Where Do We Go From Here: Thoughts for the Church

I sat down this morning and wrote down some thoughts reflecting on the outcome of yesterday’s election and its ramifications for the church.
First, Whoever sits on the throne in Washington, God is still king.

In Scripture, Daniel would tell the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar, ”the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants” (Daniel 4:25). The Psalmist writes, ”The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all” Psalm 103:19. Handel chose Psalm 2 for a section of his Messiah, ”Why do the nations rebel and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and His Anointed One: “Let us tear off their chains and free ourselves from their restraints.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them. Then He speaks to them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath” (Psalm 2:1-5).

These passages and the message of Scripture teaches us that God is ultimately in control, even of pagan kings and empires.

Second, don’t let your disappointment turn to bitterness or bigotry.

No matter how we voted, we have a responsibility as Christians to pray for our President; 1 Timothy 2:1-4. When Paul wrote these words he meant the Roman Emperor, probably Nero-one cannot get much more reprobate than that. If we’re not careful we become bitter and begin to blame those who do not see things as we do; why should it surprise us that the Lost act like Lost people? Once we allow bitterness to take root, then bigotry is not far behind. Bigotry is when we blame someone of a different race or culture for our own problems. There is no room in God’s kingdom for racism.

But how did we get here? How did we elect someone to the highest office of the land that is so staunchly against God?Just as Romans 1 teaches that “God delivered them over to a worthless mind” as a nation we have forsaken God and He is allowing us the leader that we have asked for.

“And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong. . .Although they know full well God’s just sentence–that those who practice such things deserve to die–they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.” Romans 1:28, 32

So Where Do We Go From Here?

One thing this election has showed us is that we no longer live in a Christian nation or even a Christian culture. Because of this we must be prepared as a church for greater persecution and the limiting of our religious freedom. We must learn to be as bold as Daniel took a strong stand for the Lord and prayed openly in Babylon. We must pray for our President and our leadership. We must pray for revival. Our hope is not political, but spiritual.

We must build a solid foundation from God’s Word – knowing what we believe and why.

“Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” 1 Peter 3:15. Most Christians don’t know what they believe or why. As we are now living in a culture that is starkly different, we are going to have to be able to defend why we believe that abortion is murder and that marriage is between a man and a woman.

We must teach our children God’s truth

4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. d 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. j 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

We must do better planting churches in the cities, in the Northeast, and the West.

America used to be a rural country, we were a country of pioneers and farmers; we have shifted now to the cities. Many conservative churches abandoned the urban areas to the liberal mainline denominations and moved out to the suburbs. We must move back to the cities. In Camden, SC, we live in an area where there is 1 SBC church for every 800 residents. In some of the cities that need the gospel Miami = 1 SBC church >; 9,087 residents, Cleveland = 1 SBC church >; 42,500 residents, and New York = 1 SBC church >; 59,760 residents.

This election showed us that we must learn how to do multi-cultural ministry right here at home. If you were here for the trunk or treat, over 80% of our treaters were not members of our church, but more importantly, they reflected our community. Our church does not look like our community! We are going to have to reach across cultures in order to fulfill the Great Commission and survive as a church.

At the end of the day, God is in control. Let us rest in His sovereignty and focus on the mission until He comes back!

Audio: Where Do We Go From Here?

2 comments

  1. So glad youposted this!! The #’s of SBC in the cities just simply amazes me. I hope God will use me/our church to be a part of the ministry in those cities some how. Praying for my children, my family and our nation daily. Love the way God is using you and Amy @ our church. I have really taken a look @ my own walk with God here lately and have changed some things! I just want to be real!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.