This morning I read the sermon notes from a pastor's message about Christian's role in the election process, entitled "How Would Jesus Vote?" The Sermon was preached by Fred Miller, pastor of the Cumberland Valley Church where my wife attened for several years before we met. The message is from a couple months ago and makes some great points. Since the elections are just months away, I thought I'd share some of this with you. Fred made several great points for how we as Christians can view politics in an election year.
The first question is "Would Jesus Vote?" Although we cannot answer definitively, we can ascertain from His actions that Jesus definitely did choose to use flawed (disciples and sinners) and temporal (feeding and healing people's physical needs) things to accomplish God's will, an eternal purpose. The implication is that even though candidates for political office are still flawed and human, they can do a job which promotes good works and the purposes of God here on earth, such as giving the community the freedom to share God's message, aiding the poor and oppressed such as minorities or immigrants, and carrying out the justice system. The Scripture supports that Government does provide two things that God is very much concerned with: 1. Doing good for people (Romans 13:4) and 2. Promoting freedom to live and proclaim our faith in Jesus (1 Timothy 2:2-4).
The second question, and rather the main point, is "How would Jesus vote?" In his sermon Fred noted Luke 4:18-19, where Jesus is quoting Isaiah the prophet. In that passage you will find both spiritual and social implications to the Gospel - which affects both our relationship to God and our relationship to others. Fred's conclusion is that Jesus would likely vote "for the candidate who will do the most good for people, and who will free us up to share the gospel." It's important to realize that we cannot force others to follow the teachings of Jesus by law, thus creating a "theocracy." Christian morality cannot be legislated. The government can, however, do things for the common good that many individuals within the general public will not do on their own. Consider Isaiah 58:10, and Zechariah 7:9-10, for example, to understand God's perspective of how we should treat people within our midst. The government can also play a key role in those causes and carrying them out.
Finally, some practical points to what Jesus would look for in a candidate to support are as follows:
How does the candidate...
1. Value all human life (Acts 17:25)...how does the candidate view the young, the elderly, minorities, the unborn, the disabled, those from other countries, and even those in other countries? "Jesus would want a leader who is pro-world, not just pro-America."
2. Care for the welfar of all, especially the poor (Proverbs 29:14)...how does the candidate view assistance to those who are the least well off? Is the candidate most concerned with benefiting those who are already rich, or with assisting those who are needy?
3. Support economic and social justice (Psalm 82:3-4)..."To pursue justice is to protect he weak from the strong" Justice includes more than just punishment of evildoers and convicted criminals.
4. Pursue peace (Psalm 34:14)...war is not God's best plan for the nation of the world. Although it is inevitable, and a clear sign of the last days, there is still a way to seek resolution without violence. Leaders should be in the forefront of such pursuits. "[Pursuing peace] makes violence a very last resort because violence kills life - and it stirs up resentment and anger in future generations."
5. Care for the earth's resources (Psalm 24:1)...Jesus teaching always included the concept that God considers us as stewards of all that we have, and will ultimately give account to Him for every one of the those things. Is the earth not also part of our stewardship? "The earth belongs to God - but he has given it to us to use and care for. We must not just consider 'today', but how our actions will affect generations to come."
6. Maximize religious freedom (Matthew 22:21)...Jesus definitely spoke out agains the spritual injustices in His day - the hypocrisy of the pharisees and condemned their laws that actually hindered true relationship with God. He would most likely do the same today. "He would not vote to make our government more Christian - he would vote to give Christians freedom from the governement. We have only one primary allegiance - Jesus."
*All key points and quotes in grey were taken from Fred Miller's sermon notes, titled "How would Jesus vote?" You can download the entire document in pdf here, or you can visit this page for all of Fred's recent sermon notes: http://www.cvclife.org/dnn/SpiritualResources/RecentSermonsAudioandOutlines/tabid/75/Default.aspx
**After this article was originally sent (via email) there was alot of heated discussion and response primarily, I suspect, becaue the topic mixes religion and politics, something that people tend to get very passionate (or annoyed) over. The following message was my email response in conclusion to clarify the purpose of sending this article:
Hey All,
I'm happy to hear so many responses to my email. That was actually the point - to get everyone thinking, because I know that - at least for me - so many times the tendancy is to NOT think about it until we hear a soundbyte on the news, or somebody else voicing their opinion.
Just to clarify two things...
One, my email was not intended to endorse or encourage endorsement for any candidate. I did not say or imply that it was.
Two, my email was actually not even from my own content - as noted it is based on the sermon notes of a friend who was merely giving his congregation some things to consider when evaluating the candidates. I was only paraphrasing some thoughts that I appreciated hearing, because they helped me to think about the election from a different perspective that the traditional capitalistic, patriotic, democratic/republican media perspective. None of the points made in the message were given with specific intent toward one or another candidate. In fact, at the time of the sermon - there were several candidates yet in the race (many months ago).
Again, I'd like to emphasize the Pastor was not actually hinting at any form of endorsement, but rather providing some examples of how Jesus might think about an election, thus encouraging the congregation to question, "what would Jesus value, and in turn, what should I value?" The point here is to encourage asking what God wants us to value, not who does God want us to vote for. If the question was who does He want us to vote for, I think that would take away alot from the point of having a democratic process. God doesn't always tell us what choices to make - He gives us wisdom, to forsee how our choices might affect our lives, He gives us His Word, to know clearly what His will is, He gives us a freedom to make our own choices, so we can exercise our own faith and obedience, and He gives us grace and mercy, so that when we do make poor or wrong choices, we are not destroyed by them. Apart from that, God isn't going to tell us who to vote for. Neither will I. But the conversation, and examination of our options is surely a positive part of the process.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Is It (__________) God's Will?
Recently a friend asked me how to know God's will on a specific issue. I thought in response, "Wow, that's the million dollar question for Christians." I can't count how many times I find myself wondering the very same thing. Sometimes the answer is pretty cut and dry. Other times it's very difficult to know whether God cares at all about a decision. "Which shirt should I wear today? Should I get my oil changed this week or wait until pay day? Should I buy such and such thing? Is God calling me to do this?"
Part of what makes it so difficult for us may be that we are so used to hearing do's and don'ts that are associated with our faith. However, this is not the whole point of knowing God. Part of being a servant of Christ is obeying Him and doing what He wants us to do. However, God's whole plan for us is not restricted only to the things He wants us to do (and not do). It also includes exercising the abilities He created us with - including free will. In exercising our ability to make choices, sometimes God remains silent, effectively passing the decision back into our own lap, even if we have offered it up to Him in prayer or in our hearts. By doing this, I believe God want's us to learn some things, for examply how to exercise our faith and other virtues like love or patience.
Never the less, in answer to my friend's question, I belive there are some principles God gives us to help guide us even when He is being silent.
1. God gives us freedom and a free will. Alot of times we over analyze whether God wants us to do something or not in life. There are specific do's and don'ts in the Bible (like DO love God and love others, and DON'T live only for yourself or for money, to name a couple). However alot of the activites and actions we engage in on a daily basis may be hard to measure by those clearcut standards. It's what some people call "gray areas." Areas that may be God's will or may not. But one thing to remember is that in Christ we have FREEDOM to make decisions and choices under God's guidance. (Check out 1 Cor. 10:29; Galations 5:1; 5:13; I Peter 2:16)
2. The Good vs. the Best principal. This is a principal which loosely interpreted means there are sometimes in life when you must choose between two or a number of positive choices. In those instances, you can ask God to help you look for the BEST choice or option. For example, in Luke 10:38-42, we read that when Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha, He found two women that loved Him deeply but showed it in different ways. In the end, Mary choose the BEST option by choosing to sit at Jesus feet and listen to His words, whereas Mary chose a good option, but not the best one. Similarly, but not always quite so spiritual, we may find instances in life where there are two good choices and our responsibility is to seek the BEST.
3. Having faith in God's ability to oversee all of life's activities and situations. Proverb's 3:5,6 promise that if we trust in God and acknowledge His power to guide us, He will lead us in every avenue. Similarly we find Jesus' words in Matthew 6:33,34 that admonish us to seek God and His kingdom as though nothing else matters, and when we do God will take care of our every needs. To me, the real principle at work here is that God honors when we have faith in Him and He honors when we seek His will by simply asking Him. If we are willing to acknowledge His place in our lives, by asking Him what He may want of us, then even in those instances that do not require any clearcut course of action, I believe God will lead us in a way that we'll find His blessing. The important thing is to believe He is able to lead and make His plan clearly known.
4. To piggy back off the last point - sometimes taking some advice from simply "roadsigns" can be a good way to find God's plan, but we must have faith that God is behind it all. What I mean by this is that sometimes life answers our questions for us, by canceling out one of our options or clearly indicating one that is best. In those times, we can move forward in faith, trusting that God is at the helm of all that's going on. It's like a corny saying goes that says, "When God closes one door, He opens up a window." Well the point is that sometimes God will simply eliminate an option, and we can trust that He is leading then by His providence. If a door is closed, walk through a different one.
I think the key point here behind all of these points is that we must remember that God desires for us to become responsible individuals, managing our time, our actions, our resources, our throughts and words all in such a way that we ultimately honor Him. That requires us to seek His direction. Often then when we do, we find He grants us the freedom again to make a choice, in hopes that ultimately we will learn from our decisions.
Part of what makes it so difficult for us may be that we are so used to hearing do's and don'ts that are associated with our faith. However, this is not the whole point of knowing God. Part of being a servant of Christ is obeying Him and doing what He wants us to do. However, God's whole plan for us is not restricted only to the things He wants us to do (and not do). It also includes exercising the abilities He created us with - including free will. In exercising our ability to make choices, sometimes God remains silent, effectively passing the decision back into our own lap, even if we have offered it up to Him in prayer or in our hearts. By doing this, I believe God want's us to learn some things, for examply how to exercise our faith and other virtues like love or patience.
Never the less, in answer to my friend's question, I belive there are some principles God gives us to help guide us even when He is being silent.
1. God gives us freedom and a free will. Alot of times we over analyze whether God wants us to do something or not in life. There are specific do's and don'ts in the Bible (like DO love God and love others, and DON'T live only for yourself or for money, to name a couple). However alot of the activites and actions we engage in on a daily basis may be hard to measure by those clearcut standards. It's what some people call "gray areas." Areas that may be God's will or may not. But one thing to remember is that in Christ we have FREEDOM to make decisions and choices under God's guidance. (Check out 1 Cor. 10:29; Galations 5:1; 5:13; I Peter 2:16)
2. The Good vs. the Best principal. This is a principal which loosely interpreted means there are sometimes in life when you must choose between two or a number of positive choices. In those instances, you can ask God to help you look for the BEST choice or option. For example, in Luke 10:38-42, we read that when Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha, He found two women that loved Him deeply but showed it in different ways. In the end, Mary choose the BEST option by choosing to sit at Jesus feet and listen to His words, whereas Mary chose a good option, but not the best one. Similarly, but not always quite so spiritual, we may find instances in life where there are two good choices and our responsibility is to seek the BEST.
3. Having faith in God's ability to oversee all of life's activities and situations. Proverb's 3:5,6 promise that if we trust in God and acknowledge His power to guide us, He will lead us in every avenue. Similarly we find Jesus' words in Matthew 6:33,34 that admonish us to seek God and His kingdom as though nothing else matters, and when we do God will take care of our every needs. To me, the real principle at work here is that God honors when we have faith in Him and He honors when we seek His will by simply asking Him. If we are willing to acknowledge His place in our lives, by asking Him what He may want of us, then even in those instances that do not require any clearcut course of action, I believe God will lead us in a way that we'll find His blessing. The important thing is to believe He is able to lead and make His plan clearly known.
4. To piggy back off the last point - sometimes taking some advice from simply "roadsigns" can be a good way to find God's plan, but we must have faith that God is behind it all. What I mean by this is that sometimes life answers our questions for us, by canceling out one of our options or clearly indicating one that is best. In those times, we can move forward in faith, trusting that God is at the helm of all that's going on. It's like a corny saying goes that says, "When God closes one door, He opens up a window." Well the point is that sometimes God will simply eliminate an option, and we can trust that He is leading then by His providence. If a door is closed, walk through a different one.
I think the key point here behind all of these points is that we must remember that God desires for us to become responsible individuals, managing our time, our actions, our resources, our throughts and words all in such a way that we ultimately honor Him. That requires us to seek His direction. Often then when we do, we find He grants us the freedom again to make a choice, in hopes that ultimately we will learn from our decisions.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
An Easy Journey?
Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My burden is easy and My yoke is light."
I Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
Insight into the Christian life is knowing that God has our best interests at heart, and believing that. Jesus told his followers that they would have to die to themselves and follow Him to truly find life. That sounds like a pretty tough task to most of us. But He also indicated that when we do we would have every resource of our Heavenly Father on our side. In fact, Jesus told his disciples that yes, while they would have a burden to carry, it was easy and light. He even told them that if they carried His burden they would find rest for their souls! Paul seems to echo that truth when writing to the Corinthians buy pointing out that there is no trial or temptation that we may experience which is exclusive only to me. God does not wish to see us fail. He promises to give us a way out of temptation is we simply choose to take it. The toughest part about carrying our own burden is that we are all by ourselves with it. When we exchange our burdens for His burdens, we eventually find that He will help us carry His burden - we're no longer on our own.
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My burden is easy and My yoke is light."
I Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
Insight into the Christian life is knowing that God has our best interests at heart, and believing that. Jesus told his followers that they would have to die to themselves and follow Him to truly find life. That sounds like a pretty tough task to most of us. But He also indicated that when we do we would have every resource of our Heavenly Father on our side. In fact, Jesus told his disciples that yes, while they would have a burden to carry, it was easy and light. He even told them that if they carried His burden they would find rest for their souls! Paul seems to echo that truth when writing to the Corinthians buy pointing out that there is no trial or temptation that we may experience which is exclusive only to me. God does not wish to see us fail. He promises to give us a way out of temptation is we simply choose to take it. The toughest part about carrying our own burden is that we are all by ourselves with it. When we exchange our burdens for His burdens, we eventually find that He will help us carry His burden - we're no longer on our own.
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