Okay, I’m coming out of the closet on this. As you know I have made very little mention of the presidential campaign and the candidates. The reason is simple – God has called me to minister to His people, and His people come in all forms of political persuasions. I have to minister to people on both sides of the isle. As a pastor, I represent a Gospel Community of God-called, God-ordained ministers of the gospel and that identifying mark about me must remain crystal clear to the people I am seeking to reach or lead into a fuller knowledge of God.
Having said that, there are a few observations I want to share with you now that the election is over:
1. Barack Obama is our president-elect. As such, he deserves the prayer, support, and respect due to anyone who fills that office. Paul commands us to honor and serve our rulers as the ministers of God (so far, of course, as conscience allows) Speaking slanderous of them is an offense against God and a bad testimony to the Name of Christ. (1 Peter 2; Romans 13). Barack Obama is our next president and should have our prayer and respectful support. No matter where you stood on Election Day, TODAY everything has changed. No bad mouthing, no slandering; just clean hands and a pure heart.
2. Abortion “on demand” is still legal, and will probably remain so under Barack Obama’s Presidency. I have a problem with this. The horror of abortion is unrecognized by most Americans. It is the unmitigated killing of the weakest among us, and a worse scourge on our country than anything else in our history. More than 48 million babies have been intentionally terminated and disposed of since Roe v. Wade in 1973. God still “hates hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:16-17), and if blood cries out from the ground for justice, there is a thunder in the ears of God that He will judge our nation for. I am troubled by Obama’s stand on this issue; until now he has been the most pro-choice member of Congress & the most pro-choice candidate ever to run for President. My hope is he will have a change of heart on this matter.
3. Always remember that our citizenship as Christians is not just in the United States, but in heaven. Our hope and highest loyalties ultimately rest there. The work God has given us (the spread of the gospel) is not dependent upon who is in office. It depends on the God of heaven who is in control of the nations. I love our country, but I care a lot more about the spread of the gospel, seeing sinners saved and believers grow. Government cannot save you, only God can.