In the middle of May this year, the Supreme Court of California passed the ruling for gay marriage. About a month later we witnessed hundreds of gay marriages. At the same time we saw the devastation of an unprecedented flooding in Iowa, Illinois, and the Mississippi delta, where farmlands were inundated and thousands of homes were damage. In Southern San Francisco we hear of raging bush fires that spread readily with lightning unleashing 8,000 hits in a day causing more bush fire. We can blame it on climate changes from to the depletion of the ozone layer caused by pollution. However, if we match it against the Word of God, God says it is because of spiritual pollution.
"For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants." Lev. 18:25
If the land is defiled by sin, how can its inhabitants live in security and prosperity?
"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. " Romans 1:24-27.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. " Romans 1:24-27.
Gay practices are definitely going against the Word of the Creator who forbids such acts. To legislate such practice is to incur the wrath of God upon the land.
Even Nineveh was not spared when the anger of God was stirred against it. His anger comes in the form of whirlwind, storm, drought, earthquake, fire and landslide.
"The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked.
The Lord has His way
In the whirlwind and in the storm,
And the clouds are the dust of His feet.
He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,
And dries up all the rivers.
Bashan and Carmel wither,
And the flower of Lebanon wilts.
The mountains quake before Him,
The hills melt,
And the earth heaves at His presence,
Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.
Who can stand before His indignation?
And who can endure the fierceness of His anger?
His fury is poured out like fire,
And the rocks are thrown down by Him." Nahum 1:3-6
Yet, are we to blame the judges of the Supreme Court of California? (It was a 5-4 decision)
I believe we should blame ourselves, Christians and the Church, especially the pastors, preachers, ministries and leaders. Why? We were deceived for a very long time that there is a separation of church and state and that the church should just concentrate on the spiritual things, like getting souls saved and how to live spiritual lives. Even though all these are good and should be encouraged, we have failed to educate and inculcate the believers to engage with the Government, albeit a crucial aspect of the Marketplace or Workplace. Evangelicals and all other Bible believing leaders fail to engage in both mandates that God has given to men in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden - the Evangelistic Mandate (be fruitful and multiply) and the Social Mandate (have dominion over the earth) Gen. 1:26,28. To the credit of Dr. John Stott who spoke at the World Congress of Evangelism in Lausanne (1966) that brought back the church's social responsibility together with Evangelism, we are seeing the church worldwide including Malaysia is taking the role more seriously. To be engaged with the Government - Legislature, Executive or Judiciary, is important. We should encourage and challenge our children, young people and certain sections of our church to seriously consider to be involved in the different branches of Government. Inspire them when they are young, send them to the best institution of learning that we can afford, lay strong godly values in them so that they will not be corrupted, mentor them in developing their spiritual relationship with God to achieve intimacy augmented by strong prayer life and study of the Word of God. Allow them to be positioned in places of influence in Government like Joseph (with strong economic, prophetic and administrative anointing ), Daniel (with strong prophetic and governmental anointing) so that even bad laws (legislations) can be overturned into good ones, in line with good principles from the Word of God.
I believe we should blame ourselves, Christians and the Church, especially the pastors, preachers, ministries and leaders. Why? We were deceived for a very long time that there is a separation of church and state and that the church should just concentrate on the spiritual things, like getting souls saved and how to live spiritual lives. Even though all these are good and should be encouraged, we have failed to educate and inculcate the believers to engage with the Government, albeit a crucial aspect of the Marketplace or Workplace. Evangelicals and all other Bible believing leaders fail to engage in both mandates that God has given to men in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden - the Evangelistic Mandate (be fruitful and multiply) and the Social Mandate (have dominion over the earth) Gen. 1:26,28. To the credit of Dr. John Stott who spoke at the World Congress of Evangelism in Lausanne (1966) that brought back the church's social responsibility together with Evangelism, we are seeing the church worldwide including Malaysia is taking the role more seriously. To be engaged with the Government - Legislature, Executive or Judiciary, is important. We should encourage and challenge our children, young people and certain sections of our church to seriously consider to be involved in the different branches of Government. Inspire them when they are young, send them to the best institution of learning that we can afford, lay strong godly values in them so that they will not be corrupted, mentor them in developing their spiritual relationship with God to achieve intimacy augmented by strong prayer life and study of the Word of God. Allow them to be positioned in places of influence in Government like Joseph (with strong economic, prophetic and administrative anointing ), Daniel (with strong prophetic and governmental anointing) so that even bad laws (legislations) can be overturned into good ones, in line with good principles from the Word of God.
We need to be clear that "separation of church and state" was not in the first amendment of the United States Constitution. The first amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." It was President Thomas Jefferson who wrote to the Baptist pastor Roger Williams that "a wall of separation between the church and the state" exist to protect the church from government interference. It was Thomas Jefferson who supported legislation for military chaplains and US Senate Chaplain, and use of the Bible and non-denominational religious instruction in public schools and exempting churches from taxation.
Because of the church withdrawal from engagement with the Government, Business, media, Arts and Entertainment, Education that we are now reaping the ungodly fruit from those who are walking in the Corridors of Power and those in the Halls of Justice. We can complain, protest and even demonstrate our disgust and disapproval but the bottom line is we are to blame by not putting in the best and brightest of our own people in those Corridors of Power and Halls of Justice, men and women with integrity and morals. We should consider being placed at such spheres of influence as God's calling, ministry and equally spiritual and significant as those serving in churches and church related ministries. They are also part of the church, albeit, the church in the marketplace. We could at least commission them publicly during worship services and release them to their varied spheres of ministries. By so doing, we give them recognition, encouragement and support for their calling and ministries.
Dr. Dexter Low
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