Dear Friends,
Call me crazy, but I have some random thoughts about the upcoming election that I’m about to share with you. Buckle up. And as you read my thoughts, remember it’s Pastor Appreciation Month. You can disagree with me, but you still have to love me.
I think we can neatly fit the electorate in 2024 into five groups. There are some voters who are very excited about electing Kamala Harris as President. There’s another group that will voter for her because, while they recognize her flaws, they see her as less flawed than her opponent.
On the other side, we have the same two categories. There are people who are wildly enthusiastic about a second Trump presidency and who can’t wait to vote for him. There are others who will wince, hold their nose and pull the lever.
Finally, there’s a group in the middle who look at the nominees put forth by the two major political parties who will cast their ballot for “none of the above.”
I have friends – people I love – who fit into each of these five categories. And believe it or not, all of these people profess to be followers of Jesus. They would tell me that their faith is a major factor informing how they will vote.
Some of you may find that last sentence hard to navigate. Some of you look at the policy positions that have been (at one time or another) advocated by Vice President Harris and conclude that her world view is incompatible with what the Bible teaches.
Others of you look at the character exhibited by the former President, together with his newly recast view of abortion rights, and see a vote for him as incongruitous with a biblical world view.
The sober reality is that one of these two people will govern us for the next four years. Who do you think it should be? You can chose to vote “none of the above” – I think that’s a legitimate way to express your view – but “none of the above” will not win the election.
Four years ago, I preached a three-part sermon series on how we decide who to support in an election. For those of you who weren’t at Redeemer in 2020, or for those of you who would like a refresher, here’s the link to the first (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=093e4f976c&e=fbb0a4052b), second (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=5ccb547912&e=fbb0a4052b) and third (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=1b63703cc3&e=fbb0a4052b) sermons in that series.
I believe the upcoming election is important for the future of our nation. And I believe we should all prayerfully and soberly decide which candidate will receive our vote. We have a stewardship responsibility to vote wisely. Yes, it’s only one of tens of millions of votes that will be cast. It’s easy to think “it doesn’t really matter that much.” But in our form of government, where we have the privilege of being able to say “here’s what I think,” we should speak up and make our voice heard.
I know many people who are disappointed by the two major party candidates in this election cycle. Can these two really be the best the parties have? Watching the generally civil and refreshingly serious discourse demonstrated in the Vice Presidential Debate on Tuesday night, I saw many on social media wishing that Senator Vance and Governor Walz were heading the ticket for their respective parties.
But we have who we have because as a nation these are the people we selected (although in the case of the Democratic candidate, we have who we have because this is who the delegates selected on behalf of their party). The polls show that both the former President and the current Vice President were wildly unpopular as candidates. But the voters said otherwise.
While I believe it matters who is elected in November, I believe that God is ultimately in control of who wins. That was true in 2016 when Donald Trump won. It was true in 2020 when Joe Biden won. It will be true next January when we inaugurate our 47th President.
My hope for the future of our country (which is admittedly less optimistic at the moment than it has ever been in my lifetime) is ultimately not tethered to who is elected next month. No matter who wins, the future of our country will be shaped over the next four years more by how people respond to their need to repent and believe the gospel and who live out their faith than it will be by who sits behind the Resolute Desk. What I see as a rapid decline of the morality and values of western civilization has much less to do with who governs our country than with who governs our soul.
A growing number of Americans no longer believe there is a God. And a growing number of professing Christians, a majority in fact, believe in a god of their own making, not the God who has revealed Himself to us in scripture. It’s this – not our politics – that is the reason for the mess our world is in today. And it’s this – and not politics – that is our only hope for the future of our country.
We are where we are as a nation in large measure because pastors have quit preaching a biblical gospel. And more and more professing Christians have embraced the watered-down imitation gospel their counterfeit shepherds are preaching. They have staked their soul on their supposed belief in a “man upstairs” or “the good Lord” or some other false idol who borrows Jesus’ name to create a sense of legitimacy. All the while, the enemy of our souls sits back and smiles.
I’m convinced that what we are doing as Christians – worshipping, following, serving and telling others about the real Jesus – is the most important work we can be doing for our families and for the future of our nation. What happens at the ballot box in five weeks is not inconsequential. But it’s not what matters most for our future.
Someone posted this online this week. It’s from the Pentecostal Evangel, the official publication of the Assemblies of God Church, and it was written in 1984, when Ronald Reagan was running for President against Walter Mondale. I think it’s just as relevant for us today as it was for voters back then.
It’s October! And some days, it even feels like it!
We’re making plans now for our annual Trunk or Treat outreach event. This year, we’ll host the event on Wednesday night, October 30 (no Awana that night).
We’re starting now to collect candy donations so we can have supplies on hand when the kids show up.
And if you’re interested in setting up a trunk for the kids, Jen Gurney would love to talk to you!
The next Redeemer Men’s Institute meeting will happen next Thursday night, October 10. Everyone is welcome, whether you were able to be at the last meeting or not. This time, Dr. Danny Hinton will follow up on Neal Elms message from Sunday, leading a discussion about on what is – and what isn’t – the gospel.
Two days latedr, on Saturday October 12, we’re putting teams together for a fun morning at Topgolf!
No matter your skill level, come and have a great time of fun and fellowship with other men. You must register to attend (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=e0afc4a0b7&e=fbb0a4052b). The deadline for registration is October 10.
Have you secured your sport for the women’s retreat yet? The registration deadline is drawing near!
Kristin Yeldell, a pastor's wife and bible teacher from East Tennessee is coming to teach on the theology of worship and the call on all of our lives to live lives full of worship in spirit and truth.
From Friday night until lunch time on Sunday you will not have to cook, clean, or really "be in charge" of anything or anyone but yourself!! Doesn't that sound amazing?!
The cost is $150 for all the relaxation, fellowship, delicious food, and teaching from God's Word that you could ask for! The retreat will be at Cross Heirs Retreat Center, about an hour from Little Rock. The cost for the event covers food, lodging and materials.
If you’re planning to come, register now. The deadline for registration is October 10. Click here (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=966c18b760&e=fbb0a4052b) to sign up.
I want you to know how grateful I am to the 24 people/families who have (so far) contributed $37,140 to the matching gift challenge for our building fund. Thank you for your continued generosity.
Here’s an update on our parking lot expansion. We have preliminary drawings from the site engineers. Once we have a stamped set, we work with the city to get our construction permit and then line up the contractor to get the work done. Please keep this project in your prayers.
Speaking of prayers, thanks to all of you for asking about and praying for our daughter and her family in Asheville NC. Here’s a link to Amy’s report (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=ccccc6e1e3&e=fbb0a4052b) on how her family and her community was affected by Helene. Please continue to pray for all those who continue to be affected by the damage done by the storm.
As we’ve seen in recent weeks, we all have an assignment from God to make disciples and share the gospel. But most of us have given that assignment a low priority status in our lives. So how can we cultivate a missional mindset and become more purposeful and intentional in sharing our faith? We’ll learn Sunday from the Apostle Paul as we see how he encouraged the Colossians to “boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel.”
See you in church.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor Bob
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