Culture
Political and Spiritual Repentance Bring Twin Rays of Hope
A political tidal wave washed ashore in the United States last night, bringing some hope to a struggling and fearful nation. A few weeks prior, another important but quieter riptide was set in motion in parts of the American nation.
One of these waves was political and the other was spiritual. At the center of both stands the re-emergence of a very important theological truth:
Repentance.
Political and spiritual repentance brought twin rays of hope to America today.
How so?
In my early years as a follower of Christ I wasn’t taught much about the concept of repentance. In fact, in some early discipleship classes, I was told that repentance was an Old Testament concept (primarily) and that it had been superseded in the New Testament by grace and faith.
Then I began to read the Bible for myself and found the word and concept of repentance all over the New Testament. For example:
- The first words that Jesus said when he began his earthly ministry are found in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Good News.”
- Thirty three times the word repent or repentance is mentioned in the NT books and letters (e.g. Matthew 4:17, Acts 20:21, Romans 2:4, 2 Corinthians 7:9,10 and Revelation 2:5).
- In the first recorded sermon of the Early Church era (Acts 3:19), Peter doesn’t mention the word “faith.” In order to be saved he tells people: “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
My early teachers must have been confused about the concept of repentance. Repenting from sin and error seems to be at the center of both the Old and New Testament teachings.
During my early missions training, I read Mother Basilea Schlink’s excellent book Repentance: The Joy-Filled Life which was required reading in our YWAM schools. That, and my continued reading of Scripture settled me in the truth that repentance was a critical character quality for both individuals and nations.
Repentance is necessary and it brings both joy and hope!
So what does this old theological word really mean?
Our English word repentance comes from the Greek equivalent metanoia which simply means to “re-think,” “change your mind,” or do a U-turn in thinking which, in turn, changes your life.
Sometimes we associate this change of mind with tears, regret, and an emotional experience that we call “repenting.” But the feelings are not the critical element.
Change of thinking is the key.
Changing your mind and life is a vital concept. We come into right relationship with God by re-thinking or changing our minds about our sin and rebellion against God. We’re wrong. God is right. Our change of mind leads to a change of direction–we stop living for ourselves ands start living for God and His glory.
That U-turn–from self-centered living to a God-honoring lifestyle–brings great joy and hope, not just on this earth but a promise of eternal life.
It might be true to say that nothing brings more joy and hope than the fruits of repentance.
Enter the 2014 election.
A Political Tidal Wave
Though I was expecting some change in direction in the American nation through last night’s election, the tidal wave of results truly amazed me and stunned most political pundits.
Politically, America repented last night. Some significant majorities “re-thought” their position on the way the nation was going and changed their votes to point us in another direction. To state it in negative form, they repudiated the growth of incompetent Big Government and decided to give the Republican Party a chance to take us back to smaller government, economic growth, moral values, and national strength.
This was nothing less than political repentance. Call it what you want–buyer’s remorse, seeing the consequences of bad policies, or feeling the pain of domestic and foreign upheavals–the American people went to the polls last night and RE-THOUGHT the direction they wanted America to go.
Their change of mind–repentance–gave birth to a historic change in voting:
- US Senate: The American people gave the Republicans majority control of the Senate with 8-9 pickups (Louisiana needs to go to a run-off). That was big deal, throwing out Majority Leader Harry Reid and bringing in Mitch McConnell and a new slate of leaders.
- US House of Representatives: Added 14 seats to the House of Representatives–the highest total Republicans have had since 1946. The House stands at 247-183, well beyond what analysts expected. A few races in Arizona and California were not called on Tuesday night.
- Governors: Grew Republican governorships to 31 versus 17 Democrats, with Vermont headed into a run-off and Alaska still being counted (if Republican Sean Parnell loses, it will be to independent Bill Walker.) That’s a net gain of four governorships for the GOP. This leaves Democrats at their weakest point in state legislatures since the 1920s.
- State Governments: Republicans seized new majorities in the West Virginia House, Nevada Assembly and Senate, New Hampshire House, Minnesota House and New York Senate, The West Virginia Senate is now tied. (Control of several legislative chambers was still up in the air early Wednesday as counting continued in several tight races that will determine control of the Colorado Senate, New Mexico House and Maine Senate.)
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The lone bright spot for Democrats was holding majorities in the Iowa Senate and Kentucky House.
I remember being in Washington, D.C. during the days of the Reagan Revolution which brought a conservative president into the Oval Office and threw many liberal bureaucrats out of town. They called that era “Morning in America.”
We’re not there yet, but I see this morning a shining ray of political hope.
All because a majority of the American people repented (re-thought and changed their votes).
A Spiritual Rip-tide
Something else happened on the Sunday before election day (and the weeks and months that led up to it). Thousands of Christian leaders and their people gathered in a Houston Church to show solidarity during “I Stand Sunday.”
You’re probably aware that Houston Mayor Annise Parker, an avowed lesbian and LGBT activist, recently rammed through the city of Houston an ordinance that became known as the “bathroom bill” which allowed trans genders to use any facility they wanted.
In other words, if you were a man but wanted to be a woman, you could use the ladies’ restroom in any public facility (and vice versa). The residents of Houston didn’t like the intrusive bill and collected 50,000 signatures (30,000 were required) to bring it to a vote of the people.
The activist mayor not prevented a vote on the measure (how’s that for “We, the people”), but issued subpoenas to five local area pastors demanding their Free Speech-protected sermons, bulletins, letters etc. Mayor Parker was ticked off that the pastors had mobilized their people to gather the 50,000 signatures that were required to put the referendum on the ballot.
Her actions were shades of Nazi Germany or Communist China–not America.
Instead of Mayor Parker winning her way, she accidently lit a fire storm of protest from a sleeping church that woke up to realize that basic religious rights were being trampled by secular zealots and needed to be resisted.
The Church’s “repentance”–re-thinking their need to be the salt and light in this nation while facing outright persecution–caused them to rise up nation-wide to send Bibles to Mayor Parker’s office, start a cascade of prayer for revival, and led to the scheduling of “I Stand” Sunday on November 2 where thousands gathered in a Houston Church to speak up for freedom.
We can especially thank Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council for leading the “I Stand” charge.
One observer described “I Stand” this way:
“With more than 7,000 looking on within the sanctuary, there was no mistaking the energy and enthusiasm in the auditorium, as people stood and cheered for nine minutes as dozens and dozens of the area’s pastors marched into the sanctuary for the “I Stand Sunday” kick off. As Dr. Ronnie Floyd, President of the Southern Baptist Convention, told listeners, ‘it is time to wake up from our slumber! While Mayor Parker may have overstepped her bounds, that was only possible because the church had fallen asleep at the gate.'”
“’Our greatest problem,’ Dr. Floyd said, ‘is not in the White House, but God’s house!’ If you’re wondering why things like this are happening in cities like Houston, Fayetteville, and San Antonio, look in the mirror. The blame for this doesn’t rest with Annise Parker or the city — but every Christian, who has quietly stepped into the shadows on tough truths.'”
“‘It’s because a lot of people in our churches have said, “I just don’t want to get involved,” former Governor Mike Huckabee explained. ‘My dear friends, when the government comes to your pastor and says, “Cough up all of the sermons, sermon notes and correspondence that the pastor has had with his own parishioners,” you are already involved.'”
“‘It’s time’, Dr. Floyd and others pointed out, ‘to get right with God.'”
Just prior to the “I Stand” event, hundreds of pastors had participated in Pulpit Freedom Sunday–an opportunity to resist some unconstitutional edicts of the IRS regarding free speech in the churches. In 2008, 33 churches participated in the thrust.
In 2014, 1600 churches joined the movement.
Numerous prayer thrusts, Pulpit Freedom Sunday, and the “I Stand” movement all galvanized this fall to call the Church in America to repentance–to change our minds and actions–to see people come to Christ in our nation and resist the advance of evil.
A spiritual rip-tide is beginning in this nation that brings a shining ray of spiritual light to the horizon.
In summary, God is moving in the Church and in our nation that could bring positive affects to our nation and the world in the coming years.
Repentance–continuing and deepening repentance–is the key to both, and can bring back hope that comes through change.
Education For Liberty Project
One month from now, Americans have the privilege of going to the polls to elect their leaders. Nearly one hundred nations in the world do not allow that privilege.
Many of us possess the right to vote, but don’t value it enough to use it wisely.
I have a friend, who, when he was young, reminded me of Clark Kent. He was talk, dark, handsome, soft spoken and deeply committed to “truth, justice and the American way.”
That friend has an idea for the 2014 election…
His name is Bill Burtness, thinker, author, and missionary who has written one of the best books I’ve ever read on civil government. His book explains how government works and how liberty is lost in a society.
Bill not only writes, teaches and speaks in many places, he also trains political science majors in the nation of Kosovo.
I mentioned that nearly one hundred nations on this planet do not allow people to elect their leaders. At least, they don’t have “real elections” as we know it. The youthful demonstrations taking place in Hong Kong right now are over this issue. The Communist Chinese government in Beijing is calling the shots on who can run for office in Hong Kong.
The students are saying no–and protesting in the street. They want the true freedom to choose their own leaders and not be governed by communist puppets.
We shall see if they prevail or if another Tianneman Square massacre is coming.
Other nations that don’t allow “We the People” to govern include Muslim states (over fifty of them), other communist regimes like North Korea, Viet Nam and Cuba, and various monarchies such as in Nepal or Brunei.
Question: What do most of these nations have in common?
Answer: They are poor and oppressed (especially women and children).
Then there is the United States of America where a “5000 Year Leap” took place two-and-a-half centuries ago which produced the world’s freest nation.
In a short space of time, the US became the wealthiest, most religious, and most prosperous nation in the history of the planet.
Today that freedom and blessing is at great risk because many Americans don’t know where liberty originates, nor they they care about maintaining it.
They show their apathy by not voting. And many of those who do vote are grossly uninformed and end up electing people that only hasten the nation’s demise.
My friend, Bill Burtness, has an idea.
It’s called the Education for Liberty Project.
During this month and for the remainder of your life, I encourage you to follow Bill’s wise words and example. Our response will determine whether America remains a free nation, or joins the list of tyrannies that have cursed people’s lives from the dawn of time.
The Education for Liberty Project
“I’m not even going to vote. It’s just the lesser of two evils!”
FRUSTRATED WITH POLITICS
A pastor in one of our city-wide pastor’s meetings recently voiced this frustration felt by many Bible-believing Christians at this time, not knowing how to approach the quandary we find ourselves in and feeling our single vote as impotent. Evidently, there were some 20 million believers who felt the same way in recent elections, and that adds up!
Unfortunately, this has become a self-fulfilling prophecy of cultural decline, as Godless policy has been implemented at every level of civil government in our nation, for many years, while we scratch our heads.
The Scriptures tell us about ancient Israel’s decent into chaos and violence in Judges 2:7 & 10, “There arose a new generation that did not know the Lord, nor the things He had done for Israel.” Their problem was they had not been taught.
That is our problem as well.
We believers have not been taught the original thinking of the American Founders. There is now a need for a huge education movement in our day as our culture has become more secularized and postmodern. We believe this movement has begun, but there is much work to be done, especially at a grass roots level. Thus the
EDUCATION FOR LIBERTY PROJECT!
America at its founding was unique on the earth – the people could for the first time as a nation govern themselves under God in the area of civil government. We could choose those who govern us! Thus the opportunity to “hire” the best in the land periodically to be our representatives.
But, we must want the best. That is a matter of our personal character. And we must find the best, and get them into office. That will take some effort.
The Education For Liberty Project is a grass-roots vision to help remedy this dilemma, challenging believers with four key elements:
PRAY – STUDY – VOTE – SERVE.
1) Pray, daily. This is the beginning point! If we are going to be delivered, it is only God who can deliver us. We need His intervention. Our wits are not good enough. We know prayer changes things. God’s people must turn back to Him. In II Chronicles 7:14, God tells us that if we do, He will forgive our sin, and He will even heal our land. We must see a new Third Great Awakening in America.
2) Study, regularly. Like Ezra, who studied the law of the Lord, practiced it, and taught His statutes in Israel, Ezra 7:10, so must we put forth some effort to learn, practice and teach God’s ways for nations. Study the Bible and the Biblical worldview. Learn the Biblical principles America was founded upon. Apply them in your family, church and civil government. Teach them in your sphere of influence.
SELF-EVIDENT TRUTHS by Bill Burtness is a resource textbook, written in simple terms especially for Christian Americans to study and teach, to help renew a practical understanding of how America was designed to work. It is about how to have a free nation. It is about philosophy of government, not politics.
The least expensive and easiest way to begin your study is the PDF e-book you can download now for your computer or portable reading device. Hard copy available at Amazon.com.
Get your copy of SELF-EVIDENT TRUTHS today!
Learn, and teach your family, friends and co-workers.
3) Vote, always. And vote wisely. A studied vote is a crucial action step. Actually, though “voting for the lesser of two evils” may be a helpful way to look at it, we are actually “voting for the best available option in this particular election,” not for a minimum of evil. (Acts 1:21-26) If the choice is really that bleak, we need to find better individuals to run for our representatives in the next election cycle. Voting intelligently is the most basic part of governing ourselves under God in the civil sphere. This is what America is all about.
4) Serve, as the Lord leads, however possible. This is a long-term frame of mind in a free nation. There are many local positions where we can begin to serve in the civil sphere – election judges and pole watchers, precinct committee and political party leadership, school board or city council, local, county, state, national representatives, and more. As the Lord leads, each position is a place of learning and service to the Lord and the community.
Our representatives must be the most Godly, Biblical, intelligent and capable servant leaders in the land. (Matt. 20:25-28)
TAKING THE LEAD
The basis of law and government comes from God and the Bible. Without that basis, we only have man’s greed, power hunger and opinion directing nations. So the charge for restoring America lies at the feet of Bible-believing Christians, many of whom refrain from voting. Since we believers have the instruction Book, we must take the lead. Refraining from voting is in itself a vote. But how do we cast an intelligent Godly informed Biblical vote?
Compassion as a Tool of Deception
Deception: 1. an act or statement intended to make people believe something that is not true (Merriam Webster Dictionary)
As I look around the world, I am amazed by the deceptions that dominate the media air waves and many of our classrooms. Here are a couple examples:
- Changing the definition of marriage to allow any consenting adults to believe they are “married”–something which can only take place between a man and woman as recognized by 5000 years of history. (You can watch a powerful short video here that shreds this deception into pieces.)
- That man-made global warming is the great issue of the 21st century when there is no proof that it is taking place and temperatures have been constant for over fifteen years.
I could list scores of others, from politics to medicine. But there are two that are currently in the news that really got my attention.
They both involve the tactic of compassion as a tool of deception.
It is clear from the Bible that the origin of lying and the spirit of deception so prevalent in our fallen world comes from the invisible satanic world. Jesus called Lucifer “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44) and Revelation 12:9 gives him the description “the deceiver of the whole world.”
As the dictionary definition states above, to deceive is to get someone to believe something that is not true–oftentimes mixing a partial truth out of context with a lie to create confusion.
Two stories in the news use the good character quality of compassion out of its proper context to distort our thinking.
I am talking about compassion as a tool of deception in the immigration crisis and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Immigration
The greatest illegal immigration blow-up of my lifetime is currently happening at the Mexican border. The ebb and flow of illegal immigrants has been a problem for decades, but almost overnight it has overwhelmed the border patrol, outraged the citizens of the nation, and caused a fractious debate as to what should be done.
And much of that debate is built on deception.
First of all, let’s lay our the simple facts on why scores of thousands of children are “suddenly” crossing the Rio Grande and overwhelming our border resources:
- The Democratic Party (for potential votes) and the US Chamber of Commerce (for cheap labor) have encouraged the practice for years. There are lots of things to blame Republicans for, but the border crisis is not one of them. Most Republicans want the border secured (as do 70% of Americans). The Dems and crony capitalists do not.
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President Obama used his pen to sign the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, memorandum on June 15, 2012, rolling out the welcome mat to those seeking to immigrate illegally. From 2011 to 2013, the number of minors crossing the border illegally increased from 8,000 to 25,000. Officials now expect that number to be close to 90,000 in 2014.
- The president also changed the rules on deportations and refused to obey the law when it came to other immigration statutes (which is why impeachment talk has been in the air).
- The Democrats have changed the words “illegal alien” to “undocumented worker” to try to alter American public opinion about the crisis.
- On the positive side, the United States has a history of loving and welcoming foreign immigrants–more than the rest of the world combined on an annual basis. The message of the Statue of liberty is a part of our DNA.
- We have welcomed immigration to our country for most of our 238 years. Only from 1924 to 1965 did Congress curtail immigration quotas to allow the previous flood of new immigrants to assimilate fully into American culture and values.
We Americans believe in immigration. For most of our history, it was regulated in a fairly orderly fashion. President Obama and his political and business allies have now turned it on its head.
And the rationale they are presenting to the American people is that we must approach the children and overall problem with “compassion.”
This new argument is built on a series of lies.
First, we are told people are coming here because of gangs, wars, poverty etc. in Central America. They say we should consider most of them refugees or worthy of political asylum. But the last time I checked, there were democratic governments in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, no wars are taking place, and life is the same as it’s been for decades.
I can understand poor people wanting to emigrate seeking a better life (that’s why my poor German ancestors came to America in the late 1800s), but in the past, we’ve have an orderly process.
The difference now is that President Obama sent the signal that children could come without a good system or fear of being sent home.
So the deluge started–and we have a mess on our hands.
Second, we are told that we must leave things this way because it’s the “compassionate” thing to do. We must care for them because we are a Christian nation that must take the higher moral road.
Interesting how this is the only circumstance today where our “Christian values” are being encouraged. On every other issue, they’re being shot down and removed from the public square.
Here is the heart of the deception: Governments are not supposed to be compassionate. Governments are meant to be just--to protect citizen’s property and rights. That is their God-ordained role (Romans 13:4).
Families and churches are the God-given spheres where compassion should flourish. That’s why it’s wonderful for Glenn Beck to be bringing supplies to the churches near the border to help the needy children and many charitable groups are dispensing aid.
Yes, God’s people must rise up and be charitable to those who have come because of our government’s stupidity.
But the government’s job is to seal the border–to protect its own citizens. They are failing miserably–and hiding behind the argument of compassion.
Third, this confusion of domains is akin to a father not putting doors, windows, locks, fences and walls on his property to protect his family–and inviting the neighborhood to move in. The mother might be “compassionate” toward the first guests, but it is an unworkable system if the father does not “protect” his family.
In God-ordained leadership spheres, civil government is the father (justice and protection) and the Church is the mother (compassion and nurture).
Maybe the destruction of fatherhood in America has something to do with the government breakdown. At any rate, our current political leaders are deceiving us. It is their job to provide sealed, orderly borders to protect our citizens, and also discourage the rape and abuse of children by the coyotes.
Government voices are using “compassion” as a tool of deception.
Middle East Conflict
The same thing is happening in the Middle East where Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank are at war. Before we show how compassion is being used as a weapon here, let’s state the simple facts about the current strife:
- At just over eight million, Israel’s population is a drop in the bucket compared to 300 million people who surround them in hostile Muslim countries.
- Most of those nations, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, are committed to wiping the Jews off the face of the earth.
- Israel is the only democratic nation in the region (Iraq is in turmoil) and thus America’s strongest ally. The other reason for our support for Israel is the American belief in the Bible, God’s purposes for the nation, and the messianic return of Jesus Christ.
- The Palestinians voted Hamas into power–a group on America’s watch list of terrorist organizations. The Hamas charter is committed to exterminating the Jews.
- The Palestinian Authority/Hamas started the current war by lobbing hundreds of missiles into Israel aimed at Israeli citizens. They are the aggressors who started the war.
- Hamas built miles of secret tunnels under the Israeli border for the purpose of terrorism.
- Israel has defensively invaded the West Bank for two reasons: To locate and destroy the missiles that are being fired at their people and to destroy the tunnels have hinder their security. The Israelis are fighting a totally defensive battle.
However, due to two factors, the superiority of the Israeli missile defense (Iron Dome), and Hamas placing its citizens as human shields around their missile launchers and ammo, many more people have died on the Palestinian side than Israelis.
This prompted the United Nations, liberal media outlets, and the bumbling John Kerry, US Seceratary of State, to press for an immediate cease fire in the name of compassion.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the one who has it right:
“If Arabs lay down their arms there will be no more war, but if Israel lays down its weapons, there would be no more Israel.”
It is absurd, even devilish, to ask Israel to stop fighting without utterly destroying Hamas with its arsenal and tunnels. The Jewish government, known for its extreme patience with terrorism, is doing its God-required duty–to do what’s necessary to protect its people.
Any argument about moral equivalence between Hamas and Israel is ludicrous. Hamas is a murderous rogue organization; The Jews simply want to live peacefully on their tiny piece of real estate on the Mediterranean.
Israel is not responsible for the Palestinian casualties. They didn’t start the war, but they must end it. They did not force Palestinians to be human shields–Hamas did.
Asking Israel to stop before victory–in the name of compassion for civilian casualties–is a lie of the highest order. It would reward terrorism and leave our democratic and biblical ally exposed to annihilation.
Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153) is credited with saying that “Hell is full of good intentions or desires.”
Sadly true.
We must never allow godly compassion to be a tool of satanic deception.