Okay, Let's Get On With It

Well it is amazing to me to turn on the TV and notice the stark absence of those nasty political ads. Now for once those antacid ads and the couple sitting in the seperate tubs on the beach seem almost refreshing...I actually get a little misty watching them.

But it seems life in the church is a little less back to normal. Many of my friends are plotting how to rush out and buy a supply of guns, storing up food, and bracing themselves for the complete unraveling of America. Not to mention what will happen to our churches as a result of the "godless democrats" who are now at the reins of this sinking ship called America.

The whole thing got me thinking about life in the early church and how they might have responded to all of this. I'm sure the Zionists would have been gathering up their arms (swords, spears, etc) and preparing for the worst. The Greeks would be philosophizing about the dangers and unfounded and irrational fears that people would be experiencing. You know...it sounds like they may have responded like we would.

So imagine their pastor...realizing all of his flock is freaking out ...thinking how am I going to rien in all of these extremists. So he drafts a letter and says something like this. "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."

Why doesn't he try to feed the rebellion or get them rallied around the cause to stand against the regime? Instead he tells us to relax and do good. Don't get so uptight. We all know our real citizenship is not in this world...so why get so upset. It seems that back when Peter was the pastor, his people acted as if the government was in control of their future...how silly.

You know, it's good advice for us as well. Even if it were true that President elect Barak Obama was a Muslim terrorist loving baby killing gun stealing anti christ America hater, he is now our President. He is our countries equivalent of a king. Peter says you better honor him. So that would include not making snide and rude comments about the man or his family. That means we can't tell our friends that he is something that he is not. Slander, libel, defamation of character, all would get you killed in Peter's day. Today...it causes death as well...but it is more a death to intimacy with God, connection with other Christ-followers, and an ability to reach out to all of those who think differently than we do.

Peter the pastor also wrote this, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

Come on folks, lets be reasonable. God is still in control...He knows what He's doing. Let's just keep focussed on what we need to do and let God be God.