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Politics and the Gospel

Politics and the Gospel

A War of Two Worlds

We are entering into another election cycle here in the United States. Every day, the news headlines are filled with polls and political stories about this candidate versus that candidate. We have seen all kinds of manipulation, propaganda, and misuse of power, law, and government by individuals across the political spectrum—all for the purpose of gaining more power for themselves and their party. Various outrageous claims are presented with the intention of inflaming powerful emotions in order to recruit people to support one party or candidate over another.

As this political season heats up, should we Christians get involved in politics? Should we write about and speak about issues that are politically divisive? What is the line between politics and the gospel?

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place” (John 18:36 NIV84).

When we surrender our hearts to Jesus, we change our citizenship, loyalty, and identity from the kingdoms of this world to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3)—we become children of God (John 1:12, 13), citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). We are to experience a change of loyalty, and we are to leave behind the methods, practices, and principles of this world and, instead, apply and live out the methods, practices, and principles of God’s kingdom. 

Though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3–5 NIV84).

As citizens of heaven, as members of God’s family, as people who have had the methods of this world replaced with the methods of God in them, we do not live like the world, we do not value what the world values, and we do not advance God’s cause through the means, methods, practices, and principles of this world. We are in the world, but we are not of the world.

 

Behind Enemy Lines

But although we have been reborn with new hearts loyal to God and His kingdom, we still live in this sin-sick world. This means that we face all the sin, injustice, abuse, conflicts, sickness, evil, exploitation, crime, manipulation, propaganda, pain, suffering, and trickery that the evil one can throw at us.

Yet we face all these problems of the world with our minds focused on Jesus, our hearts surrendered in trust to Him, our loyalties devoted to advancing His kingdom. And we do this by actively choosing to live out God’s methods in how we deal with the problems of this world, in how we treat others—and God’s methods are not the methods of this world.

Because this is the reality—our reborn Christian selves living in an unregenerate, sinful world with people warring against God—over the years, I have written and spoken on a variety of real-life topics that challenge Christians. Some of these topics have been issues used by various worldly political parties, such as my blogs:

Writing on these topics has caused some people to believe that I am being political rather than advancing the gospel. But I would suggest such a conclusion occurs only when people confuse the subject matter with the methods, principles, and processes being employed in relation to that subject matter. In other words, if the subject matter is one that is used politically, and I speak about that subject matter for the purpose of exposing ungodly methods being employed to confuse minds and ensnare hearts, then some misunderstand and conclude that I am being political.

 

The Methods of Politics and the Gospel

Let me point out the defining difference between being political and advancing the gospel. Politics is about power—earthly, ungodly, dominating, manipulative, coercive, and controlling power exerted over others. It is the use of any means or method one deems necessary to manipulate and rule over others. According to dictionary.com, politics is the:

“use of intrigue or strategy in obtaining any position of power or control, as in business, university, etc.”

In contrast, the gospel “is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16 NIV84). The gospel is about applying the methods of God into the hearts and minds of people in order to free and empower them to be self-governing citizens of heaven. The gospel is about turning selfish people who use politics to empower themselves and exploit others into loving people who live in harmony with God and practice His methods of sacrificing self for the good of others.

Politics and the gospel are diametrically opposed and cannot be harmonized.

  • Politics uses lies and propaganda—the gospel wields the sword of truth.
  • Politics imposes laws to force its way—the gospel invites people into loving friendship while leaving them free.
  • Politics seeks to take from the many to empower the few—the gospel seeks to empower the many through the great sacrifice of the few—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  • Politics seeks to weaken the minds of people and turn the masses into serfs—the gospel seeks to develop the critical reasoning of people so they become image-bearers of their Creator (Hebrews 5:14).
  • Politics seeks to darken and control minds with opinion—the gospel seeks to enlighten and free minds with objective truth.
  • Politics uses fear to restrict liberty and impair thinking—the gospel uses love to cast out fear and advance liberty and true wisdom.
  • Politics divides society to create power bases—the gospel unites people in love and truth.

If you examine our materials with these distinctions in mind, you will note that in all of our blogs, presentations, books, and lectures, we consistently apply the gospel—the truth to expose lies, love to cast out fear, and liberty to resist coercive control.

We never seek to organize people into groups to pass laws, coerce consciences, or empower the few. We never seek to divide based on anything other than the quality of one’s character. We always advocate for people to be persuaded in their own minds about what action God would have them take in governance of self on any given matter.

Politics is the opposite; it is using any means necessary to manipulate the masses for the benefit of the few, while often leading the masses to cooperate and collude with their own destruction.

Politics is the greatest con in all of human history—the great organizational sleight of hand that manipulates minds into believing that the people are being empowered and uplifted, while in reality, the people are being exploited and diminished.

We at Come and Reason Ministries oppose politics because we actively promote the kingdom of God, which is the advancement of God’s design, methods, purposes, and intentions that, when applied and experienced, result in the restoration of the image of God in people, the development of critical-reasoning skills, true wisdom, discernment, the ability to think clearly and act rightly—in other words, mature Christlike people who have full freedom and governance of themselves.

So, if you are ever tempted to think we at Come and Reason Ministries are being political, look past the subject matter being discussed and consider what we are calling people to do—are we calling people to organize into action groups in order to force their way upon others, to take from the many to empower the few, to incite fear, to divide and conquer? Or are we calling for people to be fully persuaded in their own mind, to advance whatever agenda they have through the application of God’s methods of truth, presented in love, while leaving others free?

 

 

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Testimony 54

I had a lot of pressure, as a pastor’s kid, to conform and be “good.” I was good at being “good.” I thought my life was going along well until it all started falling apart and I could not figure out why! In my search for “why is this happening to me, God?” I came across your book, “Could it be this Simple,” and God started revealing to me the many distortions I held about His character, His principles, and how He has designed His universe to operate. I remember thinking, “Wow, I have had this all backwards.” I was happy and angry all at the same time. Happy to have the light of truth break through the darkness, revealing a wonderful, beautiful way of understanding God and His plan for His children, and angry, because I felt deceived and cheated by the church, my family, and myself!

My heart thrills when I listen to your bible study lessons. Literally I have gone from death to life. It is a journey I look forward to every day, as God reveals areas this distortion affects. Praise GOD! I will ever be grateful to God for this ministry and your cooperation with the Spirit!

Karen S., Portal, AZ, USA

 

Testimony 13

I borrowed “Healing The Mind” DVDs from a friend and showed them at my home for a small gathering of women friends. Neither of my friends are Adventist, but they both enjoyed and embraced the messages you taught. In fact, one of the ladies prayed out loud in our group and that was the first time she had ever had public prayer.

J.B. ,Dalles, OR, USA

 

Testimony 18

The Healing the Mind DVD set tarted me on a journey that has changed my relationship with our loving God more significantly than any other study, and brought me to your book and Bible study podcasts, which I now listen to daily, thanks to the availability of archived content on your site and on iTunes.

Anonymous

 

Testimony 40

I was brought up in a different faith and have been petrified my whole life of God. I believed that I would burn in hell for eternity. When I was 12 I started pursuing the things of this world, but for the next 45 years the Spirit was always calling me, as I knew there was a God through nature. I could see the vast sea of stars in the universe and knew there was something bigger out there. Five years ago, through a Revelation seminar, I was blessed to learn about God’s character and government.

Then I found Come and Reason Ministries and have come under some extreme pressure when I speak about the ministry. One time a member sent me an internet article titled “Whats wrong with Tim Jennings?” I asked her what she thought of it and she said “I don’t know, I didn’t read it.”

I have always wanted to find out for myself the truth about God, so I stayed with the Design Law construct and have been liberated to understand the big picture. Once we consider Design Law, all other Bible stories and prophecies seem to fit perfectly. It is truly beautiful to see people grasping how God operates this Universe of Love and the liberation it has provided in their lives. It blows my mind to see how consistent Design law is with what our founders believed. I hear statements like “This makes so much sense.”

Tom W., Mt. Pleasant, MI, USA

 

Testimony 38

Since November 2015, when I started studying Gods word from this God Is Love point of view, my life has been transformed. My troubled marriage of 15 years has been healed and my husband and I are truly happy for the first time in 15 years. Now When I read the word of God I understand it so much better and I can’t help but see Gods love radiating through the pages to humanity. Gods word is living and active and I am blessed beyond measure to be having this amazing experience. God has given me a beautiful understanding of Jn 3:16 that amazes me more and more each day. Thank you again for your ministry.

Helen D., London, England

 

Testimony 61

I grew up in a prominent protestant church and had what I like to call religious anxiety. I’ve always had questions about God and Salvation that no one could seem to answer.  I didn’t know how to find resolution. During 2020, at the height of my anxiety, I fell to my knees and begged God to show me truth and light and to give me the hope that I’ve been longing for. Days later, I stumbled upon your online videos and it was like a veil was lifted and EVERYTHING made sense! For the first time in my almost 39 years of life, my religious/spiritual anxiety has lessened. I feel a sense of freedom and peace I’ve NEVER had before… and it’s all because my view of God has changed. Thank you!

Ashleighn C.

 

Testimony 9

I really enjoy with you the view of a gracious God. Thank you for sharing the work you are allowing the Lord to do in you.

L., Queensland, Australia

 

Testimony 27

Your teachings about our heavenly Father have changed my life. Thank you sooooooo very very much! I know He’s doing some serious healing in my heart and life and I look forward to each new day to learn something new about Him and to just hear you speak about Him. Thank you, forever.

Nancy S.

 

Testimony 58

I have been watching your videos in The Power of Love seminar and I must say these have liberated me and have improved my relationship with the Lord. I am no longer terrified of him as I was before following your teachings.

Thando N., South Africa

 

Testimony 35

I am so pleased with the response your message is receiving at my church from the middle-aged to the young adults. I have given out 100 copies of the first two seminars and there are more request every week. One of my [class members] came to me after viewing the series, grateful and impressed with how easy the message was retained. He had been a Seventh-day Adventist in fear all his life, and felt like the scales were removed from his eyes after viewing the seminars. I am so impressed by the change I see in members who have received this message, we are in one accord. However, I am sadden by the negative response of the older people. I am verbally attacked anytime I talk about imposed laws, but I believe my mission is to enlightened everyone I can. I watch your Bible Study Class on YouTube every Friday night and I feel like I am apart of the class. All of you are in one accord and I am so blessed to have found you. I pray that all of you continue to spread this message and I am committed to doing my part.

Clara S., Westfield, MA, USA

 

Testimony 52

Your unique way in spreading the truth is what we all need today. Most of us don’t recognize the contamination coming from all the lies and selfishness in the world. Because of our fear of death, we forgot how to live. Lies left and right. I was losing hope and faith, because of so many ideas that are always contradicting each other – so many questions answered by other, more complicated, questions – until I found your channel on YouTube.

You did not just give me answers, you also taught me how to answer new questions that arise in my mind. Now I see things differently. I see God’s mercy, grace, and Love everywhere, in spite of all the chaos that we all have done as humans. I don’t fear death anymore. Accepting the Truth and Love about God is truly a genuine Freedom from all the confusions, sufferings, selfishness, pain, and death.

I just wanted to say, thank you, sooooo much for revealing the real Remedy for our infected life. I have a new hope and now see the world in a different perspective!

Wheinny P., University Place, WA, USA

 

Testimony 22

I have found your Bible study class lectures to be very inspiring and useful as I prepare to teach class every other week. I subscribe to the podcast and download your notes on the weeks I teach. The audio and notes are such a great help in preparing. My own understanding of God’s character has grown as I teach the class. Commendations on the thought-provoking and well-prepared material Come and Reason provides. Personally, I get excited by the tie you make between the spiritual and mental/physical domains.

A.A. Corrales, NM, USA

 

Testimony 43

Two years ago I stumbled upon your book, “Could It Be This Simple,” and then found “The God-Shaped Brain” videos on YouTube, your bible study class, and the ‘Come And Reason’ mobile app. I shared your book with a friend and after nine months of showing love, patience, and kindness this person has been changed by the love of God, too. The same love that healed me, I now express to other women in tangible ways, such as to a Baptist woman with high anxiety and childhood trauma. She was extremely happy and relieved when I shared about the so-called “judgment of God” and burning in hell. She had no desire to serve a God that was so harsh. I have repeated the phrase dozens of times to her. “What we believe has power over us, but we have power over what we believe…”

This message that you are sharing has changed my life. I will continue to serve other women and bring this message of God’s healing love to their lives by sharing your books, YouTube videos, and The Remedy Bible app. Keep up the good work. Don’t be discouraged. God is doing a mighty work in and through this ministry!

Jill L., Midwest, USA

 

Testimony 70

I have been watching you for many years and have learned to love God with all my heart. I was raised by a loving Christian mother that had been lied to about who God really was, so our religious upbringing was hell fire and damnation. As soon as I was old enough and moved out, I not only left the church, I ran as fast as I could to get away from it. Sad to say, it wasn’t until the past couple of years that I learned and understand who my Father really is and how much He loves me. I understand God’s Design Laws (which make sense) and when I’m teaching my church Bible study class, I’m able to really put to use the things I’ve been learning and Holy Spirit is leading. Thank you for introducing me to my Father of true, pure love. Everyday with Him is new and exciting. One thing that breaks my heart is that I didn’t know Him sooner. God Bless you and your ministry!

Judy Phelps, Reno, NV, USA

Testimony 20

I just wanted to personally thank you for your teachings and insight into scripture. I came across your website via my cousin who suggested I look into “Healing the Mind” information. My youngest daughter has been struggling over the last couple of years and it all came to a head this spring. When I started listening to the “Healing the Mind” lectures my own life began to be transformed. I began sharing with all my daughters the concepts you laid out so clearly. I ordered your book and soaked it up. I just want to say “Thank You!” My walk with the Lord has been refreshed and renewed. Your obedience to the Lord is a blessing to so many.

R. K., Anderson, SC, USA