1 Timothy 2:1-4 ESV
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
How to Pray
What kinds of intercessions and prayers should we be making
for all people and for people who are in high up positions in the government or
in the gatherings of the church? Should our prayers for them be all the same?
Or should our prayers reflect where these people are in relation to God?
If we read 1 Timothy 2 in the context of 1 Timothy 1, I
think we will see that our prayers and intercessions must not be in discord with
sound doctrine, and they should come from pure hearts, good consciences, and
sincere faith. We don’t just pray whatever comes to our minds.
And our prayers must be founded in the truth of the gospel
and not in vain conversation. As well, they must have as their goal the
salvation of human lives for eternity. For, this is why Jesus came, to save
sinners, not to coddle them in their sins, and not to ignore their sins and
their ungodly ways.
So, when we pray for those in authority over us, if what
they are doing or if what they are teaching is contrary to the will of God,
then we don’t pray for God to bless them in their work, but we pray that they
will repent of their sins and that they will turn their hearts over to Jesus
Christ.
And if what they are doing is deceiving the people, and if
what they are teaching or promoting is trapping the people in their sins, not
freeing them from slavery to sin, then we need to pray that the people’s minds
and hearts will be open to the truth and that they will reject the lies.
And if those who have genuine faith in Jesus Christ, who are
out there sharing the truth of the gospel, are being persecuted for their walks
of faith in Christ Jesus, then we need to pray for their courage and their
determination to keep speaking the truth and to keep exposing the lies so that
many will hear the truth and so be saved.
1 Timothy 2:5-7 ESV
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”
Jesus Christ, God the Son, gave himself as a ransom for us
to deliver us out of our bondage to sin, not just to forgive us our sins. He
shed his blood for us to buy us back for God so that we would now be God’s possession,
and so that we would now honor God with our lives (Rom 6:1-23; 1 Co 6:19-20).
But many people in high up positions within the government
and within the institutional church are not promoting what is truth, but they
are promoting lies. For, they are against the truth of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, and thus they are doing what is against the gospel of our salvation.
The church, at large, from the top to the bottom, has
adulterated the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to make it more palatable and
acceptable to the world and to human flesh. So, what they are largely promoting
is in reverse of what Jesus Christ taught and lived.
For one, beginning in the late 1950’s the church united with
the government in an unholy union. They incorporated under the state as a 501c3
non-profit organization, which was not required of them, nor was it necessary,
for the church was already tax exempt.
The church at large (not including all gatherings of the
church) then began promoting government worship with the pledging (vowing) of
allegiance (fidelity) to the government, with hand over heart, and with the
singing of patriotic hymns, and with the honoring of the military as our
heroes.
They turned the church into a marketplace, and they began
marketing it just like any other business, and so they began to conform the
church to the ways of the world in order to attract the world to their
gatherings. So, the church was no longer the light of the world, for they were
becoming like the world.
But then, in order not to offend the world with the gospel,
they diluted the gospel and then pretty much obliterated it, largely teaching
it now in direct opposition to what the message of the cross is all about. For they
now teach against repentance, obedience and submission to Christ as Lord.
And now they are coming against and they are attacking those
of us who are still holding to the truth of the gospel, and they are accusing us
of being intolerant, hateful, hyper-religious, self-righteous, and legalistic,
and of teaching works-based salvation.
And now the government has been building a case for some
time against things which divide us as a people, and things which cause others
to be offended, but actually the church is ahead of them on that one, for they
largely stopped teaching the truth a while ago so as not to offend anyone.
But we are seeing a large push now on a government level to
do away with everything that offends others. Well, the gospel of Jesus Christ
offends because the message of the cross is an offense to those who are
perishing. Thus, we are being targeted for extinction. It is just a matter of
when they make their move. So, keep shining the light of the truth!
By
Graham Kendrick
Lord
the light of Your love is shining
In
the midst of the darkness, shining
Jesus,
Light of the world, shine upon us
Set
us free by the truth You now bring us
Shine
on me
Shine
on me
Shine,
Jesus, shine
Fill
this land with the Father's glory
Blaze,
Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire
Flow,
river, flow
Flood
the nations with grace and mercy
Send
forth Your Word, Lord and let there be light..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3iB30gCqAc
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