"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
'For I was hungry, and the government gave Me something to eat;
I was thirsty, and the government gave Me something to drink;
I was a stranger, and the government invited Me in;
naked, and the government clothed Me;
I was sick, and the government visited Me;
I was in prison, and the government came to Me.'
The church has slowly, over the last 100+/- years, subjugated its role as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ by allowing the government to take its place in our society. And in so doing we have now created several generations of citizens who truly believe that it is the government's role to do these things. What additionally comes along with this mind set is the notion of keeping and maintaining a separation between the 'church and state' in the daily affairs of life. We have taken the bait and bitten fully into the idea that we should keep our ‘religious beliefs’ strictly at home and in our churches on Sundays – don’t bring them nor espouse them in the modern world of human affairs. If you are a follower of Christ and you have taken this path then you have bought into a lie from the enemy.
Christ's words in these verses are "when you" not "when the government" did these things! Governments have their roles to play in the lives and affairs of men and God has thus ordained them. But when we forsake and turn over our ministry responsibilities (His call on our lives) and follow the wide path that allows and even promotes organized government as THE ANSWER to meeting life's needs, we have fallen short of His glory. Is Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives (every breathing moment) and the foundation of our faith (what we base all that we do, say and are) or is He just the ‘go to guy’ in our homes, on Sundays and on special occasions, when we want/need Him?
Here is a quote from David Wilkerson's newsletter that gets to the heart of the matter - "Yet, at some point in history, Christians began to limit the present power of our great, miracle-working Savior. The church developed a theology that made Christ God of the spiritual but not of the natural. Let me give you an example. In the present day, we believe Jesus can forgive sins and relieve our guilt. We believe He can provide us with peace and joy and even give us eternal life. And He does all of this in the unseen, invisible world. But not many of us know Jesus as God of the natural world we live in. We don't know Him as Lord over our everyday affairs…Jesus has never been more powerful than He is right now."
Ah yes, it comes down to this – who do we believe has the power? In our world today it is who, in the natural realm, we believe has the power that we look to for the answers to the issues of daily life and it appears that the government is winning in this opinion poll. But true power – unlimited, creative, new life generating, life changing, bread of life, fount of living waters, heaven and earth shaking power - is found in the Lord alone – there is no other.
So, where does your faith rest today?
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