“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

(1 Corinthians 15:58)

I recently read, Jesus and the Powers, Christian Political Witness In An Age Of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies, by N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird. I highly recommend this book as a wonderful tool to help equip the Church for these times. In the rest of this blog I will give some of the highlights of the book and action points for us moving forward.

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“Jesus and the Powers has one objective: to say that, in an age of ascending autocracies, in a time of fear and fragmentation, amid carnage and crisis, Jesus is King, and Jesus’ kingdom remains the object of the Church’s witness and work…Such a conviction means that the Church needs to understand how it relates to empires biblical and burgeoning, how to build for the kingdom in our cities and suburbs; to understand the time for obedience to the State and the time for disobedience to the State. We need to grasp where the Church sits between presidents and principalities. We must think deeply as disciples, without partisan prejudice…” (p. xiii-xiv)

Tragically, a highly individualized and therapeutic gospel has taken center stage in much of the church. We need to restore the centrality of Jesus is first and foremost King and has a kingdom that has been inaugurated and coming in its fullness. Any personal application of the gospel and its awesome promises should be secondary to Jesus’ true and full identity and the repentance and submission in response to that truth. So, we need to fully evaluate the Gospel we proclaim and disciple others into. Are we living under the reality that Jesus is King in our life, our church and in the world?

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“The urgency is not about the next election, the latest scandal or hot political issue; what is up for grabs is the place of Christians in the State and the type of state that Christians should support.” (p.175)

The Church has always had to deal with differing empires. The Gospel first came into the world in the midst of the Roman Empire where “Jesus is King” came into direct conflict with “Caesar is King.” This led to great persecution, but starting in the 4th century Christianity became the dominant religion and so began this complex mix of Church and State. So, we need to wrestle today with what is the place of the Church in the State and what kind of State can we support and help develop?

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“…Christianity has always had a public witness, and our conception of the kingdom shapes how we relate to the political and social challenges of the day…to build for the kingdom means building something on earth that anticipates the new creation. Such witness and work does cross over into the political realm.” (p.176)

A critical issue is understanding the difference between “building for the Kingdom” and building the Kingdom. Only God can build the Kingdom and only God knows when it is coming in its fullness. So, how are we “building for the Kingdom in our witness and work? And how are we keeping the Great Commission as the priority over political action? And how can these actually work together?

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“Christians must seek to serve, not dominate. That is because cross and kingdom go together…We discovered in the New Testament that there is an oscillating perspective of submission to state authorities and at other times subversively resisting them…The case was made that texts such as Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 do not give carte blanche to government authorities. Disobedience to unjust government is possible…” (p.177)

To follow Jesus is to honor Him as King. This allegiance and faith sometimes requires the Church and believers to act in civil disobedience when asked to do things against the Word of God. And it requires great wisdom and Spirit led action to know how to speak truth to the government powers. So, how are we cultivating right language and civil service to address the issues of the day as servants not hungry for power but desirous of good for all?

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“In the quest for a good and just state we have set forth the case for liberal democracy and an ethos of confident pluralism. We do not regard liberal democracy as uniquely Christian; neither is it perfect, infallible or beyond criticism. But liberal democracy and confident pluralism constitute a form of government and political philosophy that gives us the best opportunity to love God and to love our neighbor.” (p.178)

We are in critical times today where there are primarily two forces working against our ability to maintain a healthy liberal democracy where everyone can flourish and worship freely. One is the idea of Christian Nationalism which in its unhealthy form seeks a dangerous blend of Church over State. But more critical and dangerous today is the Progressive Democracy Religion, which has taken over the education system and social media. It is systematically trying to cancel any voice that opposes its values or agenda rather than engage is heathy dialogue as a liberal democracy. So, how can the Church better equip followers of Jesus to lovingly, boldly and appropriately engage the culture in healthy productive dialogue?

Finally, one of the practical things that was mentioned in the book was to encourage every believer to pray about finding at least one main area in their local church to commit to serve within and help advance its vision and impact. And to also, pray about one area in the community to commit to serve and advance its health for the flourishing of all.

Let’s abound in the work of the Lord!

The post The Gospel and Government appeared first on Stephen Woodrow.

Ever feel stuck? Stuck in a job you don’t like and seems to be going nowhere. Stuck in a relational struggle you just can’t seem to fix. Stuck in a financial drain with no gain. And what about feeling stuck spiritually?

We can all relate to some of these struggles at one time or another in our life. But there is a biblical principle that is critical for us to hold onto in our life so we can see these stuck times and dry times as preparation for acceleration rather than just wasted time.

When Jesus saves us, He immediately calls us to follow Him in a time of preparation for acceleration. What do I mean by acceleration? Jesus calls us first to Himself for preparation for a life with Him that accelerates in the fruits of the Spirit and the power and works of the Spirit. Following Jesus is preparation for acceleration toward the Kingdom of God. So how do we develop an attitude of preparation when we are in one of those stuck or dry times?

Luke 11:1-13 is preparation for acceleration in the Kingdom of God.

Regular payer to align with the Father’s will

It opens with Jesus praying and one of His disciples waiting for Him to finish before asking Him to teach them how to pray. We often blow right by this fact and get right to the Lord’s Prayer that He taught His disciples. But the foundation of Jesus’ life, ministry and purpose was time in prayer with the Father. Jesus said He did nothing He didn’t see His Father do. He was in perfect unity, but it required regular and lengthy time alone with the Father. Nothing is more important in our preparation for God’s purpose.

Worship that births a growing sense of the Father’s holiness and our need to be holy

If we want to know God’s will and purpose for our life we start by being obedient with the clear commands of God to be sanctified in our soul and body. Greater clarity on His will and purpose comes with greater desire and obedience in being a holy temple ourselves.

Prayer and work for God’s coming kingdom

So much of the preparation of our heart is a detachment from the things of this world and any hope in this world and an attachment to the hope of God’s coming kingdom to reign in righteousness. We should not only pray for His coming kingdom, but also work toward it.

Daily gratitude and dependence rather than worry and focus on tomorrow

Be thankful and faithful today and God will take care of tomorrow. Intimacy and power are released in greater measures in our lives as we  grow more dependent on and desperate for the Lord.

To receive the Gospel is to live and apply the Gospel

After we receive the Gospel we need to start learning how to apply the Gospel to our own soul and to others. Sometimes there are long seasons of preparation required to uncover unforgiveness, bitterness and hatred. Spiritual acceleration is when we can quickly apply the power of the Gospel over our life and others.

Our strength and protection is only in the Lord

It is when we are in stuck and dry times that we are at the most risk of succumbing to temptation. Preparation for acceleration is learning to find our strength in the Lord and His spiritual armor and weapons of righteousness.

Boldness and persistence in prayer open doors of blessing and opportunities

Preparation is a time to bolster our confidence in communicating with the Lord and confidence in the promises of the Lord. When these two things grow and come together there is an acceleration of answered prayers to advance the kingdom of God.

There is no greater treasure we possess and no limit to our access to the treasures of the Holy Spirit

A key part of preparation is growth in our trust and faith in the overwhelming goodness of God and His willingness to give us more of the Holy Spirit. Acceleration is fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit as He is pursued and welcomed in our lives.

So, no matter what season we are in, if we embrace these 13 verses as preparation for acceleration our whole trajectory of life will be accelerated toward God’s grand purposes. It is so easy to get consumed and even paralyzed in the circumstances of life. Jesus modeled for the disciples and us that prayer was a lot more than doing a devotional. It was preparation for acceleration.

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