3.08.2025

Politics


I had the opportunity to present two workshops at this year's Church Ministries Conference. Workshop Session 2's title was "Let's Talk About Politics."

Here is the description: "As we think about politics, we must remember that God is sovereign and holy, and man is limited and sinful. An election does not change these facts at all. How do we have conversations in our community and even in our churches that show these truths?  This workshop will NOT fix politics, but it will show you ways to have political conversations that show where your hope is."

Four Important Words to Remember on this topic are: 

  • Prayerful
  • Biblical
  • Humble
  • Loving

Was this past election the biggest election ever?

Yes, because it was the most recent election and dealt with the most recent issues.

No, because our hope for eternity is not in an elected official. 

It is not surprising that non-Christians and Christians with improper priorities view the next election as the most important one ever.  

They have no real, future, eternal HOPE.

We must look into God's Word to gain a proper perspective on politics.

The Old Testament we looked at was Jeremiah 29:4—11.

Go read those verses right now, in your Bible or HERE

God commanded Israel, while they were in Babylonian Exile, to

    • build houses and live in them
    • plant gardens and eat their produce
    • marry and have children
    • seek the welfare of the city where God sent them
    • pray to the Lord on the city's behalf
In verse 10, God says this captivity will be for 70 years.

The bottom line is to be completely where you are, along as God has you there, for God's glory.

Romans 13:1—7

Read and study these verses. 

HERE is a link to Trinity's Romans series.  LIsten to the sermons on Romans 13:1 - 4 and 5 - 10.

 


Remember, 

God is sovereign. 

Man is sinful and dependent on God.

Government is an institution authorized by God.

The purpose of government is to ensure the common good. 

Christians are to be good citizens. 

The solution to political apathy is not political idolatry 

The solution to political

In their book, How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? Andy Naselli and Jonathan Leeman give the following helps in 

  1. Adjust expectations.  Remember church unity is found in Christ.
  2. Recognize what unites a church and what belongs to the domain of Christian freedom.
  3. Understand the difference between straight-line & jagged-line issues.
  4. Respect those who have a different conscience on jagged-line issues.
  5. Remember what is most important.

 Some helpful resources to help you and your church:  


3.07.2025

Praying the Psalms


Over the last three years, I have done a session 1 workshop on prayer.
I have done this because we always need to remember that prayer is necessary for gospel ministry because prayer demonstrates our dependence on God.

Two years ago, the workshop was Prayerful Dependence on God in Ministry and the focus was on Paul's prayers in the epistles.
Last year's prayer workshop was Prayer from the Church for the Church with the emphasis on prayers from church history.

This year's prayer workshop was Praying the Psalms for Your Church and Other Churches.


Biblical Prayers from the Psalms

Psalm 13
Verses 1 and 2 are filled with questions.
Verses 3 and 4 are waiting for the answer.
Despite these questions, the Psalmist writes in verses 5 and 6
But I have trusted in your steadfast love; 
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord
because he has dealt bountifully with me.  

Despite the questions of verses 1 and 2 and the waiting on answers in 3 and 4, verses 5 and 6 are filled with trust because of God's love, rejoicing because of our salvation, and songs to the Lord.  

Psalm 118
HERE is a sermon I preached on January 12 on Psalm 118
Faulty Prayer Ideas
  • "It seems like a waste of time."
    • Lie:  Let's get working and do something
    • Truth:  We are commanded to pray.  We need to grow in our dependence on God
  • "I don't know how to pray."
    • Lie:  There is an exact way that I need to pray.
    • Truth:  Ask others to help you grow in your prayer life.  If you aren't sure how to pray, look to the Bible and others for examples of prayer
  • "If God is sovereign, why bother praying?"
    • Lie:  There is no reason to pray if God is sovereign.
    • Truth:  We are commanded to pray by the sovereign God.  The purpose is not to change God's mind.
  • Prayer does not work.
    • Lie:  I have prayed for specific things and didn't get what I wanted.
    • Truth:  "Effective prayer is the fruit of a relationship with God, not a technique for acquiring blessings."  D.A. Carson
"The problem is not a complete lack of prayer but too little God-dependent prayer.

"When prayer is sparse and sporadic, when it's done just enough to ease the conscience and not more, we've got a problem.  (Onwucheckwa, 18)

Keys to Prayer
  • God and His Glory
  • Man's dependence on God
  • God's Word
  • God's People

Marks of a praying church
  • People pray more
  • Harmony and unity in Christ
  • Growing dependence upon God.
    • "Where prayer is abundantly present, it teaches the church to really need the Lord.  Where prayer is absent, it reinforces that we believe we are okay without God."  
  • Understanding prayer is not ONE MORE activity of the church.  Prayer lies at the heart of all the church's ministry.  (The Praying Church, 28)
  • Individuals pray for each other and ask others to pray for you.
RESOURCES:

PERSONAL PRAYER:                                   
Do you pray? A Question for Everybody  by J.C. Ryle
  1. I ask, `Do you pray?' because prayer is  absolutely necessary to a person's salvation
  2. I ask, `Do you pray?' because a habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian
  3. I ask, `Do you pray?' because private prayer  is the most neglected Christian discipline
  4. I ask, `Do you pray?' because the Bible is full of  encouragement for all who want to pray
  5. I ask, `Do you pray?' because faithfulness in prayer is the secret of true holiness
  6. I ask, `Do you pray?' because neglecting prayer is one of the great causes of backsliding
  7. I ask, `Do you pray?' because prayer is the best recipe for happiness and contentment
CHURCH—WIDE PRAYER:  A Praying Church by Paul Miller
“We’ll hear sermons on prayer, listen to a pastoral prayer, and begin meetings with prayer, but  prayer seldom happens naturally in conversation.  It just feels too religious”  (18) 
“Prayer is not one more activity of the church—it lies at the heart of all the church’s ministry” (26) 
“Good preaching (and teaching) needs good praying, or we begin to rely too much on the power of our horizontal words”  (56) 
“The act of praying itself is a kind of dying, where you give up your self-will to “make things happen” and go to God with a collective “Help us.”  The initial feeling of prayer is dying to self because    praying is an act of the will, a decision to shut down your activity and open the door to God’s activity.” (111)
“Prayer isn’t just another ministry; it is the ministry that sparks the rule of the Spirit of Jesus in all ministries”  (154, emphasis authors)


Psalm graphics to use as prayer reminders 

Psalm 19:1
Psalm 23:1
Psalm 34:1-3
Psalm 37:3
Psalm 46:10