A response to the 2019 Indian Elections
The Christians submission to an unfriendly government response to the 2019 elections in India.
Let me begin by saying this, “Indians, citizens of India, our country north to south to east to west, we are blessed beyond measure.” We have freedom, we have wealth, the rupee is stronger than a lot of countries. We have opportunity, we are far ahead than so many more countries. And most of us are hopeful about the future. And you are building towards a great future. I still remember when I went to Rwanda, when I went to Kenya, some other countries that are not as strong economically and it tore my heart. Because, the guy with me said it was the vegetable market on the side but all I saw was a person sitting with merely a big handkerchief and four potatoes and the guy next to him selling sweet potatoes that looked like carrots, each selling just four or five vegetables.
Here in Delhi, when I pass the mandi or the Friday markets, it’s like driving through greenery and all of them filled with so much of produce and abundances and greenery and the colourful fruit all along the road. And if you drive from here to any city in the north, you drive through beautiful green pastures and green fields. There is abundance, there is food and there is wealth, there are cars. You go to the malls, and you get everything, I mean we are blessed. We are not more than 70 years into our freedom and three generations, the first generation had nothing, they had nothing. They built from scratch, they put this country back together. The second generation after that worked their tail off to build this country, to take what it is today and with hard sweat and tears, they were able to buy that first house, get that first car, get that first investment, ensure that their children went to good schools and got a good education. The third generations are now buying brands, the people in their teens and early 20s they think its been like this all the time. It’s not been like that all the time. I am telling you, Your parents never dreamt of the things you demand. You are sitting here and you could be shopping on amazon right now. And by the evening you will get whatever you want. Right now you could drive up within half an hour to one hour to any shopping centre to any market and you can get whatever you want and you can pay in EMIs for the rest of your life. We are a blessed nation. We are blessed beyond measure.
And the point is no political party got us here. I’ll tell you why we are here:
1. God has his favour on India. God has favoured all the nations but God has favoured India. God has shown us success, God has given us blessings, first and foremost. Praise to God. The hard work of the private sector and the public sector and many genuine hard working people in the public sector who have worked hard to bring our country where it is today. It is the private sector, it is micro enterprise that our country and our culture doesn't sit around doing nothing, they don’t depend on welfare, they don’t depend on someone else to hand out to them. Even are beggars are hard-working, cause I have seen countries where the beggars also can’t even get up and come and get the money, they are that lazy. Everyone is selling you something, he is begging you but he is also selling you something you will never use. Everyone is working, we have a culture that works. Our man work, our woman work, my gosh, we are willing to work for nothing, we will get yelled at, we will get sworn at and we will still work hard. We are in every country and some places where is not our country. We are everywhere and we are ready to take anyone’s job. Amen? Yeah. you will not find our people sitting around and doing nothing. And our culture has that enterprising zest within it. We are hard-working people.
No real threat awaits us, unless we are genuinely intending to advance the gospel. There is no real threat awaiting you and me in the future, in the uncertainty of our future, no real threat, unless we are genuinely intending to advance the gospel. And if we are genuinely listening, if we are genuinely intending to advance the gospel, you will have opposition no matter what or who is in power. Because your real opposition is the devil, your real opposition are those who have rejected God. You will have an opposition anyway. So, if you are up for it, if you are with it, if you are with us and you are going to take the gospel forward with your life than there is going to be opposition no matter what. So either way, gear up, suit up, show up.
We are blessed beyond measure, no political party got us there. The hard working government servants in our country got us there, God has his favour on us and everybody is working. There are no real treats except that we want to go forward with the gospel.
2. We must be careful not to mix spiritual agendas with personal anger that our choice of party didn’t win. Do you like losing a badminton match? No. Do you like losing game in school? No. Do you like losing to somebody else in class? No. We never like losing. So don’t mix personal loss and anger, personal ego thrashing with spiritual agendas.
When you lose a badminton match, you don’t make it a spiritual agenda. ‘Satan is against me’. You don’t do that. When you don’t get good marks, or you miss out in admission or you lose out in life on some opportunity you don’t make it a spiritual agenda, but when we vote in one direction and something else comes out, we make it a spiritual. I’m just saying be careful.
3. We must not give up in prayer: as the answer to our prayer may not have been denied, it just might be delayed. You know that there are spiritual warfare’s in heaven. You know that there are delays from God’s thrown to our Earth. It could just be a delay.
And just because the results or anything happens it doesn’t mean its final. Nothing is final until God says It is final.
Like I said this is more about you and me than it is about a political party or the elections.
Three reasons why you must not give up on prayer:
1. God is in control. For the kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over the nations. Ps 22:28 (NASB)
You need to believe in your heart that God is in control. No matter the elections, no matter the results, no matter what. God has not lost an ounce of control. He hasn’t lost his control to anybody else. He hasn’t lost his influence to anybody else. He is still on the one seat…the Throne. And that seat is taken, and it is not up for elections.
You and I struggle with the faith that God is in control of everything because deep in our heart we know that not even in control of me. For those of us living our lives and our spirit is not bent in servitude bent in submission to God. We ourselves know that we are not bent to God, we cannot believe that the circumstances are bent to God and are subservient to his purposes.
And when we cannot believe that we or our circumstances are subservient to God’s purposes, how can we believe that our nation is under God’s control. It starts with your heart, your throne.
2. God will take control. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For you will judge the peoples with uprightness And guide the nations on the earth. Ps 67:4 (NASB)
Notice the ‘s’ in the end of nations. That makes it plural. Not Christian nations, not Hindu nations, not Muslim nations, not atheistic nations… Let the nations be glad… why? Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For you will judge the peoples with uprightness And guide the nations on the earth. You have got to believe that God is not just guiding Judea-Christian nations… God is guiding all the nations. God is guiding every single one. When it comes to governance, God is God to everybody. He is for every nation. And every nation can be glad that God is for them not against them. No matter what happens, the globe turns, and the sun rises for everyone. God loves everyone equally and every nation is equally loved and cared for as God would have it. Salvation is a different topic and issue. God himself says the nations can be glad because he guides the nations on the earth.
But God will take control even when it seems to be a loss for control, or any leader goes his own way. The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes. Proverbs 21:1 (NASB) So who is in control? So, it is not about who is on the seat on earth it’s about who is in the seat in heaven. Because whoever is on the seat on earth, His heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes… Any political leader, any dictator can have his own agenda but it doesn’t phase God.
So, the second reason why you and I must not give up in prayer is because there is no king on earth that does not have a king in heaven. And we have access not to the king on Earth, but straight to the King of Heaven, which is why we don’t give up in prayer.
But what if it is a corrupt government or a corrupt leader? What if they don’t care about these minorities or that group or this…
God is in control
God will take control
3. God will counter-act. Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Romans 13:1 (NASB)
If you believe that, the mid management between God and you does not phase you. You may not have your choice of government that doesn’t make them your enemies. For there is no authority except from God…
What if they don’t take care of the poor, the needy what if people suffer under their regime.
For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save. He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight. Ps 72: 12-14 (NASB)
Life is in the blood; their lives are precious to God. Christians? No. Muslims…not just Muslims. Anyone. They are precious in his sight. The Muslims in this country have no need to fear. God is with you. He is not against you. You have his back.
He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight… You and I can have a theological view on whatever we want but on a human perspective… God is a God of humanity and he is for everyone. God provides for everyone. When it comes to governance, his governance is just. He rules with justice and he moves kings to do as he will.
Also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers you too will prosper. Jer 29:7
We must be faithful in prayer. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. Jeremiah 29:7
Which city? The city you are in. Seek peace of the city. Seek the prosperity of the city.
You may say, “So you take me, God, You take me out of my people, my state, my country, my culture, my religion. You take me out of where me comfort zone is and you put me in exile, in another place, where I am surrounded, not by my own people, my own faith, my own friends. You put me in another place and you want me to pray for their peace and prosperity? Really?”
Pray to the Lord for it, Because if it prospers, you too will prosper. He asks me to pray for the city because I have access to the King of Kings, the Throne of thrones, the Lord of lords. Because I have access to God’s goodness, and I can pray.
I don’t give up in prayer. When you have put me among people who are not mine, even perhaps hostile to me, I will pray for them, for the city, seek the peace, serve the peace of that city. The city does well and I do well. What god is saying is, even though in exile, I can be a blessing.
When you are in exile, and placed anywhere, in any country, you can be a blessing. You will be a blessing. He will turn you into a blessing. Believers are to be the salt of the earth. Believers are to be in any given situation and bloom where you are planted. Believers are to be in any situation and submit to the government. Believers are meant to be in any situation and believe, that no matter who rules on earth, Only one God rules in heaven. For if it prospers, you too will prosper.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
We stand in the gap and represent our nation to God in prayer. Our primary call on this earth is to be in the middle, to stand in the gap. We are not here to make a nation or a people of ourselves, We are not here to cry ‘Minority, minority!” We are not a minority! We stand in the gap and represent, our nation, India, to God in prayer. We are the salt.
We need to be faithful in service because the time for talking is finished. Now it’s time to serve. Time to get out there and time to serve. We need to serve our community. We must be faithful in service. Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 1 Peter 3:13 Who is going to go against you if you’ve done good for somebody?
We are not subject to human institutions by simply keeping minimal requirements. No unbeliever is impressed by minimalist Christian ethics that simple avoid bad things. What impresses the world are good deeds, overflowing way beyond normal expectations.
What are you and I doing that proves that we believe that God is in control , that he is for everyone and that we are here to serve the nations around us? What are we doing? And even if you cry persecution, if people were to come and want to persecute you, would they find enough evidence?
Get on a peace team. Serve the community. Don’t be a worshipper, be a servant. Your service to God is much greater than your words to God. And perhaps then, our words to God will have weightier value to God and to people. We are not a minority. Look at what scripture says, I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world. John 16:33. 2 Timothy 1: 6 – 7 says, For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self – discipline.
My brothers and sisters, our threats, more often than not, are not real. Our threats are not real. Our problem is anxiety: an uneasiness, a nagging sense that something bad is going to happen. Its all made up. The answer to anxiety is our trust in God. We cannot control the future, we have very little in control, and that’s okay. Nobody has ever really been in control and we got up to 2019. And everything is still the same. Nothing is new under the sun. We know the one in control.
When we turn to the next Prime Minister or our next pay check for our certainty and sustenance, we place our trust in something other than God. That is not right. God is the only answer to our anxiety. I believe, you can turn to other outlets and you can have your answers fulfilled for a little while but not for very long.
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Psalm 94:19. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3.
Don’t put your trust in what you fear, that’s counterproductive. Put your trust in who you believe. Remember these three things.
1. God works through all situations: It doesn’t matter who’s on the throne. It doesn’t matter what the situation is. It doesn’t matter who is the boss. God is always in control. And he will work through that. And any power on earth came from Him and He is able to move it.
2. The church is going to grow rapidly: Because of the elections and the results, and because of the direction our country is taking, the church is going to grow rapidly. So let us stop crying for the next four years and focus on step three.
3. We need to be prepared, trained and welcoming: Get ready, because God uses all situations to bring all people to Himself. And if He’s all about that, and any situation is no challenge for Him, He’s going to use this one. And over the next few years, the church is going to grow. And God is going to bring people who are truly seeking Him, from all backgrounds, and all colours and all creeds. Are you ready? Will you make yourself ready?
Join a home group. Get involved in fellowship. Get your faith strong. Come to the training programmes. Come for events where I’m training you for ministry, to share, to serve, to go into the community. Come, take time out from your busy and self-centred lives, and give God the first place in your life. Pst. Jeremy Dawson
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