I was in our nation’s capital on Nov. 6 as the results of midterm elections poured in from across the country.
As the evening progressed, it became clear that Democrats would gain control of the House of Representatives. That was not totally unexpected, as midterm elections often see the party out of power swing the House.
However, in the Senate, Republicans picked up seats to strengthen their hold on the upper chamber. That came despite tens of millions of dollars that leftist progressives, backed by Hollywood elites, poured into congressional races. Interestingly, incumbents in four states who voted against the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh were defeated by their conservative opponents. Exit polls indicated that a significant percentage of those voters were influenced by their opposition to the way Kavanaugh was treated in the Senate hearings.
The level of divisiveness and animosity toward the president from those who disagree with his agenda continues to reach new, vitriolic heights. One exit poll found that 40 percent of all 2018 voters stated that they would like to see President Trump impeached, with more than 50 percent of voters in states like California and New York advocating for such action.
When President Trump was elected, he promised he would appoint conservative judges who would uphold the original intent of the U.S. Constitution and protect the sacred religious freedoms that the previous administration had done so much to destroy. He has done just that, and much more.
Sometimes, people ask me why I have taken such strong stands in encouraging people to vote and become involved in state and city government, local school boards and other public offices.
It’s pretty simple: If believers don’t take a bold stand for Biblical values, the nation that our children and grandchildren will inherit will be virtually unrecognizable. That’s because the vision behind the secular-progressive insurgency is a godless, humanistic worldview that is openly hostile to traditional Judeo-Christian values.
That’s why I will never stop speaking up for the rights of the unborn, for the protection of our religious liberties and for the sacredness of marriage between one man and one woman.
And though we do not know what the full extent of these election results may hold, I do know that we have eternal, indisputable, rock-solid truths to encourage us as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, this Christmas season.
With the birth of Jesus in a lowly, messy stable in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, a majestic prophecy from the Old Testament book of Micah was being miraculously fulfilled:
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. … And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord” (Micah 5:2, 4).
Micah wrote these words at least 700 years before the birth of Jesus!
While Jesus came as a lowly servant to bear our iniquities on the cross, die for our sins, and be raised from the dead on the third day, as the Son of God He was still a ruler and a king over all the earth whose soon return in glory will be fully manifested as the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16).
We are citizens of the country, state or province, and community in which we live on planet Earth, but as believers we are first and foremost citizens of the Kingdom of God, with Christ in the center of our hearts, reigning as our sovereign King. “Our citizenship is in heaven,” Paul reminded the church at Philippi in Philippians 3:20. Philippi was a Roman colony in Macedonia that enjoyed the same special privileges as actual residents of Rome itself. Despite your perks, Paul was saying, remember that your ultimate allegiance and security rests in your relationship with your eternal King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As our Sovereign King, Jesus absolutely rules over all the affairs of every person, every political party, every government, every nation. Democrats may control the House and Republicans the Senate, but Almighty God controls all things. “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:10-11).
My trust is wholly in the Lord, regardless of the prevailing political climate. My hope is squarely in the person and work of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for me so that I might live for him. It is a sure and certain hope, an anchor that always holds, no matter how dangerous or swift the currents of a godless culture swirl around us.
While we will continue to call men and women to engage at every level in the fierce culture wars that have besieged our nation—to be godly salt and light in the face of moral decay and darkness—we will also go as far and as fast as we can to preach the Gospel of Christ to as many as we can.
This past year, we held Crusades in Mexico, England and Portugal. Thousands of people made decisions to repent of their sins, trust Christ as their personal Savior and follow Him as their Lord. I didn’t save a soul—God did it all through the power of the Holy Spirit who worked as the Word of God was proclaimed. To Him be all the glory!
This summer, we held Decision America rallies in 10 cities in California, three in Oregon and four in Washington. At every stop, I called on those who came to vote for candidates who most closely aligned with Biblical values. Many of them did just that.
Most important, I preached on the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and His all-sufficient grace for all who confess and repent of their sins and call on Him to be saved. Hundreds did that and received the gift of everlasting life through faith in the Savior.
In the coming months, I will be preaching the Gospel in Bangkok, Thailand, and in six cities spanning Australia—in many of the same places where my father preached 60 years ago. Next summer, I will be leading another Decision America Tour, this time in the Northeast—Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York. Please be in prayer for God to accomplish His saving work in the hearts of many.
And be in prayer for our president, Congress and our nation. We need it like never before.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.