3.28.23
Hey, Calvary Fremont –
Our government’s response to C-19 has gone from them being virtuous to being incompetent to being corrupt. The Tilt-A-Whirl gives me nightmares. Being spun faster and faster in a spinning cage would leave nauseous and stumbling and falling down. It would ruin me for the rest of the day. That’s kind of what these last three years have been – I’ve been on the Tilt-A-Whirl.
When COVID-19 first burst on the scene, I thought it was a virtuous response on the part of our government to lock us down for a couple of weeks and enact certain protocols – masking, social distancing, vaccines, etc. My thought was that they had the best interests of the American people in mind. I did not question their motives.
Yet then as time passed and the pandemic raged, as masks and social distancing and vaccines didn’t live up to their promised efficacy, as businesses shut down and people lost their jobs, as the economy tanked, as public education stunted a whole generation, as the government allowed some businesses to remain open and insisted that churches and other businesses remain closed, I came to see the government as being incompetent. Dennis Prager said something to the effect that our government’s response to the pandemic with all its missteps and arbitrariness is the single worst idea in human history. Ouch!
Now the thing is, you can be virtuous, nobly motivated, and incompetent at the same time. History is full of examples of well-intentioned people who made horrible decisions. But I don’t think that’s what’s happening here. I once saw our government as virtuous, and then as incompetent – I now view it as corrupt. As various governmental agencies have colluded with high tech to quash free speech, as cancel culture has sought to erase certain influences, as the medical community has walked largely in lock-step and has punished truth-tellers, the only verdict is corruption.
The greatest victim in all of this is trust. Trust is the glue that holds people together – whether it’s in a nation or a marriage. When the glue no longer holds, things fall apart. We are all aware of families and friendships that have fractured, churches are splintering, and there is even talk of some States seceding from the Union. There can be no enduring relationship without trust and when trust erodes, relationships weaken to the point of becoming non-existent. This is the national moment we are in. This is the result of corrupt government and businesses. Power and Money have always married one another and they have the ugliest, meanest, wildest kids in the neighborhood.
What’s the Church to do? There’s only one thing the Church can do – preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, live in the power of the Holy Spirit, and demonstrate the love of God. Should you vote? Of course. Should you seek to overthrow the government? That’s absurd. Should you disobey any governmental edict that violates the Word of God? Of course. Should you become an activist? Yes. And evangelism is the best activism there can be. Preach the gospel. Share what God has done in Christ. This is the mandate, mission, and message of the Church – always has been. Be a servant of God and minister to people and bless them. Will a Republican administration heal America’s wound and restore trust? Not a chance in a hot place. America has a spiritual problem and a spiritual problem does not have a political solution. Be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.
Be blessed and stay healthy and follow Jesus – Pastor Tim
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