It seems that our Bible tells us to do two things with our public lives - share Jesus and stand for righteousness. Some fall on one side or the other; few advocate both. But the balanced view is the Biblical view. I'll not comment on evangelism right now. But I'll speak about standing for righteousness in a country bent on going the other way.
If it weren't for believers standing for righteousness - even to the point of willingness to die for it - we would not be a nation at all today. Christians today need that same level of commitment. [Just a thot - doesn't commitment follow desire? Could it be that Christians do not DESIRE righteousness like they used to?] We can do some specific things in our nation today that will have an impact:
- Vote for Christians
- Initiate or sign petitions to our leaders
- Run for office
- Support Christian Legal groups who defend our freedoms in the courts
- Write and call our leaders at all levels
- Stay abreast of the issues
- Attend local government meetings (BofE; City Council; County Commissioners, etc.)
- Pray - even when others don't do right
- Organize public rallies and protests on issues (we DO have freedom of assembly, and do NOT need permits to do so in most cases)
If more Christians would be involved in these simple citizenship activities, we would be able to slow the slide to debauchery the ACLU and Democrats seem so bent on sending our way.
By the way - doing these things is NOT activism - it's simple citizenship. The reason so many call it "activism" today is because so few do even these basics and so are not "active" citizens.
ReplyDeleteYou know it's funny that you say this because Kenny and I (my husband) were talking just yesterday about how "Christians" don't stand up and make enough noise. Why? Are we trying to be "Christian-like"? Are we trying to be "tolerant"? It's funny how news media plays it's role in all of this. They air coverage for days over almost anything. They jump at any chance for coverage. I mean stupid stuff. I know we've all been watching the news before and thought to ourselves come on get over it already. Have you noticed that The Federal Judge in California ruling that the recitation of The Pledge was unconstitutional, got only a quick little breaking news flash and that was it? No other coverage on the matter. Yet if it was a news story concerning sex, murder, or just anything trashy it would be everywhere. No but the media doesn't feel that something as moral and patriotic as the Pledge deserves any attention. Why? Well, because they know that "unbelievers"(and believers alike for that matter) are going to flock to their t.v.s for the trashy news but they know that we "believers" aren't gonna care enough and stand up for issues like the Pledge. Why do we sit by and tolerate the downfall of our country? Why do we not fight? Being a Christian is not about trying to "just get along with everyone and be all warm and fuzzy inside towards everyone." We are not to tolerate sin!!!!!!! We are to love everyone and pray for them and try to turn them from their sin. Where in the bible did Jesus ever tell anyone okay honey, so you're an adulterer. I love you and accept you that way because it's just who you are? As Christians, accepting this downfall coming at us from all directions and not standing up for God is probably one of the biggest sins of all!!
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons Christians are NOT involved in their citizenship roles is because the Bible says our citizenship is in Heaven, not earth. Every believer, even you, the reader, struggles with the balance of doing the spiritual things of the Bible and doing the non-spiritual things of the Bible. That means balancing evangelism with citizenship. Some Christians do ONLY evangelism, while others do ONLY citizenship. Both are out of balance. The Holy Spirit, however, must help each person determine his role.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, could it be that the Holy Spirit, in governing the business of mankind, has intentionally NOT moved more believers to be involved as American Citizens for the express purpose of advancing His agenda for world history? Could it be intentional in order to bring about the second coming of Christ?
That's not to say we shouldn't be involved, nor is it to say we should not encourage involvement. But it might just explain the LACK of involvement, and give us hope at the same time. It helps ME keep from being exasperated, frustrated, and angry at others.