We continue to address one of the most important questions of the present time: Should Christians devote their energy and resources to shoring up the crumbling foundations of governments and institutions or devote these to preparing the way for the coming kingdom?
You may have noticed by now that I have rephrased this question each time, which I am doing because it is a multifaceted issue. I have also given my answer to this question—we should always seek the kingdom first because this is a clear mandate from the Lord Jesus Himself. However, we are also given a mandate by the Lord to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. This often mandates that we give support and help to governments and institutions that are seeking to stand for righteousness and justice. Of course, this could also mean seeking to be salt and light in governments or institutions that have gone awry in an effort to turn them back.
The enemies of truth and righteousness would love nothing more than for Christians to withdraw from the public debate. If Christians do, they are sure to win, and they will use their victory to drive Christians even further away, among other bad things.
We can still be the salt of the earth, while also devoting ourselves to seeking the kingdom first. What we are to do must be translated into how we are to do it. For example, I typically spend about 98 percent of my time to studying and seeking to build up the body of Christ and about 2 percent to seeking to help those in government. I am now spending about 80 percent of my time studying and seeking to build the body of Christ and about 20 percent to understanding and seeking to speak into world affairs. Even so, I would not have made this change if I did not feel led to because of the crises of the times. My heart and interest is far more in the coming of the kingdom of God, but we must be the salt and light that we are called to be to help prepare the way for His kingdom. However, it is a mistake to ever confuse the kingdoms of this world with the coming kingdom of God.
Sometimes we must simply be obedient when our hearts are more into something else. The Apostle Paul’s heart was so much into reaching his own people, the Jews, that he confessed he was willing to give up his own salvation if it would result in their salvation. Even with this great passion for the Jews, he was not sent to the Jews but to the Gentiles, a call to which he was obedient.
Because of the crises we are now in as a nation, it is imperative for the church to engage in the great issues of the times; otherwise, the most powerful force of stability, righteousness, and justice in the world, the United States, will either be gutted and left powerless or even become the most terrible force for evil in the world. We are at a crossroads, and we must either recover our moral and spiritual bearings, or we will go down the road to the most tragic consequences.
To say that the U.S. is the most powerful force for stability, righteousness, and justice in the world is not the same as saying that it is the most stable, righteous, or just nation. The United States is so powerful that just leaning in the direction of a righteous or just cause can have a greater impact than a less powerful nation that is far more righteous, just, or devoted to that cause. This is a matter of weight and leverage.
Confessing Christians compose more than half of America, and some studies have shown that as many as 85 percent of Americans call themselves Christians. In truth, only a tiny percentage of them are more than superficially engaged in the work of the kingdom. The tipping points of history have often been caused by less than 1 percent of a population. For example, Lenin took over Russia, one of the largest and most populous nations on the earth at the time, with only 20,000 Bolsheviks, far less than 1 percent of the population. He was able to do this because of the principle that a tiny percentage of passionate or devoted people will control the majority who are passive. If only a tiny percentage of Christians in the U.S. become passionately engaged in the crucial moral and spiritual issues of the times, the matters would be settled with a positive conclusion very easily.
I met political and religious leaders from around the world at the World Public Forum on Civilizations and Religions in Rhodes, Greece. I was told that America was a nation led and dominated by homosexuals and Jews. They felt that this was the source of the moral perversion being spewed throughout the nations from Hollywood, which was approved by American Christianity. When news came out that all of the major studios in Hollywood are headed by Jews, of course this only stoked the fires of that belief. This was a reason why they considered America “the great Satan.” This is why they feel they have no choice but to wipe America and Israel off of the earth. They were surprised to learn that conservative, evangelical Christians were as appalled at this perversion as they were. Then they asked the inevitable question: If such a large percentage of America is not in agreement with this perversion, how has this evil been able to dominate America like it has?
Of course, the Islamic leaders that I talked with had other political motives. We also have the question for them about the morality of blowing up women and children and even using them for suicide bombs. Most of the Islamic leaders I talked with were likewise appalled by this, and I was assured that the overwhelming majority of Muslims were, but neither had this majority taken a strong stand against it. How is it that such tiny minorities are ruling the nations? Because the rest are lukewarm.
If the church in America awakens, the evil that has now permeated and begun to steer our nation can be overcome. If the church in America remains asleep and passive, we are going to pick up speed very fast down the slippery slope to debauchery, lawlessness, and then oblivion. The ultimate question is: Are we going to allow this to happen on our watch?
