God’s Strategy For Civil Conquest #1 - Ekklesia (b)
Remember from Ekklesia (a), King James I demanded his English Bible translate the Greek word “ekklesia” to be “church,” NOT “assembly,” because “assembly” identified the original meaning of the word being a politically active group.
The apostle Paul certainly understood ekklesia (church) to be politically active in many Scriptures, not least of which when he asked the Corinthians (1Cor. 6:2):
“Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world?”
For this reason, Paul then told the Christians to set up their own law courts NOW. And to “judge” the world is to rule the world. But no man or power can rule or judge without a law to render judgment. And it is the calling of Christians in Christ to rule the world only by God’s Law. To give supremacy to any other law than God’s Law is to deny God’s Rule and Sovereignty!
So, Christ’s ekklesia was never a building, but rather God’s people as “royal priests… and a holy nation”(1Peter 2:9). The church’s purpose and mission were never to come together to just sing songs and hear sermons. Spiritual leaders are commanded (Eph. 4:12):
“To equip the saints for their work of service.”
That is to fulfill Jesus’s Great Commission - to disciple and teach “nations.” That is NOT teaching “churches” but “nations” - governments with rulers to follow God’s civil Law… “all Jesus commanded.”
The church is to be God’s battle station from which all God’s people are to be equipped to Christianize their nation. If your church does not or will not see and follow “the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27 NASB), if they are not doing the work of helping disciple the nation, then maybe you need to go find a Jesus ekklesia, because He said - “I will build My ekklesia.” This is not just a Christian social club but Christians out to change their government - “seeking first the Kingdom of God” - God’s nation with KING JESUS.
The church does not belong to you, or some pastor, or some board of elders or the whole congregation. Jesus’s church belongs only to Jesus. The church is Jesus’s own Body, “bought with His own blood.” Jesus Christ alone is the Head of His church (Col. 1:18).
The first necessary Biblical strategy for making any nation a Christian nation is for Jesus’s ekklesia (church) to know what Jesus’s Great Commission actually means and then mobilize to fulfill it!
Jesus’s church has His mandate and His authority to mobilize and change the political leadership from unrighteous to righteous, from man’s law to God’s Law.
Every church is commissioned to obey Jesus’s Great Commission regardless of how much liberty any nation gives Christians. All unrighteous rulers should be an abomination to all righteous people, godly churches (Prov. 29:27):
“The unrighteous are an abomination to the righteous and the upright are an abomination to the wicked.”
Now God tells His people one necessary step for political success (Prov. 21:12 literally translated):
“The righteous (or church) wisely considers the place of the wicked and overthrows the wicked for their wickedness.”
A church being politically inactive is rejecting God’s Law, which Jesus said, “to do!” (Matt. 5:17-19). Such church is unwittingly praising the wicked (Prov. 28:4):
“To reject God’s Law is to praise the wicked; to obey God’s Law is to fight them.”
According to God, if you obey God’s Law you will fight the wicked and most definitely that includes unrighteous civil leaders.
In all nations, Jesus’s ekklesia can do some if not all 11 points below - to get wise Christian men being God’s civil servants to establish God’s civil Law. This is what it practically means for you and the church to “seek first the Kingdom of God”:
* Have regular meetings for prayer and strategizing for political action to affect your nation but especially all your city leaders every way you can.
* Many churches have weekend Marriage or Family Retreats to train and develop godly families. The church has NO MORE responsibility to help God’s family institution then God’s state institution! Have a yearly Christian Political Action Retreat - educating, training, and mobilizing believers to take back their nation but especially their city for the Kingdom of God.
* Mobilize the Christians to engage during political campaign time for God’s Kingdom to get God’s righteous men in office.
* On Sunday teach through the book of Deuteronomy, God’s Law - the civil law for your city and nation. This was the book Jesus quoted from more than any others.
* Have the righteous political candidates speak in your church prior to elections.
* Register everyone in your church to fulfill Jesus’s civil mandate for voting. Don’t just have a Registration Table in the vestibule for the Believers to register. Rather, just like you’re faithful to pass a collection plate, be faithful to pass out the registration cards and pencils down the aisles. Take the time right then and there for everyone to register. Then when you pass a collection bucket all the registrations can be picked up and turned in.
* Have a Voting Sunday or Political Sunday. Be fearless, deliberate, and devote at least one Sunday for God’s righteous political cause. At some time you should have a whole Sunday series on this subject. God devoted 80% of His Book (Exodus to Acts) in the context of how He wanted nations to be governed (Israel and other nations). Realize, most of the Old and New Testament saints made political impact, such as Joseph, Ester, Daniel, and most in Hebrews 11.
* Engage and mobilize with other churches for God’s righteous political cause.
* Hold public political prayer, music, and speaking rallies for the Kingdom of God. Right after Paul said to pray for authorities he then said, what would amount to public prayer rallies: “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and dispute.” (1Tim. 2:8).
* Make sure everyone is reminded to vote on election day and take anyone that needs transportation to vote. Where it’s legal now, collect ballots and turn them in. Get out the Christian vote.
* Have Christians run to be on the school board, city council, city mayor, sheriff, chief of police, and other local offices. In some positions it’s like a paid part time job. And often these local elections are won by only a few votes that could be determined by a local church!
There is no such thing as political versus spiritual or spiritual versus secular. With God it’s ALL spiritual (Ps. 24:1):
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
All God’s institutions are under His Kingdom – family, state, and church. The Lord and His Word are to rule over all three of God’s ordained institutions.
The great 19th century American revivalist, Charles Finney, declared:
“The church must take right ground in regard to politics… the time has come that Christians must vote… and take consistent ground in politics, or the Lord will curse them… And if he will give his vote only for honest men, the country will be obliged to have upright rulers… the church must act right, or the country will be ruined. God cannot sustain this free and blessed country, which we love and pray for, unless the church will take right ground. Politics are a part of religion in such a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to the country as a part of their duty to God. It seems sometimes as if the foundations of the nation were becoming rotten, and Christians seem to act as if they thought God did not see what they do in politics. But I tell you, He does see it, and He will bless or curse this nation, according to the course they take.”
The prophet Ezekiel said (Eze. 22:30):
“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land.”
The prophet Hosea said (Hosea 4:6):
“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. ‘Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the Law of your God, I also will ignore your children.’”
This is Jesus’s last admonition to His last church (Rev. 3:15, 19):
“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!
“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”
What is one main purpose of the church (1Tim. 3:15):
“The church of the living God is the pillar and support of the truth.”
About 80% of the Bible (Exodus to Acts) is in the exclusive context about what God wants for His State Institution… Israel and other nations exemplified. Therefore, the church is to be the “pillar”for the “truth” for God’s State Institution - the nation. Moreover, the church is also to be the “support” - to make your nation follow God’s Law!
If the church today is NOT doing this, before it’s too late, it should listen closely to what God warned His people (Amos 6:1-7 NLT):
“What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury… who feel secure.You push away every thought of coming disaster, but your actions [or lack thereof] only bring the day of judgment closer.How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds and lounge on your couches… You sing trivial songs… You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions. You care nothing about the ruin of your nation.Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your parties will end.”
God’s strategy for civil conquest #1 - Ekklesia:
Join a Jesus ekklesia that is working to conquer a city for King Jesus and His Law! The Apostle Paul said, (Acts 20:27 NASB):
“For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God!”
