Make the Church Great Again
This week, Kendall preached such a great message. His main point was, all other kings are takers, but Jesus is a selfless-giver. The things we want in this world can be good, but if we elevate these things higher than Jesus, they only take from us. He poses this question: who, or what, is king in your life?
Which begs the question, what is a king? If we go by the Webster’s Dictionary definition, a king is just a ruler of an independent state, usually inherited by birthright. But our understanding of a king as a ruler is fairly skewed in 21st century America. A king by today’s standard is either a head of state with a governing body that keeps him in check and is usually limited in the powers that are available to them.
When the Bible talks about Jesus being a King, His Kingship is not a balance of power. He has absolute authority. He does not ask for our input, and He does not discuss his plans in a committee of angels. He has absolute authority. What He says goes. He is the legislature, the judiciary, and the executor of His government. He is fully just in his decrees, and He is fully powerful to carry out the penalty.
A person living under an absolute monarchy would be required to follow all the kings’ commands. His word would be law. And the entire country would be subject to his rule. For us as Americans, this is a hard pill to swallow because we are the land of the FREE. We were founded on Christian principles. We could do what WE wanted. But our “freedom” led us back to slavery. Slavery to our lusts and our passions and sin. Christians in America see the freedom Christ died to give us as our bill of rights. We have confused our constitution for our Scripture. Our freedom and our rights and our own selfish desires have become our rulers, our kings. In our government, the individual is king over their own life. Jesus does not want to be a ruler of your life; He wants to be THE ruler of your life.
This is election season. And tensions are high as they are every year, but we have regressed as a nation. Instead of fighting FOR something, both “sides” are fighting against something. “At least my candidate isn’t” fill in the blank. Christians in our nation are culprits of this division and slandering just as much as unbelievers. Many people who love the Lord Jesus have lost their focus, believing America is their home and their hope. Government has never been the hope of the world, and our President has never been King of anything but our idolatry.
Read 1 Peter 2
Peter, who was the Apostle that Jesus said his Church would be on, said that we are sojourners and exiles. Our present reality does not reflect the coming glory. America is never going to be a reflection of Heaven. So, we do our part by loving people and keeping our conduct honorable in front of others. We do our part by submitting to authority, even if we disagree with it. We are bound to the laws of this land while we are here, but we are servants of a different Master. We are subjects of a different King.
Should we vote? YES! God has placed us in this country to make a difference, but do not be fooled into thinking that voting is where your voice ends. No matter your political affiliation, if you call Jesus your savior and King, we have one goal in mind. That goal is to see more people fall in love with and submit their lives to Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. We have more power than our vote to see change brought around in our communities. There are countless charities and organizations that allow us to use our small amount of resource for a greater good. And we have time to donate to these places. Shelters and community centers need our help. James 1 says that pure religion in the sight of God the Father is helping those in need. Not going to church 5 days a week, tithing 10 percent to the Church, and only listening to worship music. Those are good things, but they do not replace our responsibility to love as Christ loved and give of ourselves to those less fortunate than us.
Do not also be fooled into thinking that someone who votes differently than you is less of a Christian. What unites us is greater than what separates us. We may have our political affiliations, but that is such a trivial thing. 1 Peter 2 again tells us that we weren’t a people(united with a binding/common belief) before, but we are now God’s people. Jesus calls the Church the hope of the world. The light of the world. This is not our home country, we’re just visiting. We get this life to make an impact for His Kingdom. We don’t have time to divide ourselves from other people. Let’s spend our time uniting people in the name of Jesus and make the Church great again.
