October 16, 2018

PRAY THAT CHRISTIANS WILL SHOW UP AT THE POLLS These are great shareable videos to explain and encourage voting for Christians. We also have produced a great voter guide that explains the issues from a biblical perspective. Order any amount FREE by calling our office—1-800-USA-PRAY (872-7729). Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s. (Mt 22:21) VIDEO: JESUS AND POLITICS There are many instances is the Bible where Jesus met with the leaders of His day. Shouldn't we follow His example? VIDEO: CHRISTIANS SHOWING UP FOR THE ELECTIONS CAN MAKE A HUGE IMPACT Take a look at this short video which lays out good reasoning for showing up at the polls for elections as a part of the Body of Christ. PASTOR BRUNSON’S HEARTFELT PRAYER FOR PRES. TRUMP President Trump needs our prayers and God’s wisdom to accomplish the Lord’s plans for our nation. Let him know you are praying for him—send him a message here. Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Rom 13:1) VIDEO: PASTOR BRUNSON PRAYS FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP Pastor Brunson prays for President Trump when they met at the White House on his return from being held as a prisoner in Turkey. Pastor Brunson was facing up to 35 years in prison if convicted of espionage, but those charges were dropped last Friday. “Right now the whole world is a fan of yours, the whole world is a fan,” Trump said. “It’s a great honor to have you back home.” (Excerpt from CBN)

A WORD TO PASTORS ABOUT THE ELECTION

Pray for pastors to preach as the Lord leads, without fear, especially about the critical issues at stake in our elections. Be encouraged by the sound biblical teaching of this article about the freedom and responsibility pastors have to exhort their congregations.

Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. (Ti 2:1 MSG)

As a pastor for over 25 years, I have found that most people do not like politics spewed from the pulpit. As believers, we live in and from another Kingdom and seek to live above the kingdoms of this world. The government we aspire to is eternal and ever increasing (Is 9:6-7). At the same time, we live under a civil government as stewards and citizens here on the earth.

Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 teach us that earthly governments are sanctioned by God and have authority to protect citizens, punish evildoers, and provide an environment where people can flourish. In our form of government we vote representatives into legislative offices. Laws are enacted and changed through the legislative process. If Christians desire to have a voice in the shaping of our laws and ordinances, we must vote for the candidates that most closely reflect a biblical worldview. In this form of government, our voice is our vote.

As a pastor, I feel a responsibility to teach people about what the Word of God says about the various issues to insure they are thinking from a biblical worldview and not a secular one (Ti 2:1). Without calling attention to specific candidates or parties, I teach what Scripture says about the core issues of our faith and encourage them to compare these truths with the candidates and their parties.

Some of the positions that I believe are critical for believers to embrace are the sanctity of life, marriage between a man and woman, religious freedom, and sound financial stewardship. If we can get the basic dogmas of our faith in place, other issues will come into alignment. As the election season approaches I encourage people to prayerfully consider candidates in the following ways:

• Candidates that support life and biblical marriage are critical in upholding biblical values and a Christian worldview. Even if a candidate is not a believer, they can be God-fearing and honoring of biblical values. • Determine which platforms are the most biblically aligned. When we vote for a candidate, we are also standing in agreement with their party. We must be sure we are not unequally yoked as believers. • Look beyond the personality to their message. Some leaders have magnetic personalities and some do not. Good fruit always follows good leaders, regardless of their style or persona.

Most importantly, I urge the people to pray. We are instructed to pray for all who serve in office and, as believers, we must be bipartisan in our prayers. My call is to preach the Word of God and remind the people of our ongoing opportunity to impact our civil government through our voice AND our vote.

PRAYER POINTS:

Pray for pastors to have the courage and boldness to teach biblical values with clarity and purpose.

Pray for church leaders to have a firm conviction of Kingdom principles that uphold the sanctity of live, biblical marriage, and other core doctrines of the Christian faith.

Pray for leaders to have the wisdom and discernment to equip their congregations to be effective change agents in our culture for the sake of the Kingdom.

(By Pastor Bobby Alger, Crossroads Community Church, Winchester, Virginia)

WHAT MAKES A GOVERNING OFFICIAL SCRIPTURALLY QUALIFIED?

Pray that all elected officials and those running for office would have a life-changing encounter with Christ.

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. (Pr 2:1-8)

In our desire to elect qualified officials, Christians have differed on what qualifies a candidate to be elected to office. In Scripture, there is a clear difference between the job description of a civil servant and a church leader.

The unique qualifications for church leaders (deacons, overseers, elders) are stated in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1:6-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-3. Some of the many character qualities required of these servants are being above reproach, temperate and self-controlled, teachable, good managers of their household, not lovers of money, respectable to outsiders, and upright in character. The expectations of holy and righteous conduct is clearly described throughout these passages.

It is evident that those whom the Lord calls to lead the church are held to a high standard. They, and their families, must demonstrate godly character and a life of integrity that upholds biblical values. Their role is to bring the lost into the kingdom (Mat 18:16-20), disciple believers into holiness and godliness (1 Tm 4:6-11), and to mature the Bride of Christ (Eph 4:12-16). In all the descriptors, it is clear that God expects high moral character and purity of heart in those who lead His church.

However, the Bible refers to civil servants differently. Rather than a list of qualifications, the Lord details how He will use governmental leaders to accomplish His purposes. In Romans 13:1-6 and 1 Peter 2:13-14, the role of governing authorities within human institutions describes a different kind of leader. They are:

God’s servant for the good of the people A terror to bad conduct, bearing the sword Avengers who carry out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer Ministers of God, attending to taxation of the people

Sent by God to punish those who do evil and praise those who do good

These descriptions of how God will use civil leaders include no indications of personal morality or godliness being necessary. They are used by God, and in that sense are authorized by Him, yet their personal conduct and behavior is not mentioned. Their primary roles are to keep the people safe from harm, punish those who break the law, and reward those who do good. The authority granted to them is so strong that it should even bring “terror” (fear of the Lord) to those who break the laws of the land.

In Exodus 18:21-22 judges were appointed to govern the people. Their list of qualifications called for men who feared God, were trustworthy, and hated bribes. Again, their personal morality was not a factor, as much as their track record of being truthful, honest and God-fearing. King Cyrus (Isaiah 45) and the Pharaoh (Genesis 41) were both heathen rulers who recognized God at work and empowered the people of God to flourish and succeed. In both testaments, God’s purposes for governing rulers was to discern rightly, judge fairly, and follow the laws of the land so that all would thrive.

What does this mean in today’s political process? As believers, we can certainly pray that all our elected officials would fear the Lord and love God. At the same time, there will be those who do not follow Christ, yet have made the personal choice to honor those who do. Where their persona or public image seems less favorable to believers, we can look to the primary qualifications in Scripture to determine their ability to govern well. Unlike church leaders who must model Christ to the flock, civil government leaders are called to rule over those who are not yet saved and have no godly standard. This is what creates a society where believers can be free to exercise their faith and share the Gospel without hindrance.

Believers live from another Kingdom and another government (Isaiah 9:7-9). Yet, we live as stewards on the earth who can influence and impact the governing institutions for good. Let’s not disqualify those whom the Lord chooses simply because they may not pass the litmus test for church leaders. Their roles are different as are their job descriptions. Even as we pray for our governing officials to have a life-changing encounter with Christ, let us also pray that they would meet the qualifications for governing well.

PRAYER POINTS:

Pray that all elected officials and those running for office would have a life-changing encounter with Christ. (Pr 2:1-8)

Pray for our civil government authorities to rule with impartiality, fairness, and integrity while honoring people of faith and biblical values. (Ps 2:10-11)

Pray for our church leaders to embrace their call with the fear of the Lord, demonstrating godly character and strong leadership for the sake of the Kingdom. (Ps 78:72)

(By Wanda Alger, IFA Field Correspondent)