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Jan 24
Well, I have taken a long break from the blog. Life has been very busy these past couple of months. I have been preaching for our youth services the past three weeks. I am doing a series of messages that I have entitled “Don’t Waste Your Life: Radical Living”. I borrowed the main title from John Piper’s book, “Don’t Waste Your Life”. The content of series is really dealing with some of the radical statements of Jesus concerning discipleship and following Him. I have thoroughly enjoyed being with our teenagers. They are a great group of teenagers. I am greatly convicted by the statements of Jesus. I anticipate talking through some that material in this venue.
Everywhere you turn these days you see pictures, articles, and videos on our new president. Even on the sports talk shows he has been the subject of conversation. There is a sense of satisfaction that an African American can be and has been elected president. It communicates the greatness of this country above every other place on the planet. My preference would have been an African American who was pro-life and pro-family would be elected. I commend President Obama for selecting Rick Warren to pray at the inauguration. I must confess that it is amazing that no one has mentioned the benediction prayer offered by an older man from the civil rights union that closed with what I considered a very divisive comment. We who follow Christ have an obligation of praying for our president. While media continues to be enamored with Obamamania, we need to pray for him. In just a week, funding of international abortions has started back under his executive order. In our convention, this month which coincides with the Roe v. Wade decision is designated as Sanctity of Life month. There will be a great challenge in the days ahead because the secular media will not draw attention to critical issues. We can be in a very dangerous situation as a country because the executive and legistlative branches are clearly in a majority that is not pro-life, nor pro-family, to put it lightly. These next several years could result in the judicial branch also moving with this trend. Our national media is very supportive of this liberal agenda, so they will not serve as a watch dog or even report with the same degree of scrutiny. This is easily seen is comparing headlines and the tones of articles from 2009 and 2005 and 2001. The new administration promised change and it will most likely keep its promise in some critical areas that most conservatives disagree with.
All that said, the role of the church is not to run the government although we as individuals have the right and responsibility to participate in our government. We should pray for and encourage our godly government leaders and servants. But in light of His kingdom, we see His kingdom spreading behind what was an Iron Curtain and a Bamboo Curtain. In the midst of ungodly governments throughout history, the gospel has gone forth. Our mission has not changed. The Scriptures tell us that those that live godly shall be persecuted. We have brothers and sisters in Christ who are experiencing great difficulty, threat, and even death because they are Christ followers. We live in a place where there are more people who are lost than ever before in our history. We need to focus on sharing the gospel with these folks in an effective way where they will listen and consider the claims of Christ. This is our greatest challenge as the church. Researchers indicate that many lost people identify “Christians” with conservative politics. I must plead guilty to this as you read the previous paragraph. I can become so passionate about politics. I must be more passionate about reaching the lost and sharing the gospel in an effective way with a culture that might get side tracked by my politics. That is our challenge, being ”Salt and light” while at the same time “becoming all things to all men so that I might win some.” Let’s struggle with this uncomfortable challenge. If we do not struggle with it, we could lose a generation by being disobedient to the great commission or we could compromise to a point where we have watered down a gospel to where it cannot save, change, transform, and produce God’s righteousness in a life. Until next time. . .Wes