On behalf of Pastor Jason Epps and the congregation of Gospel
Fellowship Community Church, please accept our invitation to join us
for a special evening of worship and dedication!

On December 14, 2008 at 7:00pm, Gospel Fellowship will hold its first
worship service in a newly built-out space in South Jordan, Utah!  This
dedication service will feature music from the New Pilgrim Baptist
Choir and a special message from Pastor William Dwight McKissic,
Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas.
Afterwards, we’ll enjoy a time of fellowship along with an assortment of
beverages, coffees, and desserts.  (Dress is Casual)

An RSVP is appreciated in order to ensure adequate seating.  Please
email the number of adults and children attending to
dedicationservice@gmail.com.

In addition, all children under 12 will be participating in kids’ ministry or
will be cared for in the nursery while the adults participate in the
dedication service.

Directions to the 7pm Dedication Service on Sunday, December 14:

From Salt Lake: Take I-15 South; exit at 10600 South and turn
RIGHT.  Then take your first RIGHT onto SOUTH JORDAN
GATEWAY.  After you pass the “Country Inn and Suites” on your
right, our building is about 300 yards ahead on your LEFT – 10288
South Jordan Gateway.

From the South Valley: Take I-15 North; exit at 10600 South and turn
LEFT.  After crossing back over the freeway, take your first RIGHT
onto SOUTH JORDAN GATEWAY.  After you pass the “Country Inn
and Suites” on your right, our building is about 300 yards ahead on
your LEFT – 10288 South Jordan Gateway.

Introduction

Ever since I entered Christian ministry, I have been of the opinion that politics should be kept out of the pulpit. It seems that far too many Christian preachers have used their pulpit as a soapbox for political persuasion. As Christian pastors, I believe that we should stick to teaching God’s Word and keep our noses out of the political arena. However, what happens when an event transpires that is absolutely unprecedented in its significance? What happen when this same event seems to create a growing volatility and polarization among those who count themselves among the people of God? What happens when that event has the potential to possesses the potential to further divide Christians from those with who they disagree? These are only a few of the questions that I began wrestling with about three weeks ago as God began to focus my heart upon the election and upon the impact it would have on my brothers and sisters in Christ. As I sought God regarding this subject, I knew He was directing me to help guide others through what may seem like a difficult and even confusing time in American history.

It is no secret to those closest to me that I supported the McCain-Palin ticket. It is also no secret that I expressed serious reservations regarding the qualifications and philosophy of Barack Obama. In other words, I could have accurately been described as a fairly conservative voter who believed that Barack Obama was bad for America. Looking back, I believe this is why God began to deal with my heart many weeks before the election. He knew that Barack Obama would win, and he knew that I, like many other Christians in America, would be disappointed. And disappointed we were. However, many have chosen to express their disappointment in ways that are anything but Christ-like. Not only have his policies and political philosophies been criticized, but some have chosen to take their disagreement a step further and attack Obama himself. Some have taken this hostility even a step further by allowing it to affect their attitude, unsettle their contentment, and even steal their joy. It is to these people, to these Christians, that God desires to speak.

However, before I present myself as being above the need for an attitude adjustment myself, let me be clear. This message is directed toward me as much as it is anyone else in the Christian Church. God knows I have had my share of words to say about Obama and his policies – not all of them were as God-honoring as they should have been. However, the time has come for me and those like me to set aside our emotions and prayerfully evaluate how God is calling us to respond to this event. How are we to do that? This message is an attempt to steer us toward the right answer. My prayer is that if you are a Christian, but passionately “anti-Obama” that you will consider the following words with an open mind and an open heart. I would like to propose five steps that Christians should take in responding to the election of Barack Obama.

How to Respond

First, we are to ACCEPT that the election of Barack Obama to the office of President of the United States was God’s will. Yes, we must accept that this event was in line with God’s will. Romans 13 makes clear that God establishes the authorities that are set in place.

“…there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” (Romans 13:1)

God places leaders in positions of power in accordance with His ultimate will for human history. In short, nothing happens apart from His will. Now, there are some that will ask, “How can it be God’s will to put into power a politician who is blatantly opposed to the fundamentals of God’s Law?” Well, this is a fair question, and for the moment let us consider, for the sake of argument, that Obama is such a person – one who generally opposes the fundamentals of God’s Law. If this is the case, did you know that it can still be God’s will that he be in power? Did you know that God can use for His purposes those who are resistant to Him? It is true. For example, in the Old Testament, God used the evil Assyrian Empire to execute judgment and punishment on the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Another example is the Babylonian Empire whom God used to do the same to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. These were both nations of people who had little regard for God and His Law, but it was still within the will of God for Him to use their evil to accomplish His ultimate purposes. Therefore, even if you believe Obama to be “wrong” for America, you must recognize the fact that his election is within the will of God.

Some may be saying to me at this point, “Why do you make such a big deal about Obama’s election being ‘God’s Will?’” The reason is simple. If you do not believe the events of human history to be God’s will, which they are, then it is impossible for you respond to them in a way that honors God. You must come to grips with the fact that Obama is God’s will for America. If you do not, your response will be skewed. However, before we move on, allow me to offer a brief summary of how exactly this event could be God’s will.

1. As stated above, even if Obama is “wrong” for America, God’s will could still be to use him – just as God used Assyria and Babylon.

2. Even if Obama is as bad as some people seem to think, this is irrelevant to the question of whether it is God’s will. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that an Obama presidency, were it to be a monumental failure, has the potential to drive our nation back to its knees and acknowledge its need for God. Sometimes God gives people and nations exactly what they want. When it comes back to bite them, the people return to God – and this is what God desires all along: that people know and experience Him.

3. It may be that the negative evaluation of Obama is correct, but it could be that through the support, respect and love we as Christians show to him and his family as he leads, God will change his heart. Even if a person turns out to be thinking and acting outside of the parameters of God’s Law, God can still work in that person’s heart. For example, in the Old Testament there was a ruler of Israel named Josiah. His nation was filled with sin and blasphemy. However, when the book of God’s Law was discovered, Josiah immediately changed the course of the nation in an attempt to get in back in line with God’s Law. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that God could accomplish this in our new President’s administration. No one is outside the saving grace of Christ and the convicting power of the Holy Spirit – and this includes Barack Obama. As Christians we must believe that God is powerful enough to work in Obama – even if Obama is resistant.

4. It may be, it just may be, that some of us, myself included, were dead wrong about Barack Obama. It may be that there is more to his faith and commitment to God than meets the eye. I know, I know – you probably have numerous examples of why you think he is anti-God or this or that, but hear me my friend: God knows Barack Obama much better than you and I. It may be that Obama has participated in some things that are bad. However, he may have done quite a lot of good that you and I do not know about. It may be that he has a stronger commitment to Christ than some people suppose! Imagine for a moment if we isolated the five worst action you had ever taken in your life. If we drew our conclusions based solely on those isolated incidents, we may wish to conclude that you are not a Christian and certainly a very evil and bad person. However, what of all the good you had done? What of all the actions people ignored in crafting their evaluation of you? The point is this: we may have seen some dark spots on this man’s record, but all of us have dark spots! We’ve all done incredibly stupid things that were unbecoming of who we represent ourselves to be! In sending Christ to die for us “while we were yet sinners,” God chose to give us another chance. Even though we were not perfect, Christ believed in us. He gave us the benefit of the doubt, and we need to so the same for our new President. If you want to respond to this event in a Christ-like fashion, recognize the fact that you do not know Obama’s heart. Do not speak as if you do, but trust that God’s ultimate purpose will be accomplished either through or in spite of Obama’s being elected.

Alright then. I believe I may have spent too much time on this point. However, it is imperative that we understand this election to have been God’s will. Otherwise, the steps to which I now turn our attention will be quite useless.

Second, we are to RESPECT Barack Obama and support him as our President. For many years, I have observed the actions of those who have vehemently disagreed with the policies of George W. Bush. You have probably seen them as well – those who compare Bush with Hitler, Stalin and the rest. They have burned his picture, spit on his image, and some in the entertainment industry have even been caused to be “ashamed” that they were from Texas because of him. As I’ve watched these people, my critique has always been the same: If you don’t like Bush and wish to disagree with him, that’s fine! Civil dissention is one of the bedrocks of democracy! However, can you please do so with at least some measure of respect? As I made these evaluation in my heart, it was almost as if God were asking me, “If a politician you passionately disagree with is elected, will YOU show the same amount of respect you are now advocating?” Well, the question has now become real. During the next four years will I be able to walk what I’ve talked in the past four? I hope to God that I will – and I hope that other Christians who do not necessarily favor Obama will join me in doing the same.

Before we leave this point, allow me to direct your attention to two biblical observations: First, do you remember David – before he had become king? Did you know that David had the opportunity to kill King Saul and seize the kingdom? Well, David refrained from doing so – and why? The answer is simple: David respected the fact that even though Saul made some bad decisions, God had still put Saul in charge. In respecting the authority God had ordained, David in effect respected and honored God Himself.

Next, there is an observation from the life of Jesus that is quite relevant at this point. For the moment, let’s assume the worst – Barack Obama is bad for America and had little regard for God. Now, we are only doing this for argument sake – earlier we said clearly that this cannot be fully known – but let’s go with it for a bit. Do you remember a man in the New Testament named Pontius Pilate? If there was anyone who had no regard for God – it was him. Pilate’s allegiance was to Rome. He was a pagan, and what’s more, he was the one responsible for allowing the murder of Jesus. But even though Pilate was who he was, let me ask you this question: How many times do you see Jesus talking smack to Pilate? How many times to you see Jesus talking down to Him? How many times do you see Jesus demonstrating utter disrespect to Pilate. The clear answer is that you DON’T. The Savior, even when faced with one of His worst enemies, still did not consider inflammatory disrespect an option. His people should not consider it an option either.

The third step that Christians should take in responding to the election is to PRAY for Obama. Now I know that some people will say, “Yes, we’re praying for Obama.” Are you really? Or are you simply trying to sound spiritual and act like you support God’s anointed when you really do not? My experience with prayer has been quite fascinating, actually. I have found that on numerous occasions when I have strongly disagreed with another person – no wait, let’s be frank with no spiritual talk – when I have flat out been disgusted by another person – and I begin to pray for them regularly and authentically, something strange and wonderful happens. God begins to turn my heart toward that person. He begins to work a new work of love in my heart towards that person. As a matter of fact, it’s almost as if God is letting me see through His eyes – even if only for a moment! Has this ever happened to you? If not, you should definitely try it! When you pray for someone, and when God shows you His perspective and His love for that person, it’s pretty hard for your heart to remain unchanged – and when God changes your heart for the better, there’s nothing like it.

Before we move to the next step, let’s consider what Jesus said regarding this point…

“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45)

It may be that a leader like Obama is your political enemy. You may even think him to be an enemy of democracy. But whatever you think, Jesus says that your responsibility as a “son of your Father who is in heaven” is to LOVE Obama and to PRAY for him. Even if Obama ends up persecuting you as a Christian and even if he advances policies that you believe inhibit God’s call on your life, your response should be the same: love him and pray for him.

The fourth step in responding to the election is to PROTECT your attitude. Now let me ask you a question – are you a person that has allowed this election to seriously frustrate you or even make you scared for the future? In other words, have you allowed the outcome of this election create fear in your heart or even to steal your joy – if so, then this is a great opportunity for you to apologize to God. If an event like this has the potential to steal your joy and negatively affect your attitude – the only reason that it can is because you’ve allowed it to. In other words, your joy and your contentment should have never been in a politician in the first place, or even in a state like America. Your hope for the future and your security for the present should be tied up solely in your faith that God will take care of you and yours. If an Obama presidency shakes your faith, then that may be evidence of the fact that your faith is immature at best, or counterfeit at worst.

Now, in speaking of protecting our attitudes, there are three primary ways in which we are to go about this. The first has to do with the attitude we have towards President-Elect Obama himself. We have dealt with that at some length, so I’ll proceed to the next, and that concerns our attitude towards those who think that the Obama presidency is a wonderful thing. I have many friends who have always believed that Obama is great. And even though I’ve disagreed with them, I was always mindful to let this come between us as friends. After all, the true test of friendship is when friends can disagree and still love and respect one another. Therefore, do not allow your attitude to become sour towards those who disagree with you on this matter. Do not think that they are this or that, but respect them for their opinion and you’ll likely keep your relationship healthy. The third way we are to go about protecting our attitude relates to the attitude in our own soul. As much as possible, look for the good in this man and in the fact that he has become president. But more so than that, look to the fact that whatever happens, God is still in control, He still loves you, Jesus still died, He’s still coming back, and He’s still going to reign forever! When the kingdoms of this world and their kings have passed away, God will still be there – and He’ll still have a passionate eye for you and me.

The final step in our response is to DEVELOP our perspective. I will briefly suggest two ways we can do this. First, understand that democracy is a wonderful thing God has allowed us to experience. Whatever else you think about what’s going on, I’ll tell you one thing that’s good about Obama’s being elected – there are a lot of people in this country who have felt disenfranchised for generations that now feel a sense of acceptance and empowerment they’ve never felt before. From the perspective of many Americans, Obama represents the American dream – that all of us have the potential to make our dreams come true regardless of our age, race, family, or socio-economic background – and that’s certainly a good thing for our country. Second, we should consider this event from the perspective of church history. Even if the next eight years were to prove a disaster for Christians in this country, I can almost guarantee you that we will not endure even a FRACTION of the persecution and difficulty that the early Christians experienced. I’m talking about the people who were robbed, beaten, imprisoned, and murdered by the tens of thousands for their faith – and folks if those people could endure that and STILL LOVE their enemies, PRAY for those who persecuted them, and TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN for Christ in a matter of a generation through the radical love they demonstrated, then we’ve got no excuse for having a bad attitude, or not continuing the work of advancing the Gospel in OUR generation.

Conclusion

My dear Christian brothers and sisters, I am truly excited that Barack Obama has been elected President. What an opportunity we as the people of God have to demonstrate Christ-like grace, charity, and humility. My friends, I ask you to join me in supporting our new President. You don’t have to agree with him on every point. As a matter of fact, you can disagree and debate as much as you like! Only make you’re your criticism is done in the right spirit and attitude. Give Obama the benefit of the doubt whenever possible. Support him, love him, and pray for Him, and in so doing you will honor God.

--Dr. Jason Epps