Sunday, November 25, 2012

The Missing Influence

If I step back and take a good look at the goings on in the simple church,  as well as many other church (grouped gatherings) movements,  I see people, endowed by the grace of God with an insight into the way God intended things to operate among peoples and nations, an ability to discern truth and righteousness,  a generous heart, and an understanding of the value of life and the individual.    

These are good people who are valuable to all peoples and the nations of the earth because of these things, but who often have become focused inwardly on what they do as a fellowship and what they do within their faith group, rather than on establishing the good principles of truth and justice, fairness, rights and responsibilities that belong to each person where they live, especially in government and in business. 
I recently listened to the first lecture in the free Constitution 101 series of Hillsdale College online. I was struck by the in depth thought of those who founded our nation, and how deeply their faith was interwoven thru the development of the plans on how we would be governed. They did not just establish this nation to be free of religious persecution, but rather to implement the principles of government that are ordained to make men free to serve both God and each other.  
If governments are ministries of God for good, church people are needed there, especially simple church people.  God has given the earth to the sons of men, and daughters too,  but we often let it run amok without any voice for truth and righteousness and the good that God intended for us.  We squabble in facebook and in online blogs about things that are the Lord’s business to correct and to establish.  Did the Lord Jesus not say that he would build his church and that the gates of hell would be invaded by it?   We have left the gates of hell alone to keep the hearts and minds of people entrapped by deceptive doctrines about government.   How do we get our attention back on the things that affect how we live in this world, and the world we leave to our children? 
We do a disservice to the plans and purposes of God when we leave government to others and focus our energies instead on how we do church.  We should not be fear mongers,  or slanderers,  or people of discontent,  but we need to take up the charge of establishing our towns and our counties, our states and our nation to operate the way that God intended, and not to be shy about it.  We were made to be a blessing in the earth.   The preacher used to be a man of influence in our towns,  but we are each called to be the preachers, the evangelists, the disciple making people.  Good government is really about discipleship.  If we leave the discipleship of the world to others,  we have an enemy who will take up where we have left off.