4 Things The Church Should Be Saying Now
Four Things The Church Should Be Saying
Nobody is equipped to speak Love and Hope better than the Church. How we lose and how we win says a lot about our character. And looking at what is going on in America right now is a lesson in winning and losing. But, we have to change our thinking. We actually all win.
Over the past year or so our attention has been on the 2016 Presidential Campaign. And now we are dealing with the emotion of the outcome. And this should draw the attention of the Church. The Church is born for adversity. Because the Church was born out of adversity. And our words can heal right now or they can hurt right now.
Whether it is the Presidential Campaign division we are in now, the racial tensions of the past year, the financial crisis of a few years ago, or even 9/11, America needs leadership. When we fail to rise as a Church we will lessen the impact of the Kingdom of God and Christianity in these moments. At this time in history, we are not merely to sit back and abdicate our leadership to government. The electoral or political process is not equipped to handle the kind of change needed for National reform. But the Church is equipped with something everyone needs right now. Love and Hope.
We can see this by looking back at the impact of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Church rising together to find it's place in the conversation of the day. It wasn't the government that brought the reform. It was the Church, led by King, rising to the moment as thousands met in the Church to pray before they hit the streets for social and biblical justice. And today, I am praying for a generation of young people in the Church to stand in the same manner. With the same kind of character and influence. In prayer before we do anything else.
Here are 4 Things the Church should be saying right now:
"We are going to make it through this like others have made it through before" (DO NOT BE AFRAID TO BE POSITIVE RIGHT AWAY) Assure people that this is not the only transition from one President to another. And that things are never as bad as they seem. Speak into the current cultural issues with understanding and positivity. Don't just criticize without conversation. Words can hurt right now or they can heal right now. Hope is powerful so speak about the future. Look for solutions and not problems.
"What do you think about what is going on?" (SHOW GENUINE INTEREST IN PEOPLE) We cannot just shout right now. Or ask everyone to listen to us. We must listen. Instead of making statements, let's make relationships. That doesn't mean we do not have an opinion and cannot share it. But, communication is a two-way street. Communicating to people means we are listening and not always talking.
"We are on the same team" (RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN WINNING) Stop saying "we lost" or "they won". We all must recognize that we are Americans before we are Republican or Democrat. It is important that we are good winners and good losers. Our attitude should help build relationships with people of different views. Even though our person may not have 'won' the election, we are all on the same team. The American Team.
"I'm praying for all of this" (PRAY FOR AMERICANS AND AMERICAN LEADERSHIP) The Church should be praying for the President, government, education, private sector, entertainment, and faith communities on a regular basis. When we pray we bring a higher will into the situation. And it also puts us in the right attitude. Get an opinion AFTER you have prayed about it. Then your opinion will be shared in love.
When The Church Rises
The Church has something to say. We cannot deny that much of the social and political change throughout American history began when the super-natural principles of the scriptures came alive in society through key leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. (Note also the impact of christian revivals upon our Universities and Government throughout American history. That influence is for another blog). American politics is missing this spiritual influence that marked our early days of formation. But, I am praying for the words of the Church to create just such a movement in young social, political, educational, and entertainment leaders who will be shaping our country in years to come.
2 Chronicles 7.14
Isaiah 59.16
1 Timothy 2