Excerpts from "The Politics of Prayer" Section two, PRAY FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERS “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever….Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscious and desire to live honorably in every way” (Hebrews 13:7-8 and 17-18).
We are instructed to pray for our Christian leaders. It is never a time of rejoicing when a member of the Christian body falls from grace. As a member of the body of Christ we are called to pray for one another. “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone brings him back, remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20). I encourage you to remember to pray for religious leaders whether they have made it to the heights of maga-church pastor, international evangelist, televangelist, or country minister.
No one is past the warning Peter gave in I Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” To keep our focus on God and what he would have us to do, we must pray for one another to make wise choices as we engage the political arena.
We should pray for governmental leaders, spiritual leaders, and fellow Christians. When we pray for fellow Christians, we should: 1. Be thankful for their faith and changed lives (Colossians 1:3) 2. Ask God to help them know what he wants them to do (Colossians 1:9) 3. Ask God to give them deep spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9) 4. Ask God to help them live for him (Colossians 1:10) 5. Ask God to give them more knowledge of himself (Colossians 1:10) 6. Ask God to give them strength for endurance (Colossians 1:11) 7. Ask God to fill them with joy, strength, and thankfulness (Colossians 1:11)
POLITICS. The word politics comes from the Greek word politika. It is defined as: 1 a: the art or science of government b: the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy c : the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government. The last few years, America has witnessed drastic changes in the political arena. Some changes and policies instituted have been for the better and some have been for the worst. The Christian community has championed many causes and has been a strong voice for Christian values. The political atmosphere will forever be a battleground for doing what is right and for doing what is popular. No matter the outcome of politics, the Christian must remain focused on God and his instructions to behave out of love and mercy and to remain prayerful at all times.
POLITCAL QUOTES “America is always a land of promise in an election year.” “If you lie to people to get their money, that’s fraud. If you lie to them to get their votes, that’s politics.” “In national politics it’s not so much how you play the game as it is who’s keeping score.” “Fortunately for the country, neither political party can possibly be as bad as the other insists it is.” “We’ve now switched from the New Deal, Fair Deal, and Square Deal to the Ordeal.” “Millions of Americans don’t vote. They figure they can’t earn their keep under the Republicans and can’t keep what they earn under the Democrats.” “Politics is the art of obtaining money from the rich and votes from the poor on the pretext of protecting each from the other.” “The Russians accuse us of being a warlike people because they have been reading what the Democrats and Republican are saying about each other.” “There are two kinds of Americans: one hopes the government will do something for them, the other hopes the government won’t do something to them.” “The mess in Washington shouldn’t be blamed on one man. It took real teamwork.’ “Separation of church and state could hardly be more complete. The church teaches that money isn’t everything and the government keeps telling us it is.” Qoutes from: E.C. McKenzie 14,000 Quips and Quotes, (Grand Rapids: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1980).
PETER “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18). After Jesus’ death, Peter became the recognized leaders of the leaderless disciples. This had to have been a stressful position to have due to the fact Christians were being persecuted for the threat they posed to the pagan society rules of living. He was one of the great voices before and after Pentecost. But Peter was far from perfect. Peter was known for speaking without thinking. He was quick to dispute Jesus’ claim that he would soon deny he ever knew him. He was also considered to be brash and impulsive. We cannot believe those would have been the traits of one of Jesus’ inner groups of three. Peter later found it difficult to treat the Gentile Christians as equals. To us Peter would seem to be just one big mess, but Jesus saw something else. He needed someone with the enthusiasm Peter had, he needed someone who could follow, and Jesus needed someone who did not start out as a perfect person. Jesus needed someone who was real. He needed someone who could be changed by love, thus demonstrating the glory of God, which is “love.” He needed someone to demonstrate the ability of God to forgive, save, and transform.
REFLECTION I encourage you to incorporate prayer for your community and Christian leaders into your daily prayers. There are numerous vices leaders must watch out for as they guide those they have charge over. The vices include Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, disputes, dissentions, arrogance, envy, murder, idolatry, sorcery, drunkenness, carousing, fraud, adultery, homosexuality, coveting, stealing, and lying. Pray these vices will not be a temptation or stumbling block for your leaders. PRAYER LIST FOR COMMUNITY AND CHRISTIAN LEADERS
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