Let me take a page from
someone whom I listen to on a weekday basis.
I’ve mentioned Dr. John
MacArthur in this blog before. He’s the Senior Pastor at Grace Community Church
in suburban Los Angeles who has a popular radio show “Grace to You,” as well as
a prolific author and speaker for the Evangelical Church. He has stirred
controversy over the years for his unyielding submission to the Word of God in
its inerrancy, and his willingness to take on others who don’t profess His Name
with that premise.
From confronting high
profile preachers such as Joel Osteen, Bennie Hinn, Oral Roberts and Hope
College/Western Theological Seminary grad Robert Schuller, to taking to task the
charismatic movement that was the focus of his “Strange Fire” conference of six
years ago, MacArthur hasn’t been afraid to take a stand for the Word.
Therefore, when one of
his “Grace to You” listeners asked him during today’s program for advice on Christians
and the political process today, MacArthur’s response was this:
“We don't start
revolutions. We don't overthrow the powers that be. We don't march and damn the
people who are over us.
“The Bible says submit
to those that are in authority. Submit to the King, submit to all those who are
in authority. That authority is ordained by God, pray for the king, pray for
those who even persecute you. Pray for them because this is what the Lord wants
you to do.
“But at the same time,
we are called, while living peaceable and quiet lives, to stand up for
righteousness. That means that when you have an opportunity to sign a petition
that takes a righteous view and honors what God would desire in a society – that
is exactly what you should do.
“We need to take a stand
against those things that are evil in our society. We need to take a stand, and
at the same time we don't again start revolutions and rebellions, and we don't march
and try to be destructive and damn other people.
“You can't turn the
mission field into the enemy – they are the mission field – but we must take a
stand for what is righteous, when it comes to something, for example, like
abortion. That's murder that that is going on on a wholesale basis across our
country and has ever since Roe v Wade, and even before that of course there
were many abortions.
“We want to say to this
culture, ‘That’s sin, that's murder,’ and take a stand against that; (on) unrighteousness
in schools that is devastating to a society and to a culture; and we want to
always take those peaceable means that are put before us to stand for what is
righteous.
“At the same time, the
people who are espousing all of this and driving all of this aren't the enemy:
They're the mission field. So we take the stand and we do everything we can to
try to reach them with the Gospel.”
I couldn’t have said it
any better, Pastor John.
Thanks!
