The preacher was adamant about his convictions, and he made them clear to his congregation: ³Christians do not belong in the political arena. It dilutes the essential message we are trying to convey!² He certainly had the best of intentions in what he proclaimed, but God began tugging at his heart. He started to realize that the only hope for our culture was Christ, and the only voice for Christ was His church. This young preacher was forever convinced that the term ³Christian citizenship² was not a contradiction at all. It was actually a command! That preacherıs name, by the way, was Jerry Falwell.
When Christ told the Pharisees and his followers to render unto Caesar what is Caesarıs and unto God what is Godıs.² he wasnıt advocating the separation of church and state. Obviously, He was not saying that some things are Godıs and some things are the governmentıs, because God owns all things. Rather, Jesus was making it clear that both civic and spiritual responsibilities are God-honoring.
In his book Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting, Derek Prince states that, ³Christian citizens of the United States should be forever thankful that the basic charter of their nation agrees so exactly with the purposes and principles of government as ordained in the Scriptures.² Remember the words of the speech to the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775 when Patrick Henry rose and said, ³Is life so dear or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.²
All too often we act as though the freedom we enjoy is a luxury something we could take or leave and be just fine. If we are truly sold out to Jesus Christ, we will follow His lead in doing what we can to positively impact the culture around us, and take our role seriously as leaders in a self-governed nation.
Application:
What steps of action have you taken to impact your government and community?
Ask God for wisdom as He shows you ways to honor Him in your civic responsibilities.