I’m
curious, have you watched all the debates?
Some of the debates? What
debates??? How many of you have
already made up your mind who you will vote for? Do you think churches and preachers should
stay away from all things political? I
strongly believe churches and preachers should be at the heart of all things
political, so this morning bear with me.
Dave
and I heard two sermons recently that bring us some hope in this heated
political season. My message today is
for you, whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Socialist,
Independent, or Uninterested and Unengaged.
What I am going to talk about today are concrete ways you can make a
positive impact on America’s politics – and more importantly on America’s
culture that seems to grow more course, more corrupt and lacking in civility by
the day.
I’m
going to share with you a few ways you can be a Good Samaritan, like in our
lesson today, to a hurting and wounded America.
You see, what happens in America, well, it’s up to you.
One sermon
we heard came from prayer rally led by Franklin Graham in Tallahassee.
Franklin, in
case you don’t know, is the son of Billy Graham and currently the head of Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association and the head of Samaritan's Purse. Many of you participate in one of their
ministries - Operation Christmas Child.
Like his father’s crusades in the past, Franklin is going to each state
capitol to pray for America before November's election. It’s called Decision America if you want to
find out more about it.
Using Nehemiah
1 as his text, he called us to prayer.
This is the first and most important thing Good Samaritan’s can do. Franklin led the crowd, of about 2,500, in a
time of prayer to confess the sins of America, to confess our personal sins,
and even to ask God’s forgiveness for the sins of our fathers.
I encourage
you to continue to pray for America, and for America to turn to God. He talked about the sins of the past, like
slavery, and the sins that plague the history of many families like abuse and
addiction. And we asked God to heal those
scars.
Franklin
continued: “Before our nation can be
healed, our individual hearts must be healed.”
He knows, as I do, that America will only be reformed, one heart, one
mind, at a time. Dave and I pray every
day for the people we love who don’t know Jesus. They don’t listen to us anymore. We pray that God will put someone in their
path that will encourage them to give their life to Jesus. That is what will change America.
Just like
Nehemiah called for the people of Israel to repair the part of the wall of
Jerusalem that was right in front of them, pray for the needs right in front of
you. You know what touches your
heart. Pray about it.
And pray for
yourself. Franklin encouraged all us to
confess our sins, and humble ourselves before a loving and forgiving
Father. And to never, never doubt that
God loves you and that your sins are erased.
Never doubt that God is with you and that eternal life is a
reality. Knowing all this puts a whole
different perspective on things, and helps us to not be afraid. Pray for God’s guidance in your own life as
well as in the life of our nation and its citizens.
Franklin
also offered a prayer, as we just did, to invite people to give their lives to
Jesus. I saw one man in front of us do just
that, and then text Franklin that he had made a decision to follow Jesus.
Prayer is
essential to the reformation of our nation.
Can you imagine if most Americans followed Jesus and prayed to him daily
how different our nation would be? One
heart, one mind at a time.
What can we
do to help heal America? Pray. It’s
up to you.
The other message I want to tell you about came from Andy
Stanley. Andy is the son of another
famous preacher, Charles Stanley. About
20 years ago, Andy left his father’s ministry and with a few others started his
own church, Northpoint in Atlanta. Their
goal to engage the unchurched or the never been churched with Jesus and to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus
Christ. I’ve heard it is the
largest Protestant congregation in the United States. Between their various campuses and on-line
services, they reach over 30,000 people each week. The message we heard a couple days before
going to Tallahassee was "Avoiding Election Infection." I’m going to share some of it with you, and
if you want you can watch it here: http://northpoint.org/messages/avoiding-election-infection/
Andy
issued a challenge to his congregation:
between now and the election on November 8th, put your faith
before your politics.
That
should be easy. Of course, there is no
conflict between my faith and my politics. God is a Republican – right? Jesus does sit on the right hand of God after
all. He praises the truly righteous. That’s
easy. However, many of my Democrat
friends, would tell me hold the phone.
Jesus was all about healing the sick, feeding the poor and bashing the
rich, and so are Democrats. Jesus would
definitely be a Democrat. I can make the
same case, with different Biblical examples of course, for everyone from libertarians
to socialists.
Andy
went on to explain how to put your faith before your politics in a way you may
not have thought of before. When it
comes to putting faith before politics – we can't say Bible first, politics
second. No matter where you stand you
can find something in the Bible to support it, and someone else can find
something to support their position. (I’m
sure you can think of examples)
And,
no matter where you stand, we can’t even say we should put Jesus first,
political party second because you can find something Jesus said or did to
support where you stand, and again, so can the other guy. (Again, provide your own examples.)
We all want Jesus on our side,
but Jesus didn't come to be on anyone's side.
He came to take over.
For us to get this right, and we
must get this right, requires more than doing what the Bible says, and more
than what Jesus said. This requires that
we approach this topic the way Jesus approached everything. To get this right we must do something that
Jesus always did. And Jesus did one
thing specifically and one thing consistently that models the way for all of
us. All of us can do this. It’s not complicated. You don't have to write it down. It is simple but so convicting, and so
transformational.
The way you keep your faith in
front of your politics. The way you put
your faith filter first is by putting people first and politics second.
Jesus always put what was best for people first. That is our common ground as citizens and our
common ground as Christians. That is our
common ground with our Heavenly Father.
We can and will disagree, which
we will and we should, on what is best for people, but we can't disagree that
what's best for people is what's best.
Name
anything, any issue, before Congress or the city council. We can debate what the best approach to
address the problem is, but we can't debate that what's best for people is
what's best. We all want to help the
poor, to be like the Good Samaritan, if you will, but how do we do that? Do we provide the poor with handouts or with a
hand up – or with some combination of both.
Let
me remind you again of The Greatest Commandment from our scripture lesson this
morning. “‘You must love the Lord your
God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’
And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Love
God, which is mostly inside work, heart work – as seen in your prayer life,
worship, study. And you demonstrate your
love for God on the outside by how you treat other people.
If you don't remember anything
else Jesus says, remember this - love God, and demonstrate your love for God by
how you treat the people God created.
People made in the image of God.
How you treat people is a reflection of how you love God.
We can disagree on what's best
for our neighbors, but we dare not forget that what is best for our neighbors
is what is best.
Imagine
if everybody in the United States said - I am going to consistently love my
neighbor as myself. I'm going to do for
others what I would want them to do for me.
If that happened our nation would feel different. Many of the laws on our books would become
quickly irrelevant.
What
can you do to help a hurting America? Love people. Put people before politics. It’s up to you.
Both
Andy Stanley and Franklin Graham encouraged their listeners to engage in the
political process as people of faith.
It’s
good, it’s essential, to have an opinion on important issues facing us– but law
of love insists that we listen to the opinions of others and try to understand
where they are coming from.
It’s
difficult to do, because we might have to think about new ways of doing
things. Your behavior, your political
views make perfect sense to you. So do
everybody else’s.
One
of best things you can do this election season (all the time actually), is
listen to folks whose opinions are different than yours. Learn from them. Be a student first, critic second.
Let
me give you two personal examples. When
the Syrian refugee crisis was in the headlines, a preacher friend of mine
posted something on Facebook criticizing those “Republican Tea Party
Evangelical ‘so called’ Christians” for wanting to refuse the refugees entry
into the US. In a private message – not on Facebook:
I'm one of
those "Republican Tea Party Evangelical 'so called' Christians" you
mentioned, and I'd like to give you my perspective on this. I'm not as
heartless as you seem to want to portray me.
I, as have many others, have been supporting humanitarian efforts in
Iraq and Syria since the crisis with the Yazidis over a year ago through Samaritan's Purse
(providing help to folks of all faiths), the Cradle Fund and Mercury One
(focusing on Christians). Mercury One
has raised over $12 million and is in the process of relocating Christian
families and communities, I believe somewhere in Europe, since the US will not
accept Christians despite the genocide being waged against them. [They have
since settled about 150 in Europe. UMCOR
while on the ground seems to have a fairly insignificant presence. I think
bringing folks from that region of the world to America puts Americans at risk,
but does not mean we don't help folks of all faiths displaced by ISIS, Assad,
and others. There is no one on the
"Right" who is denying humanitarian aid, in fact just the opposite.
Most want to increase it, and perhaps help secure it with a no-fly zone. Speaking as a Christian and as a
conservative, I want to make sure in this time of war with jihadists (and yes
we are at war) that our leaders keep America safe and help those persecuted by
ISIS and displaced by the fighting. Please don't paint me as hateful, racist,
and especially not a 'so called' Christian.
I am as concerned as you are, but my heart leads me to a different
solution.
Here is her response:
Susan, I so appreciate your
thoughtful insight from a different perspective. I'm afraid the media paint
everything in broad strokes and eventually it taints our thinking. You've
reminded me that nothing is as simplistic as we'd like to make it. Thanks again
for taking the time to send me this message. Just knowing your one of those
conservative evangelicals makes me think of all more highly.
We’re
still friends and have a respect for each other’s opinions even if we disagree.
Another
example: Dave and I went to a community
discussion on gun violence sponsored by League of Women voters. We are
very supportive of the 2nd Amendment and wanted to hear what was
said. One speaker focused on the
importance of the 2nd amendment. Another talked about the need for increased
regulation and spoke strongly against expanding concealed carry on college
campuses. The couple was obviously very
interested in more gun control, and expressed concern about guns in the hands
of untrained citizens.
Afterwards,
Dave started up a conversation with them.
Many of their concerns were rooted in fear of what happens when guns get
into the hand of the wrong people. We
talked about how criminals will still break the law, and law-abiding citizens
will still follow it. During the
conversation, we agreed that we should perhaps take the focus off guns, and
talk more about combating the sources of violence in our culture. Perhaps our children need more education on
civility and respect for human life. Perhaps
more resources should be devoted to mental health care. Perhaps more gun education and gun safety information
should be provided in school – rather than focusing on further gun control
regulations. All of us want to feel safe
in our homes and communities. We could
agree on that.
Two
civil conversations. It’s possible.
In
our world, if we listen to each other we might just find a new way, a better
way to solve our problems that actually honors God and does what it best for
people he created. By listening and
responding respectfully, we are less likely to jeopardize a relationship, less
likely to burn bridges with someone. For
in the end, it’s more important that we influence them for Jesus than we do for
any political candidate or policy.
Engage
in the process through civil conversation – you might learn something. And you might just help someone see Christ’s
light in you by your kindness and gentleness.
Engagement
in the world is more than conversation. Franklin
Graham also encouraged us to become a part of the political process.
He quoted
his father, Billy Graham, who is 97 now, and still praying hard. In 1952, Billy Graham said,
It is the duty of Christian men and women to
offer themselves to public office. One reason
we have such bad leaders is that in some places only bad ones offer themselves
for office. Christian men and women must
offer themselves for office.
And it’s not
just the presidency that is important. Those
who are elected as mayor, school board members, city councils and state
representatives have much more influence over the communities in which we
live. In your prayers, ask God if you
should throw your hat into the political arena.
Billy Graham
also said in that speech,
I feel that we are going to have to meet our
political obligation as Christians to make our voices known if America is to be
preserved with the type of Christian heritage which has given us the liberties
we now enjoy.
Unless America turns back to God, repents of
its sins, and experiences a spiritual revival we will fail as a nation. God honors leaders in high places who honor
him. It is easiest thing in the world
for us Christians to think of national and world politics as something
involving only men and women of the world.
That is where we fail. Our job as
Christians is to make the impact of Christ felt in every phase of life. Religious, social, economic and
political. We must not do it in our own
strength or wisdom. We can only do it
when we surrender ourselves completely to God and allow him to work in us.
And there is
more, Billy Graham also said – “If I were the pastor of a church, I believe
would speak to my congregation about where the candidates stand morally,
spiritually and in relationship to the church.”
And, I would
add to that list which candidates will work for what is best for people, who
will listen to folks with different opinions to learn
from them, to find new and better ways to do what is best for people.
I’m going to
take a moment and name the current presidential candidates of the two major
parties. Over 20 others have declared
candidacies as well. If you don’t know
where they stand morally, spiritually and in relationship to the church it is
your responsibility to find out. I
suggest you not trust CNN or Fox or whichever media outlet you prefer, but read
their own words, listen to their entire speeches, and visit their
websites. Liking them on Facebook is
good idea too.
Look at what
they have done and accomplished in their lives – and how they went about
accomplishing their goals. Have they sought God’s guidance in prayer? Have they honored God? Have
they followed God’s law of love done what is best for people?
Here they
are in reverse alphabetical order: Donald Trump, Rick Santorum, Bernie Sanders,
Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Martin O’Malley, John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, Carly
Fiorina, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton, Chris Christie, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush.
My
preference this election cycle is Ben Carson.
I can confidently answer yes to all these questions and respect him as a
healer and as a strong leader. If you don't know
much about him check him out. If you
have another opinion, let’s talk about it.
As you think
about it, the choice for you of who to vote for may not be clear. Pick the person who best represents godly
principles. Whose life exhibits the
fruit of the spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness,
goodness, faithfulness and self-control.
This isn’t just a quiz for presidents, but for all elected
officials. Not just in national
elections, but local ones as well.
How can you
help and heal America? Get engaged.
And, guess
what, I’m going to vote – and so should you.
In that 1952
speech Billy Graham said – what was repeated strongly by Franklin and Andy - “I
think it is the duty of individual Christians to study issues and candidates
and go to the polls and vote.”
In many
countries people can talk about things, complain about things, have an opinion
about things but in America we have a vote, which is our voice in deciding
these things.
Franklin and
many others cite statistics from the 2012 elections, but I’m not sure of the
source. I got these numbers from a
recent interview I heard with Ted Cruz’s father. There are approximately 59 million evangelical
Christians in the US. I am one of
them. Not all Methodists are evangelical. Actually, we are considered more a mainline denomination
than an evangelical one, but I digress.
The point is that out of the 59 million evangelicals, over 12 million are
not even registered to vote. Of the ones
that are 26 million didn’t bother to go to the polls. That means at least 38 million Christians
didn’t vote, didn’t contribute their voice to deciding the direction of our
nation.
Our politics
are a reflection, not of all Americans, but of American’s who vote. And so many elections are decided by just a
few.
There are
three opportunities for Floridians to vote this year. The first is March 15th for the Florida
presidential preference primary. To vote
you must be registered by February 16th. For the RNC, the winner receives all of
Florida’s delegates for the national convention. For the DNC, delegates are awarded
proportionately by congressional district and by the state. It’s a fairly complicated formula. There is still time for you to register and to vote. Don’t
delay.
In August
there is a primary election. We are not
sure yet who will be on the ballot then.
To vote in
the general election on November 8, you must be registered by October 11. Go to the supervisor of elections office or
their website for the details.
How do we
heal a hurting America? I’m going to
make my voice heard by my vote.
After the
San Bernardino terrorist attack, the headline in the New York Daily News
declared, “God Is Not Fixing This.” But
I think you are here this morning because you believe, or you at least hope,
that God can fix this. But how?
God can fix
this. God can fix this through you – for
you are God’s hands and feet and voice in this world. That’s the role of the Good Samaritan.
Pray. Put people before politics.
Get engaged. Vote.
It’s up to
you.
We have all been taught, I hope:
"Do to others as you would have them do
to you." 
