January 25, 2006
John 18:36, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."
It's official, and all the independent poling data confirms it, the church is a political power, a force to be reckoned with. Knowing this, men who would otherwise shy away from touching a Bible for fear of spontaneous combustion, will once again be invading the pulpits hoping to ensure your vote in the upcoming elections.
Men who by their very presence behind the pulpit commit the unpardonable sin of blasphemy, will once more be quoting scripture, and ensuring the Christian church that they will do what no other has done, and legislate morality, stand up for the Church, and ensure that our voice will be heard.
So enthused are the Christian leaders of our time with the idea of being a political commodity that they will open their church to any and all political candidates, regardless of moral fiber, and rather than preaching salvation they zealously preach voter registration. The great commission takes second place to the great election, and rather than share Christ, we are asked to share the newest mayoral or presidential candidate.
Keep in mind that in the arena of politics, compromise, double-talk, and outright deceit have become an art form. Absolutes by their very nature cannot exist consistently in the life of a politician, and are only ever mentioned or even discussed in the right circles.
We have been told that we can change the spiritual condition of our nation by the men we put into office so often, that in the past few years we've started to believe it. As a consequence of this newfound belief, the Church has gotten political, and God is being used as a commodity, being called upon whenever it suits the candidate, or when it's politically convenient.
Some two thousand years ago, there was another man who naively believed that Jesus was going to be a politician. So adamant was he in his belief, that Christ's kingdom would be of this earth, that Jesus would ascend to power and wield unprecedented political clout, that Judas Iscariot betrayed the Savior of mankind, hoping that Christ would be forced to step into the role, and take upon himself the power that was rightfully his.
As children of God, we must always retain the knowledge that though we may be in this world we are not of it, we are a nation unto ourselves, travelers, who have not yet reached their final destination, who have as yet not made it home.
I am not saying we shouldn't be concerned with what is happening in our nation, but when we compromise the truth of God's word for the sake of politics, when we know more about policy than we do about theology, we run the risk of being blind to the truth, and in our zeal betraying Christ today, as Judas betrayed him.
It is a true and undeniable fact, an inevitable reality of the world we presently live in, that when we put our trust in men, we will be disappointed to a certain extent. Our expectations of the men we elect into office will always fall short of their accomplishments, because no matter how much we would like it to be so, righteousness cannot rule in a world dominated by sin. If we hope to effect change, change must begin with us, and if we hope to see righteousness prevail, righteousness must dwell in our hearts perpetually, without interruption, without compromise, and without duplicity.
Be forewarned, the upcoming elections, will be so brutal, that those who retain no faith in God, will attempt to pander to your love for Him, and say the things they think you want to hear, simply to garner your vote. I pray, in this hour of deception, we are as wise as serpents that we do not fall prey to those who would shamelessly attempt to profit from our lack of discernment.
In the end, when all is said and done, God will have His way, and His will, as to the fate of this nation, as well as the rest of the world, will be done. We are living in the final hours, and more than ever our ceaseless prayer must be, 'come quickly Lord Jesus.'
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.