It is a foolish and ignorant controversy to voraciously defend the lesser evil. These are things the world argues over and we should not be picking sides because by default, we lose our footing with half the people that need the Gospel. It is even more foolish and ignorant to continue to post and tweet lies, distortions and innuendo about one candidate over the other. It is like Peter forgetting the significance of Jesus being the Christ because of his temporal situation. Sure maybe Donald will deliver the wall and Hillary will deliver fair and equal pay for women but neither of them can deliver anyone from their sins. Jesus was apolitical when He walked the earth. You want my taxes? Go catch a fish. You think you have the power to crucify me? I lay my own life down. You want deliverance from oppression? How about I deliver you from your sins? Instead of some fleeting temporal peace you can have an eternal and everlasting peace. This is the Gospel beloved! We hold the keys to the kingdom! And what are we doing? Writing about the virtue of voting for a man who is on his third wife and thinks he does not need to ask God for forgiveness?
I chose the key verses because of the sheer lunacy of how much we worship this earthly coil over the eternal life we should already be enjoying. Let's set the scene. Jesus has risen from the grave just as He said He would! He has appeared to the disciples time and again to prove His resurrection. The living Gospel is walking among them! Yet what does our key verses tell us was on the minds of the Apostles? The upcoming election of course. "Lord has the time come to restore our earthly kingdom?" Are you kidding me? They just witnessed His brutal execution and now He walks again among them. Those who doubted were permitted to place their fingers in His wounds. The only response from His followers should have been a resounding -- You are the Christ! Instead however it is again about the temporal. The carnal. Jesus lovingly responds with the only things that matters -- the Gospel. You will be my witnesses to the very ends of the earth! Remember what God has instructed us regarding the lost:
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. -- Colossians 4: 5-6 (NKJV)
The word redeem means to buy back. Jesus redeemed those of us who are born again. He bought us back from the god of this world we were sold out to. He wishes to do the same for those who are lost. The only true commodity left is time. The devil does a masterful job of convincing the world they have all the time they want when in reality this life is but a glimmer and tomorrow is promised to no one. We have to buy back the time. We do not do that in engaging in foolish arguments that by their very nature will divide us against the very people who need to hear the Gospel we were meant to deliver. We do not do that in defending and supporting evil, even if it is lesser in our eyes than competing evils.
Neither political party cares about the cause of Jesus Christ. It is folly to think they would. The things of God are foolishness to them. In 2012 God gave us an absurd choice and the church still put their faith in man. In 2016 He gives us another absurd choice. Even more absurd one might argue. The early indication is that those who claim leadership in the church have learned nothing. We hold the keys to the kingdom of heaven beloved. Who guides the Titanic into the icy grave is irrelevant. All that matters is who is pointing out where the lifeboats are.
Reverend Anthony Wade -- June 12, 2016
