150111 Strangers on Earth

Philippians 3:17-4:1 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. ¹⁸ For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. ²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. ^4:1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

Without a doubt the Philippian church held a warm place in Paul’s heart. Without being able to ask the question of Paul I cannot be sure that the Philippians were his favorite people but I suspect it is true from reading his letter to them. We come to a place in this letter where he expresses his concern for the Philippians. He had been among them long enough for them to know how he lived his life. He encourages them to imitate him and avoid his opponents that were coming into the church. Obviously, Satan will not leave the church alone at any time in history. He sends people whose focus is on earthly things rather than heavenly things into the church. These are people who are very comfortable in the world and very dangerous to the spiritual life of the real believers.

Part of Paul’s reminder to the church in Philippi was the true citizenship of the people of God.

We need to remember that we are strangers here. Turn with me to John 15:18-19. And listen to the words of Jesus concerning our citizenship. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Jesus came to his own creation and the people who occupied it rejected him. (John 1:11) Once a person comes to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ things begin to change. Beginning at that moment things that we once were comfortable with begin to bother us. People who were once friendly now begin to turn away from us. We have a new spiritual family and a new way of living. Our minds are no longer set on earthly things. We have new loyalties to go with our new life. No matter how deeply we are involved in the things of this world we are definitely strangers here.

Like the old song says, “This world is not my home I'm just a passing through/ My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue/ The angels beckon me from heaven's open door/ And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.
Oh Lord, you know I have no friend like you/ If heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?/ The angels beckon me from heaven's open door/ And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.”

Yes, we are strangers here because…

We are citizens of heaven. Turn with me to Ephesians 2:18-22. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

When we were comfortable in the things of the world we were strangers to grace and aliens with regards to the kingdom of heaven. We were isolated from the love of God found in Christ Jesus. We were strangers and aliens with regard to the spiritual areas related to God our Father.

Now we have new loyalties and new relationships. We are now fellow citizens with the saints. We have become a dwelling place, spiritually, for God and are being built together into a permanent place for God on this earth. Together we are God’s temple on earth. At the same time…

We are already attached to heaven. Turn back a little ways in your Bible to Ephesians 2:1-7. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

In our natural condition we lived as subjects of the prince of the power of the air. Indeed, we were dead spiritually and we lived lives that demonstrated our allegiance. We were bound to the ways of the world because that’s where our citizenship was. Now we have come to the place, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, where our allegiance has changed. We were once dead in trespasses and sins and now we are alive in Christ Jesus.

When we came to faith in Jesus Christ we died spiritually to the life we once lived. We were buried with Jesus. When Jesus was raised from the dead, we were raised up with Him, He demonstrated His power over life. We, having been once dead in sin, are now dead to sin and alive to God.

There is an amazing truth in this passage of Scripture. The power that the Father used to raise Jesus from the dead is the same power that raises us from spiritual death and makes us alive together with Christ. Not only are we made alive spiritually while living on this earth we are also currently seated in heaven in Christ Jesus. So far as God is concerned we are already in heaven and that can never be taken away from us if we have placed our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only does God see us as if we are already in heaven but in reality…

Our citizenship is there. Turn with me to Hebrews 12:22-24. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, ²³ and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴ and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

The writer of Hebrews, who may have been the apostle Paul, wants us to see that the new covenant gives us a new relationship. We have not come to Sinai where we tremble in fear but instead we have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God. Take note that the passage says, “we have come”, not, “we will come”. We already have come to the place of our citizenship, heaven itself! Our citizenship gives us a relationship to innumerable angels, the Assembly of God’s people, God himself, and to Jesus our mediator! Jesus promised us, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3) There is no greater promise in Scripture than this. Remember, Paul added, “we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:8-9) Having come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, heaven is our home and our citizenship is there.

We do not enter into this because of our good works. We are only able to enter in because of the blood of Jesus Christ that covers our sin and frees us from bondage. With our new citizenship comes a new protection from an all-powerful kingdom. We no longer have to live in our own strength. Not only are we properly citizens of heaven we have an expectation that…

Our Lord will come from there. Let’s look at the words of the angels found in Acts 1:10-11. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹ and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Jesus has just given His great commission to the disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel. We are to be His witnesses in all the world. We are to live in anticipation of His return. I believe the two angels were a little bit surprised that the disciples of Jesus were standing there staring into heaven after Jesus had gone. It would seem that they were accustomed to quick obedience.

Just as Jesus ascended into heaven we are promised that He will return. In fact many things will happen in preparation for His return. Jesus said that the gospel would be preached to all the world before the end would come. We are in the process now of getting the gospel to every language group on earth. In the meantime…

All creation anticipates His coming. Turn with me to Romans 8:18-25. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden the world was a pleasant place! This side of heaven we will never know what that world was like. After Adam sinned not only did mankind fall but the whole world joined in that fall. God told Adam that because of his sin the ground was cursed. Thorns and thistles came into being and mankind had to struggle with a hostile environment just to live.

From that time forward the creation itself has been waiting for the restoration. Currently the entire creation is in bondage to corruption. All of the so-called natural disasters are simply the groanings of our world over sin. The whole world has suffered from the time sin’s curse came in the world until now. That struggle will continue until Christ comes again. Indeed, the whole creation looks forward to the time that Jesus will return and establish the kingdom of God on earth. We do not know exactly what that will be like but we do know that…

When He comes we will be like Him. Turn with me to the back of your Bibles and listen while I read 1 John 3:1-3. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. ³ And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

What a magnificent love it is that God has for us! While we were still sinners Christ gave His life. Jesus did not die for the good and the godly because without him there are no good, godly people. Jesus gave his life for the ungodly (Romans 5:6) which group includes all. He did this because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Without Jesus’ death on the cross we would have no hope in this world or the world to come because the wages of sin is death but praise God! The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When He comes back to the earth we will know Him because we will be like him. Now this is not something we work up in our own strength because all our righteousness is like filthy rags at a dress-up party! In our own strength and ability we have nothing to offer God. Instead He comes to meet all our needs spiritually and physically. Without Him we would have no hope in this world or the world to come. In fact, without Jesus Christ we would not be able to begin to live the Christian life. We would fail again and again in our attempts to be like Him.

Back in Philippians 3:21 we are promised that the Lord Jesus Christ will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body. He will do that through the power of the resurrection. That is the power that has enabled Him to bring everything under His control. Because of Him…

We can stand firm. Turn with me to Philippians 1:27-28. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

Only because of Christ can we stand firm. Paul had written to the Ephesians admonishing them to be strong in the Lord by putting on the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:10 ff) Notice that they are not to stand in their own strength, nor are we, because in our own strength we will always fail. Our life should always be lived in such a way that we show that we are worthy of the gospel of Christ. “In the Lord” is the only way we can stand! We are not be able to stand in religion nor in philosophy only in Christ.

We should be influenced by the knowledge that Jesus is coming again! We may go to be with Him through the grave or through the air. Because of these things that we have learned we should be encouraged to stand firm. In our human nature, our flesh, we would never have the ability to stand firm. But in Christ we have everything we need. Most importantly there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Once we have felt God’s drawing us to Him, and have come to believe in Him, we have ETERNAL LIFE! We can be confident that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it. Our trust is in Him and we rest on His promises. Have you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? You have no promise of tomorrow! Let today be your day of salvation by responding to the call of Jesus Christ.

All scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Our Relation to Government 121009

Romans 13:1-7, Let every person ‍be subject to the governing authorities. For ‍there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you ‍will receive his approval, for ‍he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, ‍an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also ‍for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. ‍Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

I have moved ahead in Romans because of the upcoming elections. Every election is important and our responsibility to vote should be taken seriously. However, I particularly have struggled with this election. I have never voted for one party only but have almost always split my vote in national elections. The problem with this particular election is what some have called "The Mormon Moment" in history. In fact, I have said publicly that I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a Mormon. I have put a lot of thought into what I am about to say. If we wait for a solid evangelical Christian to run for President before we vote we may not have that opportunity in our lifetime. If I lived in Utah, in most elections, I probably would have the choice of voting for a Mormon or not voting at all. I am not endorsing either candidate. What I have to say applies to both equally.

The Bible speaks a great deal about subjection to authority: in the church, in the home and with regard to government. We are going to focus on three areas of responsibility. We need to remember that responsibility is a key part of citizenship. We are going to look at the responsibility of government leaders; the responsibility of citizens; and, the responsibility of churches. Now let us look at…

The responsibility of government leaders.

God's servant. Isaiah, writing 150 years ,or so, before the birth of Cyrus the great prophesies about him. Cyrus was the king of Persia who conquered Media creating the Media-Persian Empire. He then went on to conquer several more territories. He was a pagan. In other words, he did not know Yahweh, the God of Israel. Yet, he was used by God in many ways. We need to remember that Yahweh is King over all the earth and always has been. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens on this earth without God's knowing it and guiding it for his own purposes. Here, we are told that a pagan — an evil man — is going to be used by God in the future to punish nations and restore Judah and Jerusalem before they were destroyed. Let's read…

Isaiah 44:28-45:5, who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem,” ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’ Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me,

As Paul tells us, in Romans 13, that all authority ultimately comes from God. The Bible affirms that there is no authority except God grants it. Whoever is elected president in November is under the authority of God and has been placed there by God for a purpose that only God might understand. We need to pray for our president and other elected leaders and, if given the opportunity, encourage them to put their faith in the living Lord Jesus Christ. Rulers are not just servants of God they are tools of God to maintain order on earth. Government leaders have the responsibility to maintain the peace and protect the nation. I suspect that Paul wrote this passage in the hopes that the Roman secret police would read it and pass it on to the Emperor. A government leader is…

An avenger bearing the sword. Look back at our text, Romans 13:2-5, Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

I know there is corruption in government. I know that many times there is corruption in the police forces. Paul knew that too! He had experienced being arrested for his faith, being beaten, and having a bribe solicited from him. Nonetheless, we should thank God for the presence of police and courts to help maintain order. Without them the world would be a very scary place to live in. The breakdown of government is a popular theme among fiction writers and has been throughout history. The government leader is a servant of God, an avenger who bears the sword and should…

Be subject to God. Now we come to the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, 150 years later, found in Ezra 1:1-4, In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

In this proclamation of Cyrus he recognizes some interesting things. Yahweh, the God of heaven, "gave" him all the kingdoms of the earth. If Yahweh gave him the kingdoms then Yahweh is the King of kings and Lord of lords. As such, Cyrus, who considered himself the ruler of the earth, was subject to the God of heaven. He conquered nothing that God didn't give him. It was God that subdued nations before him. In this proclamation he recognized that he was subject to God. Remember, the Bible teaches that government leaders are God's servant, an avenger bearing the sword and as such is subject to God's rule. They should be careful how they act because the God who set them up can take them down! Now, what about…

The responsibility of citizens.

First of all citizens are to Be subject. to government. Read with me, 1st Peter 2:13-17, Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Notice how we are instructed to be subject, not for our sake, but for the Lord's sake, to every human institution. Whatever level of government we come in contact with is designed by God to punish those who do evil and reward those who do good. This is God's will for government. I know, this doesn't always happen, at least not the way we think it should. Remember, GOD IS IN CHARGE! So, wherever possible, we are to be subject to government.

In the next section of the sermon I will give you a basis for dealing with governmental iniquity.

Citizens are to be subject to the government and they are to…

Do what is good. Turn with me to, Philippians 2:14-16, Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

All of these passages we are using today are filled with truth that we need to make our own. This particular passage is written by Paul from prison! In one form or another, he had been held prisoner for more than two years. That imprisonment was unjust. Yet God used it for his glory. It was in God's plan that Paul preach the gospel in Rome. It was also God's plan that Paul not be killed in Jerusalem. So, before the crowd in Jerusalem could kill Paul for preaching the gospel, God had the Romans arrest him. To keep him away from his enemies God kept him in jail until it was time to go to Rome. Then God let the Roman government pay for his transportation to Rome. After that, Paul was kept in captivity and guarded by the Emperor's private guard. Paul witnessed to them and led some to Christ so that at the end of the Philippian letter he could say, "All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household."

Getting back to the subject in hand, Paul gives instructions to the Philippians (and to us) to do all things without grumbling or questioning. To be blameless and innocent unblemished children of God in the midst of a crooked and twisted world. Wow, that sounds like good marching orders for us today! We certainly live in a crooked and twisted world! So, we are to be subject to government by doing what is good. And we also are to…

Pray for those in authority. Let's look at 1st Timothy 2:1-3, First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

Our prayers, of all types, are to be made for all people. And Paul begins at the top. We are to pray for kings and those in high positions. I really wonder over the past years how much evangelical prayer has been offered for President Obama. I must confess I don't pray often enough for him. What should be the purpose of our prayers? To influence foreign policy? To influence economic policy? That God would surround him with godly men and women who would influence him? Well, I'm sure that's all good but that's not what Paul talked about! We are to pray for them so that we can live peaceful lives — so that we can be godly in the midst of this world. So apparently our prayers for government leaders should influence government leaders to treat us better. That should improve our prayer life.

We've looked at the responsibility of government leaders and we looked at the responsibility of Christian citizens. Now let's look at…

The responsibility of the churches.

Church is not just a place to go and enjoy yourself. Nor is church an organization that the government should bow down to. The church, any church, or every church, should be a responsible part of the community. As a church there are certain things we should do. We should…

Keep the peace. Let's look at Hebrews 12:12-14, Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

"Drooping hands and weak knees" is not a medical diagnosis. It's a spiritual diagnosis that probably is representative of most Christians. Lethargic, apathetic, dull-minded are all identifiers of the average Christian. Weak kneed, namby-pamby wimps would characterize most Christians. If we will make straight paths for our feet, remember God's word is a light to our path and a lamp to our feet, then we can strive for peace with everyone. We should make every effort to honor the God of peace by being peacemakers wherever possible. Too often Christians are thought of as being cantankerous complainers rather than diplomatic peacemakers. We need to change that! Let's focus on keeping peace and…

Honor government. Return with me to 1st Peter 2:13-17, Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

I don't hear Christians speaking about the government in an honorable way very often. In this passage Peter tells us to be subject to the government for the Lord's sake. We're to live as free people and not use our freedom wrongly. In fact we are to honor everyone but especially the Emperor. In our case, The President! Remember, Peter was asking them to honor the Emperor that in due time would have him executed along with the Apostle Paul.

All of these passages have made a pretty strong emphasis on being subject to government and being at peace. It's not always possible to do that. In fact, there are times when we have to…

Resist evil. Let's see what Peter and John did in Acts 4:18-22; So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

What was their crime? They were preaching to a crowd of people in the vicinity of the Temple. They had the attention of the crowd because they had healed a man who had been lame from his birth. Peter, taking the opportunity, explained to the crowd what happened and who had done the healing. It was the name of Jesus that had made the man well. For that they were taken before the religious court and instructed not to speak or teach anymore in the name of Jesus! Their answer was simple, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." I don't believe that they expected to get away with it. They were willing to bear the punishment but they were not willing to be silent. They were determined to speak what God had shown them.

After that, the Apostles became much more active in their preaching. They simply prayed for boldness knowing that it would get them into trouble with the authorities. And very soon they were arrested again. Read with me Acts 5:27-32, And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

The religious leaders of their day were jealous of the success of the gospel. They thought they had the power to stop them. These religious leaders had no idea what they were dealing with. These men who stood before them were men who were willing to die for their Lord. In fact, all of them, except John, would die a martyr's death. Not only did they refuse the instructions to no longer preach they took the opportunity to share the good news with their judges that this Jesus whom they had crucified was now exalted by God as leader and Savior. If they would come to him, in repentance, even they could receive forgiveness of sins. Never miss an opportunity to tell the truth about Jesus.

Not only are we to resist evil wherever we see it and be bold in doing it we must also act when we observe wrongdoing. Paul instructed us as to what to do when we observe wrongdoing. Let's read Ephesians 5:11-13, Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,

First, we are to take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness. If we are not careful we can find ourselves drawn into the wrongdoing going on around us. To avoid that, second, we need to expose the wickedness for what it is, SIN! There is way too much compromise in the Christian life today. Too often we excuse sin because we're afraid to speak out, or worse still, because it is occurring in our own family. We should expect our governmental leaders to oppose evil and we should set them the example. The early church prayed for boldness we need to pray for the same thing in our lives, in our families, in the church and community.

Since we do not live in a theocracy, and won't until we get to heaven, we simply have to follow the light that we have. I certainly am not qualified to tell anyone how to vote. However, I would encourage everyone to do some research, find out which candidate comes closest to your own core values, and then go to the polls and cast your ballot. Whatever we do on election day we do need to remember to be subject to government, to do what is right, to pray for those in authority and resist evil wherever it is found no matter what the cost. Pray, wait on God, and then follow the light God gives to you. We must always remember that God is ultimately in control. For those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. "All things" include government! Though we are citizens of earthly nations, ultimately we are citizens of the kingdom of heaven,

All scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.