blog for the associated commentary:
1. All Things Trump
2. Election Integrity
3. Inflation and the economy
4. Ukraine, Russian, China, etc.
5. The response to Roe’s overturn
6. The resiliency of our republic.
7. (My add on) The LGBTQ+ movement
This week I want to follow up with Dr. Turman’s suggestions on how to equip and encourage your congregation before, during, and after this election cycle.
Turman comments: “Your people may not talk about these issues in the hallways, parking lots, and lobby of your church. Or you fear that these will be the only things they are talking about. Either way, here are a few practical ways you can encourage and equip your people to be engaged in our free republic in healthy ways.”
1. Teach your church to pray and participate in our republic. We are blessed with amazing freedoms; God created government so communities and countries could thrive. See Romans 13. Christians should be informed. We should vote. We should participate in the processes and ask God if he wants us to run for office. Worship and discipleship include praying for all those in authority, including those we disagree with (2 Timothy 2:1-4).
2. Teach your people that politics and government are a gift but are also limited and should not be their religion. Any time we expect or demand things from others or from the government that can only come to us by humble trust in Christ Jesus, we are guilty of idolatry. No human entity should ever be allowed to rival our first and greatest love. See Mark 12:28-34.
3. Teach and model for your people what it looks and sounds like to speak the truth in love. See Ephesians 4:15. Jesus was and is the perfect manifestation of grace and truth (John 1:14). We need to pray daily that God will make us more like him in that way and in every way. We need to be very careful about seeing others as evil when they are simply our opponents politically. In the Spirit of Christ, we need to condemn personal violence, especially violence done in the name of religion and vigilant justice.
4. Remind your church that God is sovereign and that His purposes are greater than geopolitical objectives. God’s kingdom, the gospel, and the work of His church are never confined by the gyrations of governments. One of the most effective evangelistic strategies the Spirit ever used in the book of Acts was chaining Roman soldiers to Peter and John. See Acts 4 and Philippians 1:12-14. As Pastor Tony Evans once said, ‘Christians need to know that the kingdom of God will not arrive on Air Force One.'” (No truer words were ever spoken)
He concludes with this: Be grateful for where you live and when you are living. God selected both for you. And yes! God bless America, again and again and again.
