Category: Politics

Politics

Revival: In America We Trust?

Michelle Lesley

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it up to here with politics. Any politics. I’m sick of hearing about the candidates, where they stand on the issues, what they’ve done wrong, why we should vote for this one instead of that one or not vote at all, and what celebrities (and everybody else on the planet) think about them. It’s a 24/7 barrage on TV, the radio, social media, and personal conversations. Yes, these issues are important (for the love of my sanity, y’all, please don’t write me comments and e-mails arguing for your candidate or position- I agree these things are important) but I’ve reached my saturation point. It would be great if somebody would capture the Loch Ness monster or find a cure for the common cold or something just so everybody would have something else to talk about for five minutes.

In the midst of this political fervor, pastors – from those in the national spotlight to those in rural obscurity – are applying theology to the election and current culture. Some of it has been very, very good. Encouraging. Refreshingly biblical. And some of it…well, not so much.

On the “not so much” side, one of the recurring themes I’ve heard from various pulpits is the prediction or expectation that America is going to make a comeback. Brighter days are just around the corner. The cultural morality of the 1950’s might even re-emerge, and we’ll all be able to breathe a sigh of relief that evil and debauchery have left the building.

Then some pastor, somewhere, decided to co-opt the word “revival,” paste it over this concept of America getting its moral act together, and offer the whole package to American Christians as hope.

A turnaround of American culture and morality wouldn’t be a bad thing. Personally, I think it would be great if America would start behaving itself like a courteous, rational adult instead of a pagan, hedonistic teenager. We are 240 years old, after all.

But that is not revival, and it is not where our hope lies.

Let me ask you something: What if America never turns around? What if things continue to get worse, morally, economically, militarily, and culturally until this country eventually implodes into anarchy or becomes a vassal state to a godless nation?

What if God destroys America instead of making her great again? Will your faith be destroyed, too?

Sadly, for many Americans whose faith has become a syncretistic mélange of patriotism and pseudo-Christianity, the answer is yes. How many will lose heart and walk away forever when the “revival” their pastor promised fails to materialize? Uncle Sam is a cruel master and a lousy god.

Real revival is exactly the opposite. It can take place regardless of who wins the election, whether the United States is virtuous or villainous, rich or poor, enslaved or free or wiped off the face of the earth. It can take place even if you’re the only person in the world who wants it.

Biblical revival happens when Christians – thousands or dozens or one – bow the knee to Christ in repentance over their sin, forsake their worldliness, pursue holiness, act on their new-found zeal for evangelism, and live faithfully. It’s found when we stop fretting about who’s sitting in the Oval Office and start focusing on Who’s sitting on the Throne and how we might honor and please Him, regardless of what’s going on in society.

Real revival doesn’t always change the culture. Just ask Noah. Or the righteous remnant of the Old Testament exile. Or the martyrs of the early church. That’s not what it’s for. Revival isn’t supposed to change the world. It’s supposed to change your heart. It’s supposed to change your focus from temporal, elemental things to the Christ who bled and died for your sin.

That’s where our hope is found, sisters.

Not in the White House, but in Christ, regardless of who’s in the White House. Not in a moral society, but in Christ, whether society’s morals are Victorian or heathen. Not in laws and policies and freedoms that suit us, but in Christ.

Our hope is in Christ.

If Hillary wins,
our hope is in Christ.

If Donald wins,
our hope is in Christ.

If America re-emerges as that city on a hill,
our hope is in Christ.

If America runs swiftly toward her demise,
our hope is in Christ.

Our hope is in Christ, dear sisters. Let us never forsake our First Love for something as lowly as love of country, favor of the government, or an upright populace.

Our hope is in Christ.

Politics, Tragedy

Eternal Lives Matter

Michelle Lesley

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As many of you know, I live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the Alton Sterling shooting took place two weeks ago. Since that time, multiple intense, but peaceful, protests have been conducted.

On the coattails of these events, Sunday morning, as you may have seen on the news, we had an ambush shooting about seven miles from my house in which six law enforcement officers were shot and three were killed. Investigators subsequently discovered that the shooter had traveled to Baton Rouge from out of state with the specific intent of killing police officers.

I haven’t commented on these events until now because I really haven’t known what to say. Like everyone else, I’ve had emotional, gut level reactions to these tragedies, but it’s not always wise, or necessarily godly, to express those raw reactions in a public forum. I couldn’t think of a way to share my thoughts in a way that would build y’all up in Christ, so I just remained silent.

But now, having had a little time to process everything, I wanted to share the following thoughts and observations with you:

• Pour the gospel into your children, grandchildren, children at your church, and any other children in your circle of influence, that they might come to know Christ as Savior at an early age and walk in His ways all the days of their lives.

The same day Alton Sterling was killed, my 20 year old daughter was in a serious car accident. She could have been killed. It struck me later that, in a moment, my child was spared while, in another moment, another mother lost her child that day. If my child had died, I know she would have stepped into eternity with Christ. I don’t know if Alton’s mother had that same comfort.

We can’t guarantee our children’s salvation, but we should do everything we can to raise them in a Christ-centered way. We never know when their last day will be.

• When someone loses a loved one – whether that loved one is sinner or saint, cop or criminal, black or white – it hurts. Deeply. Those of us who belong to Christ must reach out to people who are hurting and minister the love, peace, and comfort of the gospel to them, regardless of their circumstances.

• “Herd mentality,” so to speak, has to stop. We have to stop seeing people – whether we’re talking about “the black community” or “the police” or any other segment of our culture – as groups and start getting to know, love, and share the gospel with people – one on one – as individuals.

One of the things I’ve observed in the past two weeks is intentional, proactive acts of love, kindness, friendship, and neighborliness between individual protesters and police, between individual citizens and police, and between individual black and white citizens. Viewing people as impersonal groups rather than as individuals distances us from them and even allows us to feel superior to them. Christians view people as Christ views people- individually created in the image of God, individually loved and cherished by God, and individual sinners in need of a Savior. We must – individually – invest in the lives of other people, loving them, caring for them, sharing the gospel with them, discipling them.

• The election isn’t going to solve the problems we’re seeing in our communities. Neither are laws. Neither are protests, speeches, community unity events, ecumenical prayer vigils, care packages, celebrity opinions and appearances, community improvement grants, or any of the other usual responses to these kinds of events, even though some of them may be temporarily helpful.

We seem to have the idea that, “If we would just _____, the world would be fixed.” And I’m not so sure that’s the case. As I mentioned in this recent article, the world is the way it is because of sin and the Fall, not because of our failure to “do something”. No matter how busy the church gets, the world is generally going to continue to get worse. Our job as Christians is not to fix the world, it’s to stand firm in Christ wherever He has planted us and to rescue as many people around us as we can with the gospel. Our message to our neighbors is not that we can make the world a better place, but that Christ is our only hope regardless of the state of the world.

In these perilous times, Christians must be completely focused on Christ. Worshiping Him, trusting Him, proclaiming Him, and reaching out to others in His name.

Politics, Sermons

John MacArthur at the 2016 Western Conservative Summit

Michelle Lesley

John MacArthur recently gave a wonderful lecture/speech/sermon at the 2016 Western Conservative Summit. I think every American Christian should listen to it and heed his words.

This is how I listened to it on July 4th. Highly recommended.

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Politics

Seven Thoughts on Voting for the Lesser of Two Evils

Michelle Lesley

It’s been said ad nauseam that, in polite company, it’s not wise to discuss religion or politics. They’re hot button issues that people often have strong, differing opinions about, which can lead to arguments, which can ruin a perfectly nice party, picnic, or wedding reception.

This is one of the reasons I’m loath to write about or discuss politics. To me, biblical Christianity and sound doctrine are worth going to the mattresses for. When it comes to politics, though, I’m usually fine with keeping my opinions about the governor, president, or candidate du jour to myself.

But in light of recent events, there are a lot of differing points of view even among Christians who are, theologically, very like-minded. Christians who want God to guide every aspect of their lives, including voting. And I think it’s a political conversation worth having.

Earlier this week, Ted Cruz suspended his candidacy for the office of the presidency, leaving Donald Trump as the heir apparent to the Republican nomination. Strong feelings, opinions, and hand wringing among Christians ensued.

Why? Well, laying aside the entire election for just a moment and evaluating Trump only on his personal character and personal opinions on issues such as abortion and homosexuality, biblically literate Christians would be hard pressed to describe him as a virtuous, godly man whom they have zero qualms about enthusiastically supporting. (Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever voted for someone who fit that description. I’ve had at least a couple of qualms about everyone I’ve ever voted for. Haven’t you?) Quite the opposite, in fact. Most of the Christian people I hang with find Trump odious. Arrogant. Dishonest. A blowhard. Unkind. Immoral. And, now that it seems he will be the nominee, the lesser of two evils (the greater being Clinton or Sanders). But even the lesser of two evils is still evil, and nobody’s crazy about feeling she has no choice but to vote for someone she considers evil.

So what’s a Christian voter to do with Trump as the only “conservative” candidate who has a chance of winning the election? I’ve heard three predominate stances:

1. “I’m voting for Trump as the lesser of two evils. Assuming he adheres to at least some of what he has promised, fewer babies will be murdered under his administration, and the homosexual agenda will be stemmed at least a little more than it would be if Clinton or Sanders wins.”

2. “I just can’t, in good conscience, vote for someone whose character and policies are so ‘bottom of the barrel’. I don’t trust Trump to keep his promises, and I don’t see much, if any difference, between voting for him and voting for Clinton or Sanders. I’m sitting out this election.”

3. “I think it’s important to vote, but I can’t bring myself to vote for Trump. I’m voting third party/write in. I don’t like that it will probably give the White House to Clinton or Sanders, but at least I’ll be voting and the GOP will hear my voice and change its ways.”

I know good, godly Christian people who fall into all three of these categories. I have fluctuated back and forth among all three myself, and, to be honest, I’m still not sure where I’ll land come November. As I’ve begun to think about this issue, here are seven thoughts I’ve had about voting for the lesser of two evils:

1. If there’s a passage in the Bible that addresses voting in a democratic republic in an election for secular governmental officials, I haven’t run across it, and I don’t think anyone else has either. This makes sense if you think about it, because, in the Old Testament, God’s people lived under a theocracy (God was their king), and even during the period of the Old Testament kings, the people didn’t get to vote for the candidate of their choice. The New Testament was generally written to people under Roman rule who didn’t get to pick their leaders either. So, there’s really nothing specific in Scripture we can point to about voting as we know it today.

2. I’m starting to hear a new (to me, anyway) false teaching floating around: “God commands us to vote.” I don’t know which, if any, passage of Scripture is being mangled (and it would have to be mangled because the Bible doesn’t say this at all) to create this nonsensical notion, but the Bible doesn’t any more say God commands us to vote than it says God commands us to drive electric cars or observe Lent. If you’re following a preacher or teacher who’s pushing this junk theology, run away and don’t look back. God does not command that we vote. If you pray and study the Scriptures about it, and your conscience still prevents you from voting in November, you are not sinning.

3. Because, in America, we do have the privilege of voting, Christians should take that responsibility soberly and vote in a way that best lines up with biblical principles. That means we do not vote for candidates who actively promote or encourage sin, for example, someone who promises to expand abortion, legislatively encourages and celebrates the sin of homosexuality, or endorses the persecution and prosecution of Christians and biblical values. If you’re on the fence about voting for Trump, you’ll have to do the research to see where he stands on the important issues, compare his stances to Scripture, and decide for yourself whether or not you can vote for him.

4. This is not something to break fellowship over or be judgmental towards brothers and sisters in Christ about. If you’re such a vehement proponent of view 1 (or 2 or 3) that you’re breaking ties with Christians who hold views 2 and 3, politics has become an idol for you and you need to repent. There are many Christians out there praying for wisdom, seeking to do what’s godly, and following their consciences according to biblical principles. They are not necessarily in the wrong because they come to a different conclusion from yours. If one botanist focuses on a daisy’s petals and another focuses on its leaves, that doesn’t make one right and one wrong. They’re just focusing on different aspects of the same flower.

5. I’ve seen this quote by Spurgeon posted all over social media:

“Of two evils, choose neither.”

I love Spurgeon as much as the next guy, and it’s a fine quote, but let’s be careful that we’re not subconsciously elevating this quote to the level of Scripture. It’s not. Spurgeon may have been the Prince of Preachers, but he wasn’t the King of Kings (and he’d be the first to tell you that).

6. Anything could happen between now and November. Trump could keel over and die of a heart attack. Clinton could go to jail. A conservative dark horse could emerge, get people excited, and run away with the election. A revival could sweep America and thousands of newly saved Christians could demand a godly candidate. Trump could get saved. Clinton could get saved. Sanders could get saved. (Let’s just daydream on that a little. Wouldn’t it be great to have the dilemma of trying to decide between two candidates who were both on fire for the Lord? Don’t think it can’t happen. After all, God saved Paul.) Matthew 6:34 says:

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Pray, yes. Study, yes. But let’s not invest time in worrying about an election that’s still months away.

7. God is sovereign, and He is the one responsible for the outcome of every election. Romans 13:1b says:

…there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Ultimately, however you decide to vote, you can’t mess up the results of the election. God has already decided which person He’s going to put in the Oval Office, and He’s not depending on your vote or anyone else’s to accomplish it. We seek to do what’s right and biblical in the voting booth because we love Christ and want to honor Him, and we trust God with the final results.

Give it some thought. Do some reasearch. Study your Bible. Ask God for wisdom. Then, make the wisest and most godly choice you can. And stop worrying. God’s in control of all of this, and He will have His way and continue to care for His people. Trust Him.

As I mentioned, politics is a hot button issue, so I’m going to be a little more restrictive on the comments on this article. Before commenting, please make sure you’ve read the entire article as well as the “comment parameters” section of the “Welcome” tab at the top of this page. Also, please recognize that the focus of this article is limited to the idea of voting for Trump as the lesser of two evils. There’s a time and place to debate policy, whether or not you think Clinton and Sanders are evil, problems in the Republican party, whether Clinton should go to jail, etc. This ain’t it. Please stick to the topic at hand. Thanks :0)

 

Gospel, Homosexuality, Politics, Salvation, Sin, Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday ~ SoteriObamaGigliology and You

Michelle Lesley

Originally published January 12, 2013

Disclaimer: This article should not be viewed as an endorsement of Louie Giglio or any unbiblical theology he currently holds to.
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Is Louie Giglio a living martyr or a coward? What do you think of our shiny new state church here in the U.S.? If you haven’t heard about The Giglio Imbroglio, allow me to bring you up to speed.gty_rev_louie_giglio_jef_130110_wblog

Pastor Louie Giglio was invited to say a prayer at President Obama’s inauguration ceremony later this month. Being a Christian pastor, it should have been expected that he would have preached at some point on what the Bible says about the sin of homosexuality. Someone with a pro-homosexuality group dug up a sermon  from decades ago in which he had done just that, and, yada yada yada, Pastor Giglio – pressured, or not, by the Inaugural Committee (that’s a little murky at the moment)— decided not to do the prayer. Ok, are ya with me? Good.

I’ve read a bit about this debacle over the past few days (though I have a few disagreements with some points, all of the articles hyperlinked above are excellent) and most of what I’ve read seems to be focused on Louie Giglio. But Louie Giglio isn’t alone on the stage of this little drama.

There’s another player. Our President.

Although all the details and communiqués were being handled by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, as President Truman used to say, “The buck stops here.” Right at the feet of President Obama. Ultimately, he is responsible for the “unvitation.” If he felt that the Committee was out of line in their statements or actions, he could have intervened. Instead, he has been silent, which implies consent.

Our President consented to the press release from the Inaugural Committee which said in part:

“As we now work to select someone to deliver the benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans.”

Translation: Louie Giglio’s Christian beliefs about homosexuality, which come straight from the Bible, do not “reflect this administration’s vision.”

Let me say that again. Christian beliefs about homosexuality, which line up with what the Bible clearly says, are opposed by our President.

Why is that important?

obama-in-church-2004-b654b48e648853dc_largeBecause our President believes he is a Christian.

And so do a lot of other people who share his beliefs on things like homosexuality and abortion.

If that describes you, before you get mad and stop reading, in fairness, hear me say something:

Sanctification (progressively becoming more and more Christlike) is a process. People who get saved, especially as an adult, bring a lot of entrenched opinions and thought processes with them to the cross.

Am I saying you have to become pro-life and anti-homosexuality (notice, I did not say anti-homosexual) before, or in order to, get saved?

No.

Am I saying that five minutes or a week after you get saved, you’ll be pasting “Choose Life” and “One Man, One Woman” bumper stickers on your car?

No.

What I am saying is that a person who has genuinely been born again has a God-created desire to know, trust, and obey God’s word.

Even if it’s hard.

Even if you don’t like it, initially.

Even if you don’t completely understand it.

The desire, inextricably interwoven with your love and affection for Christ, born in your heart when you were born again, exists.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. II Corinthians 5:17

Do you have that desire?

Do you wrestle with the things in God’s word that are difficult for you –perhaps things like homosexuality- in order to understand, embrace, and obey them?

Or, do you war against the things you find in the Bible that you don’t like- rebelling against their inherent truth, rejecting them, twisting their meanings to suit your own opinions, and refusing to accept them?

If it’s the latter, you need to be afraid.

Be VERY afraid.

Because the Bible makes it clear that you aren’t saved.

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. I John 2:3-6

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.  I Corinthians 2:14-16

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  James 4:4

Christians desire to keep God’s word, just like Jesus did. Christians lovingly call sinners to repentance from their sin and to faith in Christ, just like Jesus did. Christians think like Jesus did. Christians reject the world’s values rather than promoting them, just like Jesus did.bible

My dear friend, if you find yourself constantly battling against God’s word, I urge you, please examine your affections and the fruit of your life, thoughts, and behavior in the mirror of God’s word. It doesn’t matter if you’ve repeated a prayer, filled out a card, been baptized, taken communion, faithfully attended church, served as a teacher, deacon, elder, or pastor, had someone assure you of your salvation, or even if you just “feel saved”. If your life and heart don’t match up with what Scripture says is true of a Christian, you are not genuinely born again.

Please, turn away from your sin- all of your sin -and put your faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross, and in His bodily resurrection, as payment for that sin. If Cain taught us anything, it’s this: you can’t come to God on your own terms. You have to approach Him on His terms.

Or, to borrow from a mantra oft repeated by some in the homosexual community:

If you’re going to accept Him, you have to accept everything about Him.