This November once again Americans will be called on to step up and cast their vote. This election perhaps more than others within the last several will be a critical one.For the first time in a long time we have two candidates that (according to the facts posted) are at opposite ends of the spectrum.One openly loves and serves the Lord Jesus Christ and stands for biblical principals. The other no one really knows who or what he serves except that he endorses many secular indecencies.
Below is a short list taken from Wallbuilders website detailing our current president's opinion regarding the things of God and the Lord Jesus Christ? Please go to Wallbuilders.com for a complete list entitled "America's Most Biblically-Hostile U. S. President."
Now more than ever Christians need to rally around the word of God and put their political differences aside and vote according to the dictates of God's Holy Word.
In this teaching I would like to go to the Word of God to see if we can answer the following questions.
Question 1: "Does God expect Christians to vote?"
Answer: It is my contention that it is the duty and responsibility of every Christian to vote.
NIB Proverbs 11:10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
Look at what happens when God's people ignore His direction.
Hosea 8:3-4 3Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.4They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.
We have certain responsibilities that are due our God and our government.
Christians in many countries in this world are oppressed and persecuted. They suffer under governments they are powerless to change; and governments that hate their faith and silence their voices. These believers preach the gospel of Jesus Christ at risk of their own lives. In the U.S.A., Christians have been blessed with the right to speak about and choose their leaders without fearing for themselves or their families.
In the U.S.A., in recent elections, about 2 of every 5 of self-professed Christians took that right for granted and did not vote. About 1 in 5 self-professed, eligible Christians are not even registered to vote.
In our day and age, there are many who want to drive the name and message of Christ completely out of the public arena. Voting is an opportunity to promote, protect, and preserve godly government. Passing up that opportunity means letting those who would debase the name of Christ have their way in our lives.
The leaders we elect—or do nothing to remove—have great influence on our freedoms. They can choose to protect our right to worship and spread the gospel, or they can restrict those rights. They can lead our nation toward righteousness or toward moral disaster. As Christians, we should stand up and follow our command to fulfill our civic duties. Does God expect Christians to vote? Absolutely!
Question 2: Who should you vote for?
Answer: We should vote for leaders who promote Christian principles. God is most certainly over all, but that does not mean we should do nothing to further His will. We are commanded to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
1 Samuel 12:13-15 13Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.14If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:15But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.
Even the king was responsible to obey the Lord.
1 Samuel 13:13-14 13And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.14But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.
Lets look at another example of ungodly government.
2 Chronicles 33:1-2 1Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: 2But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
As born-again believers, we ought to strive to choose leaders who will be themselves led by our Creator. Candidates or proposals that violate the Bible's commands for life, family, marriage, or faith should never be supported.
Christians should vote as they are led through prayer and study of both God's Word and the realities of the choices on the ballot.
Question 3: Is it O.K. not to vote?
Answer: No.
Not voting is a vote. It allows evil to spread God instructs the believers to speak up Voting is one way to speak up.
1 Corinthians 5:1-2 1It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. 2And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
Instead of confronting this evil the church just turned their backs on it and ignored it.
1 Corinthians 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
It only takes a little leaven to spread. The answer is given in the next verse.
1 Corinthians 5:7a Purge out therefore the old leaven,that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.
One way we can purge out the old leaven is to vote. Many of the statistics quoted here can be found on Wallbuilders website if you would like to study them further. There the source of this data will be documented if you care to view it. On many current cultural and pro-family issues, polling numbers show that public support is high, but voting numbers show that the support in Congress is much lower.
For example:
In the vote on HR 2389 (Pledge Protection Act of 2006, introduced by Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri), only 60% of House Members voted for it " certainly much lower than the 91% of the nation that supports it. In that vote, 96% of Republicans voted to preserve "under God' from the hands of activist judges, but only 19% of Democrats did so.
The measure passed the House but was not taken up by Senate.
Public support is at 76%, thereby giving it public bi-partisan support.
In the vote on The Aderholt Amendment in which Rep. Robert Aderholt's (of Alabama) bill, HR 1501, "The Ten Commandments Defense Act," was inserted as language within another bill, only 57% of House Members voted for it.
93% of Republicans voted for the Ten Commandments amendment but only 27% of Democrats That measure passed the House but was not taken up by Senate.
"Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature. . . If the next centennial does not find us a great nation. . . it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces."
The Church probably better represents the "enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation" than any other group, but it has not "aided in controlling the political forces."
In 1768 a Christian minister named John Witherspoon became president of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton. While there he taught biblical principles of government to his students. Of the 478 young men who were graduated during his tenure, according to author John Eidsmoe, "114 became ministers; 13 were state governors; 3 were U.S. Supreme Court judges; 20 were U.S. Senators; 33 were U.S. Congressmen; Aaron Burr, Jr. became Vice-President; and James Madison became President." As a Christian, Witherspoon exerted an enormous influence on the direction of American government. If you don't vote you, you don't care and if you don't care you are not endeavoring to walk in the steps of Christ.
So does God expect us to vote? Yes.
Who should we vote for? Those who best represent God's heart and will for mankind. That may mean you need to vote against your party.
Is it O.K. not to vote? No.
God has given us this country and the stewardship of it. He expects us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. This November vote for God's agenda to be reinstated into our Whitehouse!ÿ
Note: All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. NIV indicates The New International Version, NLT indicates the New Living Translation, NAS indicates the New American Standard version, NKJV indicates the New King James Version, ASV means the American Standard Version, NJB means the New Jerusalem Bible, BBE means the Bible in Basic English, DBY means the Darby translation, NAU means the American Standard Version, 1995 Edition, and NAB means the New American Bible translation. For more information, go to the Works Cited page.