Did Your Vote Count?

Whatever your political leaning, things sure are interesting. Odd, but it reminds me of the church.

Voters/Constituents = Church Attenders that have a stake in the outcome but don't have a vote that counts.

Super Delegates = Church Members that get to vote.

Closed Primaries = Church Members Only Club.

Platform = A document stating the aims and principals of the party (The Bible).

One of my favorite words: Gerrymandering, this is when they redraw the district boundaries to have an electoral advantage.

Gerrymandering = When those that are against ______(fill in the blank with whatever you want) gather all their family & friends that haven't been at church in ages, but are still eligible to vote, so they can 'redraw' the district and swing the vote.

As Americans/Canadians we are asked to vote for the candidate that we think will best resolve the issues. However when the candidate becomes head of the party and doesn't resolve the issues it's the voters/constituents turn to flip-flop.

Ah yes, another wonderful political term. Flip-flop = a sudden change in position on an issue.

This is my real soap box: I'm tired of people voting for Jesus, then flip-flopping on the issue.

Where is the power of the Holy Spirit in our churches to convict us of the sin in our life? Where is the power of the Holy Spirit in our churches to change the lives of hurting people? Where is the Holy Spirit in my life to demonstrate His power to others?

People come into our churches or across our path and we convince them that they should give Jesus a try; so they raise their hand at the end of the service and vote for Him. But when they've tried Jesus and determine it doesn't 'work' for them, they rescind their vote. There are still others that will continue to flip-flop on the Jesus issue based on their circumstances. These are the folks that made Jesus Lord of their emergencies, not Lord of their life.

There are Christians that have voted for Jesus, yet they never bothered to read the platform or sign up for party membership. I'm not talking church membership. I talking about when you are so steadfast and unswerving in your commitment that you'll become a card carrying member of the organization. Your belief in the organization is so strong that you'll do whatever it takes to see its mission accomplished. They voted, but they didn't sign up.

At five years old when knelt in front of the TV while the Billy Graham crusade filtered into our living room and accepted Jesus as my Savior I did more than lift my hand and vote for the best option. I fell in love with Jesus and became a card carrying member.

If true revival brings repentance, what does true repentance bring?

Ellison Research, in Phoenix conducted research for the 2004 September/October issue of LifeWay's Facts & Trends magazine. It reported on the following statement:

"Regardless of what other faiths believe, Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation."

• 88 percent of pastors of Protestant churches said they agree strongly with the statement.
• 96 percent of pastors associated with the National Association of Evangelicals agreed strongly
• 65 percent of pastors associated with the National Council of Churches agreed strongly

When broken down to denominations, those that agreed strongly with the statement looked like this:

• 100 percent of Pentecostal ministers
• 98 percent of Southern Baptist ministers
• 77 percent of Lutherans ministers
• 65 percent of Methodists ministers

You've got to be kidding, not even all the nation's pastors are preaching repentance. I'm so tired of the Super Delegates watering down the platform so it can be voter friendly!(Just in case you missed it: Christians watering down the Word so as to not scare away the lost.)

Let me say here that I am a very happy part of a pentecostal church (Assemblies of God)where the pastor and congregation want to see the Holy Spirit move BIG and change lives~ our own and those of the lost.

The Jesus I know changes & guides my life daily. As a card carrying member:

I want the Jesus I give to others to be so powerful and meaningful there will never be a question of a flip-flop.

I want to see hurting people encounter the power of God.

I want the church and the lost to know that He is God of their impossible.

I want the church and the lost to know they can expect God to change their life and meet their needs.

I want to see voters, constituents & super delegates that boldly believe their platform is true and that it transforms lives.

I want to see people stand up for their beliefs and be counted for Jesus.

I want the Holy Spirit to be so BIG in my life and the life of the church that voter turn out sets records.

Time to sign up for the party membership, not just cast a vote.

Kim Angela