Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Obama and McCain Pirating Church


Why does the church let politics steal 'Change'?

I was reading this blog by crabb on Fractured Saints about the interaction of church and politics and it pumped me up about the actual potential of the church as a change agent, leading, again taking initiative in the broader battlegrounds of our cities, nation and the world.

The church in God's eyes isn't intended to be the arrogant antagonistic Religious Right and Moral Majority (boo!). The early church saw itself as humble, wise, courageous 'Societies of Risk Takers' who suffer for the sake of their glorious King! Who take risks no one in society is willing to take.

There is room to take God at His Word and work in concert with institutions who share a common grace goal, isn't there?

Or have we all been brainwashed by both a weak withdrawing church and slick politicians that 'Change' is the function and domain of government. Well that is bull shit!

Real Change
The only lasting change in a person, a family, an institution or A NATION happens by the power of the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Church! WE are the leaders of the revolution that should be seeking change. What could be more of a change than the answer to the prayer our Lord Jesus taught us to pray?

'YOUR Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'

Our view of prayer should not be so pathetic, our belief that God is able to effect change HERE and NOW in Smyrna and Atlanta as it is in Heaven, we have our sights set all wrong when we abdicate the reign of God to small prayers about Aunt Bessie's bunions.

A Sure Sign of Hope Today

I just spent the day praying, strategizing and envisioning a world where the church does this kind of work. There were dozens of men and women, Hispanics, African Americans and Anglos together dedicating to sacrificing our lives to plant churches all around north Georgia by faith. It's time for more!

Man up! It is time to pray and work! Time to suffer and sacrifice! Time to change in Word and Deed!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! This is a brave, and courageous blog you have written. I have one question however: How did the politicians get so rooted into the Religious and the Moral Majority in the first place, when their only goal is to get votes to push their own agendas?

Pastor Jim said...

Anthony
The RR started as a grassroots reaction to politics and then slowly became a part of the political landscape - just another lobbying group to which politicians seeking office now pay lip service.

Politicians seeking office aren't IN the RR. The leaders of the RR have now become behind the scenes politicians.

Anonymous said...

Mt. 4:8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

10Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
--
Mt. 6:9"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven."
--
It's a simple "if/then" equation:
IF the enemy has such authority over "the kingdoms of the world" to offer them to Christ, and,
IF Jesus Himself told us to ask the Father that "YOUR Kingdom come",
THEN...
We *are* strangers in a strange land. We *are* foreign missionaries. These kingdoms belong to another master, and we have been sent into them. Why would we ask the assistance, or accept the favour, of "the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world"?
Whoever wins these elections, we must pray that they are used to God's glory. But they would sooner bring the moon from the sky than to bring the Kingdom of the True and Living God to earth.
That will happen in His time, by His power, through His servants, according to His will, in Spirit and in Truth.
I know this approach seems oversimplified, but it's the simplicity of it, the basic logic, that flies in the face of the insanity that is the merging of Politics and Christianity.