While it is in a sense the day the USA was born, nothing really happened on that day of physical significance.  It was a culmination of an idea that was set forth.  It then had to be fought over to gain any merit, and then be put into practice to test it out.

The idea that was put forth was that the government was for the people and not the people for the government.  It seems quite simple, and fundamental.  Yet I think there are too many people who need to be reminded of it, many of whose authority I live under, both here in Africa, and as a US citizen.

On a lighter note, we had a good time getting together with a bunch of Americans for a great BBQ and  potluck.  We even had 3 Germans, 2 Australians and a Chinese.

God Bless America.

When I was attending UCSD with my cousin, we used to play pick up basketball on Friday afternoons.  We would form a team of 5 from the people waiting to play.  When the game on the court finished, the winning team would then play us.  If we won, we played again, if we lost we left the court, and another team played against the winners.

The process that any organization goes through depends on the structures that are set up to control it.  However, those structures are less and less meaningful if they are not enforced.  Think of it like a game, two teams competing to win.  If there is no referee around to punish infractions against the rules, or the referee is too weak, the game gets out of hand.  The rules get broken and nothing happens.  This leads to more rules being broken.  In the minds of the players, they are doing whatever it takes to win, and that goal, above all, directs their actions.  Sports are not really about winning.  They are about competing.  By losing the structure, they have lost all the meaning of the game.

This is exactly what happened in Jesus day.  The Pharisees had learned to play the game.  They bent the rules to their advantage to such a degree that it put them in power.  Then the rules had no other meaning other than keeping them in power.  When someone came on the scene to challenge them, they killed him.  We all know about Jesus, but he was not the only one they destroyed (just the most important).

The purpose, the vision, the constitution of any organization is the structure.  If those rules are not adhered to, the organization will fail in its purpose.  It will no longer be about the vision of the organization, it will be about empowering a group of people.  Those people will do whatever it takes to “win.”  They will bend the rules, reinterpret them to their advantage.  They will learn how to use every loophole.  They will resist any changes to the rules as they have reformed and learned to use.  When someone comes along challenging their way, they will be destroyed.

Winner stays.

It is completely within God’s power to visit the sick, feed the hungry and clothe the naked. He has armies of angels and He owns the “cattle on a thousand hills.” So why is the command to do these things given to the individual human, to me? Because His commandment is not so that people will be visited, fed and clothed, but that I will do it, and in so doing, I am changed (just as I am changed by prayer). They, too, will be changed, by receiving the love of God. However, that is not the significant part, angels could also show God’s love. Yet He chooses me, the individual, to accomplish His noble calling.

God certainly speaks through circumstances and other people, but decisions should not be based on what “they” are doing. There is no such thing as a “social gospel.” I ought to respond to the will of God in my life. That will motivate me to reach out to others, but not because they need it, because the love of God and His Spirit compel me to do it. Serving God does not mean finding like minded people, it means serving God. Most often that will be with like minded people, but they are not my motivation.

I cannot view the world as the world views itself. I cannot make judgments based on worldly wisdom. I must follow Christ’s example and God’s will for my life. I am only (yet ultimately) responsible for myself.

I put this in the Politics category because it has a lot of obvious political implications.  I know this sort of thinking will upset a lot of people, so all the more reason to put it there.

Also, please know, especially today on Memorial day, that I am very grateful for the freedoms that I have. I do not take them for granted. I am very thankful to all those men who felt the calling to defend the freedom of their families, but even more for those who stepped into the line of danger for strangers. What a reminder they are of what Christ has done for us, sacraficing all so that we might be free.

May God truely bless the USA, and may we, as his children, try to bring glory to His name.

Why is politics important to a Christian? I still do not think it is. Following on the last post, I do believe that some people are called to it, so to them it is important. However, to the vast majority of the rest of us, it is only a terrible temptation. We want to be involved because we can. If you are a Christian living in North Korea, there really isn’t a temptation to get involved in politics.

Some may claim that we need to protect our freedoms. I would reply, “Why?” What is it about our freedoms that make it better for us to relate with God? I think our freedoms have made us lazy in that relationship and we take it for granted because it is so easy. I never realize how much I love my wife until we face something difficult. When everything is running along swimmingly I take her for granted too. There is nothing like some hardship to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Some others might claim that without those freedoms we would not be able to share the gospel with others. My experience is limited, but I would venture to guess the gospel has pretty good market penetration in the United States. Most people have either heard it, or are unwilling to hear. Compare that to the growing church in Iran or China, where they can be hung or shot for believing.

Politics is really just an extension of culture. Culture is an extension of what people hold as important in their own hearts. I guess this should not be a hard train to follow.

Well, a lot like sports I think that some people are called to the political discourse, but not everyone. At least at this point in my life I know that that is not me. Politics is definitely a tool that God uses, but I believe that a lot more people are involved in it than really should be.

The real way to affect change is by changing hearts. Hearts are not the realm of politics, but of the Holy Spirit. You want to see your community change in an incredible way? Bring them good news, the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

One of the real surprises (at least against the conventional wisdom of the time) was that Christ, the Messiah, was not the least bit involved, or even interested in politics.

What is my role, as a Christian, in politics? I believe my vote is my voice, so therefore I believe that I must vote my conscience because of what that “says.” However, I do not think the outcome of elections really has any role to play in my life. I will continue to serve and worship the God whom I love, whether I am granted that “freedom” by my government or not. Who am I to say that God wants us to have it easy all the time.

In fact, most of the really committed people I know of live in places where being a Christian is illegal and subject to the harshest of punishments.

Richard Wurmbrand spent a large portion of his life in Communist Romanian Prisons for his faith. He started his ministry preaching to invading Nazis, then to the “invited” Russian troops. He once said, “It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners…it was understood that whoever was caught doing this received a severe beating. A number of us decided to pay the price for the privilege of preaching, so we accepted their terms. It was a deal: we preached, and they beat us. We were happy preaching. They were happy beating us, so everyone was happy.” A man I who I hold in high regard, and he was a man utterly unconcerned about politics.