Why Your Country Needs True Christians

Acts 17:24-31

In a recent opinion piece, Shawn Carney wrote: ”Anti-Christian sentiment has existed for some time, but has been amplified in recent years by a culture that seeks to undermine traditional values and beliefs. The crusade against Christianity is fueled by a radical Left that refuses to engage in respectful discourse, opting instead for hateful rhetoric and dehumanizing tactics.”¹ The author made these comments in the aftermath of media mockery after a shooter killed 3 nine year-old students and 3 adults at Christian school in Nashville, TN.

A group identifying themselves as “Antifa”² (short for “anti-fascists”) attacked a Christian group in a park in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, August 7, 2021. Antifa members threw a large explosive firework into a crowd of children. They slung rotten eggs, urine and feces on the adults. And they pepper-sprayed the pastors who approached them to ask them to stop.

It is not news that true Christians are being held up to public ridicule in our society. Jesus had predicted, “If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19). So, this hatred is not uncommon in world history. But it raises a question: Does our country need Christians? Are they beneficial to our country or any country?

After introducing the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, Jesus immediately pointed to their impact: His followers would become the salt of the earth and the light of the world. This implies that the world is rotten and dark. Christians’ influence their countries the way pungent salt prevents corruption and brilliant light scatters away the darkness. In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul gave his hearers an overview of God’s purpose in ordaining nations.

“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, seeing He gives to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us. For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also His offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men everywhere to repent: Because He has appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He has ordained; whereof He has given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:24-31)

The Theology, the view of God, in this passage

• God is the Creator of all things. He is the Lord of Heaven and Earth. v. 24
• God is Spirit: not dwelling in man-made temples nor truly worshipped by man-made means. v.24
• God is self-sufficient and He alone gives life and breath to all living things. vv. 25, 28-29
• God has made all nations of one blood. Providentially, He has designed the geographical boundaries and destinies of all the nations. v. 26
• God designed nations so that their citizens would seek after the Lord and find Him. v. 27
• God is the Lord who commands every man to repent of wickedness. v. 30
• God is Righteous and has appointed Jesus Christ as the Judge who will return to rule the world. God gave us the assurance that this is true by raising Jesus Christ bodily from the dead. v. 31

Why do nations exist?

The brief theological summary above demonstrates Paul’s point: God ordained nations as the perfect setting for the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news that God will save sinners who repent of their sin. By resurrecting His Son from the dead, God has proved that He can save you, to live with Him in Heaven forever.

And this is why your country needs true Christians. God designed nations so that men would seek the Lord. True Christians who share the good news of Jesus Christ are like the salt of the earth and the light of the world. They shine as lights in the world by holding forth the Word of life. As Paul wrote,

“Do all things without murmurings and disputing that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.” (Philippians 2:14-16)

How do true Christians make an impact on their nations?

God has ordained three institutions to help people seek the Lord from every nation: the family, the church and the government.

The Family

During a storm at sea that lasted 11 days, the Lord did an amazing work of grace. One of the sailors on board was so exhausted that he could no longer work the pumps; the crew tied him to the helm and asked that he try to keep the ship on course. From one o’clock in the afternoon until midnight he hunched over the wheel, fighting against the storm that day, March 21, 1748.  And as he did, the Bible verses that his mother had taught him long years before came to mind. He remembered verses that deepened his despair: “When your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.” ((Proverbs 1:27-28.))

Now it doesn’t seem as if remembering those verses would help anyone seek the Lord. But as that weary sailor reflected on those words, he knew that he could not save himself. He knew that his spiritual condition was hopeless. Tied to the wheel and lashed by the storm, the sailor concluded that he would die in his sins. But then he remembered another verse that his godly mother had taught him before he turned 7 years of age: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:23)

At the age of 23, John Newton remembered verses that his mother taught him. She had passed away before he turned 7 years old. This story highlights the importance of the family. John Newton, the man who wrote the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” pointed back to that experience as when he began to turn to Christ. Lashed to that wheel and pummeled by a storm, he remembered the verses that his mother taught him. God ordained families to help each child seek and find the Lord. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy,

“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Can you see why the family is under so much attack in our society? But God ordained the family to help people like John Newton seek the Lord. Shall we disdain what God ordained?

The Church

At this present moment, the angels are closely watching something very special here on the earth. As they watch, they are learning about the diverse and colorful wisdom of God. What would God use to teach wisdom to teach His holy angels? Paul wrote to the congregation at Ephesus, “…to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ((Ephesians 3:10.)) If God designed the local church to teach angels, can you see how He would use the church to help men seek the Lord?

Can you see how God’s wisdom, demonstrated through the church, could transform your life? Christ taught the blessings of the Beatitude path that would transform His followers to become like Him. And the Lord designed His teaching to bring forth this marvelous change in the church – the local congregation of believers. Do you believe that the Word of God is wasted on Calvary Baptist Church? I don’t. And your best efforts – your time, your talents and your treasures are not wasted on this congregation. Can believers be the salt of the earth and the light of the world without the church? Not for long. The church is the God-ordained institution that holds fast, even in the times of deepest darkness. God designed the local church to help men seek the Lord. Will you disdain what God ordained?

The Government

Do you remember the speech that Jotham gave in the Book of Judges, chapter 9? Abimelech, the son of Gideon, had hired worthless and reckless men to follow him.³ Together they murdered all of his brothers except one who escaped. Abimelech did this in order to gain complete political power over Israel.

Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, escaped from the murderous band, but he found a provocative way to broadcast a message to all of them. The city of Shechem (now called Nablus), sits in a natural amphitheater between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.

When Abimelech and his band of murderers gathered below, Jotham delivered his message from the top of Mount Gerizim. And to get his point across, he chose to use a fable or parable which is still relevant today. Jotham began his message with this intriguing statement: “Listen to me, you men of Shechem that God may listen to you!” His message was designed to help people seek the Lord.

In Jotham’s parable, the trees of the forest were looking for a leader to be the king over them. To them the natural leader seemed to be the olive tree. But when asked, “… the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I cease giving my oil, with which they honor God and men, and go to sway over trees?’”⁴ The olive tree was honoring God and helping men. Why should it seek to take leadership over others? In turn, the trees of the forest asked the fig tree and the vine to reign over them. But the fig tree’s answer summed up the response: “But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to sway over trees?’” Again, the fig tree was fulfilling its purpose and providing for others. Why should it take part in the government over others? You may be thinking the same way. You work hard to honor God, pay your taxes and try to live a quiet and peaceable life. But something is going terribly wrong in the society around you. And that society desperately needs your salt and light.

In 1867, the English philosopher, John Stuart Mill, said, “Bad men need nothing more to compass [achieve] their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”⁵ Will you look on the current political situation and do nothing? Will you continue to pay taxes and allow wrong to be committed in your name? Will you trouble yourself to use your mind to study the important subjects of the day? Will you look into the way that taxpayer funds are being used in order to to exercise your salty, light-bearing influence?

In Jotham’s fable, the trees of the forest, rejected by worthier trees, turned to the bramble. The bramble accepted their offer to reign over them. “Ironically it was the plant with absolutely nothing positive to contribute to human or divine life who accepted the proposal.”⁶

You can see the parallels in our modern political system. Because good men have chosen to avoid taking political leadership, brambles abound. Reckless men rule and they are wrecking the economy, the military, and the legal and social order. School boards, county councils, city governments and township associations are being ruined by fraud, waste and incompetence. Turn to any sector of today’s news, and you will find reports of arrests for voter fraud and financial embezzlement. The state of Virginia alone recently discovered that nineteen thousand (19,000) dead people were still registered to vote!⁷ Yes, you may be serving the Lord and others, but isn’t it time that you consider stepping up to a new level of leadership? Start being an informed voter, and study the issues. Consider serving on your school board, township board or county council. There will always be those such as Abimelech who hire worthless and reckless men. But isn’t it time that you became the salt and light in your city and state? Shall we disdain what God ordained?

Nations were designed by God to help men seek the Lord. Will you fulfill your role – as the salt of the earth and the light of the world – to point men to the Gospel? Or shall we disdain what God ordained? It is time for believers to give their renewed efforts to their families, their churches and their government.

Pastor Gordon Dickson, Calvary Baptist Church, Findlay, Ohio

1. Shawn Carney, “Acceptable Hate: Assaults on Christianity Go Overlooked,” Newsweek, April 4. 2023, accessed at https://www.newsweek.com/acceptable-hate-assaults-christianity-go-overlooked-opinion-1791866. [↩]
2. See Peter Beinart, The Rise of the Violent Left, The Atlantic, September 2017, accessed at https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/the-rise-of-the-violent-left/534192/  and “Antifa (United States)” at Wikipedia, accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifa_(United_States). [↩]
3. This story is found in Judges chapter 9. [↩]
4. Judges 9:9. [↩]
5. This is part of Mill’s inaugural address at the University of St. Andrews, February 1, 1867, accessed at https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Inaugural_address_delivered_to_the_University_of_St._Andrews,_Feb._1st_1867. [↩]
6. Daniel Isaac Block, Judges, Ruth, vol. 6, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 318. [↩]
7. Warner Todd Huston, “Shock as State Discovers Large Number of Dead People Registered to Vote,” The Western Journal, April 20, 2023, accessed at https://www.westernjournal.com/shock-state-discovers-large-number-dead-people-registered-vote/. [↩]