Proclaiming the Gospel

Imagine that there is a man, an acquaintance, who appears to be innocuous and friendly. One day, however, he needs help, and so you help him. Man to man, you work next to him, handing him tools, fixing what can be fixed, and replacing that which cannot be fixed. You stand by his side while he faces the bad news and the good. You level with him. You tell him the truth. He appears to appreciate your honesty and your help, but instead of thanking you, he marks you. He marks you with some sort of stench. Try as you might, you cannot seem to get rid of the smell. Then, under the cover of darkness, he chases you like a monster wanting to destroy and devour you. There does not seem to be anything you can do to wash off his mark. So, during the night, you flee from his attacks. You run and try to hide, but he finds you because of the stench by which he has marked you. Exhausted from fleeing, one night, you accidentally fall into some oil, and lo and behold, a miracle occurs. Off comes the mark, there is no longer any stench. That was a dream that a friend of mine had.

This friend had been questioning the role of the Christian, today, in our society. Why? Well, because the appropriate place for witnessing, or talking about our faith, or sharing our experiences with God has come up again. It has re-surfaced with the public discussion surrounding the proclamation of faith of the political candidates. It seems like once again we, Christians, are being shunned and advised not to be to public about our faith, lest we be marked somehow. Some think that to be open about one's faith is the kiss of death in politics and in life. Do we as Christians think that if we proclaim the Gospel to help those in the world, we will be marked for destruction? I believe we do feel that way. We are led to feel that way by the world. The media, whether it be, the blogosphere or the mainstream media, seems to push that type of thinking.

One could argue that Thompson thought so! He didn’t want to talk to Dr. Dobson about his stand on social conservative issues. He seemed to take offense that he might be required to answer questions in reference to his faith and his stance on the social issues. Evidently, he felt that some wanted him to dance to their tune. See the Fox News “Hannity and Colmes” interview with Dr. Dobson, dated Tuesday, October 8, 2007. Why was Thompson so defensive and hesitant to discuss his religious preference and his stand on social issues?

Romney tried to clarify his beliefs; many were against him addressing religion at all. They foretold that talking about his faith could be a death blow. At least, they didn’t accuse him of wanting to create a Theocracy, even though he promised to support a marriage amendment in his speech, and assured the Religious Right that he shared their values.

However, almost all of the media certainly agrees that Huckabee will not stand a chance because of his open acknowledgement of his faith. Some paint him with the stench of fear. He has been accused of wanting to create a Theocracy. If you don’t believe me, just google Huckabee and theocracy and you will get 462,000 results across the internet. I don't doubt, that most of those are articles arguing either for or against the author's opinion as to whether or not Huckabee wants to create a Theocracy. How ludicrous. Did George Washington to create a Theocracy? In his Farewell Address he wrote, “…Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports….” He believed in God and advocated religion as necessary to the political process. Like him, most Christians just want a society with Christian values. However, the media predicts that none but the Christian Right will vote for Huckabee; thus, they scare Christians into believing that they are wasting their vote.

Ask South Carolinians if this affected their votes? I wonder if they were fearful of wasting their votes, so they decided to vote for Thompson; ironically, in the end they really did waste their votes! Some may be using this tactic because they are trying to scare the public into more moderate or liberal options. Why, because they are fearful. They are fearful that the Democrats will take office. Well, I would like to ask those people to think about President Reagan. Did he give up his principles in the face of fear?

Meanwhile the only democrat to address the issue of religion, does so only to allay the fears the public has that he may be a Muslim.

Why do we persist in taking our roles from the media? Why do we adjust our attitudes according to the media? It is heartbreaking to see that we feel that if we are honest and truthful with the world about what we believe, that we will be marked for destruction; and we will be hunted down until we are destroyed. We should be boldly proclaiming the Gospel. We should remember that the Holy Spirit of God, the Oil, will protect us and make us successful.

So, kudos to Huckabee. I am not endorsing him as a political candidate because to be honest, I don't know much about him other than that he is a Christian. A Christian that is unafraid to proclaim his faith in Christ no matter the cost! Shame on me! I should know more about him. I should know more than what the media has told me. On the other hand, there are some Christians who have endorsed candidates who do not hold to Christian principles. I wonder if they do this out of fear that a Christian candidate cannot win against the Democrats. If so, that is fear mongering! We don’t want to be controlled by fear. Do we?

We need to stand together. We need to face our fears and then put on the whole armor of God, and proclaim the truth regardless of the cost. Put everything on the altar.

Let's go to Gilgal, and beg God to remove the reproach. Let's remember Passover; Let's eat of the fruit of the Promised Land which will tempt us to go after the promises of God; Let's call for the Commander of the Lord's Army to come forth to lead us to victory. Don't look back. We have gained so much in such a sort amount of time. Will you retreat to Egypt, or will you return to the Wilderness? No. Let's go to the Promised Land.

Let's seek God, humble ourselves, and pray. Let's investigate all the candidates now. If anyone holds to our principles, then let's support him.

I did not intend this article to become political. Instead, I wanted to show Joe and Jane Christian that they were being influenced by giants. I wanted to encourage them to look to God by remembering. However, I realized that I do not want to give up the gains that we have made in the past 8 years. I want America to love God. I want our country to remember her first love.

So let's be bold. Let's be bold at home, and in our neighborhoods. Let's be bold in church, and with our brothers and sisters. Let's be bold at work, and in our ethical lives. Let's be bold in our politics, and in our moral lives. Let's be bold about our principles. Don't fear. The Oil, which represents the Holy Spirit, will protect us. No weapon formed against us shall prosper