What Does God Say about Christians and Politics (part 2)
I was disheartened one day when I heard Holy Spirit clearly tell me He was going to teach me about government. This was a time in my life that I still had a distaste for government and knew very little about it. I could not have cared less about the process. My first thought was, “How boring! What have I done to deserve this punishment?”
God’s next statement set me on my heels, “Because I AM government,” He said. He then quoted Isaiah 33:22 to me, “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us.” I was so glad I didn’t tell God what I was thinking - in my mind I had just called Him boring!!!
Though I’m about to share some theology and Hebrew words - it is a benefit to pastors and teachers who read the posts - don’t get bogged down in the theology and details. That part won’t take long. Here is where I’m headed with it: God IS government, He DELEGATES a portion of His government, and satan wants to USURP His government!
Notice, the verse Holy Spirit quoted to me (Isaiah 33:22) does not say God simply “endorses” laws, judges and kings (i.e. government); it says He IS these things. As I stated yesterday, the Bible uses the word “Lord” 7946 times, most of them referring to Yahweh. My dictionary said “Lord” means “a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler.” In other words, it includes government. This means that almost 8000 times the Bible refers to God as our governmental Head! The entirety of Scripture is about government!
Think about it: one of the primary themes of the Bible is, “Who will rule the earth?” In the first chapter God gets right to the point: “I want family, and My family will ‘rule’ the earth (their home) for Me (Genesis 1:26-28). They will be the extension and expression of My Kingdom’s government there. This is how I will release My influence, My righteous Kingdom ideals and ways, into the earth.” That is true, and it is profound.
The Hebrew word for “dominion” and “rule” in this Genesis passage makes clear that the Creator was delegating to Adam and Eve this responsibility. Radah means “to rule over, to govern.” Psalm 8:6, referring to this passage in Genesis, uses another word, mashal, which also means “rule or govern.” God would govern the earth through humans.
But satan wanted this dominion. He had attempted a coup in Heaven and failed. Banished to earth, his thinking now was, If I can’t rule over God’s entire Kingdom, I’ll at least govern earth. And by chapter 3, he had succeeded in deceiving Adam and Eve, who rebelled from God’s authority and government. Satan took their authority. Yahweh lost His family and they lost their governmental authority over the earth. Satan now had it.
Christ was sent to earth as the second Adam to reclaim both the family AND their governing authority. The story of the Bible is the clash of two kingdoms! From cover to cover God’s Word is about family and government!
If I was satan, one of my most important strategies would be to alienate God’s family, His representatives and ambassadors from government. I’d tell them it’s bad, evil, unspiritual. Let ‘em love God, be His “sheep,” even His family. But 1) don’t let them know they’re His government here on earth (Christ’s Ekklesia), and 2) keep them from involving themselves in any and all government. If I could succeed in this, God’s conduit for releasing His authority on the earth would be rendered ineffective.
Throughout the Scriptures, we can see God’s plan of ruling the earth through people. Consider Abraham, of whom it was said: “Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him” (Genesis 18:18-19). God determined to bless the entire earth through Abraham. To do so, however, He needed Abraham to command and teach His ways, releasing His justice and judgments into the earth.
God also released His authority, His government, through Moses, Joshua, then through prophets and Judges. He also did so through Kings. Yahweh’s determined plan to release His authority through humans on earth was so consequential that at times entire nations were judged or blessed based on the actions of their government leaders. Think about it, entire groups of people were either cursed or blessed based on the actions of a government leader.
More suffering on earth has taken place because of the actions of government leaders than for any other reason. Millions of people have been killed and persecuted because of government leaders. Poverty has overtaken nations because of government leaders. Cultures and people groups have actually been eradicated because of the actions of government leaders. Sixty million babies in America have been murdered since 1973 because of the actions of government leaders.
And yet, the church embraces a belief that we who represent God’s will and plans on earth should stay out of this arena! We avoid government. When we gather as the church we believe we shouldn’t talk about it. The church feels we should say and do nothing to place into positions of authority those who know and honor God. This is ludicrous, and the ramifications are staggering. The thief, who came to steal, kill and destroy, is left in charge.
We in America have been blessed with one of the greatest privileges in the history of nations: choosing our own government. Yet with this comes incredible responsibility. To forfeit this blessing is more than a waste; it is shirking our God-given responsibility of governing the earth for Him. When the right people are leading our nation, America becomes the greatest force for peace, safety and provision in all the world! We were one of the keys to saving the earth in its two world wars. We were the force that stopped communism around the world. We have become the leading force in health and medicine.
God, and the world, must have a strong America. In order for there to be a strong America, however, there must be a strong and righteous government. The church must be freed from the deception causing us to withdraw from this process, and become involved at every level of government. We must.
In tomorrow’s post we will talk about politics and the political spirit, part of the process satan has used to keep many in the church aloof from government. But it doesn’t have to. God is governmental, but He is NOT political.
Pray with me:
Father, our prayer today is that You teach us Your ways. We must understand Your plans and intentions for us, and for the earth. Ignorance causes us to forfeit so much. May the spirit of wisdom and revelation be taken to a higher level in the church. Teach us how to truly function as Christ’s Ekklesia. Teach we Americans, especially the American church, how to steward the incredible privilege of choosing our own government. Forgive us for relinquishing this right and thereby allowing evil to rule over us.
Continue to help us see our government transformed into a God-honoring, life-honoring, Bible-honoring government once again. We have allowed evil into our government, but in Your mercy give us a quick turnaround. May the elections in November remove many who oppose Your ways, and see them replaced with those who honor You. Thank You for the awakening that is occurring in our nation. Let this awakening be both spiritual and civil, we pray. And we ask these things in Christ’s name. Amen.
Our decree:
We decree that the greatest shift that has ever occurred in an American election will take place this November.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
Comments