Who Will Join the Fight?
The battle is raging for the soul of America; will you join the fight?
The battle is raging for the soul of America; will you join the fight?
Spiritual leaders of every generation have been engaged in the struggle for righteousness and justice. In fact, there are plenty of Biblical examples of
Spiritual Leaders pressing the battle:
· Moses petitioned Pharaoh for the liberty of God's people.
· Elijah faced off against King Ahab who promoted idolatry and immorality.
· Isaiah and others condemned moral decay in the culture and injustice in society.
· John the Baptist pointed out the adultery of King Herod.
· Peter refused to obey Jewish leaders who tried to restrict his freedom to preach.
There are also many examples in American history:
· Pastor Jonas Clark preached against British tyranny and initiated the formation of the town militia, which fought in the first battle in the War for Independence on their church lawn in Lexington, Massachusetts.
· Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, Delegate from New Jersey in the Second Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence.
· Pastor Frederick Muhlenberg became the first Speaker of the U.S. House and signer of the Bill of Rights guaranteeing our freedom of religion.
· Rev. Charles Finney was a leading abolitionist who frequently denounced slavery from the pulpit.
· Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who valiantly fought for racial justice and civil rights and was martyred for his bold preaching and action.
Pastors and spiritual leaders have always been on the front lines of every major moral struggle.
However, some are quick to dismiss the battle the battle as purely "secular" as opposed to our "sacred" duty as a spiritual leader. That is a false dichotomy. Jesus said that the Greatest Commandment is twofold: Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37-39).
Love God: If we love God with everything that is within us, we will love what He loves and hate what He hates. For example, God loves human beings made in his image and hates the murder of innocent human life (Gen. 1:26; John 3:16; Prov. 6:17). He loves marriage and the family and hates any perversion of His created order and design (Gen. 1-27-28; 2:18-25; Gen. 18:20-21; 19:1-25). He loves liberty and hates tyranny (2 Cor. 3:17; John 8:31-36). There are many others, but those values, good and bad, are often espoused by public servants and are reflected in public policies and our laws. If we love God and what He values, we will support public servants, policies, and laws that line up with those values and oppose those that do not.
Love Your Neighbor: If we love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we will want what is best for them and we will work for the common good. Our choice of public servants, who make decisions about public policy and law, has a profound impact on the common good and therefore the well being of our neighbors. Proverbs 29:2 says: "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan."
Spiritual Dimension: Others are quick to dismiss the battle as a waste of time for the spiritual leader, a pointless pursuit into partisan politics or a misguided effort to redeem fallen culture, and thus sit on the sidelines. We contend that the battle in which we are engaged is not merely cultural and political, but it is also spiritual in nature.
Think about it:
Spiritual Leaders pressing the battle:
· Moses petitioned Pharaoh for the liberty of God's people.
· Elijah faced off against King Ahab who promoted idolatry and immorality.
· Isaiah and others condemned moral decay in the culture and injustice in society.
· John the Baptist pointed out the adultery of King Herod.
· Peter refused to obey Jewish leaders who tried to restrict his freedom to preach.
There are also many examples in American history:
· Pastor Jonas Clark preached against British tyranny and initiated the formation of the town militia, which fought in the first battle in the War for Independence on their church lawn in Lexington, Massachusetts.
· Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, Delegate from New Jersey in the Second Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence.
· Pastor Frederick Muhlenberg became the first Speaker of the U.S. House and signer of the Bill of Rights guaranteeing our freedom of religion.
· Rev. Charles Finney was a leading abolitionist who frequently denounced slavery from the pulpit.
· Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who valiantly fought for racial justice and civil rights and was martyred for his bold preaching and action.
Pastors and spiritual leaders have always been on the front lines of every major moral struggle.
However, some are quick to dismiss the battle the battle as purely "secular" as opposed to our "sacred" duty as a spiritual leader. That is a false dichotomy. Jesus said that the Greatest Commandment is twofold: Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37-39).
Love God: If we love God with everything that is within us, we will love what He loves and hate what He hates. For example, God loves human beings made in his image and hates the murder of innocent human life (Gen. 1:26; John 3:16; Prov. 6:17). He loves marriage and the family and hates any perversion of His created order and design (Gen. 1-27-28; 2:18-25; Gen. 18:20-21; 19:1-25). He loves liberty and hates tyranny (2 Cor. 3:17; John 8:31-36). There are many others, but those values, good and bad, are often espoused by public servants and are reflected in public policies and our laws. If we love God and what He values, we will support public servants, policies, and laws that line up with those values and oppose those that do not.
Love Your Neighbor: If we love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we will want what is best for them and we will work for the common good. Our choice of public servants, who make decisions about public policy and law, has a profound impact on the common good and therefore the well being of our neighbors. Proverbs 29:2 says: "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan."
Spiritual Dimension: Others are quick to dismiss the battle as a waste of time for the spiritual leader, a pointless pursuit into partisan politics or a misguided effort to redeem fallen culture, and thus sit on the sidelines. We contend that the battle in which we are engaged is not merely cultural and political, but it is also spiritual in nature.
Think about it:
Who is ultimately behind the efforts to snuff out God-given human life through abortion and embryo-destructive research?
Who is behind the efforts to advance the radical homosexual agenda to change the biblical definition of marriage and indoctrinate our children?
Who is behind the efforts to take God out of every public school and government institution and to silence our free speech as Christians?
The Apostle Paul says we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against demonic principalities and powers (Eph. 6:12). Consequently, the battle we fight is not just a political and cultural battle; this is also a spiritual battle.
The Apostle Paul says we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against demonic principalities and powers (Eph. 6:12). Consequently, the battle we fight is not just a political and cultural battle; this is also a spiritual battle.
We are up against the organized, mobilized, demonized forces of hell.
And to the victor goes the prize of the America our children will inherit, so this is a fight we dare not lose!
No comments:
Post a Comment