The Christian Patriot - Pastor Stacey Shiflett

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The Christian Patriot

Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

Intro: One of the most common areas of confusion today is the role of the Christian in current events, politics and government. I have heard just about every possible opinion on this subject, and I marvel at how effectively Satan has deceived and confused God’s people about something that to me is not complicated at all.

Everyone that knows me knows several things about me.

I love my country. I love America. I am a flag-waving, patriotic American.

I fly the American flag on my front porch. I stand for the national anthem and put my hand over my heart.

I’ve reported for jury duty. I get a lump in my throat when I visit national monuments.

I also love the Lord. I love Jesus Christ. I love the Bible. I love the church.

Contrary to what many people say, I do not believe that there is a conflict between these two passions.

I. The Participation of the Christian Patriot

One famous quote is: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” 

Kennedy attributed this statement to Edmund Burke which was recently judged the most popular quotation of modern times (in a poll conducted by editors of The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations). However, the maxim appeared in a quotation from a speech by the Reverend Aked who was calling for restrictions on the use of alcohol: It has been said that for evil men to accomplish their purpose it is only necessary that good men should do nothing. The full name of Aked was Charles Frederic Aked, and he was a prominent preacher and lecturer who moved from England to America. 

Benjamin Franklin the elder statesman (81 years old) at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia urged the Assembly toward daily prayer to seek guidance from “the Father of Lights.” In doing so, he said this: “I have lived a long time, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?”

The question of the hour is this – Will God govern in the affairs of men without the participation of His people?

There is no question as to whether or not Christians should participate in the affairs of state.

I pay taxes. We should have say in what it is spent on.

NOTE: Many preachers teach their people NOT to pay taxes.

Joseph and Mary paid taxes. Jesus and Peter paid tribute to Rome, far worse than America is today.

Jesus taught His disciples:

• Matthew 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

A. Participate in the Educating Process

·        Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

I believe it is important that the citizens of a country are INFORMED as to what is going on around them.

There are ditches on both sides of the road when it comes to knowing what is going on.

There are those that OBSESSED, and then there are those that are OBLIVIOUS.

Both have negative effects on our lives as Christians.

If your involvement in the news interferes with your prayer time, Bible reading, marriage, etc., it’s too much.

Not knowing what is going on is obviously ill advised.

Being disconnected from reality is not a sign of spirituality.

But neither is being consumed to the point that you cannot accomplish or achieve anything else.

Find reliable news sources and stay informed.

Schools and Colleges

We desperately need to have alternatives to public schools and government-run institutions.

One of the greatest mistakes of our lifetime is delegating the education of Christian children to pagans.

The wholesale brainwashing of children about gender, role of men and women, humanism, Marxism, evolution, etc.

One of the worst decision a parent could make is to put their child in a secular, non-Christian daycare.

B. Participate in the Enforcement Process

We need strong, Christian, constitutional lawyers in America today.

Judges and Lawyers

Proverbs 31

·        8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

·        9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

Jesus had strong rebuke to the lawyers of His day.

·        Luke 11:46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.

·        Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

We’ve benefited multiple times from lawyers that love the Lord, believe the Bible and defend the freedoms of Christians.

I’ve been taken to court and needed fair and sympathetic judges and lawyers.{

Law Enforcement and Elected Office

God is a God of law and order.

There are at least 613 distinct laws that were given by God in the Scriptures.

There are many more principles and precepts that guide our lives as Christians.

If only the unbelievers are making the laws, and only unbelievers are enforcing the laws, we will be in trouble.

Military

Some use this verse to say that Christians should not be in the military.

·        John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

This is talking about fighting a bloody war on behalf of defending Jesus against the unjust crucifixion.

The commandment “Thou shalt not kill” does not include capital punishment or war.

God’s people have always been at the front and center when there was a war.

NOTE: Abraham armed and trained his own servants to fight and defend their families and property.

David was a bloody man, and wrote:

·        Psalms 144:1 Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:

Pacifism is not a biblical position when it comes to defending one’s country.

There is no way I’d fight for the United Nations.

I’d never fight for a woke, globalist, trans-obsessed administration.

I would also not encourage our young men to enlist in the military without a strong, personal walk with God.

Pray and ask God for leadership and wisdom. He might want you to enlist in the Lord’s Army!

He might want you to train and prepare to be a soldier of the cross!

C. Participate in the Electoral Process

If heathens are the only ones that vote, heathens will hold every office in the land.

·        Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

Evangelical Christians make up 28% of voters.

They overwhelmingly vote Conservative– 84%

According to the media consortium exit poll, “evangelicals make up an average of 25.4% of the electorate in the past ten election cycles going back 20 years.”

But – of the 28% of Evangelical Christians that are eligible to vote, 30% are not registered.

So that brings it down to 19%.

Then 40% of them do not vote.

That puts it down to about 12%.

So, 12% of Evangelical Christians are voting against 88% non-Evangelical Christian voters.

III. The Prioritization of the Christian Patriot

There is absolutely no question about what the priorities of the Christian should be.

Not just the preachers and the pastors and the evangelists and those in ministry, but EVERYONE.

Every born-again child of God has ONE pressing priority – the furtherance of the kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is not here. It is coming.

Every Child of God should be involved in these three things:

A. Preserving our Christian Heritage

·        Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

I believe the secret to building a Christian nation is to have Christian homes.

The secret to strong churches starts in the home.

A family that is not contending for the faith in their home cannot do it in their country.

A family that is not earnestly contending for the faith in their church will not do it in their country.

National apathy is the result of a collective personal apathy.

You can’t complain about prayer being taken out of the schools if it’s been taken out of your own life.

We can’t complain about sin being a reproach to the nation if it’s allowed to infiltrate the church.

B. Praying for those in Authority

I Timothy 2

·        1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

·        2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

·        3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

C. Propagating the Gospel

1 Timothy 2

·        4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

·        5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Without a doubt, the greatest thing we can do to make American Great is to win as many people to Christ as possible.

Jesus died to save every person – all men.

The answer to America’s problems is THE MAN CHRIST JESUS!!

Who do you think God will use for “all men to come to the knowledge of the truth?”

God will use the Christians to spread that message.