Do you remember the TV show Star Trek? Captain Kirk would
have them set the course and then give the command, "Engage", and off
they would go through space? Well the
course has been set and it is time for the Church to ENGAGE!
The course was set by Christ in his admonition to the
believer in Matthew 5:13, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt
have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for
nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Salt is
both aseptic and antiseptic. It prevents
and heals which is just what our country needs.
We need to prevent the further decay of truth and heal that which has
already been defiled. The first part of
the verse tells us what we are, but the second part of the verse asks the
question, “ what good is salt if it is no longer salty?” Or another way to ask it is, “what do you do
with salt that is no good?’ The answer
is, you throw it out. If we are not
making a difference in our world for the cause of Christ and for Biblical
truth, we have forfeited our right to exist.
Christian we must engage! Not
just in this election cycle but all the time.
Biblical principles of life, the home, work ethic, strong defense, and
fiscal conservatism are Biblically based and sound principles. We must engage in the process in order to
educate our people.
Sixty million evangelical Christians did not vote in the
last election! Sixty million would have
been enough to turn the election, but for whatever reason, they disengaged
instead of engaging! Pastor, we need to
stick to the gospel, not politics! I
AGREE with sticking to the Gospel! It is our only message. The death, burial and resurrection of
Christ! If Christ did not rise from the
dead there is no message! But politics
is the vehicle we have to protect our rights and opportunities to share that
message. Freedom of speech, money for
missions and ministry, the rights we have in America, and the opportunities we
have to pursue those rights allow us to be the gospel sending nation for the
rest of the world. If we lose our
America, we lose our ability to impact the world for the cause of Christ!
Engage pastor, engage Christian! Let me give you several simple truths to
educate and engage with!
1.
The Biblical issue of life is not up for
negotiation. God gives life and abortion
is taking life, end of story.
2.
The Biblical institution of marriage is not up
for negotiation! Male and female God created them and then gave them the
ability to reproduce. Any relationship
outside of a man and woman in marriage is wrong.
3.
The Biblical roles of the home, the government,
and the church are settled. The home is
the primary institution, and the government is not to intrude. It does not take a state to raise a child, it
takes parents. The church is God’s
institution spiritually for this age and is not to be dictated to by the
government. The government is to protect
the people, while the home and the church are to provide for their other needs.
4.
Fiscal conservatism is a Bible principle. Do not spend more than you make. Save your money. Do not go into debt. God teaches the believer these principle in
both the Old and New Testament.
5.
Israel is to be blessed by other nations. God is not done with Israel. At the conclusion of the church age, Israel
will again be front and center of God’s attention and affection. Our relationship with Israel is a critical
issue for God’s blessing. (Apart from
the Biblical admonition to bless Israel it is wise to be an ally to your ally
regardless. Israel is the only real ally
we have in that region of the world.)
6.
Less government, not more government, less tax,
not more, and less regulation, not more, are always the better way. Even in the Old Testament God did not intend
Israel to ever have a king, but granted her wish for a king, while warning that
a king would “tax” them to death. Taking
their materials, their children, and their future. That is exactly what happened to Israel and
what has happened to us.
7.
Government is not God. We are to look to God for our needs, not to
man. Too many have turned to social or
government programs for their needs, and not to the Lord. We have created a paradigm of dependence on
government, and not God.
There are so many more clear Biblical principles that we
must take strong stands on and engage with.
If you fail to educate and engage your people, you may find yourself in
a few months unable to do anything about it.
Here is a final thought to leave you with. Socialist/communist nations are not sending
missionaries to us, we are sending missionaries to them. We must protect what God has given us at home
so that we can continue to make a difference here and abroad. Engage!
