This is the last of our exhortations on civic involvement, at least for the present. And so, let me offer a series of final exhortations, as simple bullet points. Regardless of what happens, we do not win or lose at the polls. God is always sovereign, and His position is absolutely unthreatened. He establishes the …
Living in the Will of God
INTRODUCTION: What Christian does not want to live in the will of God? What an admirable aspiration, and what a difficult thing to figure out. Many Christians have needlessly tied themselves up in knots over this issue. THE TEXTS: “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such …
The Altars of Democracy
Whenever governments have a problem with God’s people worshipping the true God as they ought to do, the issue is always competition. Those who have made an idol out of the state do not want the presence of anyone who lives in a way that rebukes that idolatry. But we must make a distinction between …
Back to Normal
I have taking a few weeks to urge you to participate fully in the political process of our town. We have a city council election coming up shortly, and I have wanted to consider some of the implications of that. And please note again that it is not the place of the church to be …
Idolatry of the Grand Scale
One of the great political temptations that moderns face is the temptation of the “grand scale.” When the state aspires to deity, the state needs to generate the requisite awe in those who participate in the process. One of the ways of doing this is to proclaim that the future of the planet is at …
Salt and Light
Last Lord’s Day we began a series of exhortations on our civic responsibilities. We considered the fact that we have an important local election coming up, and we balanced that against our repeated emphasis that politics is not to become an idol. At the same time, we are not supposed to flee from our civic …
It Only Encourages Them
This Lord’s Day begins a series of exhortations on the subject of our civic responsibilities. We are about a month and a half away from a local election, and I have come to believe that there is no little confusion on the part of many of us as Christians about what our responsibilities actually are. …
What Happens When You Stop
The apostle Paul exhorts us to do all things “without murmuring or disputing.” The result, he says, will be that we will be blameless and harmless, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, “among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” How do obedient Christians stand out? This is one …
Living with Actual People
Learning to live in genuine community is one of the central goals that we have set for ourselves. And, to be honest, we did not set the goal—it is set before us in Scripture as one of the basic elements of the Christian faith. We are one in Jesus Christ, and this is not to …
No Jiggy Taunts
The Lord has shown great kindness to us as a congregation, and has given us a wonderful piece of property on the south side of our town. If the Lord wills and enables us, it is our intent to build a beautiful sanctuary there. Since we are doing this in the aftermath of several years …