Pastor's Page

In this pastor’s page I would be amiss if I did not say something about the upcoming election that takes place on November 3rd. I do this delicately because churches should always be careful about becoming too political. We do not want to be known as a hub for a particular party as some churches have over the years. That being said, Christians should vote and they should vote according to which candidates are more in line with biblical principles. The one issue that we highlight unapologetically at Eureka Baptist Church is the pro-life issue. This does not mean that other issues are not important, they are, and one party has a much more biblical platform than the other. But if we are going to talk about one issue let us talk briefly about the one that is head and shoulders above the rest. Every January on "Sanctity of Life Sunday" we discuss the pro-life cause that seeks to end abortion in America. Since 1973 about sixty million babies have been aborted. 

The Bible tells us that these babies in the womb are humans whose life began at conception (Psalm 139:13-14). To take their life violates the sixth commandment, "Thou shall not murder (Exodus 20:14). This is a grave injustice and we should make our voices heard. There are different ways we can get involved in fighting against this injustice. We can work with pro-life organizations like our local one, Tri-County Options for Women, to help guide women involved in crisis pregnancies to make the right choice with the baby. This organization not only seeks to save the baby but also to help care for the mother. All churches in our area should seek to link arms with this wonderful organization and I am glad that we do. 

The other way that Christians make their voice heard on the pro-life issue is through voting for pro-life candidates. In any election there are flawed candidates, and with the election on November 3rd we clearly see major flaws. We see character that is ungodly that we should not emulate ourselves. The Lord calls us to bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and honestly what we see right now are two presidential candidates that do not bear the fruit of the Spirit. However, our goal in voting should not be to vote for a man, but rather to vote for a platform, and one party is pro-life while the other is not. If you have not done your research on this I encourage you to do so. We want to honor God with our vote. We want to stand for things that he stands for and oppose that which he opposes. Our Christian convictions are central to how we vote and the Bible calls us in, "whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Colossians 3:17). 

But what we must keep in mind is that no matter what the election results are the hope of the Christian is not in any politician or what political platform prevails. We could live in the most oppressive, godless country in the world and our hope would still hold firm. As the apostle Paul wrote, "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). But we should desire to have godly leaders and a godly government so that we can live our lives for God in a peaceful land. We are commanded in Scripture to pray for this very thing (1 Timothy 2:1-3). While this is ideal, in God's providence, it does not always work this way. Sometimes he has his people live in dark times. 

Over the last century Chinese Christians have had a much different experience than American Christians. American Christians have been able to pursue a godly life in a peaceful land, while the Chinese have been oppressed. But God's work continues in even in times of persecution. When the apostle Paul was imprisoned for preaching the gospel he saw the gospel advance. He wrote to the church in Philippi, " I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ" (Philippians 1:12-13). He wrote in another place as he was imprisoned that, "the word of God is not bound" (2 Timothy 1:9). 

Chinese Christians have seen this over the last one hundred years. Now the question American Christians should be asking as we look at the landscape of our country is this, will this now be our experience? Now we should not desire this. Nor should we pray for this, but we should vote for leaders who will govern in such a way where we can worship God freely in a peaceful land. God may be gracious to hear our prayers and honor our efforts as we vote. But if he does not, may we not feel despair. We have a king who rules every governing authority (Romans 13:1). He reigns in heaven at God's right hand and one day he will come to earth and reign forever (Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 2:38). Therefore our hope should not be in the election result on November 3rd. We must accept wherever his providence leads knowing that, "for those who love God all things work together for good" (Romans 8:28). 

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Seth