The following is a blog post from a good friend of mine, John Amstutz. He is the pastor of the Newberg Foursquare Church. I have reprinted it and posting it on my blog with his permission. I love not only WHAT he had to say, but HOW he said it.
As I read through the chatter on Facebook and other media outlets this morning in response to the presidential election results, I was surprised and somewhat disappointed by the reactions of many followers of Jesus who now fear the end has come. Because a person with different ideology and morality sits in the White House, God, His work in us and His mission in the world is somehow threatened…really? Have we lost sight of the power, authority and glory of Jesus and His death and resurrection? Has there ever been a government, liberal or conservative, that has thwarted the move of the Holy Spirit and the advance of the Kingdom of God in the world? In my limited knowledge of history, I can’t seem to find one.
What I have seen in history and the world is that God’s purpose advances regardless who is in power. First century Christianity exploded under the oppressive rule of the Romans. The church in China has grown by millions despite a government who has worked hard to stop it. Even now, we hear reports that the underground church in Iran is rapidly expanding even though it is illegal to convert from Islam to Christianity. It seems that the more hostel the environment that Christianity finds itself in, the more it flourishes.
If we exchanged our zeal and passion for politics with a compassionate commitment to demonstrate God’s love through our lives as we follow Jesus, it really wouldn’t matter much who was in the White House. That’s the beauty of the gospel through the Body of Christ. It’s not limited or contained by leaders, nations, geography, politics or persecution. It’s driven by God’s heart to reconcile the world back to Himself through Jesus…you can’t stop that!
So when I woke up of this morning and heard the election results, I wasn’t fearful, frustrated or depressed. On the contrary, I’m excited and energized to see what God will do through His people in the next four years.
John Amstutz / Newberg Foursquare Church