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Thirty Pieces of Political Silver


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Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. -- Colossians 4: 5-6 (ESV)

What will it take? My Christian brethren, what I ask will it take?

Let me start by defusing the regular reactions to any criticism of Donald Trump from his supporters. This is not about Hillary Clinton. It is certainly not about Bill Clinton. It is no longer even about politics. This is about people who claim to be Christian supporting a man that is the exact opposite of everything we claim to stand for. It is about Christians defending rank evil over and over again. Mind you, even if you have determined it to be an evil of a lesser variety that matters not to God. Bringing up his opponent misses the point. I do not see any Christians defending Hillary Clinton. I do not see any Christians pretending she is the Christian choice for president. I do not see any Christians claiming she is the second coming of King Cyrus, as they have with Trump. I do not see any false prophets rallying behind her candidacy claiming that "God can use anyone." So please stop embarrassing the body of Christ by creating a false equivalency where there is none. We are big boys and girls and we should be able to say what is wrong without pretending an unrelated wrong somehow makes it acceptable.

You do realize the unsaved world is watching, right?

Do you understand the key verses today? Instructions from God Himself as to how we behave towards people outside of our faith. Another translation says we must redeem the time. What does that mean? It means the sand in the hourglass is running low beloved. Dangerously low for those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Whatever time between now and the end must be redeemed by those who claim to be redeemed already. Our speech is supposed to be gracious and seasoned with salt. What does salt do? It preserves. It does not destroy. What have you chosen to align yourself to? You do know the Bible says woe to they that call evil good, right? Please, do not talk to me about this country because it has become an idol to you. The Bible says our citizenship is in heaven and we are supposed to be pilgrims and sojourners through this land. Like Lot before us, we pitch our tent towards Sodom and before we know it we are living in it. Reveling in it. Defending it at all costs. Even the cost of our witness for the one we say we serve.

I understand that maybe you have been taught poorly in the church you attend. Many false teachings are corrupting the church including NAR teachings that claim we are to take over this world before the second coming of Christ. That we have seven mountains we must conquer, one of which is government. Absolute heresy beloved. Seven mountains is mention solely in Revelation and the great prostitute sits upon them. The Bible says we are to be like a shining city upon a hill. Well what does that mean? It means we are to stand out. We are to be different. Peculiar even. That when everyone is screaming carnality in this election we show faith in the God we serve by preaching the Gospel and not defending the absolute indefensible. Maybe your church has taught you that only two wedge issues matter and everything else is out the window. That God does not care about war, disease or famine. Do not believe it for a second.

When Jesus is told that His Mother and brother are trying to see Him He answers who is my mother and brother except he does the will of my Father. Your true brother and sister are not merely those who share your political affiliation. The fastest growing Christian church in the world is in Iran. Think about that for a moment. Let it sink in. There are Christians in Iraq, Lebanon, and in the underground of China. They are our brothers and sisters. This American myopia we seem to have, especially around election time, must come to an end.

So what is it going to take my brother and sister? What is it going to take for you to look at the thirty pieces of political silver in your hand and remember that Jesus Christ is your Savior? That the time is growing short and must be redeemed? That at some point a candidate crosses a line where continuing to support him damages the redemption of that time and permanently damages your witness for Christ? By the way, I am not suggesting that you cannot vote for him. Voting is a secular responsibility, not a Christian one and anyone who says otherwise does not understand the Bible. I am saying that you must stop defending it. You must stop standing next to evil and smiling with a wink and a nod. I think sometimes we grow calloused with so much sensationalism in these campaigns. We get used to reflexively deflecting that we do not honestly stop and think what it would be like to stand before Jesus Christ and explain ourselves. Explain the evil we defend. It was revealed this week that Donald Trump believes that because he is famous, he can grab a woman by the vagina, only he did not use such a clinical term. He bragged about trying to seduce a married woman, just four months after getting married to his third wife. This after it was revealed that he behaved the exact same way during his time on The Apprentice. How in the world can you defend this? Do not hand me the line about it being ten years ago. Stop making excuses! I saw at least three secular articles today mocking the evangelicals that refuse to leave Trump, no matter how vile or disgusting, or unchristian he is revealed to be. Major secular sources. With untold thousands of followers and readers. All who will read about a man bragging about being able to sexually assault women and Christians responding with some nonsense about "well boys will be boys." Stop it! Redeem the time! God is not using him! He is not King Cyrus! He is not saved! He still believes he does not need to even ask God for forgiveness.

Perhaps the only true prophetic word spoken this election season was when Trump himself proclaimed that he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and still not lose a vote. I fear that if he ever did, Christians would come out and say that it is good that he stands up for the Second Amendment. Then they would start disparaging the victim by talking about their past, as if they deserved to get shot. If that didn't work I assume they would start speaking about how Bill Clinton killed people too. But as I said at the start -- this is not about Bill Clinton. This is not about Hillary Clinton. No one is pretending they are a Christian choice for president. I do not see any Christians bragging they are going to vote for Hillary. But plenty are bragging about voting for Trump. Someone points out all of the people he has mocked and the response is something about emails, servers, or Benghazi. Someone points out the shady business practices and people who Trump has never paid and the response is something about how much money the Clintons made in the past ten years. Someone reports correctly that he claims that his status as a celebrity allows him to grab a woman by the vagina and the answer is something having to do with the infidelities of Bill Clinton. I am sorry about the frank nature of this discussion but I think it is needed for people to see what they are defending in the name of Jesus Christ.

Because that is exactly what you are doing. Even if you do not attach Christian sentiment to your defense, people know who we are and they are watching at all times. They are looking for a reason to believe or a reason not to. I was driving once with a friend who got mad when someone cut her off and she responded in a less than gracious manner. I simply asked her -- is there a Jesus fish on the back of your car? She responded that there was. I explained that she then forfeited the right to respond with her flesh. That is what it means to forfeit your life for His. To pick up your cross daily. So it does not matter if you think you are merely responding politically. Is Jesus on your Facebook wall? Do you tweet Bible verses? The Bible says that from the same mouth cannot come both blessings and curses. The world is watching beloved. Who are we standing with? What are we showing them? Protect your witness and redeem the time.

So I ask you sincerely as a brother and sister in Christ -- what will it take?

Rev. Anthony.

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Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to (more...)
 
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