Thanksgiving Prayer

This is part of George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789—

George Washington at prayer“…May we also unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him—

To pardon our national and other transgressions,

To enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually,

To render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed,

To protect and guide all nations and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord,

To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science,

And generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.”

Amen!

Organization In The Church

A.W. Tozer“The man who would oppose organization in the church must needs be ignorant of the facts of life. Art is organized beauty; music is organized sound; philosophy is organized thought; science is organized knowledge; government is merely society organized. And what is the true church of Christ but organized mystery? … Many church groups have perished from too much organization, even as others from too little. Wise church leaders will watch out for both extremes. A man may die as a result of having too low blood pressure as certainly as from having too high, and it matters little which takes him off. He is equally dead either way. The important thing in church organization is to discover the scriptural balance between two extremes and avoid both.” —A.W. Tozer (emphasis added)

Pastor, what do you think of Tozer’s thoughts of organization in the church? How do you balance against the extremes?

Reflections On Washington

US Capital BuildingMy oldest son is graduating from high school this year, and my wife and I wanted to take him on a special trip for spring break. So we spent the week touring Washington, D.C.

I have never visited our nation’s capital before, and after being there, I’m sorry that I didn’t make that trip earlier! I am bit of a history buff, so seeing all of the historical landmarks and learning more about the people who contributed to the success of America was amazing!

Here are a few reflections I have from my time…

I need to be more grateful. So many people have sacrifice so much for me to enjoy the freedom I could easily take for granted, if I’m not careful.

I need to study more. Our history is so rich! For me it’s fun to learn about the men and women of our past, but it’s more important than that. If we don’t learn the lessons of the past, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes of the past.

I need to pray more. Our elected officials face an enormous challenge each and every day. Scripture is clear that prayer for those in our government commanded of us, but the Bible also says that praying for them is beneficial for us.

I need to learn more about Cedar Springs history. The great men and women of American history weren’t all born in Washington, D.C., nor did they all live or work there. I live in a community of hard-working, innovative, passionate individuals. The next Lincoln, or Jefferson, or Jay, or Webster might be right here in my community, and I want to be prepared to support them.

I need to visit Washington again soon. For three solid days we took in everything we possibly could, and we hardly scratched the surface. I can’t wait to go back to learn more!

8 Quotes From “I Never Thought I’d See The Day”

I Never Thought I'd See The DayYou can read my book review of Dr. David Jeremiah’s I Never Thought I’d See The Day by clicking here. These are eight quotes that especially caught my attention in this book. Unless the quotes are otherwise attributed, they are from Dr. Jeremiah.

“I’ve shaken my fist in anger at stalled cars, storm clouds, and incompetent meteorologists. I’ve even, on one terrible day, that included a dead alternator, a blaring tornado-warning siren, and a horribly wrong weather forecast, cursed all three at once. I’ve fumed at furniture, cursed at crossing guards, and held a grudge against Gun Barrel City, Texas. I’ve been mad at just about anything you can imagine.

“Except unicorns. I’ve never been angry at unicorns.

“It’s unlikely you’ve ever been angry at unicorns either. We can become incensed by objects and creations both animate and inanimate. We can even, in a limited sense, be bothered by the fanciful characters in books and dreams. But creatures like unicorns that don’t exist—that we truly believe not to exist—tend not to raise our ire. We certainly don’t blame the one-horned creatures for our problems.

“The one social group that takes exception to this rule is atheists. They claim to believe that God does not exist and yet, according to empirical studies, tend to be the people most angry at Him.” —Joe Carter

“While the atheist arrogantly persists in the delusion that his reason is fully capable of figuring out all that there is, the religious believer lives in the humble acknowledgment of the limits of human knowledge, knowing that there is a reality greater than, and beyond, that which our senses and minds can ever apprehend.” —Dinesh D’Souza

“God brought two perfect, sinless people together in the Garden of Eden, a man and a woman who knew the perfect love of God. They did not get married to find love but to walk together in the unity and purpose God created them to fulfill: the primary task of birthing and raising the next generation. And in the process, love happened.”

“It is significant that while Adam was single, satan did not approach him or tempt him to disobey God. He waited until after Adam’s marriage to launch his attack. You would think it easier to attack one person instead of two, but by waiting he was able to attack not just an individual, but also God’s foundational building block for harmony and stability—marriage. By attacking marriage, he was able to create division and disharmony between humans themselves as well as between humans and God.”

“The oneness found in marriage is the same kind of oneness found in the Trinity.”

“We can be lulled into complacency by adopting uncritically the principle of submission to government on the assumption that the Christian history of our nation makes it safe to let our leaders do our thinking for us. But we cannot do this in our post-Christian nation where God’s Word is being marginalized. Nothing could be more dangerous for Christians and churches than to wander thoughtlessly down this path of increasing biblical indifference—a path that could well lead to a place where the Bible is not merely marginalized, but banned outrightly.”

“If the Church is being ignored because we preach the message of ‘Jesus Christ and Him crucified’ (1 Corinthians 2:2), or because the Gospel has become ‘a stumbling stone and rock of offense’ (Romans 9:33) to the world, that’s one thing. But if we are deemed irrelevant because we’re an anemic version of the world’s entertainment options or because we aren’t playing the world’s game nearly as well as the world does, then that’s another thing. That’s a tragedy.”

“William Tyndale wisely sought to avoid the confusion between ‘Church” and ‘church’ by translating ekklesia as ‘congregation’ instead of ‘church.’ …We must maintain a clean understanding of the difference between Church and church—and the priority of the former over the latter. Church buildings can necessitate huge investments of resources for construction and maintenance, and they are only temporary. Keeping the focus on people is the biblical priority and will result in the Church’s remaining relevant.”

God & Government

Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. (Titus 3:1 NLT)

According to this verse I don’t see a conflict between the Church and the State. 

God calls us as Christians to arrange ourselves properly under the government hierarchy. Submission is not blind followership; submission is obeying all moral laws.

God also calls us to show proper respect to the governing officials, and to be ready to lend a hand to them when we can.

The Church is not in competition with the government. Both the governments of men and the Church are instituted by God. There is a proper role for both. There are some things that should be left to the government, and other things that should be left to the Church, and still other things that both should attend to together.

We need wisdom to know which institution should handle which item. In the meantime, may we Christians always be submissive, obedient, respect, and ready to help.

Check out some other thoughts about a biblical view of government here.

You Must Care About Your Vote

I’ve been encouraging people to join me in praying during the 40 days leading up to today’s Election Day. Now that the day is here, you need to do more than pray: You must vote!

Listen to these wise words spoken nearly a century ago—

All the opportunity for self-government through the rule of the people depends upon one single factor. That is the ballot box. . . . The people of our country are sovereign. If they do not vote they abdicate that sovereignty, and they may be entirely sure that if they relinquish it other forces will seize it, and if they fail to govern themselves some other power will rise up to govern them. The choice is always before them, whether they will be slaves or whether they will be free. The only way to be free is to exercise actively and energetically the privileges, and discharge faithfully the duties which make freedom. It is not to be secured by passive resistance. It is the result of energy and action….

Persons who have the right to vote are trustees for the benefit of their country and their countrymen. They have no right to say they do not care. They must care! They have no right to say that whatever the result of the election they can get along. They must remember that their country and their countrymen cannot get along, cannot remain sound, cannot preserve its institutions, cannot protect its citizens, cannot maintain its place in the world, unless those who have the right to vote do sustain and do guide the course of public affairs by the thoughtful exercise of that right on election day. —President Calvin Coolidge (November 3, 1924)

Please vote today for those candidates who most closely align with biblical values. And then don’t stop praying for our elected officials today, but pray every day that those officials would exercise God-glorifying, biblically-sound wisdom in discharging their duties.

My Part

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy—

…God our Savior, Who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

And we all say, “Yes!!” Then I quickly ask, “So what’s my part in this?

The quick and easy answer springs to my mind, “I have to tell others about Jesus!” This is true—and it is needed—but this is NOT what Paul says here.

Did you notice the ellipsis (the …) at the beginning of the verse I quoted above? Here’s the part that comes before—

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, Who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (verses 1-4)

My part in all men coming to a knowledge of the truth is PRAYER. Specifically, prayer for those in authority over us. These prayers translate into an environment where we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

It’s in this peaceful environment that we are better able to be “a teacher of the true faith” (verse 7).

My part is not to add to the noise.

My part is not to argue my position.

My part is not to protest.

My part is to pray.

I hope you will join me in prayer not only for the upcoming election but all year round for those in authority so that all…may come to a knowledge of the truth.

Democracy, Immoral Laws, And A Christian’s Responsibility

We know the law is good if one uses it properly. (1 Timothy 1:8)

Whether laws are labeled spiritual or civil, the IF in that verse is very important. Law is intended to restrain unbecoming or immoral activities. Laws are aimed at lawbreakers. But in order for any law to carry weight, it has to be backed up by something more solid than a man’s opinion of what is “right” or “wrong.”

According to Scripture, a law must…

  • …be supported by sound doctrine (1 Timothy 1:10). What defines “sound doctrine” is the word of God, not man-made opinion. Jesus said about the Pharisees, “They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men” (Matthew 15:9). The New Living Translation renders this verse: “Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as the commands of God.”
  • …conform to the gospel (1 Timothy 1:11). Literally this means filtered through Scripture. Any law that does not have its foundation set on a biblical principle is, by definition, an immoral, man-made law.

So what is the Christian’s role in the legislative process? I see four responsibilities for Christians:

1. Pray for our elected officials that they would have a God-fearing, biblically-sound perspective in their legislative activities (see 1 Timothy 2:1-2).

2. Stay informed on the law-making activities on both the local, state, and national levels (see Acts 17:11; 1 Chronicles 12:32).

3. Speak out against unbiblical, immoral laws (see Esther 4; 1 Peter 2:17).

4. Disobey immoral laws. The Bible commands us to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Luke 20:25). We must never give to Caesar what is God’s (see Acts 5:29)!

I love Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter From Birmingham Jail where he addresses Christian pastors about the rightness of peacefully disobeying immoral laws. If you haven’t read this masterpiece, please take time to do so. In this letter, Dr. King wrote:

Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. So I have tried to make it clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or even more, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends.

Christian, you have a responsibility. Pray, be informed, respectfully speak out against immoral laws, and then peacefully disobey when it is necessary.

40 Days Of Prayer For The USA

There has always been something special in the Bible about:

  • 40 days of prayer
  • The hunger of God’s people for Him to move
  • God’s miraculous, powerful response

Elections in the United States are always a pivotal time. The Bible makes it clear that God sets people in positions of authority in our governments, but His Word also makes it clear that it is the responsibility of Christians to pray for their leaders.

The presidential election takes place on November 6, 2012. That means that September 28 marks the 40-day point. Will you please join me in prayer beginning September 28 and continuing for the next 40 days?

We need to humble ourselves to ask for God’s help (we can’t make productive change happen on our own) and to ask God to give His wisdom to those who will be elected on that day (they can’t make productive change happen on their own).

You can find some prayer resources from Max Lucado by clicking here.

God answers the prayer of humble, hungry people. Let’s be that praying people!

Respecting Elected Officials

During our prayer time yesterday, I was contemplating the Apostle Peter’s instruction to, “Fear God, and respect the king” (1 Peter 2:17).

  • How do I respect the king (or the other elected officials in my city, state, and country)?
  • Does respect mean saying “yes” to every law that’s passed?
  • Can I be respectful and still disagree with those in elected office? How?

During our hour of prayer at the church last night, I was really wrestling with how I as a Christian should show respect to those in authority in our governments. Here are the nine things the Holy Spirit showed me.

I can show respect to those in authority by:

  1. Not forgetting that God placed them in their office (Daniel 4:25).
  2. Praying for them regularly (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
  3. Obeying all laws that aren’t immoral (Luke 20:25; Acts 5:29).
  4. Disobeying laws that are immoral (Esther 4:16; Acts 4:19).
  5. Holding them to biblical standards (Proverbs 8:15).
  6. Insisting they uphold the United States Constitution (Ecclesiastes 8:2).
  7. Reminding them that God’s wisdom is the ultimate standard (Proverbs 8:22-23).
  8. Requiring them to honor their promises, unless those promises conflict with God’s Word or the Constitution (Esther 1:13; 8:8).
  9. Speak to and about them without complaining or arguing (Philippians 2:14-15).

(Check out all of the above passages by clicking here.)

I’m working on living these out. What do you think?