God and Government

Posted on October 19, 2024 by jesustrek

As I write this, we are right in the middle of a hotly contested presidential election. This election season also features other races that vie for our attention in this deeply divided nation. The rhetoric is heated and emotional, and some may wonder if we should even use those two words together— “God” and “government”. However, the Bible speaks of government in relation to God, so we must address the issue.

Romans 13:1-7 is one of several New Testament passages that deal with this important subject. It says that we must be subject to the authorities because they have been established by God. Simply put, the government’s job is to protect its citizens; the citizens’ duty is to submit to the authorities.

Now we must note that the government does not always protect its citizens well. When the apostle Paul wrote this Scripture, Rome was the governing authority. It was this government that crucified Jesus and persecuted Christians. Yet Paul says that we must subject ourselves to a government that is far from perfect. In the U.S. today, we have a government that allows for babies to be murdered in the womb, ignores God’s definition of marriage, permits some of the worst criminals in the world to cross our border unchecked and attempts to spread the wealth around by robbing from the workers and giving to those who refuse to work. Yet we are supposed to submit to such a government.

Now, there are some notable exceptions. When the government told Daniel he was forbidden to pray to the one true God, he disobeyed the authorities and prayed as usual (Dan.6:10). When the religious authorities commanded the apostles not to speak about Jesus anymore, they refused. “But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’” (Acts 4:19-20). We are not to blindly follow every edict that is issued by the authorities, but our duty is to submit to them unless it calls for us to disobey God.

Living in a democracy is an interesting situation because we can choose our elected officials. This is a scenario that the early Christians could not have imagined! What a blessing it is to be able to select godly men and women to make important decisions! Sadly, millions of Christians do not exercise their right to vote. What greater opportunity do we have to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world that Jesus calls us to be!

Many Christians are thinking about sitting out this year’s presidential election because of the obvious character flaws of both candidates. They can’t imagine throwing their support behind either of these deeply flawed individuals. However, choosing a candidate is not necessarily endorsing their character. Making a decision in this political race is choosing what kind of nation you want to live in. If you can’t vote based on the candidate’s character, make your decision based on the policies that the candidates propose. From this perspective, the Christian voter has an option, and perhaps a duty, to participate in this year’s election.

Some people will make the decisions for the nation. If Christians opt out of the process, those decisions will be made by people whose worldview is vastly different from ours. So, let’s do our duty, not only as citizens of the U.S., but citizens of the kingdom of God. Let’s vote for godly principles!

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Worship and Wisdom

Posted on October 12, 2024 by jesustrek

Someone once said that we must read the Psalms to learn how to interact with God and the Proverbs to learn how to interact with our fellow humans. Perhaps that is a simplistic generalization, but the thought can guide us into a deeper appreciation for both of these important books of the Bible.

Much of the book of Psalms is about worship. Worship can be difficult to define, but it is the practice of directing our attention to God in a way that gives him the honor and glory that only he deserves. The Psalm writers have a beautiful way of expressing devotion to God. Here is just a small sample of such verses:

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”—47:1.

“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.”—89:1.

“Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.”—99:9.

“Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.”—136:26.

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”—150:6.

People who spend a lot of time reading and reflecting on the Psalms will inevitably have their minds focused on God and be inspired to worship him in many and various ways.

Wisdom is the main theme of Proverbs. It says so right in the introduction. This book is “for gaining wisdom and instruction; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and fair.” (1:2-3).

There are many subjects addressed in Proverbs: the value of honest work, financial matters, remaining sexually pure, being kind, accepting discipline, anger issues, family matters, making plans for your life, listening to good advice, maintaining healthy thought processes and the various ways that our words can impact other people.

Those who frequently meditate on the teachings of the Proverbs have a much better chance of interacting with others in a way that would be pleasing to God and a blessing to those around them.

While I have treated worship and wisdom as two different subjects, they really go hand in hand. Those who are wise know that they are to worship God, and those who worship God will grow in their wisdom. In all of this, God will be exalted and the people around us will be blessed.

There are 150 chapters in Psalms and 31 chapters in Proverbs. You can easily read through both books in a month’s time by reading 5 Psalms and 1 chapter of Proverbs each day. Why don’t you give it a try?

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Don’t Waver!

Posted on September 16, 2024 by jesustrek

As I was driving to church yesterday morning, a chipmunk darted across the road ahead of me. He sped in a straight line from one side of the road to the other and, at the end of his run, made a huge leap into the ditch, as if to celebrate the success of his journey.

How different is the behavior of most squirrels that find themselves in the path of an on-coming vehicle! They can’t seem to decide which way to go. They hesitate and change directions multiple times, and often end up as roadkill because of their indecisiveness.

The Bible calls for us to make decisions. 1 Kings 18:21 says, “Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions?…’” Like the chipmunk, we need to decide which direction we want to go and never waver from that decision. By following the teachings of Christ, we will keep on the straight path and have a successful end to our journey!

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Grieving

Posted on August 30, 2024 by jesustrek

Today is National Grief Awareness Day. The Bible acknowledges that grief is a serious part of life that we all must go through eventually. However, Scripture says that those who believe in Jesus grieve differently from the rest of humankind because of the hope we have in the resurrected Jesus. We believe that because he lives, we too can have the assurance of eternal life. We also understand that our loved ones who die in Christ also have this assurance of life everlasting.

Grief is still an extremely difficult process to experience. However, it is not unbearable because of who God is and what he has done through Jesus.

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”—1 Thess.4:13-14.

“Therefore encourage one another with these words.”—1 Thess.4:18.

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The Faithful Few

Posted on August 24, 2024 by jesustrek

Numbers 13 and 14 record a key episode in the story of the Israelite nation. They had just been miraculously freed from captivity in Egypt and were on the verge of entering the land that God had promised them. God told Moses to send twelve men to explore the land that he was giving them.

Upon their return from their exploration of the land, ten of the twelve men gave a discouraging report. They said that the land was indeed fruitful, but the people living there were too powerful for them to overcome.

The whole community then became fearful, even suggesting that they go back to Egypt. Two of the explorers, Caleb and Joshua, tried to convince the people that the other ten were wrong and that they should take the land according to God’s plan. Unfortunately, the community chose to follow the suggestions of the ten, thereby rebelling against God.

God was extremely displeased with Israel and threatened to destroy the whole nation and start over with Moses. However, Moses pleaded with the Lord on behalf of the people, and the Lord relented—he would not destroy them.

The Israelites would, however, pay the price for their sin. The ten men who brought the bad report died of a plague and the rest of the community would wander through the wilderness for forty years before they could finally enter the promised land.

From this Scripture, we learn that the majority is not always right. Only two of the twelve had faith. We can’t always follow the crowd. In this case, there was no safety in numbers.

We also see that obstacles are real, but so is God! The ten weren’t wrong about the difficulty of the mission; they just failed to realize that God was bigger than their problems. Their lack of faith resulted in fear and disobedience, and their sin spread to other people. Let’s remember that sin and negativity are dangerously contagious.

Notice too that the people’s fear warped their view of reality. They would rather go back to live in slavery than to live in the freedom that God was ready, willing and able to provide! Many today choose to live in the slavery of sin rather than to accept the freedom that God offers us through Jesus.

Consider your place in God’s story. Choose your side carefully! Don’t go along with the unfaithful majority. Choose to be a part of the faithful few!

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Prayer in the Early Church

Posted on August 16, 2024 by jesustrek

The early church did not consider prayer simply a “good thing”. They thought that it was the main thing! The Christians in the book of Acts realized that they were dependent on God and that prayer was their connection to God. As we examine just a few of the sections of the book of Acts that mention prayer, we will discover just how important prayer was to them. And hopefully we will be encouraged to make prayer a greater emphasis in the church today.

As they obeyed Jesus by waiting in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit (1:4-8), the Bible says, “They all joined together constantly in prayer…” (1:24). They weren’t content to wait passively. They were proactive. They prayed. If you find yourself in a season of waiting for something, remember to pray as you wait.

When the apostles felt the need to replace the departed Judas with someone to fill the position of his apostolic ministry, they prayed. Before any congregation places someone in an important position, they should make sure that they pray for God’s will to be done.

The early believers devoted themselves to several religious activities, such as: the word of God, the fellowship of the church, the Lord’s Supper and yes, you guessed it—prayer (2:42). It was in great part due to this devotion to prayer that the early church had such great success. The success of the church today, or the lack thereof, will be largely dependent on prayer.

When Peter and John were jailed for preaching the gospel, the church prayed for the ability to speak the word of God with great boldness. “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” (4:31). Sadly, this does not describe the typical prayer meeting today! Oh, that we would recapture the fervent, heartfelt, spiritual prayers that enable believers to speak boldly as we proclaim the word of God!

In Acts 6, we see a problem arise concerning the neglect of certain widows in the church. The apostles were not willing to neglect their primary ministry to attend to the situation themselves. They had others assume that responsibility while they gave their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. This decision led to an increased spread of the word of God and the church grew rapidly (6:1-7). If church leaders of today would make prayer a priority, and teach their members the importance of prayer, the church would prosper greatly.

Now that we have examined just a few of the teachings about prayer in the book of Acts, perhaps we will be inspired to be more devoted to biblical prayer and encourage other believers to do the same.

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The Bible

Posted on August 12, 2024 by jesustrek

I just came across this short essay on the Bible. I thought I would share it with you today.

“This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christians’ charter. Christ is its subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given to you in life, will be open in the judgement, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and condemns all who trifle with its holy precepts. –Author Unknown

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.” –Psalm 119:105.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” –Heb.4:12.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. –2 Tim.3:16-17.

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Devoted to Communion

Posted on August 10, 2024 by jesustrek

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” –Acts 2:42.

In the above verse, Luke, the historian of the early church, lists some of the most important activities that were practiced by the first Christians. Among them is “the breaking of bread”, a term that most scholars agree is a reference to communion, also called the Lord’s Supper.

The early believers were devoted to the practice of having communion as Jesus had ordained, so that they would remember in a deep, meaningful way, the sacrificial death that Jesus had died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. They did not take the Lord’s Supper for granted. Nor did they approach communion casually. No, they took it very seriously!

May we all seek to replicate their devotion as we look forward to our observance of this important act of Christian worship.

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Signs Along the Way

Posted on August 3, 2024 by jesustrek

I’ve often thought that as we drive down the highway, the signs we see along the way often remind us of some of the instructions God gives us in the Bible. Let’s look at some of them, and we can see if you agree.

STOP –The familiar bright red sign that gives us the command to come to a halt might remind us that God tells us to stop doing certain things. There are quite a lot of “thou shalt nots” in Scripture! To the blind man that Jesus had just healed, the Lord said, “…Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” (John 5:14). Is there some sin that you need to stop committing?

NO PASSING –We need to get rid of that “me first” attitude that is so prevalent among mankind. Phil.2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

REST AREA –This sign is often a welcome sight to see, especially if you got a super-sized drink the last time you stopped! The Bible often reminds us to get our rest. Jesus says in Matt.11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The only meaningful and lasting rest we can find is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

PAY TOLL AHEAD –You might have expected there would be something about the offering! 1 Cor.16:1-2 says, “Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. One the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”

CHILDREN AT PLAY –Is there a more important sign than one that reminds us to be careful of the children!? Jesus paid special attention to the children, taking them in his arms and blessing them. We need to make sure that children feel welcome in the church. Yes, they can be loud, and they can be messy. But the church that does not have patience with these little ones is in danger of becoming a church without children. Such a congregation is to be greatly pitied.

CONSTRUCTION AHEAD –Jesus is building his church, and sometimes that might mean that we are inconvenienced. That will be all right if we remember that it’s his church and not ours! Are you excited about the construction work at your congregation? In what way are you helping with the work?

DETOUR –In Acts 16:6-10, Paul and his companions had plans about the route they would take on their gospel mission. But God had other plans. We must be flexible and trust God when he decides to take us in a different direction.

ONE WAY –This sign reminds us that Jesus says he is the only way to God (John 14:6), a truth that his apostles continued to preach – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts :12).

YIELD –The final sign we will look at shows us the need to yield to Jesus, since he is the way and the truth and the life. Rom.14:11, quoting Isa.45:23, says, “It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” It is time now, in this life, to yield to Jesus and confess him as Lord, before it is to late to do so voluntarily!

These are some of the signs along the way that remind us of the Word of God. Can you think of some others?

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Repairing the Roman Road

Posted on July 18, 2024 by jesustrek

Many who desire to lead others to Christ will present what is called the “Roman Road”. This method of evangelism lists several verses from the New Testament book of Romans as the path to receiving Christ as your Savior. Typically, the presentation goes like this.

First, Rom.3:23 points out the universal need for salvation— “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Then, Rom.6:23 states what the penalty of our sins will be, while offering a much better alternative— “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

From there we go to Rom.5:8, which says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The crucifixion of Jesus is of course a crucial element of any presentation of the gospel message.

The road continues to Rom.10:9-10— “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ And believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Here, faith and confession are shown to be key parts of our response to the grace that God offers us through Jesus.

The Roman Road, as it is usually presented, concludes with Rom.10:13, which states, “for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” The presenter of this method will then assure anyone who has followed these steps that they are now saved.

Those who have a thorough knowledge of what the Bible says to do to be saved will quickly notice a glaring omission in the above presentation of the gospel—there is no mention of baptism.

Baptism is a crucial part of our response to the gospel message. This truth is seen over and over in the New Testament. Jesus and his apostles consistently preach that those who want to be saved are to be baptized. Jesus links baptism with salvation (Mark 16:16) and so does the apostle Peter (1 Pet.3:21). According to Luke, the author of Acts and the historian of the early church, baptism is the occasion of our sins being washed away (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Matthew, recording the words of Jesus in the Great Commission (Matt.28:18-20), points out that baptism is the very first thing you do to make someone a disciple of Jesus. These Scriptures, and many others, tell us that baptism is commanded by God to those who want to be saved.

So, the “Roman Road”, as presented by many, is in much need of repair. And it is more than just a pothole that needs to be patched. The road is washed out and therefore impassable. Is the Roman Road damaged beyond repair? Thankfully, no, it isn’t.

Rom.6:3-4 says, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” There it is! Baptism is clearly a part of the “Roman Road”.  

God, in his infinite wisdom, has carefully paved the road to heaven for all who would receive Jesus as their Savior. Let’s make sure that we lead them down the right road!

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