From the Pastor's Desk
“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension." (1 Timothy 2:5, 8. NASB)
How should we think about and respond to the recent events in our nation, the assassination attempt of a former US president? How should we process this near tragic incident in our nation's growing political rift? Politics, it seems, have become murderous.
The growing fissure in American politics are polarizing because of ideological differences, differences at heart which lie with one's world view. This word to you will not be about politics, but it is my hope that in light of such shocking events, we as Kingdom Citizens and followers of Jesus Christ, are able to quickly regain our bearings and stay the course in light of such national and political turmoil.
In any confounding circumstance, the foremost truth to remember is that God sovereignly rules in our world. Though Satan may have free access to our existence and a measure of authority in our world, it is a limited access and delegated authority granted to him by our Sovereign Creator God (read Job). The LORD God is the One who is ultimately in control and also finally responsible to accomplish His own good purposes. And His good purpose is to redeem fallen man. God's redemptive purposes are revealed to us in Scripture beginning in the book of Genesis and throughout every book of the 66 that make up our Bible. It is easy to get caught up and distraught by the daily events of life, especially as impactful and extreme as an assassination attempt. But as we look to Christ, we are able to find peace in the midst of political and ideological squalls because God's power and purposes are so much greater than the tempests such hostilities foment.
The second thing we should always keep in mind and pursue is that we have a responsibility and burden to be obedient to God's purposes. Each one of you may engage freely as you desire in the political mechanism, but they are to be secondary, even tertiary to the primary purposes of God in redemption.
Something we all share in ability and responsibility for this end is to pray. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 commands us “First of all, then, I urge that entireties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (NASB). We are commanded to pray for our national and local leaders in order that we may live peaceful lives. We are to pray for good governments which will afford its citizens to live lives drama free. We are to pray for good men and women to occupy the halls of our nation's political institutions so that in living godly lives we might pursue God's Kingdom, redemptive purposes.
We are to pray for peace in our land, guarded by good leaders, not so much that we might enjoy our lives and get the most out of our country, but, as it goes on in verse 4, so that we might exercise the freedom to speak the Truth, preach the Gospel, and teach the Scriptures. God's desire is that more people would come to a true knowledge of God through God's Word, and thereby come to a saving knowledge of His Son.
If anything these recent events have reminded us is how much our nation and our nation's leaders need Christ. Pray for our leaders and seek for peace in our nation so that we might continually be able to speak and preach the truth of who Christ is and God's redemptive work through his Son.