Scott Aniol Addressing the Use of Images of Christ

Owen Strachan: Strong Men

Take Heart

I do not know about you, but 2025 started off with a bang. Everywhere I looked on social media and the news, there was always something. We have the fires in Los Angeles that destroyed many homes including ones that belonged to celebrities. Just a couple of days ago, there was a helicopter that crashed in an American Airlines plane that killed everyone. As I write this, authorities are still gathering information as to exactly how this could have happened.

For many of friends and family, they have had trials which most of them have been the loss of a loved one. Our church has had two members passed within the last couple of days, and a former staff member shared a former member passed. One man shared he lost his home in a fire that related to the L.A. fires. 

My family and I have had our bumps in the first month of 2025. My wife's stepfather passed away one week after the new year began. A few days later, my wife traveled out of state to see my father-in-law who was recovering from back surgery, which that was no surprise. After the surgery, he was incoherent and looked like he suffered a stroke. I am thankful to say he did not suffer a stroke. What had happened was he was given too much pain medication by the hospital to the point of nearly overdosing. He made a full recovery and was released from the hospital. My wife stayed for a few days to make sure he was fine and help keep his house in order. As she came back, we got word one of her uncles was in put in assistant living as he was diagnosed with dementia.  

I am not sure how the first month of the year was for you. Maybe you had some trials. Maybe things when very well with a few bumps. No matter how this year has begun for you, Christians take heart knowing that God is still in control. We have been promised by Christ that tribulations will come, but we can take heart that He has overcome the world (John 16:33). James said that the testing of our faith will bring about perseverance (James 1:3).  The Apostle Paul tells us that all things work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28). What is the good? To be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

We can take heart knowing that whatever comes our way, God is still in control. He is still with us. 

To close, here is song from Emu Music, which happens to share the title to this post, "Take Heart."

Choose Whom You Serve: God or the World

After Joshua reminded the nation of Israel all that Yahweh has done for them, he said:

So now, fear Yahweh and serve Him in integrity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve Yahweh. If it is evil in your sight to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh (Joshua 24:14-15).

He said to the children of Israel, choose this day whom you will serve whether Yahweh or another god if serving Yahweh was not desirable for them. In today's culture, Christians have the same choice before them. There are many so-called gods in this world. 

In fact, Christians have a choice today to whom they will serve whether it is God or the world. The Bible says:

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world (1 John 2:15-16).

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God (James 4:4).

The Bible is clear that loving the world comes not from the Father and friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God. The church is filled with too many Christians who want to serve the Lord while at the same time want to please the world by catering to its desires.

The world does not want to serve God, they only want to serve itself. The world wants nothing to do with God. People in the church want to play this 50/50 allegiance with God and the world. They call themselves Christians while serving the world. 

Charles Spurgeon wrote:

If God is God, serve Him and serve Him fully. If this world is god, serve it and do not claim to be a Christian...Serve your master, whoever he is. If you do profess to be a Christian, be so completely. If you are not a Christian, do not pretend to be. If you love the world, then love it, but cast off your mask and do not be a hypocrite.

Both Spurgeon and Joshua are saying for those who serve God and the world, choose who you will serve and renounce the other. If you are a Christian, serve Yahweh your God and not the world. If you want to serve the world, as Spurgeon would say, do not call yourself a Christian. 

Choose this day, whom you will serve. 

Book Review: When Christians Disagree by Tim Cooper

Not everyone is going to agree with you. That is a fact of life. That is including those in the church. I always thought that Christians agreed on everything except for personal opinions. I was wrong.

Not every Christian is going to agree on matters of interpreting the Bible and theological beliefs. Not every Christian agrees on baptism, Bible translations, church government, etc. In our social media age, we have seen Christians disagree and sometimes it can get nasty.

Christians disagreeing with one another is nothing new. Tim Cooper, in his book, When Christians Disagree, dives into church history as two prominent figures that had some issues with one another, John Owen and Richard Baxter. 

Cooper begins with a brief look at Owen and Baxter's background which includes their experiences in life and their theological developments. They did have some similarities in their theology, but they had some disagreements that led to Baxter calling Owen a messenger of Satan and Owen condemning Baxter's pride and arrogance. Sounds like Christians disagreeing on social media.

I won't go into great detail as to what were cause their conflict, but I will tell you that, according to Cooper, Baxter and Owen never reconciled. This is sad that two men like Owen and Baxter never truly reconciled before they died. 

Why should Christians read this book? We can learn how to disagree and do it better than those who have gone before us. Yes, we may never see eye-to-eye on everything, but the Bible does say to pursue peace with everyone (Hebrews 12:14) and forgive as the Lord forgave you (Colossians 3:13). 

I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Living in God"s Two Kingdoms by David VanDrunen

When to come to culture, there are usually two groups of Christians. There is one group that flees from it. There are some Christians that just do not want to have anything to do with the world around them. They evangelize but they do not interact with it. There is now a movement of only a small group of Christians that believe the best thing to do is leave a Blue State which led by Democrats and flee to a Red State which is ran by Republicans.

The other group of Christians are those who are in the world but not of the world. They are engaging the culture by being salt and light as they speak the truth in love. They are staying the place they live in despite of political turmoil knowing that God is sovereign in their current cultural climate. 

David VanDrunen, in his book, Living in God's Two Kingdoms, sets in encourage believers to not run away from the culture, but to "take up cultural tasks with joy and express their Christian faith through them." As the culture continues to become more godless, VanDrunen reminds his readers that our hope in Christ knowing there will be a new heaven and a new earth. Christians are to think critically about sin and the effects it has on the culture, but they are to think critically on the hope we have in Christ knowing while things are bad here, God is in control. 

VanDrunen beings with the book with looking at Adam and Christ. Adam, who was a real man as shown in Scripture, along with Christ overshadow the whole of human history. Adam was the first created man, and he was given one law by God, yet he broke it. Christ, who is the second Adam, came into the world to do what we could never do, perfectly obey the law of God. He died on the cross for our sins on our behalf and three days later, rose from the dead. Christ's resurrection gives up hope in a broken world. 

The next part of the book addresses living as exiles this world. VanDrunen draws parallels from the people of the Old Testament to the people of the New Testament. They were sojourners in this world as we are in our current culture climate.

Finally, VanDrunen addresses how the Christians are to live in the world of God's two kingdoms which is the world we are in now where God is sovereign and the world to come, which we have because of Christ and God is still rules. What our lives are to be in regard to the church, education, vocation and even in politics.

Yes, dealing with culture can be messy and a little confusing. It is tempted to flee especially if you are in a very liberal state. Yet, we are to be salt and light. We are to speak the truth in love. We are sojourners on a temporary journey through this world. This book was an encouragement to me as I have wrestled with this issues and I know it will be the same for those who read it.

I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Impossible Christianity by Kevin DeYoung

Is Christianity Impossible? Are the commandments hard to follow? We know from 1 John 5:3 that God's commandments are not burdensome yet many in the church have made it hard to follow God.

Many Christians have put too many man-made rules for following God. Some have even made it hard for people to accept they are prone to stumble from time to time. Some Christians have said you have to live a life to turn the world upside-down to be used of God in His kingdom.

Kevin DeYoung, in his latest book, Impossible Christianity, wants his readers to know that yes, we can follow God, but do not have to be extraordinary to be used by Him. So, off the bat this book is the opposite of David Platt's Radical, which says we must be something to change the world. 

DeYoung addresses Paul's teaching the Christian life is a race where we all run as to get the prize and the end. We are to run with perseverance as the Bible states, but it does not have to be in front of a sold-out crowd or in a room full of skeptics. We can be followers of Christ as we live our day-to-day lives for the glory of God.

There are some misconceptions in the Christian life that DeYoung attempts to clear up. The one I will address is in Acts 2 where the church had everything in common and sharing their possessions. Many have looked at this as the Bible advocates for communism, which it does not. The Apostles never commanded them to share their resources with one another as what they did in the early church.

In the rest of the book, DeYoung addresses not feeling guilty when we fail because Christ has redeemed us. As well as being relieved if we do not do great things for God. In the Christian life, we are called to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus. That does not always mean doing something extraordinary for the kingdom of God, but it does mean we follow Christ as we live in this world. DeYoung does a decent job communicating that in this book.

I received this book from Crossway in exchange for a review. 

Book Review: Evangelical Pharisees by Michael Reeves

When we think of the Pharisees, we think of men who were religious zealous who put man-made rules on people, which is true. We think of those who conspired to have Jesus killed, which is also true.  Pharisees were very proud of their place at the table and how they were revered with the Jewish people. They were also proud people when it comes to how religious they were.

Have you ever been proud of how people see you as a Christian? Do you think God is pleased with how spiritual you are? The question is, are you a modern-day pharisee?

In his new book, Evangelical Pharisees, which is a follow-up to Gospel People, Michael Reeves addresses issues of religious pride and legalism. This book is only four chapters long, but each deal with specific issues the Pharisees had and why it is important that we must avoid them.

First, one of the biggest things about the Pharisees is that they were hypocrites. A hypocrite is basically being someone who you are not when no one else is around you. Another way of looking at it when a Bible teacher instructs their people to avoid certain sins, he does what he just told them not to do. It is like some parents who say, "Do what I told you. Don't do as I do." 

Reeves points out that Jesus identified the three theological mistakes the Pharisees have made which is discussed in the remainder of the book. The first one is their understanding the God's revelation in the Scriptures. The Pharisees believed their Bible knowledge was legitimate proof of their right standing with God. Sounds familiar? It should because there are a number of people in the church who think if they have enough Bible knowledge they will be saved. Jesus told the Pharisees that know they search the Scriptures; they refuse to come to Him for eternal life because the Scriptures testify about Jesus (see John 5:39-40). God shows us Christ who is the source of eternal life through His special revelation in the Scriptures.

The next theological error of the Pharisees was their understanding of redemption. They believed if they did enough good works, they would be right in God's eyes. If you know your Bible really well, you know that is not true. Good works are not the root of our salvation by the root of it. We are justified by faith alone, not by works lest any man should boast (see Ephesians 2:8-9). Christians in the church today can fall under this same error the Pharisees were under if they put their faith and trust in what they do rather than what God has done in Christ. 

The final theological error is that of regeneration. This doctrine simply states that God removes our heart of stone to become a heart of flesh (see Ezekiel 36:26-27) which allows us to love and follow God. This work cannot be done on our own, this is a work of God. Our outward expressions of faith are a result of what God has done in our hearts. It is not keeping God commandments because we make God love us even more, but as a result of the work of God in our hearts.

The final chapter of the book deals with looking to the glory of God rather than the glory of man. Pharisees love to be man-pleasers and seek the glory of man. Those things do not last. In addition, we have nothing to contribute to our salvation, except, as Jonathan Edwards puts it, the sin for it to made possible. Pharisees will only seek out their own glory which goes back to the errors previously mentioned. 

This book is very easy to read. It is not a lengthy book so one can go through it within a week. I think this was a perfect follow-up to Reeves's previous book.

I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review. 

Another Election Happened, Now What?

I know I am a little late to the game, but we had another election in the United States. In fact, there are still some elections that haven't announced a winner just yet. I am not sure how some of you voted so you are either happy or sad. I know who I voted in my state elections, and I am content with the results. I think there are one or two that are still counting votes, which makes us wonder if we jumped back to the 2000 President Election.

Maybe you are in state where the election did not go what many thought it should go. Many thought there was going to be a Red Wave, which did not happen, and probably said by those who claimed Donald Trump was going to win the 2020 Presidential Election. 

Now that the midterm elections are over for most races, now what? Well, for starters, brace yourselves for another round of campaigns especially since Donald Trump announced he was running for 2024. More importantly, trust in God. No matter what results any elections may bring, Christians are to trust in God. The psalmist wrote, "Trust in Him at all times, O people" (Psalm 62:8). Not just when things are good, but when things are not going your way.

As we truth in the Lord, we need to remember that in God providence, He has placed leaders in their positions of power. The Bible says, "For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist have been appointed by God" (Romans 13:1). Jesus even said to Pontius Pilate just before He was crucified, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above" (John 19:11). 

All authority to earthly governments has been given to them by God even though they were elected by the people. God used an ordinary means to accomplish His will. We may not understand it, but all we have to do is trust in Him. God has not lost control of this world and that includes politics. The Bible says, "For the kingdom is Yahweh’s and He rules over the nations" (Psalm 22:28). Psalm 46:10 says, "Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." God will be exalted no matter what.

Finally, take time to pray for you elected officials. The Apostle Paul said, "First of all, then, I exhort that petitions and prayers, requests and thanksgivings, be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Timothy 2:1-2). I know it can be difficult to pray for politicians, who clearly do not have Biblical standards in mind as they run whatever they were elected for, but Christians are to pray for them. Pray, if they do not know Jesus, will come to know the Lord and repent from their sins. Pray for those who are believers in a political office that they will grow in the grace of Christ and not compromise the Word of God for the sake of progress. 

The midterms are over, and another presidential race is coming. So, get ready and fasten your seats belts. Let us pray for the next round of elections that are coming up in the next couple of years. 

Book Review: Redeeming Productivity by Reagan Rose

Who wants to get more productive? Okay, maybe not a lot of people will admit they want to do more, but most likely some will admit they wished they can do less. There are some that love their jobs but do not want to do. Pastors are in that mix too. If you have been on staff at a church, you know what I mean.

Many think that doing more can be more of a hinderance yet doing the hinderance comes from doing less. For Christians, we should strive to do more. No, I am not saying we do more for God to love us or guarantee our salvation. Doing more means that we actually look at why we should do more.

In his book, Redeeming Productivity, Reagan Rose gives us five, what he calls, the five pillars of Christian productivity:

You belong to God.

You exist to glorify God

You were saved to bear fruit for God.

You are uniquely gifted by God.

You will give an account to God.

Rose shows us from the Bible how why these pillars matter and how we can put them into practice. Such as making a morning routine with Bible reading, setting goals, and keeping an eye on your commitments. 

There are a lot of books out in the marketplace that might help you be more productive; however, they are from a worldly point of view. This book is a Bible-centered book on being more productive in this life.

I received this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review. 

Keller and Cities

I am a city boy. I love the variety of activities that cities have. I love that cities have many people who you can interact with. Thing that I don't miss from the city is traffic especially at rush hour.

The city can be a great place to live, but it can also be a dangerous place. I am not just talking about violent crime, I am also addressing the other drivers who have no courtesy whatsoever. 

The city can also be a frustrating place due to cost of living and some of the politics that happens in City Hall. Not to mention what happens in school board meetings.

The city can also be a great place to plant a church, but the city is not the only place to plant a church.

In a recent tweet, Tim Keller wrote:

If you care about people you will care about cities because cities are filled with people.

Yes, cities are filled with people. Lots of people, but they are not the only ones where people are living. People live in rural areas, farming communities, and even small towns. Those places are filled with people that need the gospel. Yes, in some areas there will be churches in every corner, but not all will be teaching sound doctrine.

There is nothing wrong with living in the city or going to the city to plant a church or spend time evangelizing, but God has place us where we are for His glory. Mark 16:15 says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." We have been given the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20), which includes cities and small towns. 

Keller's emphasis on cities seems to communicate that other areas of the country are less significant because they do not have enough people to actually care about. The city I live in is not the most glamorous city in Texas, but it does have its perks. The cost of living is one of the lowest in the state. 

Yes, they even have a church in almost every corner, but a huge percentage of them do not preach the Bible expositionally and rely on pragmatic means to draw people to their church such as using a helicopter to drop Easter eggs for children to collect. 

Since my city is not the size of Houston, Dallas, or New York City, Keller assumes that I do not care about people. I care a great deal about the people of this city that I hope and pray they will repent of their sins and turn to faith in Christ. I also pray that the churches in our city will be convicted of using worldly measures to get people to their congregations and rely on the Gospel which is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). 

While we will be part of a great city that is mentioned in Revelation, we are part of where we live right now by the providential hand of Almighty God, who has called us to live a holy life and proclaim the gospel to ends of the earth. 

All for the Glory of God

As Christians living in the 21st century, what should be our ultimate goal? We have the goal of knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:10),  and to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). We are commanded to love Christ by obeying Him (John 14:15). We are also commanded to love another as all would know we are disciples of Christ (John 13:34-35).

The one thing that all Christians are to do is glorify God. Isaiah 43:7 says that we are created for God's glory. Ephesians 1 tells us that our adoption, redemption, and being seals in the Spirit is to the praise of God's glory. Romans 12:1 says we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifice that is acceptable to God. 

All of our lives are to be lived for the glory of God:

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:17, LSB). 

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God 

(1 Corinthians 10:31, LSB).

All we do is for the glory of God. Doesn't matter if you are a student, housewife, electrician, teacher, or pastor. I believe it was Willian Tyndale who said, "There is a difference between preaching the gospel and washing the dishes, but there is no difference in glorifying God." We are to bring God glory even if our jobs seems meaningless. We are to bring God glory even if live is hard at this moment. 

Give God all the glory today. 

Why You Should Not Love the World

On the most recent episode of the Just Thinking Podcast, Darrell B Harrison gave a list of 20 reasons for not loving the world composed by Horatius Bonar. I searched for that list and found it on Monergism. Here is the list:

1. Because the gain of it is the loss of the soul.—Matthew 16:25.

2. Because its friendship is enmity to God.—James 4:4.

3. Because it did not know Christ.—John 1:10; 17:25.

4. Because it hates Christ.—John 7:7; 15:18.

5. Because the Holy Spirit has forbidden us.—1 John 2:15.

6. Because Christ did not pray for it.—John 17:9.

7. Because Christ’s people do not belong to it.—John 17:16.

8. Because it will not receive the Spirit.—John 14:27.

9. Because its Prince is Satan.—John 13:31; 16:11.

10. Because Christ’s kingdom is not of it.—John 18:36.

11. Because its wisdom is foolishness.—1 Corinthians 1:20.

12. Because its wisdom is ignorance.—1 Corinthians 1:21.

13. Because Christ does not belong to it.—John 8:23.

14. Because it is condemned.—1 Corinthians 11:32.

15. Because the fashion of it passeth away.—1 Corinthians 7:31 .

16. Because it slew Christ.—James 5:6; Matthew 21:39.

17. Because it is crucified to us.—Galatians 6:14.

18. Because we are crucified to it.—Galatians 6:14.

19. Because it is the seat of wickedness.—2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 5:19.

20. Because its God is the evil one.—2 Corinthians 4:4.

Bonar concludes by stating:

Love not the world! It cannot be your home,

Thy fatherland must be the world to come;

There lay up treasures for eternity;

And where thy treasure is thy heart shall be. 

Follow Christ, Not Cultural Trends

The church isn’t supposed to blindly follow mainstream cultural trends—even powerful ones with massive elite support and financial backing. It is supposed to uphold and live out the counter-cultural ways of Christ’s kingdom as salt and light in the midst of an increasingly dark and chaotic culture. Unless the church pulls its foot out of the ideological social justice quagmire, and places both feet firmly on the solid ground of biblical truth, the consequences will be devastating for both the church and the nations we exist to bless and serve.

Adapted from Why Social Justice Is Not Biblical Justice by Scott David Allen

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out to be trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16, LSB).

Abandon Social Media?

As many of you are aware, Facebook, Twitter, and many other online avenues has removed President Donald Trump from their sites saying he was to blame for the riots that happened on the Capital Building in Washington D.C. I know there are many opinions about went down along with finger pointing, but this is not what I am going to be addressing.

Over this past weekend, many have made comments that they were going to leave Facebook and Twitter for a more conservative social media platform such as Parler and MeWe. Then news came out that Apple was going ban Parler from their App store. 

Some have even made the comment that they were leaving social media altogether, which is their choice. I have noticed an increasing number of people on Twitter saying they have lost followers. I have lost around 20 followers over the weekend which is nothing new when they realize that I am committed to the gospel of Christ or they are one of those accounts that just follows you just so you can follow them back.

Many are concerned that the tech companies are coming for their accounts and would even censor them because they are committed to Biblical truth and not bending the knee to the culture. So the question that is being asked, should we abandon social media?

This is a great question that one should not treat lightly. I have been on social media for a long time and have had a good time on their connecting with believers from all over world and reconnecting from friends I grew up with in Houston and ones from college. I will admit that I have won a few contests on social media. 

I know social media has become a cesspool for arguments as of late. People, especially Christians, seem to argue about anything from baptism to pineapple on pizza. So let me answer this question as best as I possibly can. 

Should we abandon social media? I say no. Here is why. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many are not talking face-to-face with one another as we use to. Social media provides that platform for us to engage with people and speak the truth in love to fellow believers. I know there are some trolls out there that want to make their opinions known no matter what you say. You really have to answer those guys, but there are some that want clarification. Those are the ones we must speak truth to. 

Social media has become the new public square during these COVID-19 days where we must proclaim the gospel to those who are willing to listen (or read). So does that mean stop posting the sports meme? Nah. Share with people what you enjoy. You never know, by God's providence, it could lead to a witnessing opportunity.  

If you are reading this and know someone, whether yourself or someone else, that has abandoned social media, it is their freedom in Christ to do so just as engaging in it. Many have reasons for getting on social media and there are others who leave it for various ones as well. I hope the primary reason you are on there is to glorify God and edify the saints. Yes, social media is not a church, but we do engage with believers from all over the world so that we may edify one another and also engage with those who do not want to step foot into a church building.

There may come a time when we will be removed from Twitter, Facebook, and other sites. There might be a day when "Keeping the Main Thing" will be removed from the web because I am committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and Biblical values. Till then, we press on. We keep preaching. We keep living for the glory of God even when we can't post photos of our activities, if that day comes. Till then, I will committing to proclaim Christ on this blog and on social media. I will also continue to share my love of my favorite TV shows, sports teams, and the right to proclaim pineapple does go on pizza. Press on, my brethren.  

Happy New Year

2020 is over and for many, they are thankful. However, that does not mean 2021 will be any easier. In fact, it might get even harder. To be realistic, we are never promised an easy ride during our sojourning on planet Earth.  

Don't get me wrong, not all things that happened in 2020 were bad. God is still in control and no one took Him off His throne in the midst of all the chaos that was happening. I know for my family, God took care of us as we had not one but three quarantine periods with the most recent one taking place at the end of the year when both of my kids were tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, my wife and I never caught the disease while in our home for the quarantine period.

As 2021 begins, many are looking forward to leave 2020 behind. However, as Christians, we can look at 2020 and see the things that God was doing during that time. He exposed false prophets who have been proclaiming false teaching. He has exposed those who are leaders in the church who are embracing worldly ideologies. People were still being saved and many churches stood their ground against their local or state government that wanted them to close during the pandemic.

As I mentioned many want to leave 2020 behind, but the truth is there things that did happened that we need to reflect on. Here are two podcasts that take a look at what went down last year and its impact on the church:

WWUTT 1350 Q&A Year in Review from When We Understand The Text

2020 Review from Sola Cast

No Matter What

Today is Election Day in the United States, which to some, it might be the most critical election in recent history. There have been record turnouts for early voting and there might one for today as people go to the polls. The one election that everyone is paying attention to is the one for President of the United States. We have Donald Trump seeking a second term versus Joe Biden, who was Vice President under Barack Obama.

There are issues of religious liberty at stake in this election as well as other issues which I am going into because I hope you are aware of what they are. I know who I voted for and resting in the Sovereignty of God regardless of who wins the President Election. By the way, it was not just voting for President that was on the ballot. Our city is voting for the man who would be Mayor and we have a school bond, which if passed, will raise property tax. We also had propositions that our city is considering as well voting for state senators. 

I am not sure what your state or city is voting for besides President, but I hope that you take the time to weight the issues and vote. This is a democracy which means those who rule over us is by the will of the people, however, Christians know that is not the will of the people that ultimately decide who will be running our country, it is the will of God. Romans 13:1 says, "For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God."

This is why we can rest in the sovereignty of God because it is God who has brought rulers, whether elected by the people or taken it by force, into the position they are in. We also know that Jesus is the true King of the world and no matter what happens during this election, He is still King. God is still sovereign. His plan is still unfolding before us even though we have no idea what He is doing. We do see in hindsight that He works all things for His glory and our good. 

Sam Waldron on the Christian's Relationship to Civil Authority

With all the discussion on whether or not obey the government, Christians need to know what Scripture says about this issue and when it is appropriate to commit Civil Disobedience. Sam Waldron addressed in a 3-part sermon series at his church, Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY:  

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Focus on Christ During This Election Season

If 2020 wasn't crazy enough, we are now heading into the final month of the election season. We are still in a pandemic, racial tension is happening in America, people are losing jobs, and some churches are suing their local or state governments from government overreach. You can't turn on the news without seeing more chaos all around us. In spite of everything around us, Christians need to do one thing: focus on Jesus.

Yes, our world is in chaos, but we must keep Jesus at the center of our lives despite what is happening all around us. Hebrews says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2). The Bible also tells us to set our minds "on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2). 

As we go down the home stretch in this election season let us keep our minds on Jesus. As we keep our focus on Him, let us pray for our leaders and the people are running for office:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

As we engage with people during this season, let our conversations be God-honoring and pointing people to our King who will never lose His throne no matter who occupies the White House. 

Be Guided By The Word

Always remember in everything you do in this world to be ruled and guided by the word of God and not by self, or by the latest fashion, or by the example of others.