ENRICH YOUR ROLES AS A CHRISTIAN CITIZEN

ENRICH YOUR ROLES AS A CHRISTIAN CITIZEN

Proverbs 29:2

When the righteous  are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

Introduction

The Bible clearly puts on emphasis on the Christians’ role in the political systems of the world. Indeed, no Christian can deny the fact that without righteous people being in authority the world will continue to be wicked and injustice will always increase. Nevertheless, there are times when the church thought that politics should be separated from the church and Christians thought it evil to engage in politics or running of governments. If the church could hold to this ideology, Christians would only be digging their own grave. Reading through the Bible, it is clear that the church and the government are inseparable. Actually, God wants his own people (the righteous) to be in authority and lead governments. Just as Bill Bright wrote: God wants us to do His will in government, just as in the church and in the home.

Remember what Jesus said to us: “You are the salt of the earth” (Mathew 5:13). We have a role to accomplish in adding taste to the world. When Jesus termed us as “the salt of the earth” he meant that without us the world would be tasteless and nobody would wish to live in this world any longer. Take a look at what is going on in different parts of the world currently; especially in countries like Syria, Somalia, Sudan, and Iraq. Citizens of these countries are migrating to other countries everyday; others even risking their lives by crossing through the Mediterranean running to Europe seeking for refuge. The main cause for all this political unrest is that “the wicked are in power and that makes their people mourn” (Proverbs 29:2).  

Charles Finney when writing to Christians in America wrote in 1835 that:

“The time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics, or the Lord will curse them… 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 part of their duty to God… God will bless or curse this nation according to the course Christians take in politics.”

Our course in politics as Christian citizens is the determinant of the fate of our beloved nation. We cannot deny our role in making sure that governments are run according to the will of God in our countries. It is the purpose, therefore, of this lesson to discuss some of the roles of Christians in the political systems of the word. Here we go!!!

Role 1: PRAY FOR GOVERNMENTS

1Tim 2:1-3

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  For  this  is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.

Apostle Paul is giving us a big lesson on our role as Christians. He wants supplication, prayers, and intercessions to be made for kings and all that are in authority – and this is to be done first of all. It is our role as Christians to pray for our governments and our rulers. We have to do this with all our strength and with all our heart because if we do not pray for them then we should stop blaming for whatever bad thing they do. One teacher of the gospel here in Tanzania said during one of his crusades that “if one starts blaming you, know that he has ceased praying for you.”

We have to pray for our leaders whether you voted for them or not. Never say that I did not vote for this President or that leader so I have no obligation to pray for him. Remember the story of King Saul and how Samuel prayed for him even when Saul had disobeyed the Lord (1 Samuel 15). Verse 35 says:

And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul…

Despite Saul’s wrongdoing, Samuel still mourned for him – why? Because he was still leader over Israel and it was Samuel’s role as a man of God to pray for his King. It is our role as men of God to be on duty to protect and help our leaders make wise decisions – and this we can do by having them into our prayers.

In order to have effective prayers for our governments and our rulers there are things we need to take into account.

• Love your country and your government

It’s very hard to pray effectively if you think you hate your country or your government. Love is the power that ignites the fire of prayer. If you do not love someone you can never pray for that person otherwise you’ll pray bad for him. Be proud of your country and never exalt other nations over yours. God gave us Tanzania to be our land and we are proud of it, despite the challenges we face economically and socially but we are proud to be Tanzanians. This is what Apostle Paul says about people and their countries that: ‘… he [God] made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place’ (Acts 17:26). It’s God who determined boundaries for each nation and placed people of different culture in these nations. So your own country is so special to God – be proud of it and love it.

• Respect your leaders and never speak bad of them

Most Christians are tempted to join the political game of blame. In spite of praying for their leaders, they sit back and join political forums and blame what the government is doing. This is not the heavenly way of doing things; we have spiritual power to change the status quo if we hold on our positions and do our role. The Bible warns us not speak bad of our rulers but respect them and obey them. “Then said Paul, I knew not, brothers, that he was the high priest: for it is written, You shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people (Acts 23:5).”

If you want to pray effectively as a Christian citizen, get out of the mass who keep on blaming the government but get on your knees and make intercessions for them as Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:2.

• Obey the laws and be submissive to the authorities

At this point it is very important to consider what Paul said at Romans 13:1-7, that:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

This passage teaches us that rulers are servants of God and resisting the authorities means resisting God. In the same vein, we have to pay taxes and show respect to those in authority. This means that as Christian citizens we are not supposed to be among those stubborn people in the country – we have to obey the laws and be submissive. It wonderful to note that even Jesus obeyed those in authority and paid tax. Matt 17:24-27 say

When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?”And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

This passage shows that Jesus paid tax, not because he had no authority but because he wanted not to offend those in power. If we want to pray for our rulers and our country, we have got to obey the laws first. A good Christian is a law abiding citizen and not a law breaker.

Our role to pray for the nation is broad and is not limited only to praying for leaders and the government. Hear what God says at 2 Chronicles 7:14 “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Our land need to be forgiven and be healed in various spheres politically, spiritually, morally and economically. As Christian citizens, therefore, we have to pray without ceasing that:

i.             Pray that the Spirit of God will overshadow our country and change the hearts of all men to follow Christ.

ii.           Pray that God will send His Spirit on earth and change the hearts or our rulers to obey his will. OR that God removes from positions of public leadership, those officials who are godless, worldly, and disobedient to Him. Remember that a wicked ruler will have wicked aides on his staff. Proverbs 29:12 say “If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.”

iii.          PRAY daily that men and women of God will be elected to public office at all levels of leadership— local, and national — so that righteous kingship is restored. Then our land will be healed and our country will experience the abundant blessings of God. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12).

Role 2: VOTE RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE INTO POWER

In prayer point number three above, we have pointed that we should pray for men of God to be elected to public office. However, this cannot be done by evil men – it’s the righteous who are able to elect righteous people into power. We cannot sit back and leave the election process to the wicked – we have to be on the forefront. Christianity and leadership are inseparable, that’s why Jesus saved us and made us priests and kings to reign on earth (Revelation 5:9-10). We should not just pray and sit back – we have to join the race – we have to fight against evil men so that they do not rule over us. Psalms 125:3 say:

For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong.

This means, if righteous people are not in authority then the scepter of wickedness will rest on the land of the righteous and the righteous will be tempted to do wrong. We need righteous people to run our governments. To achieve this, Christians have to arise and contest for political posts and fellow Christians must vote them into power. Listen to what the Bible say in 2 Samuel 23:3-4

The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me, “The one who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God, is like the morning light when the sun rises on a cloudless morning, the glisten of rain on sprouting grass.”

Role 3: GET INFORMED OF YOUR COUNTRY AFFAIRS

I have a number of Christians who do pray for the country but they do not know of any current affairs in the country! This is bad – for how effectively would one pray unless he is informed of what he is praying about? Brethren, you need to be informed of your country affairs. There is a saying that “information is power.” This is most true in the technologically advanced world of today. Information is the powerful tool for one to succeed in anything you do – even in business. If you are not well informed, your chances of success are so limited. Listen to what Daniel say:

In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be 70. Dan 9:2

This means, Daniel was looking for information through the books on something he was praying about. When he got the information, the burden of praying increased tremendously on him until the angel came with answers. If we are not well informed about our nation we might not be praying earnestly but once we are informed we get to pray hard for we know exactly the weight of the burden we are carrying on our shoulders.

Just as the untrained soldier is at the mercy of his enemy, the uninformed Christian cannot prevail against evil forces in the world of politics. Knowledge is essential to effective action. Proverbs 14:18 say “The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.” Be not a simple citizen but a prudent one – crowned with knowledge.

Role 4: HELP GROW YOU COUNTRY ECONOMY

Christians should not be beggars but providers. It’s wrong for Christians to join in the blaming game when life gets hard – they should become solutions. You will remember the story of JOSEPH son of Jacob who was taken as a captive to Egypt but later helped to save the whole world from starvation by strengthening the Egyptian food reserve. Genesis 41:45-57

It is our role as Christians to help our countries in strengthening their economy. If we join the blaming game our eyes will be closed and we won’t be able to spot the opportunities around us and help others. It was the vision that Joseph interpreted that saved the whole world from hunger. The power to see and interpret visions is hidden in Christians and not politicians. It is very wrong Christians to leave it to the politicians to see visions for the nation – it is the Christians who have to see visions and interpret them to the politicians. Proverbs 11:14 say

Without guidance, people fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance.

Guidance means vision. Every country has its own vision – but the bad thing is that these visions are normally drafted politically and not spiritually. That’s why we need godly people to be in power so that they could give us visions from heaven and not from men.

Christians have to use all the opportunities available to help their countries grow economically. It’s not God purpose that people should be poor or have bad life conditions – NO!

Conclusion

As Christians we have a role to play for our citizenship here on earth. We cannot leave this role to the evil men but let’s tie up our shoes and stand for the glory of God in countries.

GOD BLESS YOU

GOD BLESS TANZANIA