Dear New Life in Christ Church Family,

Thank you for the privilege of being able to preach the series on Politics and Providence through the fall. As I mentioned on October 27, my series is finished, and I plan to go back to preaching through my Matthew 1-7 series, which will take us through the end of the year.

I hope the Politics and Providence series was helpful in considering our civic responsibilities as Christians in our world today. If you missed any of the sermons and would like to catch up, the whole series is available on our YouTube channel. (Thanks to Sean O'Hara for getting these posted.)

This article will be published right before election day, and you may read this afterward. Whatever happened, I wanted to share some encouragement I have received in considering what we do next, regardless of who wins.

I mentioned this article on October 27, which I wanted to suggest you read: 16 Thoughts for Christian Citizens - https://substack.com/home/post/p-150664242

I also wanted to encourage you with six points I read from a 2012 sermon from PCA pastor Ligon Duncan. I have taken his six points but added my own explanation.

In terms of our civil duties, what do we do after an election like this? I think his advice is sound. Whether you end up with the results you want or not, here are a few key exhortations to consider.

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  1. DO NOT WITHDRAW

Matthew 5:16 - "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

No matter what happens, we have the ability to engage with our local community and the nation. Part of being salt and light is showing up and living consistently with our faith. Part of being a witness is to make both the law and gospel known. Both political parties have needed the influence of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Law of God, and we have our influence in the votes we cast, the letters we write, and the causes we take up.

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  1. STAND FOR CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES AND CONVICTIONS

Micah 6:8 - "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Do not shrink back from your beliefs. The world may not appreciate it, but our hope is to be faithful to God. Political candidates and political parties make compromises to win elections and to govern. Regardless of what any person or party may do, we know that God has given us the Bible to describe His plan and design, which instructs our own sense of right and wrong.

Part of this is knowing why you believe what you believe. For example, there is Christian doctrine explaining why we believe life begins at conception, that marriage is intended for life, that gender is a gift of God, that we need justice, that we need to care for the poor, that capitalism is a just system of economics (and its limits), and why we should avoid debt and other social ills. Do you know some of the doctrine there?

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  1. EXPLAIN YOUR ETHICAL CONVICTIONS TO YOUR CHILDREN

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 - "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."

We have the opportunity to pass down our convictions to the next generation. Don’t be afraid to talk about matters of a Christian worldview around the table or in school. Don’t think they will understand if you don't talk about it. Don't assume they will get it from their Christian school, youth group, or homeschool curriculum. Your home is the best discipleship program for your child.

On top of that, remember that you are just opening the door for future conversations. Your children will develop their convictions over time and will need to talk to you as teens, young adults, and when they are on their own. We hope they will value our opinion as parents, at least enough to listen.

Find good books to read, be more involved with their education, or find good podcasts to listen to together.

Create a warm and loving atmosphere in the home that makes Christian doctrine attractive to your children so that they would see love as the main motivation of the law of God, and not simply power and control.

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  1. DO NOT STOP PRAYING FOR YOUR COUNTRY

1 Timothy 2:1-2 - "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."

We must never give up on our neighbors or on the Lord working in our nation. We need to talk to the Lord about our desires, hopes, and concerns. We must do this instead of getting angry, complaining, becoming despondent, or giving up our efforts or other rash actions that keep us from honoring the Lord.

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  1. ENGAGE IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS

Jeremiah 29:7 - "Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare."

It is good to be involved as much as we can, from voting to writing to our leaders about our convictions and concerns. Our community would benefit from wise Christians being involved in the political process and even local politics.

Voting, voting drives, and supporting good candidates are ways that we can influence the political process in a way that honors the Lord and may move us toward a more just society. We have some local political opportunities available to us as well. Have you ever thought about how a good librarian can influence a whole region? Did you know there is a local library board?

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  1. VIEW YOURSELF AS A CITIZEN OF GOD’S KINGDOM

Philippians 3:20 - "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

We must remember our main priorities are to the kingdom of God and not to the powers of this world. As Christians, we are not beholden to a political candidate or a party. Jesus Christ is King, and we are under the law of Christ. We must act as citizens of Christ's kingdom and not of Mammon and power.

Once we know our secure identity as "sons of God" and "kingdom citizens," that will shape our behavior so that we will act more like Jesus, love more like Jesus, and value the things that Jesus valued.

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Grace to you, and I look forward to worshiping with you this month.

Faithfully Yours, 
Pastor Sean