Tag Archives: election

September 4, 2024 · 11:41 AM

The Most Important Election?

This is the most important election in our lifetime!

I’ve heard that warning in previous elections. More than once.

Each time, it seems to be true. It seems as if the very future of our nation and perhaps even our world hangs in the balance. Each political party proposes a vision for culture that is so different. How can we co-exist?

From time to time someone asks me: What can we do? What should we do? The bureaucratic machine appears to be invincible, unstoppable. Human history appears to be on a pathway to self-destruction.

First, take heart. God predicted this struggle long ago. Three thousand years ago, the Psalmist was moved by God’s Spirit to ask why the nations rage and the peoples plot against the Lord and his Anointed One (see Psalm 2). Two thousand years ago, Jesus informed his disciples that nations and kingdoms will be in death struggles until his Second Coming.

Second, trust God’s plan. God started with one man: Abraham. Abraham left his family and country because he trusted God. From him God built the nation of Israel. Through his chosen people Isarel, God brought us the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

God did all this despite the rage and conspiracies of the other nations. He did it despite the failures and disobedience of his people Israel. Behind the curtain of these political struggles, spiritual battles rage. The Bible records the failed attempts of nation after nation to destroy his chosen people, Israel, to stop God from sending his promised Savior. Nevertheless, God’s Anointed One, Jesus, was born just as God promised.

The Enemy tried to destroy Jesus, thinking the cross would be his demise. It wasn’t. It was his greatest victory.

God continued his kingdom plan with Jesus. Although crucified on a Roman cross, God raised him from the dead. From the crucified and resurrected Christ, God built a church and proclaimed the gospel to the nations. He did it despite the rage and conspiracies of the nations. He continues despite the weakness of the Church.

Nations rise and fall. Leaders come and go. Philosophies dazzle and are forgotten. Meanwhile, God’s kingdom endures. History’s testimony is clear. God’s kingdom advances despite the opposition, despite the appearance of weakness in God’s people.

When Jesus was about to ascend to the Father and entrust God’s kingdom mission to his disciples, they had a question for him. They were interested in the future of the nation of Israel. Jesus didn’t deny the importance of Israel, but he redirected their attention to the nations. Jesus’ followers were to be his Spirit-empowered witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Jesus told his disciples to witness in Jerusalem (nearby), in Judea and Samaria (the surrounding region), and to the ends of the earth (no limits). God loves the nations. When we follow Jesus, his love in us will compel us to share that compassion. The greatest expression of God’s love is to proclaim the good news about eternal life by faith in Jesus.

On another occasion, Jesus put it this way: Go and make disciples of all nations. Jesus expects us to be active. “Go!” he tells us. Whether we go across the street or around the world, we must move out.

But doesn’t God care about justice and righteousness and godliness in our nation and our neighborhoods? Yes, he does! How are we to pursue those worthy goals? Political methods win political victories. Political victories are fleeting.

Eternal victories require spiritual ‘weapons.’ The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. Spirit-empowered gospel witnesses have changed our world in the past. In the book of Acts, they were accused of turning the world upside down! We have the same gospel and the same Spirit. We have the same mission. We have the same ability to turn the world upside down.

Be informed. Vote. Serve in public office when God calls you to do so. But never let these good things be a replacement for the best thing: bold proclamation of the gospel. Let’s labor for the fruit that lasts. Let’s compete for an imperishable crown.

May the Lord inspire and enable us to make eternal marks now,

Brother Richard

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July 23, 2024 · 11:37 AM

God-Talk In The News

I love it when God is in the news. He has been the subject of news stories a couple of times recently. Both instances are related to the current race for the White House.

After a disastrous showing in his debate against former President Donald Trump, current President Joe Biden faced calls to step down as his party’s nominee to serve as president for the next four years. He refused to give up. He insisted on staying in the race.

In an interview on ABC News just days after the debate, Biden was defiant, rejecting the notion that he should step aside and let someone else run against Trump. Pressed by his interviewer, Biden conceded that if the Lord Almighty told him to quit, he might quit. Might?

President Biden seemed to correct himself a moment later by saying that if the Lord Almighty came down and told him to quit, he would quit. But then he added that the Lord Almighty is not coming down. Hmmm. I took that to mean that he was not expecting God’s advice, nor was he seeking to get God’s advice.

Biden’s statements about the Lord may be confusing, but he introduced God into the public conversation. I always welcome that!

It didn’t take long for God to make the news again. Former President Donald Trump was speaking publicly about surviving an assassin’s bullet by the slimmest of margins. The attempt on his life happened while he was delivering a speech at an outdoor rally. At just the right instant, the former president turned his head and avoided death. The shot came so close to hitting its target that it bloodied Trump’s ear.

As the former president recalled this harrowing experience, he gave credit to God for saving his life. Others spoke about the providence of God or the hand of God’s protection in preserving Trump’s life. The circumstances certainly seemed to go far beyond mere coincidence.

Not everyone was comfortable with such talk. Some people seemed agitated by assertions that God acted on Trump’s behalf. Predictably, they invoked the separation of church and state as support for their criticisms. Their well-worn arguments always seek to silence those who dare to include God in the public dialogue. They imply that God talk is somehow a threat to democracy.

As Baptists, our heritage includes strong support for the separation of church and state. In the formulative stages of our nation, our Baptist forefathers insisted on religious freedom. They believed passionately in the distinctive realms of authority that distinguish religion and government. They worked hard for constitutional guarantees to protect the church from state control and to recognize the legitimate realm of authority granted to the state by God.

But a wise separation of powers does not require a foolish silencing of honest dialogue. Recognizing the legitimate realms of church and state does not force private citizens or government servants to edit their beliefs about the most important subject of all: our Maker and Savior. Separation of church and state should never be used as an excuse to silence the truth.

We live in an age that has been called the ‘cancel culture.’ Some believe that their political opponents should be canceled and excluded from public discourse. Sadly, it seems that a significant number of Americans are having second thoughts about our fundamental liberties: freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

One thing I know for certain: You cannot cancel God. Those who are hostile to God may be able to intimidate people into silence for a while, but God isn’t going away. God-talk isn’t going away. God is big enough to handle our dialogue about him, no matter how difficult the questions may be.

Let’s rejoice when God is in the news. Let’s keep God in the conversation.

May the Lord inspire and enable us to speak the truth with love,

Brother Richard

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October 22, 2016 · 11:08 AM

Will Jesus Vote for Trump or Hillary?

Wow! What a campaign! I cannot remember a run for the White House anything like this one . . . not in my lifetime (50+ years).

I wonder what the Lord thinks. Is Jesus leaning toward Hillary or Trump?

What is Jesus’ voting record? He had several political choices in his day. He lived in a country (Israel) that was oppressed by foreigners (Romans). One response was to use violent force against the enemy (Zealots). Jesus does not endorse violence.

Another response was to collaborate with the foreign rulers: go along to get along (Sadducees). Jesus does not compromise.

Others tried to work for change by using the system (Pharisees). They did not persuade Jesus to do things their way.

At least one group got ‘fed up’ and withdrew from the whole mess (Essenes). They went out and lived in the desert. Jesus did not join them.

Revolution? No. Compromise? No. Reform? No. Dropping out? No.

And Jesus had great prospects. The people are so impressed when he miraculously feeds at least 5,000 people with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish – they are willing to support him for king (see John 6); what an incredible opportunity! Think of all the positive changes that Jesus could make as king.

Unbelievable. Jesus turns them down. He walks away and refuses to accept their support in a bid for power.

Does Jesus even care? Doesn’t he know that the only thing that evil needs in order to win is for good people to do nothing?

Jesus cares. And his rejection of the ‘mainstream’ political movements does not mean that he is inactive. Jesus is crystal clear about his mission. It’s not about revolution, reform, collaboration, withdrawal, or even responsible political leadership. He came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

By sticking to his mission, Jesus was made to look like an abject failure. His political enemies had apparently won the day. The religious and political powers collaborated to have him destroyed . . . publicly . . . shamefully . . . executed as a criminal.

Hopefully anyone foolish enough to believe in Jesus would be intimidated into silence.

But Jesus’ followers were not silent. Despite the fact that they had no political power or opportunity or prospects, they boldly spoke the gospel truth. They were risking personal destruction, why?

They knew something that changed everything. Jesus does not use the tactics of his political enemies because he fights to win a much bigger prize. Jesus fights the “good fight” for eternal victory.

Jesus’ followers risked it all for the Lord because Jesus did more than vanquish his political enemies. Jesus conquered death. Jesus paid the penalty for sin. Jesus opened the doorway to God’s greatest blessings.

Jesus’ enemies are footnotes in history. In fact, in the 2 millennia since Jesus was born in Bethlehem many great nations, powerful leaders, and influential movements have come . . . and gone.

The next president of the U.S.A will have the ability to make things better or worse for a lot of people. So we should prayerfully and carefully consider our vote.

But let’s not despair. The next president of the U.S.A. will come and go. He or she will not be our Savior (or the Anti-Christ!).

Jesus is here to stay. He need not run for office. He is King of kings and Lord of lords permanently. And Jesus still does things his own way and he always has the victory, no matter how things may look at the moment.

We need not change Jesus’ methods or goals. The Lord’s power is unstoppable and his victory is inevitable. Be encouraged! Be faithful!

Richard Foster, Grace Baptist Church
Camden News, October 22, 2016

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October 30, 2012 · 10:12 AM

Is It Too Late For America To Have Hope?

Many Christians have expressed deep concern over the presidential election 2012.  Vital issues related to faith and family remain at the forefront of national politics.  Policies and appointments made by our next president will almost certainly contribute to either the healing or the declining of our country.

But this election presents a much bigger question than who will be in the White House for the next four years.  Rather than simply choosing the lesser of two evils, concerned believers should be asking why we are faced with the current choice of candidates.

Some Christian voters say that Mitt Romney’s Mormonism makes no difference.  How can that be?  Mormonism may present some attractive morals, but what about the underlying teachings about the character and plan of God?

Many evangelical believers were outraged when Barak Obama announced that we are no longer a Christian nation.  Yet many of those same people are now apparently willing to vote for a man who professes a religion that is in direct competition with Biblical Christianity, a religion started by a man who declared that all Christian movements and leaders before him taught a false gospel.

Others remind us that the Bible calls for a just society that cares for and provides for the weak and the marginalized.  They believe that Barak Obama’s policies will ensure that we live in a nation that expresses these Biblical values.  But how can we forget that Obama scoffed at the notion of using the Holy Bible as a guide for government policy?

In addition, at a time when God’s design for family is under siege, how can we overlook Obama’s record of promoting abortion and supporting so-called “gay marriage”?  The deconstruction of marriage and family threatens to unravel the fabric of our culture.

By almost every measure the U.S.A. is declining, especially by the most important measure: spiritual vitality.  The spiritual condition of America is shaky at best.  Unless something changes we will find ourselves in a desperate situation.

Pragmatists will insist on limiting the focus of the debate to the two men who are running for office.  But we must honestly ask ourselves why we are faced with such a discouraging dilemma in this election.  How did we sink to our current spiritual state and what should we do about it?

Zedekiah faced a desperate situation.  He was king of Israel about 600 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  He ruled at a time when his nation was threatened by a hostile and powerful enemy.

King Zedekiah needed a word from the Lord.  So he went to the prophet Jeremiah and asked him, “Is there any word from the Lord?”

The prophet Jeremiah had a word from the Lord for Zedekiah.  The king and his nation would be handed over to their enemy, Babylon.  Zedekiah and Israel had ignored God far too long and it was too late for deliverance.

What is the word of the Lord for our country?  Is it too late for America?  I hope not.  But we need to do more than vote for the lesser of two evils.  We need to seek a word from the Lord.

Although the Lord’s word for Zedekiah’s generation was a word of judgment, there was still hope.  A remnant would survive and rebuild at a later date.

More than seeking the right leaders for our government, we urgently need to seek God’s word for our generation.  Our Lord’s policies and decisions are more important than those from Washington, after all, “The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord” (Proverbs 21:1).  Indeed, “there is no authority except that which is from God” (Romans 13:1).

God’s kingdom plan in this age will not be thwarted by either the schemes of his enemies or by the disobedience of his own people.  When one generation fails, God patiently waits and raises up another generation who will faithfully carry on his work.

What will become of our generation?  Let’s exercise our right and responsibility as citizens of this great nation to vote in the election Tuesday November 6.  As we go to our polling places let’s prayerfully and carefully consider the spiritual needs of our society.

Above all else, let us urgently and with open hearts seek a word from the Lord for our time.

Richard Foster, Grace Baptist Church, October 2012
Printed 10/26/12 by Camden News

 

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