Vince Deagler

we are in the midst of the election cycle, and there is an ongoing political debate raging in our culture right about now.  question: as a believer, how should i understand the role of government?  what is my responsibility to government?  is there a place for political activity within a faith based life?  if so, what is it?  and how does this translate into authentic christianity lived out in real time, real life settings?  i ask because there seems to be an ongoing debate within christian circles, but instead of actually wading into the discussion and trying to answer the questions, we remain polarized and lob verbal bombs on those with whom we disagree.  i think there is a better way.

i will start with scripture.  romans 13 is clear.  governmental authority descends from god.  it is designed to be his minister for good, and should elicit fear from the evil doer (the government bears the sword).  we are called to submit (except where acts 5:29 applies).  this authority includes the power to tax, which we are responsible to pay.  we are also called to pray for those who govern us, that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life (1 timothy 2:2).  obeying god is my motivation in this not how well the government performs.

now, let’s add 1 more wrinkle.  in america we have the privilidge of participating in the political process and have many legitimate options that would not violate our responsibility to submit.  with this in mind, how do we make political choices?  let me share how i approach this.

1.  obviously god has much to say on moral issues.  yea, i’ve heard the old “you can’t legislate morality” argument, the only problem is, every law is a legislation of morality.  the only question being whose morality will be legislated?  i look for godly values as much as possible.

2.  god has much to say on economics.  how does he feel about things like private property, labor, wages, investment, profits, personal responsibility, credit, debt, budgeting, stewardship, living within our means?   does he speak to things like laziness, hastiness, irresponsibility, and waste? 

3.  god speaks to the issue of poverty and need, often referred to as social justice.  i will assume you understand how complicated that issue is.  how do you equate the story of the good samaritan with the parable of the talents?  what about paul’s statement in 2 thessalonians 3:10 or 1 timothy 5:8.  complicated!  another layer to consider:  is christian compassion an individual responsibility?  the responsibility of the church?  or is that governments job?

4.  how about environmental issues.  christianity refers to a “creation mandate”.  does that make man a caretaker of the environment who protects nature?  or does that make man a developer of the natural resources god has given for the advancement of civilization?  is it man’s job to sustain the universe, or god’s?  could human abuse bring down creation prior to the completion of god’s story?

5.  how about the illegal immigration issue?  does compassion trump law and order?  should a violation of law result in reward?  should those who follow the law be penalized?

6.  how about foreign policy and the military.  what does scripture say about these things?

i could go on, you get the idea by now.  our political process offers us a choice of parties and candidates.  because we have been given the privilege to participate, i see this as a matter of stewardship.  my participation should reflect god’s ownership and rule in my life.  there are no perfect parties or candidates, so for me it is a search for the candidate who best represents a christian worldview.  how i answer the above questions and many others point me in a particular direction.  that means i once voted for a pro-life democrat over a pro-choice republican in a race for governor back in pennsylvania.  i don’t know what that means to you, but i would like to.  to me that makes way more sense than lobbing verbal bombs at each other.  thanks for reading, would love to hear your thoughts…and or frustrations with politics.  blessings, vince   

hi again.  in a related post i suggested the body of christ can and should grow in 2 distinct ways.  the body should grow to full spiritual maturity so that it can realistically function as the body of christ.  but out of that reality should come the 2nd type of growth, reaching other people for christ.  If you remember christ’s teaching in matt 28:18-20 he tells us to make disciples of all nations.  a disciple is a follower of/practitioner of christ’s teaching.  the language of this text suggests this to be a normal activity for the body of christ (as you are going…), as it was with jesus himself.  in fact jesus even prayed in john 17 for those who would believe in the future.  it is impossible to conclude a non-growing church (a church failing to reach others for christ) would ever be the norm.  no, in scripture the expectation, the model is numerical growth.  now i’m not gonna delve into all the variables that effect growth in an individual church.  people move, people die, people pursue ministry opportunities elsewhere.  any given church will have to reach new people just to break even numerically.  i understand that, but that is not what i want to focus on.  i want to focus on the simple fact that a healthy body will grow, and reaching new people for christ is one of the indicators.

since that is true, and building on what we presented in earlier posts, i would like to present a somewhat simple plan that when followed will result in reaching new people for christ.

1.  how about we all live authentic christian lives.  think about all the “knocks” you hear on christianity.  how many of them are valid, in that they truly represent christ and christianity?  isn’t it true that most of the negativity is foreign to authentic christianity?  in other words, the criticism is not really against christianity, it’s against a mutated/distorted version of christianity.  the best way to change that misperception is having the body of christ live authentic christian lives.

2.  i believe christ is the head of the church, that without him we can do nothing, and that we can plant and water but only he can give the increase.  because i believe this, i believe prayer is very important to the process of reaching new people for christ.  i often refer to it as praying evangelistically.  coming to christ is a process and people are at different places in their spiritual journeys.  as such i pray for myself that i will be discerning to seize the opportunities god gives me and wisdom to articulate his loving offer with clarity.  i pray for those who surround me, that god would be working in their lives to prepare them to receive the good news because in the parable of the sower it was that prepared soil that was productive.  we all are surrounded by people, many of them need christ, which ones are you praying for?

3.  to expand on #”s 1 and 2, may i suggest we not only live authentically and pray evangelistically, let’s also be on the look out to develop what i call evangelistic relationships.  please do not misunderstand this to be anything but genuine.  we all have people in our lives who need christ.  this need may be the very reason god has brought you together.  so why not build a relation with them where they can see you model christ likeness over time, in real life settings, and when the time is right you can share what christ has done for you and would like to do for them.  it can be as natural as telling a friend about the great meal you had at a local eatery.

4.  the 4th step in this process recognizes the importance of community.  as a pastor i want our church to be a resource and an asset in your efforts to reach your friends for christ.  we are presently doing a series on the family in our church.  whether you are a committed believer or not, family is probably important to you.  we made little inviting cards for our members to use to invite their friends with the idea that should they come, we can further their spiritual journey.  in fact, if they did come, you could enter a spiritual conversation with them by simply asking “what did you think?”.  not every gathering will be equally beneficial for everyone, so a bit of discernment is warranted.  but learning to invite to appropriate gatherings can be effective in reaching others for christ.

5.  the last step in this process is learning how to verbalize “the gospel”.  i don’t believe there is any one right way to do this.  i have been exposed to a number of different training methods (living proof, contagious christianity, evangelism explosion), they are all good.  find an approach that works for you, and use it.  the more the individuals who make up the body are able to effectively share their faith, the more likely it is that the body will be growing.

the whole idea of evangelism can be pretty scary.  too often we think god expects us to be billy grahm like.  no, he wants you to be you and me to be me.  but as we grow in our faith he wants us to become less like ourselves and more like him.  and guess what, he shared his faith.  let’s follow in his steps.  thanks for reading.  blessings, vince. 

let’s play a game of word association…okay 2 words…spiritual gifts.  what comes to mind?  i am not sure why, but spiritual gifts are one of the more controversial subjects within christianity.  this is unfortunate since spiritual gifts are significant as far as spiritual growth, body life, and function are concerned.  allow me to explain.

growing to full spiritual maturity is a process that takes place over time.  within that process the developing christ follower is exposed to ministry on several levels.  for instance,he/she has experienced the impact of ministry in their own life.  he/she has observed others ministering.  he/she has seen how it has effected others.  in the process the christ follower begins to recognize not only the importance of ministry, but they begin to see that they themselves are called to be ministers.

1 corinthians 12:4-7 teaches there are various spiritual gifts extended to the individual members of the body.  these gifts function within the context of the ministries the lord has purposed for his church (his body) to perform to fulfill her mission.  these gifts are then energized/empowered by god so that they bear fruit.  every believer is included in this scheme, and the purpose is for the common good…to benefit the body as a whole.  in other words, the gifts, their associated ministries and impact are not about me…they are about what is good and best for the body.  i personally believe this is one of the driving reasons paul points to a more excellent way as he closes chapter 12 (see v. 31).  note as he begins chapter 13 his point is the exercise of our gifts, without the necessary characteristic of love is a waste.  but remember what the bible says about love.  it is the distinguishing characteristic of a christ follower (john 13:35), it is one of 2 great commandments (mark 12:28-31), and loving your neighbor is a fulfillment of the law (galatians 5:14).  in a way, doesn’t that mean love is a measure, maybe the measure of spiritual formation?  as i pointed out in my last post, until the individual members of the body take spiritual growth seriously, and actually start living out the totality of the teachings of christ, we will be handicapped as far as fulfilling our mission.  the characteristic of love may not be the only characteristic needed, but it is a great beginning point.

let me share a few examples that may help you understand.  would you agree maturing christ followers are to share their faith?  i’m a yes there.  i may be very gifted relationally, i may be very gifted intellectually to grasp the necessary elements of a gospel presentation, and i may be very eloquent as i share.  but, sharing my faith without love, without patience, without respect, with glaring hypocrisy will probably do more harm than good.  sadly, i believe i have done this.  maybe you have too?  most of us would accept the idea that maturing christ followers do good deeds, serve others, try to meet their needs.   but isn’t it easy for our motives to be tainted?  so that the activity degenerates into a photo op designed to let others know what a swell guy or gal i am?  and can’t our ministries compete with other ministries for man power and resource, so that soon we are guarding our turf, growing suspicious of and possibly bad mouthing others, and substituting our agenda over everything else?  i would suggest this is not helpful for the body.  i could go on, the point is ministry without maturity may not accomplish god’s purpose.

so, let’s make sure we are a part of the team…the functional body of christ.  let’s make sure we are taking spiritual maturity seriously by seeking to know and do all that christ has taught.  as we are growing and begin understanding the wonderful world of ministry…let’s understand our personal gift mix, how that mix best connects with ministry, and how god can and will make us productive as we get out of the stands and into the game.  but remember, as we play (serve) we are the body of christ.  during the incarnation he had a physical presence in this world, we are that physical presence now.  let’s try to act like it, think like it, feel like it, serve like it, etc.  cause when spiritual maturity meets spirit gifted, jesus directed, god empowered ministry…well, the gates of hell cannot/will not stand. 

that’s all for today.  would love to hear your thoughts.  thanks for reading.  peace!