Is That All There Is?

July 26, 2016 by Carl Muller

"Meaningless, meaningless!" says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" Ecclesiastes 1:2

These words were written 3,000 years ago. Yet they are as up-to-date as today’s newspaper. The Teacher looked at life apart from God and concluded that life was meaningless. Contemporary philosophers have said the same thing. They too have looked at life. They have said that God is dead, or at least, irrelevant, and they too have concluded that life is meaningless and without purpose. There is no rhyme or reason to our existence, they tell us.

In the words of the inimitable 'Lou Grant' of the old Mary Tyler Moore show, "You’re born; you die; and everything in-between is just filler". What a dreadfully pessimistic view of life. The point is, however, that the Biblical perspective is that this is an accurate assessment of existence without God!

Let us get back to the Teacher. He was probably King Solomon, and the book of Ecclesiastes, from which our opening words are taken, is his inspired reflection on life. Ecclesiastes is one of the most fascinating books in the Holy Bible! Solomon devoted himself to study and to explore all that is under heaven. He devoted himself to understanding what life is all about.

"I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the days of their lives", he says (Ecclesiastes 2:3).

We began with his conclusions. Let us see how he arrived at them.

INTELLECT

"I devoted myself to study", says Solomon (1:13). He explored wisdom and knowledge. I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone before me....I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge" (1:16). He was not unlike those today who live for an academic career and the accumulation of a veritable alphabet after their names. Degrees are the thing, they say! And this is what they live for.

What is Solomon’s conclusion?

"Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief." (1:17,18)

Isn’t that the way it is? Does a "PhD" really bring happiness or contentment? Hardly! Perhaps you are able to articulate your misery more eloquently, but education brings no lasting peace.

PLEASURE

Next, Solomon turns to pleasure. In fact he says:

"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure!" (2:10)

He built gardens and parks. He amassed silver and gold. He acquired men and women singers. He also gathered a harem and gave himself over to the pleasures of the flesh (2:4-8). And what is his conclusion?

"Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after wind, nothing was gained under the sun." (2:11)

Can we not say the same? Have celebrities and rock stars not said the same? Having given themselves over to pleasure, have they not also found it to be an empty thing?

WORK

Now what about work? Solomon turns to work and again he finds the same thing:

"What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labours under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest!"(2:22-23).

(How well we know that!!) And what happens to all that you get? What happens to that great business empire you build?

"I hated all the things I toiled for under the sun", says Solomon, "because I must leave them to the one who comes after me; and who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool" (2:17-19a).

So, intellectual pursuits, pleasure and work are explored and everything is meaningless, says the Word of God!

ADVANCEMENT

Climbing to the top of the corporate ladder. Ah! There is a worthwhile pursuit! Not so, says Solomon.

"I saw that all who live and walk under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor!" (4:15).

The wisest man in all the world says that there is always someone who will do a better job, or offer a better service and is prepared to take you place. In the flash of an eye your white collar, executive position can become redundant, and you are left scrambling. All of this "getting ahead" is meaningless, says Solomon.

RICHES

"I’ve been rich, and I’ve been poor; and believe me, rich is better!" The words of Sophie Tucker strike a responsive chord in many hearts! Rich is better, by far, and so in pursuit of the Almighty Dollar we work long hours, neglect our families, burn ourselves out, and break our backs for money that we have no time to spend. We need the money for the children, for the Jacuzzi, for the BMW; and we must have more! Solomon says:

"Whoever loves money never has money enough; Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." (5:10)

Truer words were never spoken.

This, then, is Solomon’s view. The wisest man other than Jesus Christ Himself concludes that life without God is meaningless.

The history of man is littered with wrecks of men who testify to the emptiness of all things. Though dead, they still speak and their lives cry out to us of the meaningless of life without God. Howard Hughes, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Napolean, Neitzsche. Brilliant, talented, creative, even revolutionary lives, yet empty without God.

Our own lives speak to us also, though we usually attempt to drown the sound in the deafening roar of furious activity. Yet in the rare quiet moments, perhaps in the lonely hours of the night, we wonder: Is that all there is? Is there nothing more? Perhaps we have achieved much of what we sought, but the anticipation far exceeded the actual event, and we have been left with a nagging emptiness. Is that all there is? Is there nothing to satisfy the soul?

The great theologian Augustine knew all about this. He says to God: You made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you! The Son of God Himself speaks to the issue: What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul (Mark 8:36)?

THAT IS NOT ALL THERE IS!

The Bible brings us good news. Solomon says that the conclusion of the matter is this: "Fear God and keep His commandments" (12:13). Return to God. Seek the forgiveness of God. Seek to know and serve God in reverence and love.

How may I know God, you may rightly ask! The Biblical answer is clear and unequivocal: Jesus Christ! He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:7). He is the Saviour of the world! He is the Son of God who came to die for sinners, and He is able to save them from their sin; and it is sin that is at the root of our trouble! It is rebellion against God that is at the bottom of our turmoil. It is because of sin that we are separated from God. And it is our wickedness that is going to bring the wrath of God upon our heads if we do not flee to Christ.

Friends, we urge you to listen to the words of God:

Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, And to our God, for He will freely pardon! Isaiah 55:6,7

Listen also to the words of the Lord Jesus:

Come unto Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28,29

May God bless His Holy Word to your souls.

Additional reading material is available free of charge. Please request John Blanchard's excellent booklet "Ultimate Questions"

William Wilberforce

October 4, 2010 by Carl Muller

A remarkable moment in a remarkable life occurred on Sunday, October 28, 1787 when William Wilberforce penned these words in his diary: 'God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.'  Indeed, the Lord had set before him two great goals and these goals were to provide the impetus for a life of intense activity - however it is vital to understand that the man who in these words articulates what would be his life's work wrote as a man fully and fervently committed to Jesus Christ. If this was a defining moment in his life, his conversion to Christ was the great turning point. This man's faith was a faith that worked (James 2:1-18).

After his death the York Herald of August 3, 1833 said: 'His warfare is accomplished, his cause is finished, he kept the faith. Those who regarded him merely as a philanthropist, in the worldly sense of that abused term, know but little of his character.' He was, in a very real sense, God's Politician.

EARLY LIFE

William Wilberforce was born on August 24, 1759, the only son of Robert (a very successful businessman) and Elizabeth (who enjoyed society). Of William's three sisters, only one, Sarah, would reach maturity. Williams father died when he was only nine years old and as a result of the inheritance he received (along with a bestowment from his uncle William) Wilberforce was independently wealthy throughout his life. However, despite being rich in this present age William was not haughty, nor did he trust in uncertain riches. In fact, he would epitomize the apostolic injunction to do good…be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share (I Timothy 6:17-19). He would, in later years, regularly give a quarter of his annual income to the poor.

A year after the death of his father William was sent to live with his uncle and aunt, William and Hannah Wilberforce. Whilst in that home the young lad was exposed to the preaching of George Whitefield and John Newton and was particularly enthralled by the latter's sermons' His mother, thoroughly opposed to evangelical religion (what she considered was little less than poison), spirited him away from London in order to rescue him from the enthusiasts. Years later Williams sons would comment on a rare and pleasing character of piety that marked him during his twelfth year, but whatever religious concerns he had were throttled by his mother and his friends who spared no pains to stifle them As a result, as he grew into young manhood, he gave himself to the theatre, balls, great suppers and card parties.

At age seventeen Wilberforce entered Cambridge University. His academic career was less than sterling. The Wilberforce of Cambridge and of his early years in politics was a feckless, frivolous, fun-loving young man. I used to play cards and nothing else, he would say later. His gregarious nature, his talents, his wit, his kindness, his social powers…and his love of society (made him) the centre of attraction to all the clever and idle of his own college (St. John's). At Cambridge Wilberforce met and became a lifelong friend of William Pitt, the future prime minister of England (in 1783 at the age of 23). Pitt described Wilberforce as one who possessed the greatest natural eloquence of all the men I ever met. This was no mean compliment from a man of Pitt's extraordinary oratorical skills. Both men were amply endowed with the requisite talents for the parry and thrust of parliamentary debate, and it seemed inevitable that they would enter politics. And so it was that Pitt was elected to represent the borough of Appleby, and Wilberforce, at the tender age of 21, was elected to represent his hometown of Hull. Later William would become the representative for the powerful region of Yorkshire, and would serve his nation in Parliament for the next 45 years. William's early days of service were by no means exemplary. The first years I was in Parliament I did nothing – nothing that was to any purpose. My own distinction was my darling object.

CONVERSION

That self-deprecating reference aside, in 1784-5 Wilberforce was at a pinnacle of achievement. At twenty-four, he had won an unassailable position both in politics and society. Office could not long be delayed and the future was bright with opportunities. At this point in his life, God laid hold of him. He would admit that, at the time, in the true sense of the word, he was no Christian. He would also insist that evangelical views were held only by vulgar or at least uninformed enthusiastic persons. However two vacation trips to the continent in the company of Isaac Milner, an evangelical Christian, would prove to be the decisive turning point in Wilberforce's life. In the course of their holidays the two would read and discuss Philip Doddridge's The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, as well as study the Greek New Testament. Profound conviction of his great sinfulness in having so long neglected the unspeakable mercies of my God and Saviour would follow until finally the gloom lifted on Easter 1786. The change is evident in his diary. Instead of darkness, coldness, weakness and wretched we begin to read about peace and hope. The absence of old prejudices indicate the radical nature of the change God had wrought: Expect to hear myself now universally given out as a Methodist: may God grant it may be said in truth!

It was at this point that John Newton was of immense help to Wilberforce. The fashionable world looked upon evangelicals like Newton with contempt and suspicion and consequently Wilberforce had ten thousand doubts about making contact with him. Eventually he plucked up the courage and visited the erstwhile slave trader. He was not disappointed. He describes the impact of the visit: When I came away I found my mind in a calm and tranquil state; he found in Newton something very pleasing and unaffected, still humorous and quaint, yet with the marks of sainthood. The salient point in the guidance offered by Newton was in the area of Wilberforce's involvement in politics. William had become increasingly convinced that if he were to serve God he would have to withdraw from the world. Newton disagreed. Words that he would write to Wilberforce two years later are actually a pithy summary of what was said on that first visit: It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of His Church and for the good of the nation. Pitt would offer the same advice, and so the old Africa blasphemer and the future prime minister were instrumental in thrusting Wilberforce back into the arena where his life's work would be performed.

CALLING

There is an oak tree that still stands on the Holwood Estate (Pitt's home) in Kent, which bears the plaque: Wilberforce Oak. It was there that William sat with Pitt (by then resident at 10 Downing Street) and a future prime minister, William Grenville, when those two gave Wilberforce a providential push in the direction of his great work. Wilberforce, said Pitt, why don't you give notice of a motion on the subject of the Slave Trade.

There were several other factors that influenced Wilberforce: Sir Charles Middleton, one of only two publicly known evangelicals in the House of Commons at the time of Wilberforce's conversion (there would be about 100 when he died), brought pressure to bear upon Wilberforce to take up the cause; Thomas Clarke's book Slavery and Commerce in the Human Species and frequent visits by the author to Wilberforce played a significant part; the continued influence, friendship and advice of John Newton. In these and other ways God brought William Wilberforce to the point where he would write: God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.

CAREER

REFORMATION OF MANNERS

As is clear from Wilberforce's mission statement the cause of the slaves was not his only concern. He is known for the former, but there was more to his agenda. By the reformation of manners Wilberforce meant morals. He would seek to change the face of the nation and address the profligacy of the upper classes and the suffering of the lower classes. Wilberforce's gospel was not a social one – he understood clearly the need for a saving relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ as the root of true reformation of life – yet nonetheless he and his associates exerted an increasingly strong moral pressure on the political arena of the day in an effort to clean up society's blights. Though England was flourishing in many ways, and though the 18th Century may have been no more vice-ridden than many others, it was nonetheless true that no other age has ever paraded its weaknesses quite so openly or excessively.

John Stott quotes J. Wesley Bready's scathing indictment of 18th Century England – Bready describes the deep savagery of much of the 18th Century, which was characterized by the wanton torture of animals for sport, the bestial drunkenness of the populace (even Pitt did not hesitate to show up drunk in the House of Commons), the inhuman traffic in African Negroes, the kidnapping of fellow-countrymen for exportation and sale as slaves, the mortality of parish children, the universal gambling obsession, the savagery of the prison system and the penal code (it was said that there was no country in the world that had so many actions which were punishable by death), the welter of immorality, the prostitution of the theatre…political bribery and corruption…such manifestations suggest that the British people were then perhaps as deeply degraded and debauched as any people in Christendom. Bready goes on to argue that then things began to change. And in the 19th Century slavery and the slave trade were abolished, the prison system was humanized, conditions in factory and mine were improved, education became available to the poor, etc. etc. Whence, then, this pronounced humanity? – this passion for social justice, and sensitivity to human wrongs? There is but one answer commensurate with the stubborn historical truth. It derived from a new social conscience. And if that conscience, admittedly, was the offspring of more than one progenitor, it nonetheless was mothered and nurtured by the Evangelical Revival of vital, practical Christianity… The Evangelical Revival did more to transfigure the moral character of the general populace than any other movement British history can record. In that movement, William Wilberforce played no small part. While he recognized that regulating the outward conduct did not change the hearts of men, he enthusiastically used the political means that were at his disposal to regulate that conduct and make goodness fashionable again. Ever the evangelist, Wilberforce was nonetheless a politician whose passion it was to alleviate suffering and expunge immorality wherever he found it.

To that end the first thing he did was to encourage the King, George III, to reissue the Proclamation for the Encouragement of Piety and Virtue and for the Preventing of Vice, Profaneness and Immorality. To give teeth to the proclamation Wilberforce set up societies to promote virtues at a local level, and addressed issues such as justice, drunkenness, lewdness, literature, and the like; enlisted the aid of the movers and shakers of his day (not all of whom were overtly religious) to promote the movement; gave direction to the many thousands whose lives had been transformed by the preaching of Whitefield and Wesley and enabled them to get involved in the campaign to clean up and reshape the nation.

It should be noted that Wilberforce led by example. His involvement in philanthropic endeavours was monumental. It was said that factories did not spring up more rapidly in Leeds and Manchester than schemes of benevolence beneath his roof. John Pollock's chapter entitled Prisoners and the Poor provides a dizzying survey of Wilberforce's multitudinous activities. He was: involved in prison reform along with Jeremy Bentham and Elizabeth Fry; governor of St. Bartholomew's Hospital; involved in the training of men for the ministry (in the Church of England); involved in the education of the poor and the Sunday school movement; involved in the education of the deaf; generous to a fault and before his marriage he regularly gave away one quarter of his annual income (he also gave an annuity to Charles Wesley's widow from 1792 until her death in 1822).

Wilberforce was founder of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He fought the cause of chimney sweeps (boys sent naked up chimneys to clean them), and single mothers. He sought the welfare of soldiers and sailors…he established orphanages for criminal poor children He helped form the British and Foreign Bible Society (1803), and assisted in the launching of the Church Missionary Society (1798). He was involved in sending missionaries to Tahiti and regularly supported William Carey's Baptist Mission in India. He was involved in the founding of the Society for the Education of Africans and involved too in the founding of the Society for the Relief of Debtors (which over a five year period obtained the release of 14,000 people from debtor's prisons). He was president, vice-president or committee man of no less than sixty-nine societies.

Two hundred years ago Britain was the world's largest slave trading nation. This execrable villainy involved purchasing human beings (for beads and the like), transporting them to the West Indies and the Americas (a trip characterized by unspeakable suffering and during which approximately ten percent of the slaves perished), and upon arriving at the destination, selling these human beings into a life of servitude (strong men for forty pounds each, while the sick and injured were lumped together with women and children and sold off at a discount).

Opposition to the abolition of the slave trade was considerable. This was so for at least two reasons. First, the trade was profitable. The profit was often over 100% of the initial outlay. The trade constituted 4.4% of British exports. Furthermore, 18,000 people in England were involved in making goods to trade for slaves, and upwards of 5500 sailors manned 160 ships. A second argument was the matter of national security. The trade provided training ground for British seamen. Furthermore, were the British to cease to carry slaves, her continental rivals would merely wax rich on her restraint. How much wickedness is justified in the cause of profit and self-interest.

Many had already raised their voice against the slave trade, but the efforts at abolition would be galvanized under the leadership of Wilberforce. The battleground would be the British parliament. The movement had found its champion in the member from York, and he would lead the charge by doggedly introducing bills for abolition into parliament year after year – the first coming in May of 1789.

Though Wilberforce and his companions were on the front lines, they knew that they needed the good will of the English people to give teeth to their efforts. It is on the general impression and feeling of the nation we must rely…so let the flame be fanned. This they did in a variety of ways. The print of Clarke's model of a slave ship and its tragic cargo was widely circulated; a cameo was produced by Josiah Wedgwood which put this plaintive question into the mouth of a slave, Am I not a Man and a Brother?; a boycott was organized against slave-grown sugar; a total of 519 petitions, signed by thousands of British subjects, was presented in the House of Commons; thousands of pamphlets were produced and distributed. John Pollock makes the telling observation that Wilberforce was a proof that a man may change his times, though he cannot do it alone. Indeed he did not. Henry Thornton, Granville Sharp, John Venn, Hannah More, James Stephen, Thomas Clarkson, and Zachary Macaulay were Williams gifted and godly co-labourers in the cause. Under the gracious, diplomatic and deeply spiritual leadership of Wilberforce, these varied personalities and talents were blended to form a formidable force for good to their generation. No prime minister had such a cabinet as Wilberforce could summon to his assistance, opines one writer. It was a unique phenomenon – this brotherhood of Christian politicians. There has never been anything like it since in British public life, writes another. A sad commentary indeed on the English political scene.

The final push in the campaign came on January 2, 1807 when a bill was read in the House of Commons which provided that, after May 1, the African slave trade and all manner of dealing and trading in the purchase of slaves or their transport from Africa to the West Indies or any other territory is utterly abolished, prohibited and declared to be unlawful. The bill passed with a tremendous majority – 283-16. Applause rained down upon Wilberforce as he sat, head in hands, tears streaming down his face. Well, Henry, what shall we abolish next, he would later say to Thornton. The lottery, I think, was the humourless reply.

The last eighteen years of Wilberforce's life would be a sustained effort to bring about the total emancipation of existing slaves. Tracts would be distributed, Wilberforce would write, Thomas Foxwell Buxton would be brought in to take over from the aging and infirm Wilberforce to spearhead the movement. Finally, three months before he died, an ailing Wilberforce was persuaded to present a last petition for abolition before the House of Commons. I had never thought to appear in public again, but it shall never be said that William Wilberforce is silent while the slaves require his help! On July 29, 1833, just three days after the bill for the total abolition of slavery was passed, William Wilberforce, the Washington of Humanity, died

HIS CHARACTER

A Christian Man

Wilberforce was, above all, a Christian man. The fruit of the Spirit was abundantly evident in his life. He was a humble man. He was able to take criticism and also sought to avoid taking credit. He considered himself unworthy of a title. Throughout his life he saw the need to cooperate with other men, realizing he could not do it alone. He was humble enough to see the need to "network". How often zealous pastors fail here. He was a prayerful man. The morning hours were particularly precious to him as he considered them seasons of unusual importance for communing with God.

He was a joyful man, and people enjoyed being around him. He was described as both the most religious man in England as well as the wittiest. He was a man of great faith. He laboured faithfully and fervently and left the results with God. His faith was resilient because it was not a faith in himself, but in God. As he said after one of his defeats, God, has given the very small increase there has been thus far and must give all if there be more. That faith was nurtured by his favourite authors, Philip Doddridge, Richard Baxter, John Owen, John Flavel, John Howe and Jonathan Edwards.

Wilberforce was a man of endurance. In 1791 John Wesley, from his death bed, warned him in a letter: Unless the Divine Power has raised you up to be a "Athanasius against the world", I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing this execrable villainy…Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of god and devils. And face opposition he would. He was slandered in the press – if all that was published about me was true, nothing but a special providence can have prevented my being hanged thirty years ago. He was accused of beating his wife (while he was still single!). Lord Nelson called him a hypocrite and others accused him of inciting insurrection in the West Indies.

A WEAK VESSEL

In addition to persecution Wilberforce had to deal with tremendous health difficulties, and among other things, because of curvature of the spine, had to wear a steel frame for support during the last fifteen to eighteen years of his life. One shoulder began to slope; his head fell forward, a little more each year until it rested on his chest unless lifted by conscious movement…he was obliged to wear a steel girdle cased in leather and an additional support for the arms. Regarding his steel frame he wrote: How gracious is God in giving us such mitigations and helps for our infirmities.

A ZEALOUS EVANGELIST

He was a man of evangelistic zeal. After he died a sheet was found amongst his papers. It was entitled: Friends Paper. It was a list of thirty of his friends, and beside each name were thoughts of how to best press the gospel home to each. Wilberforce spent a good deal of time trying to come up with what he called launchers – ways in which to turn the conversation in a spiritual direction and bring the claims of Christ to bear upon those with whom he was speaking. Here indeed was a Christian man.

A FAMILY MAN

In an age when marital infidelity amongst politicians was frequent and appalling, it is encouraging to read about the Wilberforce home. A whirlwind romance with Barbara Ann Spooner led to a wedding in 1797 and a marriage that was pleasant and happy. Hannah More said that she had never seen an honest gentleman more desperately in love. Wilberforce was an exemplary father who resigned his Yorkshire seat for a seat in the smaller borough of Bramber so that he might spend more time with his growing family. What an example and rebuke to every Christian father too busy to care for his own children. Above all he was concerned for the souls of his offspring. He wrote with much tenderness to his son Samuel: I would be willing to walk barefoot from this place to Sandgate to see clear proof of the great change being begun in my dear Saml at the end of the journey. Nonetheless, while he could say that the spiritual interests of my children is my first object, he also loved playing with them and closed one letter by saying, I am irresistibly summoned to a game of marbles.

LESSONS

Surely the life of Wilberforce should stir the souls of Christian politicians to attempt great things and to remain faithful to God in the often sordid world of politics. God never changes and h is still able to use weak men to accomplish great things. Where are the men of faith who will labour for the good of the Church and the good of the nation?

Let us seek to encourage and support Christians in politics. How vital was the ministry of Newton in giving direction to the newly converted politician. How encouraging must have been a letter from an esteemed man of God such as Wesley. Surely we should seek educate our people as to the legitimacy of involvement in politics, the necessity of maintaining integrity once in politics, and of the need to remain faithful to Biblical principles in the face of the onslaught of secular philosophy and practice. And how we ought to encourage Christians to pray for all who are in places of governmental authority (I Timothy 2:1-3). Too often invective if found more readily upon our lips than intercession.

The slavery issue of our day must be vigorously addressed. The grotesque violence of slavery is matched by the vile, wholesale slaughter of the unborn in our own day. If Wilberforce could not be silent while the slaves needed him, surely our mouths must not be silent for those who cannot speak for themselves. Shame on evangelicals who waffle on this issue, or who, while they wag their tongues, will not lift a finger in the fight.

We ought to be thankful for the long and well documented history of Christian philanthropy. The work of the Christian Church has so richly benefited society. Let us be quick to set the record straight when the uninformed speak of the withering impact of hypocritical Christians upon the world. No. Christians have indeed been light and salt in every generation.

Let Christian leaders follow in the footsteps of this man. Let them humbly and enthusiastically work together, esteeming the gifts of others and eschewing a lone ranger mentality; let them press on in the face of opposition and persecution, disappointment and even disaster; let them seek glory for God and not a name for themselves; let them be inflamed with a love for all God's people and a desire to do good to all; let them throw themselves into their life's work with passion and with faith. It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of His Church and the good of this nation.

Praying for Politicians

January 11, 2006 by Carl Muller

Joseph Stalin, who killed millions of his fellow Russians because of his paranoid obsession with power, scoffed at a colleague who warned that the Pope was likely to denounce one of Stalin's barbaric plans. "The pope," he sneered, "How many divisions does he have?"(1) This is an example of how many people see religion in general and Christianity in particular. The church is irrelevant. The church has no influence. The church has no impact on the world. Whatever impact it might have is negative. The church is not among the movers and shakers of this world – and, according to Stalin, that is because it has no army. But now consider the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1,2:

'Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.'

Paul implies that the church can have a tremendous impact upon the world.

'Restraining prayer we cease to fight; prayer makes the Christian's armour bright;
And Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.' (Cowper)

The church can have a tremendous impact upon the world but notice what we must do: we must look beyond the halls of power here on earth and go directly to the throne room of the universe and there offer our petitions on behalf of our nation and our world. Go directly to the King of Kings to pray for your king, Paul says to the believer. Praying for politicians is the subject we want to consider in this article.

THE CONTEXT OF PRAYER FOR POLITICIANS

Paul's exhortation that we pray for politicians is not the sum total of what the Scripture has to say to us concerning our relationship with those in authority over us. What does the Scripture have to say then about the place of prayer for politicians in the larger scheme of the Christian life?

PRAYER IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR ACTION

Paul makes it very clear that we are to be like the Lord Jesus. He is described as One who preeminently went about doing good (Acts 10:38). Lepers, bereaved widows, blind men and hungry crowds were happy to be around Him for He did them good. Go, and do likewise, we are told (Luke 10:37). In fact, as we have opportunity, we are to do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). In this sin sick and suffering world Christians are to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with (their) God (Micah 6:8). In light of such texts we are not simply to pray for politicians but we are to be actively involved in doing good in society. This "doing good" will take a myriad of forms. Christians will be involved in the political realm itself as politicians and seek to promote justice and good in that way. We will be involved in philanthropic efforts – so many benevolent and beneficial institutions have been founded by Christians. Schools, universities, orphanages, and prison ministries – the list goes on and on. Philanthropic endeavours Christians ought to initiate and support would include crisis pregnancy centers and adoption agencies. It is one thing to decry the evil of abortion; it is another to put time, money, and volunteer hours, into the fine work of such ministries. Furthermore, Christians in Canada ought to avail themselves of the opportunity to let their voices be known through letter writing campaigns and various avenues of protest. Bills are before Parliament that fly in the face of Biblical revelation and flagrantly dismiss the claims and commands of God. Let Christians arise and cry aloud. Pray we must! But in this country we still have freedom to speak and write and protest (unlike many of our brethren throughout the world). Let us avail ourselves of these freedoms and speak out against forces that would promote the abomination of homosexuality and destroy the traditional family. The point is this: to say that Christian ought to pray is not to say that they ought not to do things that will promote the good and the just in society. Did Mr. Trudeau desire a "just society"? So do we. And we will work for it.

PRAYER GOES HAND IN HAND WITH SUBMISSION AND RESPECT

Do you recall some of the salient points in Paul's exhortations in Romans 13:1-7? Obey the government because God put them in authority over you (verses 1-5). Pay your taxes and import duties, for the same reason (verse 6,7). Be respectful and give honour to those in governmental authority. Do you recall what Peter said? Submit to those who in authority over you (I Peter 2:13). Show respect for everyone and show respect for the king (2:17). It is beyond the scope of this study to deal with the implications of these texts for the notions of revolutions and coups, but we can think about our own conduct. How do I measure up in light of these clear commands? As they observe my attitude toward the rules of the road, is it apparent to my children that I have respect for the government and that I am submissive to their regulations? Do my business practices and the way I fill out my income tax similarly reflect a respectful and submissive attitude? Does the way I speak about our Prime Minister and the Members of Parliament show that my conversation is influenced by these texts? Remember, God places them there in authority just as surely as He placed Nero in his position as emperor in Paul's day. I suspect that we are as disobedient to the laws of the land and disrespectful of the rulers of the land as we are negligent to pray for those same people. I believe there is a connection.

PRAYER INDICATES THE CONVICTION THAT SOCIETY MUST BE CHANGED FROM THE INSIDE OUT

What is the best thing we can do for the leaders of our land? We can pray for them. What is the best thing we can do for our country? We can pray for them. How forgetful Christians can be of that fundamental truth. In 1985, after Congress had failed to pass his legislative agenda, a prominent New Right leader declared: 'The only way to have a genuine spiritual revival is to have legislative reform…I think we have just been legislated out of the possibility of a spiritual revival.'(2) This is wrong-headed and un-biblical. If society is going to change it must be changed from the insider out. People must be converted, politicians must be saved, and sinners must be won to Christ. The historian J. Wesley Bready, in a book entitled England before and after Wesley: The Evangelical Revival and Social Reform, described the "deep savagery of much of 18th Century England" and says that the "evangelical revival did more to transfigure the moral character of the general populace than any other movement British history can record"(3) Wesley and the leaders of the revival "restored to a nation its soul". Examples like this could be multiplied. But the point is this: whatever involvement individual Christians might have in the politics of our day, the church must ever be faithful to its primary task, that of preaching the gospel to all the world and seeking to make all men disciples of Christ. And, the church must be faithful to pray for that kind of turn-around. No wonder Paul speaks with urgency: Therefore I exhort first of all – do you see the passion? I exhort and I urge you to do this. Now first of all, in terms of priority, you must pray for these people. This is terribly important. And no wonder, since the face of a nation can be changed only when the heart of a nation is changed. And God alone can do that. So, pray!

PRAYER INDICATES CONFIDENCE THAT GOD IS ABLE TO DO MIGHTY THINGS

Paul encourages prayer because he is convinced that God is almighty and thus able to bring about radical change. When we pray for kings we remember that God is King of Kings. When we pray for powerful men we remember that to God the 'nations are as a drop in the bucket, and are counted as small dust on the scales; look He lifts up the isles as a very little thing' (Isaiah 40:15). He puts presidents in power and He brings prime ministers down. Our Lord said to Pilate, You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above (John 19:11). While wars and rumours of wars whirl about us how comforting to remember that God causes wars to cease throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two; He burns the shield with fire (Psalm 46:9). We remember that the oft quoted be still and know that I am God is not spoken in the context of a beautiful pastoral scene but rather amidst the clash and clang of sabre rattling nations who are being told to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Almighty God. God can and will do His will in the world. This is our God! The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge (verse 11).

THE CONTENT OF PRAYER FOR POLITICIANS

PRAY FOR ALL MEN, ESPECIALLY LEADERS

Paul tells us that we ought to pray for all types of men. We ought to pray for men in all kinds of groups and for all men without distinction. But in particular we ought to pray for those who are in positions of authority in government. Paul prayed for the king. We are to pray for city councilors, mayors, provincial and federal members of parliament, premiers and prime ministers. Leaders who have the opportunity to display their folly on the world stage ought especially to be on the hearts of God's people. We ought to pray for leaders of countries where the church is persecuted. Being informed about such countries is the first step. Then fervent prayer about such situations must follow.

We might be tempted to leave out of our prayers leaders we consider to be vile. It is sobering to remember that the "king" to whom Paul referred was Nero. Now Nero, while he may not have 'fiddled' while Rome burned, did greet the news about the fire with some glee. He was not averse to 'eliminating' his own family members and was the first emperor to persecute the family of God. Pray for this man, Paul tells these people. Years later, as Paul is about to be beheaded in Nero's Rome, do you think he would have backtracked on this instruction? I think not! He would, in all likelihood, have called all the more urgently for fervent prayer for the soul of this man. Sadly, Nero, as far as we know, died in his sin, lamenting the fact that in him the world was losing a great actor. We ought to pray for leaders of our day before they too die in their sin. No matter the wickedness of the particular politician, we ought to pray that God would save him or her. When you watch the mayor of Toronto frolicking with degenerates on the streets of Toronto in a homosexual parade, what is your response? If it is not to pray for him (and them), then your response is less than Biblical. Remember that Jesus, standing before a great and wicked city, His heart full of love and compassion, lamented: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing (Matthew 23:37). They killed and stoned those whom Jesus had sent to them. But love and compassion for poor sinners evokes this heart-wrenching lament. Love for sinners, even the most vile of politicians, must drive us to our knees, remembering that "the vilest of sinners who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives". Has it occurred to you that it is possible that one day Saddam Hussein (article written before Hussein's execution), George W. Bush, Osama Bin Laden and Tony Blair may all sit down at the wedding feast of the Lamb? If it has not, perhaps it is because you have not been praying for them.

PRAY FOR THE DESPERATE NEED

The word translated 'supplication' especially emphasizes the idea of 'need, lack'. You come and you ask because of a need you have or a need someone else has. What need there is in this world! With the winds of war blowing hot and controversy swirling around his administration's handling of the matter of Iraq's "weapons of mass destruction", U.S. President, George W. Bush, met with several preachers on February 13, 2003. Among the ministers was Max Lucado who asked the President how he could seem so calm and peaceful in the midst of such stress. The President's reply was: "I'm feeling stronger now than I've ever been in my life. And the reason is because every person in America is praying for me. When I stay on my knees, that's when I have power". He was then asked how he would like the ministers to pray for him and Mr. Bush asked that they pray for 'clarity of mind for himself so that he might make wise decisions' and also for his wife and daughters, as he is concerned about their safety. How refreshing, and even startling to see a politician who understands the need for prayer and the need for others to pray for him. For the most part, however, politicians do not see the need and it is thus incumbent upon Christians to do so. Let us survey our national scene. We see an aggressive and militant homosexual lobby and their appalling efforts to destroy a Judeo-Christian concept of the family. We observe rampant immorality on every level. We find that the breakdown of the family has reached epidemic proportions and we grieve over the fact that 55% of children born in Quebec are born out of wedlock.(4) The stunning reality is brought home again to our minds that we live in a country that has no law regarding abortion, and that the slaughter of the unborn continues unabated. Pragmatism and political correctness guide decision making at every level, and knowledge of God and Biblical wisdom are not only rare in society, they are not considered worth pursuing. Amidst all these concerns, the crying need is surely for politicians to be won to Christ. We need to pray not only for wisdom and understanding for politicians but for conversion. Luther was reputed to have said: "I would rather be governed by a competent Turk than an incompetent Christian". We will pray for competence but we want much more. We want to see conversions. This is God's concern. This is what God desires. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth(verses 3,4). Oh that government officials might indeed be God's ministers to you for good (Romans 13:4). But the deeper longing of our hearts is to see them become monuments to His saving grace.

In light of this we should pray for politicians who are Christians, that God would endow them with wisdom, shrewdness, understanding and competence beyond their natural abilities. We should pray that God would grant them boldness and courage in their witness, preserve them unspotted in the often sleazy world of politics and keep their eye true in the murky processes of political wrangling. Further, we should pray for churches and individual Christians who have contact with politicians at every level that they would not simply seek to promote good legislation but that they would promote the kingdom amongst these needy folk.

PRAY FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE AND ITEMS

The word "supplications" in verse one means "the petitions for the fulfillment of certain definite needs'. Particular needs and particular requests are in view here. We should be particular whenever we pray and especially when we pray for politicians and the political world. Perhaps you know are personally acquainted with individuals in politics – pray faithfully for them! We all know of particular people on the provincial and national scene – pray for them by name. Do we at times succumb to the notion that people like Mr. Chretien are beyond the pale of God's saving grace? God forbid! Does not the conversion of Richard Nixon's hatchet man, Charles Colson, remind us that god can save anybody? Read his book Born Again and be reminded that the hallowed halls of political power are not beyond the reach of God's mighty hand. More significant than that is God's gracious dealings with the most powerful man in the world during the heyday of the Babylonian empire. Read Daniel 4 and see God bringing the great Nebuchadnezzar to his knees and, I believe, to Himself. Or consider Jonah 3 and observe the King of Nineveh as he rises from his throne, lays aside his robe, covers himself with sackcloth and ashes and turns to God. Surely this stirs us to pray for particular people and pray with confidence that God is able to do it.

PRAY WITH THANKSGIVING

We are to bring supplications, prayers and intercessions to God with thanksgiving (verse 2). I recall arriving in Canada many years ago having, in the providence of God, escaped the seething cauldron of racial hatred and violence in South Africa. I recall profound thankfulness sweeping over me when, as a young man, I became a citizen of this great country. Folk like us felt deeply grateful for the privilege of the vote, for the freedom to walk into any public washroom and not look for a colour sign. I was not a believer then and didn't really know whom to thank. But we do, do we not? Are we thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in this country? Are we thankful for the liberty to voice our displeasure? Are we thankful for the prosperity with which we can serve God and promote the kingdom? For many years Canada has been recognized as one of the most desirable places in the world to live. Thank the Lord for what you have here.

PRAY FOR A QUIET AND PEACEFUL LIFE

We ought to pray for politicians, Paul says, in order that we may lead a "quiet and peaceable life" (verse 2). The two words he uses probably suggest the following: peace on the outside (freedom from turmoil brought upon us); peace on the inside (freedom from inner turmoil). And this would be so that the people of God may grow and mature and live a life characterized by all "godliness and reverence" (verse 2). Thank God that, for the most part, we do live a quiet and peaceable life here in Canada. Let us pray that that might continue. We do see disturbing signs of the erosion of these liberties. We have in recent times heard of a Christian couple having their children taken away from them simply because they sought to follow the Biblical admonitions regarding discipline. We have witnessed a Christian school teacher persecuted by authorities because he spoke out against homosexuality, despite his doing so in the most circumspect manner.

End Notes:
1 Charles Colson, Kingdoms in Conflict, (US, Zondervan, 1987), p. 194.
2 Ibid., p. 234.
3 John Stott, Issues Facing Christians Today (Basingstoke, UK, Marshalls Paperbacks, 1984), p. 3.
4 According to University of Montreal research, as reported in the Montreal Gazette.

Reflections: My Neighbour the Catholic

October 6, 1985 by Carl Muller

"You shall love your neighbour as yourself!" Mark 12:31

THE FACES IN THE CROWD

As I reflect on Catholicism I realize that faces come to mind, not a system, not a monolithic structure, not a demonic institution. I remember people who were very, very nice.

To be sure, this is my own personal experience, but it is true nonetheless and I suspect it reflects the experience of many others. When my elder sister died, they were very kind to me. When I was an unmannerly and disobedient brat at school the Mother Superior attempted to discipline me and show me a better way. When my family arrived in a new and strange land (California) the nuns befriended us, fed us, connected us with others who could help us, invited us to a New Years Day dinner, and in the cosy confines of the convent introduced our family to the unsettling phenomenon of North American football. A Catholic family provided us with a house and more tokens of kindness than I could possibly relate.

Catholics have touched my life in ways that I shall never forget and always appreciate. That is why it is so sad to see them caught up in a system and in the grip of a religion that is so far from true Biblical Christianity. That is also why it is so sad when Protestants are strident and unkind in their efforts to win Catholics to Christ. "Let your speech be always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one," said Paul (Colossians 4:6a). How often our apologetic has been "salty" in an unsanctified sense.

THE APPEAL OF LOVE

I believe that my neighbour, the Catholic, needs Christian love. It was by their love that I recognized the true followers of Jesus Christ. I had long since left the Catholic Church and embraced secular, godless philosophy. Existentialism and nihilism, even at the age of seventeen, seemed to capture and articulate the pathos and meaninglessness of life.

Nonetheless, in a fashion true to the words of Paul in Romans 1:18 f, I was actually suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. I knew that there was a God. I had learned from the Catholic Church that He was a righteous God and a God who judges. And so, whilst professing in the daylight to subscribe to an atheistic position, in the night watches I fumbled with my beads and prayed the rosary in the hopes that what I had been told so many years ago was actually true - praying the rosary every night will save you. (I hoped that God would overlook the nights that I failed to say my "Hail Marys"!) It was at this point, in the midst of confused ignorance and wicked rebellion, that the love of Christian young people touched my life.

Gracious witness, deeds of kindness, genuine interest, guileless love - these virtues manifested by Christian young people were used of God to woo my soul to the Lord Jesus Christ! I had often leaned hard upon the kindness of others, but had never encountered the love of Jesus flowing through His people. It seemed otherworldly to me - and indeed such love is not natural. I think I saw Jesus Christ first in the faces of those young people. Whatever I say to my Catholic neighbour, I want it to be accompanied by deeds of kindness. When I raise the issues of authority (the Bible alone) and of salvation (by faith alone) I want them to have no doubt that I love them. When I speak the gospel to them I want my actions to speak just as loudly, telling them that they are loved of God and loved by His people.

I want them to see the Lord's face in mine.

THE APPEAL OF WORKS

It was like coming home. It was an arduous journey ended. It was a sweet pillow upon which to rest your head. Indeed it was rest. By grace I had found rest. All those years there had been no rest, and now I had been found of Him and in Him had found rest. What blessed words: "Come to Me, and I will give you rest."

Now, to be sure, salvation by works has a tremendous appeal to the unbelieving mind. The Catholic system had a tremendous appeal to me. In fact, salvation by works has universal appeal. There is something of the Pharisee in all of us and too little of the publican (Luke 18:9-14). So many pay lip service to grace and then seek life by works. This is the way of the Pharisee and that way is alive and well in the Catholic church. But it had an appeal to me. It left my pride intact (I could, after all, earn salvation), my social life untouched (midnight mass is kind to your agenda), and my sinful tendencies unhindered (the confessional was always there to deal with consequent guilt). But of true rest there was nothing.

Works is a cruel taskmaster and the works treadmill leads to despair and disillusionment. It was then that those blessed words touched my ears: "Come to Me, and I will give you rest". Salvation was not to be based on the filthy rags of my own perceived righteousness. The righteousness of God in Jesus Christ was my only hope! Faith in God and in Jesus Christ was the only way! And then, as with Luther, it was as if paradise opened up! And indeed it had.

Yet even now, as a citizen of a heavenly kingdom, I recall the days when I knew by experience that there was no peace for the wicked, that there was no rest in the round of activities prescribed by Rome, that there was deep within a longing for a different, a better way.

What a privilege to point my Catholic neighbour in the direction of the One who is that Way.

THE LOSS OF AWE

It had been a long while since I had been in any Catholic church.

The day of the funeral found our family seated within the hushed confines of the one near our home. While there was much that was distressing to the heart of a child of God, there was also something striking.

What was distressing was the sheer folly of it all. Certainty was expressed that the deceased was in heaven. The certainty was based on baptism, the good works he had done, his involvement in the Catholic Church, and the grace of God. At the end of the day the only thing that really mattered was that the way of salvation espoused and encouraged was not the way of Jesus. And we wept over that.

But what was striking was the ritual, the solemnity, the sobriety, the sense that we were in the presence of Someone wholly "other" than ourselves. It was striking because that sense is only a distant memory for most evangelicals, and many feel well rid of it. Many are rushing headlong to embrace a fun-filled, non-threatening, cheery and up-beat approach to worship.

God forbid that we should feel small and dirty. God forbid that He should come across as "no tame lion". God forbid that we should feel any fear and sense of humiliation. The awesome and majestic Jesus before whom John fell down like a dead man has been ushered out of churches in favour of a deity with whom we can enjoy a fireside chat! So it was striking to sit in the Catholic Church. While it is true that some Catholic churches are adopting the evangelical prescription for success, in this particular parish there was still a sense of solemnity. I remembered the days when I sat in a similar building trying to work my way to heaven. I remembered the hush that came over us when we considered what it was we were about, and who it was we were approaching. God was awesome and exalted. We knew nothing of, "Father", but we knew, at least, that He was in heaven and that it behoved us to treat Him accordingly. I remembered that even in my ignorance I felt I was in the presence of The Holy One, and it made me long for days when evangelicals would flee from the Ringling Brothers approach to church and remember that we worship our "Father who is in heaven"!

I believe my Catholic neighbour is struck by the loss of awe in evangelical churches and is left unimpressed. Furthermore, some professing evangelicals are unimpressed as well and find themselves strangely attracted by Roman ritual. May God give us grace to honour Him and attract others by worship that is marked by reverence and rejoicing.

Let the words of Watts be sung and experienced:

"Before Jehovah's awful throne, ye nations bow with sacred joy!"