From the Heart of a Pastor: What I Am Telling My Congregation About the Election
Are you stressed out over this election?
If you are, just know you are not alone.
So many are angry, confused or in fear over the outcome of the elections. "I just can't see Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump in the Oval Office. I don't like either of them. What in the world is happening?"
I have felt that way at times during the course of this campaign season. Yet, as a pastor, I knew I had the responsibility to help my congregation stand in faith for our nation. To do so, I needed God's perspective on the election.
I am so grateful for the privilege of pastoring Eagle Mountain International Church in Fort Worth, Texas. We are the church of Kenneth Copeland Ministries. Brother Copeland also happens to be my father-in-law.
While pondering the election, the Lord reminded me of a discussion Brother Copeland and I had on September 22, 2012. He gave me a preaching assignment for the church. He said, "George, you need to compare the platforms of the two political parties. Look at what the two parties have stated about a particular issue. Compare the two platforms to God's Word. Then, determine which platform best aligns with how the kingdom of God operates."
Up to that point, I had never considered reading the platforms. I did not realize those party platforms would be the driving agenda for the next four years of legislation. Nor had I considered the long term effects these platforms would have on my children and grandchildren.
Something else Brother Copeland shared that day absolutely startled me.
He said, "George, make it clear that a platform is something you stand on. The planks represent the individual issues. To vote for that platform is to attach yourself to it. And, you will be a partaker of the judgement of that platform. For instance, you could vote for a person for some other reason, but if they support abortion, you have just become an accomplice."
I thought, "What exactly is an accomplice?"
Consider if a bank is being robbed. Shots are fired and several are killed. The accomplice is the one sitting in the driver's seat of the getaway car. They carry the same degree of guilt as the person they are assisting and they are subject to criminal penalties.
God knows what is on the Democratic and Republican platforms and will hold the politicians and those who vote for them accountable for their actions.
Years ago, the Lord told Brother Copeland to share this statement regarding elections.
"Tell My people wherever you go—those who vote for politicians knowing their immoral policies and illegal acts had better repent. They are partners with those politicians and will be responsible for every baby's death."
To the Lord, I believe with all my heart that abortion is the kingpin. The two platforms are crystal clear. Let's look at just a few of the platform abortion statements:
"We will appoint judges who defend the constitutional principles of liberty and equality for all, and will protect a woman's right to safe and legal abortion" (page 25).
"We will fight Republican efforts to roll back the clock on woman's health and reproductive rights, and stand up for Planned Parenthood" (page 34).
"We will continue to oppose—and seek to overturn—federal and state laws and policies that impede a women's access to abortion, including by repealing the Hyde Amendment" (page 37).
[The 1976 Hyde Amendment is a legislative provision barring the use of certain federal funds to pay for abortion except to save the life of the mother. President Clinton added "or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape."]
"We will support sexual and reproductive health and rights around the globe" (page 46).
"We assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed" (page 13).
"We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to children before birth" (page 13).
"We oppose the use of public funds to perform or promote abortion or to fund organizations, like Planned Parenthood, so long as they provide or refer for elective abortions or sell fetal body parts rather than provide healthcare" (page 13).
"We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life" (page 13).
"We call for a permanent ban on federal funding and subsidies for abortion and healthcare plans that include abortion coverage" (page 37).
The Word of God:
Deuteronomy 30:19 (MEV): "I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live."
Psalm 139:13-16 (MEV): "You brought my inner parts into being; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for You made me with fear and wonder; marvelous are Your works, and You know me completely. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and intricately put together in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw me unformed, yet in Your book all my days were written, before any of them came into being."
Isaiah 46:3 (NIV-84): "Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you who I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth."
Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT): "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; and before you were born I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
I preached this platform series in 2014 and I am preaching it again in my church.
At the conclusion of my recent teaching on the abortion plank, the Lord instructed me to conduct a very special altar call. He told me to ask for all who were struggling with the shame and guilt of an abortion. The altar filled with hurting men and women.
It was a precious time of forgiveness and cleansing. We prayed for each one. Members of our congregation came and offered comfort and strength. By the end of the ministry time, all were laughing for joy. The weight had lifted. The Lord spoke and said, "There will be no bitterness in heaven. Your children will come and embrace you. They are waiting for you there with only love in their hearts for you."
Perhaps you have had an abortion at some point in your life. Maybe you have voted for a political party that embraces abortion. If so, take a moment and pray this prayer aloud with me as we go before our loving God:
"Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy and grace. Thank You for Your Word that declares in 1 John 1:9, if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Lord, I repent for having an abortion. I repent for voting for a party that embraces abortion. By faith, I receive Your forgiveness and thank you for removing the hurt, shame and weight of the abortion. In You, I have the hope that one day I will see my son or daughter in heaven. Until then I declare by Your loving-kindness, I am forever free in Jesus' precious name."
George Pearsons is Senior Pastor of Eagle Mountain International Church at Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a man on fire with the love of God, who is passionate to see revival in the church and an awakening in the nations. He is the author of Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today's Tough Issues. Pastor George and his wife, Terri Copeland Pearsons, have an international commission that takes them around the world on behalf of KCM. He ministers with Gloria Copeland on the Believers' Voice of Victory broadcast, teaching people how to stand victoriously in life. For more information or ministry materials, visit www.emic.org or write to KCM, Fort Worth, TX 76192-0001.
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Thanks for sharing. Blessings on your head from the Lord Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach.
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People
Charlotte, NC USA