Posted by
ValiantForTruth on Thursday, November 06, 2008 12:06:56 PM
I post this letter from a dear former pastor because it was an encouragement to me…
Dear friends,
I have to be honest in saying that the recent election did not turn out as my flesh would have preferred. Nevertheless, it turned out precisely as I would have expected the Lord to ordain. And bowing to the Spirit rather than the flesh, I have to say that my great disappointment is not that many of my preferred candidates did not win, but that the church at large has failed to a large extent to be salt and light in a dying world. Much of the church has been active in conservative politics, but that is not being salt and light. It would be better in the midst of spiritual, social and economic turmoil for the Christian to be able to say with a clear conscience that he had been true to the word, faithful to his Lord, and zealous in evangelism. The Apostle Paul wrote that “we are a fragrance of Christ to God, among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” Our task is not to win elections, nor is it to boast in baptisms. Our task is to be a fragrance of Christ to God. But to what extent has this been the description of the church in America?
I am reminded of how the Prophet Habakkuk grieved over the sins of Israel, and then shuddered to see God’s judgment. He finally came to say,
Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
We have little reason not to say that God has brought judgment to our nation. And this was the case long before this election. We are in the crucible; we are in the Refiner’s fire. Circumstances will grow worse. But let us be content in what God has done. For contentment is a matter of priorities and not circumstances. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God . . .” Let us seek a kingdom which is not of this world. “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” And we cannot anticipate that the church can make any impact on this evil world until it has been purified. Let us take to heart Paul’s exhortation to Timothy that we take heed to ourselves and our doctrine. This is not a time for moderation in holiness, nor is it a time for compromise in instruction. Let us all be pure in word and deed.