MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
A. As some of you know, in thousands of churches throughout our land, people are taking part in a 40-day period of prayer leading up to Election Day.
We have been urged to pray for our nation, & for all those seeking office - that they may be men & women of integrity & principle, who, should they be elected or re-elected, will faithfully perform the duties entrusted to them.
It is important that we pray about the integrity of our leaders for the Bible says, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).
Christians are joining together in this time of prayer because we recognize that God has given this solemn promise: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves & pray & seek my face & turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven & will forgive their sin & will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).
B. Now, in the light of this special period of prayer, I want to mention some concerns that are upon my heart. I do believe that it is important for us, as Christians, to express our convictions through our vote.
This is an especially crucial time for Christians. The values we treasure are under heavy assault. Babies are legally killed during the final moments of delivery . . . gay marriage has gained legal sanction . . . religious freedoms are being stripped away.
And the decisions we make in the voting booths, for good or for ill, will have repercussions for years to come. Not only will the way our nation votes in this election decide who will be our president, it can also decide what kind of a nation we are, & what kind of values we want our children to learn & embrace.
No matter what our political persuasion, we have an opportunity to have a voice in determining the direction in which our nation will go. And that is a precious privilege that citizens in many other nations do not enjoy.
C. Thanks to the faith, wisdom & courage of our Founding Fathers, we have the opportunity to study the issues, examine the candidates, & make our own decisions concerning those we feel are best to lead us. And we need to exercise that opportunity!
Christians should also vote as a demonstration of our love & concern for others. Many of the decisions made by those who are elected to office will affect our loved ones & those around us in very real ways.
Christians are not to be simply another special interest group, pushing only for those issues that directly impact us. Rather, just as God "causes His sun to rise on the evil & the good, & sends rain on the righteous & the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45), so should our concern be for ensuring liberty & justice for all.
D. Now those who know me well are probably aware of my political leanings. But for the most part, a majority of you in this congregation do not know if I’m a Democrat, a Republican, or whatever. I’ve never publicly told you.
You may guess, but I have carefully avoided proclaiming my personal political affiliation as a minister of this congregation. I’m convinced that my foremost responsibility is to be the best witness of my Savior & Lord that I can be.
In other words, I’ve tried to bend over backward to ensure that, even as I exercise my responsibilities of citizenship, that I in no way compromise my duties & witness for Christ among you.
E. That’s why a letter I received a while back as part of a mass mailing to thousands of churches really bothers me. I won’t go into detail about the letter, but it was basically an attempt to frighten ministers & churches who may be concerned about the direction in which our nation is going.
Among other things, it pointed out that the IRS Tax Code prohibits churches with non-profit tax status from engaging in partisan politics or from endorsing or opposing candidates for any public office.
And if any of us would dare to do so, the letter stated that the full weight of the IRS would fall upon the congregation & the preacher, too.
ILL. And that has happened! A few years ago, the minister of a small congregation in the northeast sent out his church newsletter which contained a list of the issues being discussed during that election. He mentioned the name of a particular candidate & the issues that this candidate was advocating.
Then, beside each issue, he printed Bible verses that dealt with it - showing the contrast between what that candidate stood for & what God’s Word has to say about it. Then he added these words, "I don’t understand how any Christian can vote for someone who advocates what the Bible so clearly condemns."
Almost immediately the IRS swooped down upon that church & preacher, revoked it’s tax-exempt status, informed the members that they & the church would each be liable to pay taxes on any donations made to that church, & warned them about the IRS’s ability to demand audits of anyone who protested this ruling.
Frankly, folks, although I don’t care for the heavy-handed way in which it was handled, according to law the IRS was right. The Tax Code clearly prohibits a church from endorsing or opposing candidates for any public office.
However, the preacher had every right to list the issues of the campaign, & also to present what the Bible has to say about them. He even had the right to add these words, “I don’t understand how any Christian can vote for someone who advocates what the Bible so clearly condemns.”
But the IRS says that what he did wrong was to name the name of the particular candidate who held those views, & to publicly question how any Christian could vote for him.
And for doing that, the full weight & authority of the IRS was brought to bear against him & the church to which he ministered.
E. As I said, throughout my entire ministry I have bent over backwards to avoid violating either the letter or intent of the IRS Tax Code concerning elections.
But I have been bothered by things that have happened in certain churches during the election season that seem to be obvious & blatant violations of the same rule for which that small church was so harshly treated in the past.
And yet, as far as I know, no one - no IRS official, no Justice Dep’t lawyer, no member of the media, & especially not the organization who sent me that letter - has suggested revocation of their tax-exempt status, or even an investigation of their apparent violations of the Tax Code.
But wait a minute. Let me describe some of the things that have happened, & then you judge for yourself. In fact, you may have even seen some of this on television. But remember, I’m going to be careful not to mention any names at all.
Case #1 - It’s Sunday, & the church building is packed. One of the candidates is the guest of honor, & he’s invited to speak to a very enthusiastic congregation. When he finishes, the minister throws his arms around the candidate & shouts, "He’s our man!"
Then the preacher continues on with a rousing call for everyone there to give generously to the candidate’s political campaign & to redouble their efforts to make sure that "our man" is elected. That certainly sounds like an endorsement to me.
But no one in the national media, the IRS, or even the Justice Dep’t has said a word about this violation. I wonder why?
How about Case #2 - Once again a candidate is the guest of honor during a Sunday church service. The minister warmly welcomes & introduces their very special guest. Then he uses the entire sermon time to praise the candidate & to urge everyone in the church to vote for him. Tell me, isn’t that a violation, too?
F. But folks, my purpose today is not to complain about the state of politics in America. My purpose is to challenge us to do all that we are able to do to restore America to its rightful place as a nation with great possibilities, great opportunities, & great responsibilities before God because of the great blessings He has bestowed upon her.
Jesus says in Luke 12:48, "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; & from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."
God has given Americans so much that it staggers the imagination to think about how much God must expect from us.
And Jesus tells us as Christians that we are to be "salt & light." As "salt," we are to season & preserve, penetrating our culture to uphold what is good & right. As "light," we are to pierce the darkness, shining the light of truth & righteous-ness, pointing the world to Christ.
In order to do that we must restore America, restoring the values that once made it great, so that it might take its proper place in the plan of God as a nation of salt & light, helping to win the world to Christ.
PROP. There are 3 practical ways that you & I can start "restoring America" today.
I. WE MUST PRAY FOR THE MIGHTY
First of all, we must pray for the mighty. Just because we’ve elected them to make the decisions that will affect the course of our nation doesn’t mean that these men & women will automatically have the answers that they need - answers for the economy, answers for morality & ethics. So we need to pray for our leaders!
The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession & thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings & all those in authority, that we may live peaceful & quiet lives in all godliness & holiness.
“This is good, & pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved & to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
In fact, let’s take the time to pause & pray right now. Will you please bow your heads with me as I pray?
"O Lord, give our elected & appointed leaders, & the candidates for those same offices, hearts filled with a desire to see Your justice prevail. Lead them to a personal commitment to righteous living.
“Give them the strength to defend the cause of the poor, the needy, & the oppressed. Give them the courage to go against the grain & listen to your Spirit instead of the lobbyists.
"Help them to have a healthy, reverential fear of God that’s greater than the fear of a negative media. Give them a daily dose of wisdom to be a ’leader after Your heart.’
"Above all, Lord, if these men & women are not faithful Christians, we pray earnestly that Your Spirit might move in their lives, as we recognize that just one leader publicly giving his or her life to You could be the turning point in bringing our nation back to You.
“So Lord, we humbly seek your guidance, your blessings, & your protection. And please continue to bless our nation! We pray this in the name of Jesus, our Savior & our Lord, Amen."
II. WE MUST SPEAK UP FOR THE LOWLY
A. Secondly, we must speak up for the lowly. In Proverbs 31:8-9, King Solomon tells us to: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up & judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor & needy."
What are practical ways in which we can do this? Let me point out 3 ways.
1. First, be watchful. Don’t just stand by with an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude while others are suffering from abuse, neglect, & prejudice.
2. Second, be a neighbor, the kind of neighbor Jesus described when he told about the Good Samaritan. As a Christian, take an active role in seeking to meet the needs of those around you.
Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 25:31-40, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, & all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.
“All the nations will be gathered before Him, & He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right & the goats on His left.
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry & you gave me something to eat,
‘I was thirsty & you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger & you invited me in, I needed clothes & you clothed me, I was sick & you looked after me, I was in prison & you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry & feed you, or thirsty & give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger & invite you in, or needing clothes & clothe you?
‘When did we see you sick or in prison & go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
3. Third, be a good example before others of what a Christian ought to be.
1 Peter 2:12 says, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds & glorify God…”
B. "How," you might ask, "am I restoring America by doing these things?"
Simply this: The way we win our nation back to Christ is by winning its people back to Christ, one-by-one.
We must begin with ourselves, repenting of the ways we’ve fallen short in the past; & then moving on to those around us, winning them to Christ through the sheer power of a life lived in the love of Christ & the power of the Holy Spirit.
III. WE MUST ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER
Finally, we must encourage one another. Go with me back to the 1st Century, to the early days of the church. It is a time of great persecution. Christians are being torn apart by wild animals in the Coliseum, & the Emperor Nero is pouring oil over Christians to use them as human torches to light his gardens at night.
The apostle Paul is in a Roman prison awaiting execution, & Peter will soon be next. It would seem to be a dark & terrible time for anyone who tries to follow Jesus. Yet Paul writes to the Christians in Philippi, “Rejoice in the Lord always, & again I say rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)
And despite the persecutions the writer of the Book of Hebrews tells Christians “Encourage one another daily…” (Hebrews 3:14) And he repeats it again in 10:25 when he says,”…let us encourage one another - & all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
No, in the United States we’re not facing the same type of opposition that the early Christians did. But more & more we are experiencing strong & determined efforts to wipe God out of our national consciousness, to remove the mention of His name from any public gathering, & to criticize, belittle, & marginalize anyone who dares to uphold His standards.
Sincere Christians who love their country & are concerned about the downward path it is following, & who dare to speak up about it are branded as bigoted, intolerant, ignorant, or racist. And God help any sincere Christian who chooses to run for national office & urges a return to God’s standards of right & wrong!
No, this is not a time for Christians to stand on the sidelines & just complain about what is happening. It is a time for us to pray, to seek God’s blessing & guidance as we vote, choosing those into whose hands we will entrust our nation.
The future of America as a Christian nation - indeed, as a nation not deserving of God’s judgment - hangs in the balance. Yes, we began as "one nation under God." But just as surely as we’ve swung away from God, we can swing back to Him & be again an America that can honestly & fearlessly say, "In God we Trust!”
INVITATION
