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Voting Priorities

Watch Voting Priorities

November 2, 2020

25:55

Elections are a core foundation of our American government. In ELECTIONS; David and Tim Barton pull back the curtain on this crucial process. By understanding where elections came from and how they work; you can help determine who will be in the room when our nation’s important decisions are made. During election season; the spotlight may be on the top contenders; but it’s really about the people! Tune into ELECTIONS on TBN to discover your role in this important election process.

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Voting Priorities

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- Elections area core foundation
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of our American government.
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In the early days,political debates were held
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in theaters and lecture hallsacross America, like this one,
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drawing large crowds fromevery corner of society.
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Now we engage with thecandidates through TV screens,
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and Twitter feeds, watchingas the elections unfold.
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- The spotlight may beon the top contenders,
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but it's reallyabout the people.
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Today, we're gonnatalk about our role
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in this importantelection process.
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- By understanding whereelections came from,
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and how they work,
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you can help determinewho will be in the room
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when our nation's most importantdecisions are being made.
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Today's lawmakers aretomorrow's history shapers.
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I'm David Barton.
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- I'm Tim Barton, andthis is "Elections."
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(dramatic music)
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(wind whooshing)
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In looking at elections,
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one of the most obviousquestions we should ask
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is who should I vote for?
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Everybody that runs foroffice is gonna have
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their prioritiesthat they promote,
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and encourage youto vote for them
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based on those priorities.
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As Christians, we wannamake sure that we're voting
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based on what the Bible says,
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but what if a candidatehas a biblical position,
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and another candidatehas biblical positions,
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but then how do I know whichcandidate I should vote for,
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if they're both biblical?
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How should we prioritizethose biblical issues?
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And this is an interestingquestion, as Christians,
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is what should beour voting priority?
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- Well, when you look atour voting priorities,
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part of it stems fromour voting philosophy.
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So, the first partof our philosophy
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is that God is the one whooriginated civil government.
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It is his institution,we're his stewards.
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There's a great parablethat Jesus deals with this
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in Luke 19, whereJesus tells the parable
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how the master gothis servants together,
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and says, "Okay, guys, I'mgonna leave for a while.
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I'm leaving this in yourhands 'til I get back."
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And so he leaves, hecomes back later and says,
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"All right, what'd youguys do while I was gone?"
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And the first guysays, "Well, Master,
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here's what you gave me,I've multiplied it 10 times.
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I've given 10 timesas much as you left."
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He said, "Well done, goodand faithful servant."
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The second guy comes andsays, "I've got five fold."
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"Well done, good andfaithful servant."
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Third one comes andsays, "You know,
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I didn't wanna getinvolved with your stuff.
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I really didn't like you. Ididn't think you were fair.
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I just didn't doanything with it."
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And the Mastergets really angry,
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and says, "You didn't doanything with what I left you?"
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And it's interesting that he'sthe one who gets in trouble,
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who refused to get involved,
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and refused to takeany stewardship.
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But the other partthat's interesting
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is to the one whoproduced tenfold,
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to the one who producedfivefold, notice the reward.
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The master says, "Well done,good and faithful servant.
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You've done tenfold,
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I'm going to make you aruler over 10 cities."
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The other one says, "I'mgonna make you a ruler
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over five cities."
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Oh my goodness, if I'mfaithful to the Lord,
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he's gonna place me inthe civil government?
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Yes, he thinks highlyof that institution.
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So you first haveto have the attitude
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that I need to be involvedin the civil arena,
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'cause this is God's arena.
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I've gotta be involved in this.
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- Yeah, and Godhonors faithfulness,
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by giving you a politicalposition, political office?
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First of all, I don't know
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that's how I'd really likeGod to honor my faithfulness.
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Like maybe let'schoose something else.
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It's just interesting
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that that was notviewed as a punishment,
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that was viewed as an honor,
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I'm gonna honor youby putting you there.
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And the Bible givesso many examples
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of the way governmentshould operate,
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and how reallyChristians should view
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some of this thoughtand philosophy.
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Proverbs 14:34 saysthat righteousness
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is what exalts a nation.
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Knowing that righteousnessexalts a nation,
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and by the way, it does say
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that sin is a reproachto any people.
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So having maybe leadershippromotes simple behavior,
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that's gonna be really damaging,that's really bad for us.
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But righteousness iswhat exalts a nation.
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What's interestingabout righteousness
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is righteousnessis not limited to,
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or dictated by,someone's personality.
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And a lot of times we think,"Oh, that's not a nice person.
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They're not righteous."
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Well, except theBible doesn't judge
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just based on what someone says.
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In fact, there's a story thatJesus told about two sons.
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A man had two sons,and the father said,
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"Hey, I need you to go,
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and I needed to take careof this thing at home."
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And one son said, "Oh,father, I will do it,"
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but he never went.
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One son said, "Uh, dad, I don'thave time, I can't do it."
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But he has a conviction,change of heart,
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and decides he's gonnago, and he does it.
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And then Jesus asked the crowd,
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"Which one of these reallydid the will of the father?"
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And he said, "Well,the one who did
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what he was supposed to do."
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Notice, the one whodid the right thing
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wasn't the one whosaid the right thing.
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And this matters because it'snot just what someone says,
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it's their policy, it's notpersonality, it's policy.
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And when we look atrighteousness exalting a nation,
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it's just interesting, theway we view things today
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is we determine righteousness
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based on the externalpersonality of someone,
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not just the policyof what they support.
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- Yeah, righteousnessis measured in the Bible
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by public policy.
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In other words, have youcreated a public policy
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God can bless?
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If it's righteous,he can bless it,
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the whole nation's exalted.
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If it's a policy he can't bless,
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it's a policy thatviolates his principles,
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He's not going to bless it.
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And it doesn't matterhow many times you say,
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"God bless America," he'snot going to bless policies
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that violate his principles.
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And so policy, you haveto measure actions,
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as you said, it's not words,
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it's not whether the candidatesays the right thing.
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What's their policy? Whatwill their actions be?
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Will they createpolicies God can bless?
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Now, how do you knowwhat God's gonna bless?
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It's interesting, whenyou go back to Israel,
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because Israeland their history,
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by the time they got to Egypt,
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they were in slavery 400 years.
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God brings them outwith great power.
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And we know what happenedwith the 10 plagues,
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and 10 huge miracles, getsthem across the Red Sea.
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He gets them out in themiddle of the desert,
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and there's nobody chasing them,
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because Pharaoh'sbeen wiped out.
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But he's got them out here,
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and they've been thinkinglike slaves for 400 years.
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And he says, "Okay guys, I'mgonna make a nation out of you.
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Now, here's whatyou need to know.
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You don't have aclue how to govern.
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You've never done it before.
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You don't even know howto think about this.
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So, I'm going to tellyou everything about it."
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And he goes throughand give some 613 laws.
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And those laws govern everythingany nation will ever need.
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They govern laws on education.
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They govern laws onmarriage, and morality.
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There's laws on economics.There's laws on immigration.
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You name it, it's all there, so-
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- Well let me point out, sothat means that the Bible covers
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every imaginable topic-- That's right.
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- We could think of,the Bible covers.
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So if we're looking atpolitics and saying,
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"Well, where should Istand on these issues?"
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What you can know is the Bible
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either has the direct command,
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or gives direct guidance, thatcan be applied to that issue.
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Every single topic you can name,
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you can find guidanceon in the Bible.
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So the first thing Iwould take from that is
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the Bible does give direction.
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Now again, with us talking about
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how do we haverighteousness in a nation?
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It's easier to haverighteousness fromhaving godly leaders.
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That would be important,
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because hopefully godly leaders
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are gonna promote godlinessand righteousness.
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So we want godly leaders, buthow do we get godly leaders?
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And this is where havingeven the priorities
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of knowing whatshould we vote for,
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what should I look forin this godly leader?
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This is where it getsinteresting to me,
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in the Old Testament, 'causefrom those 613 commands,
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God then boiled down and said,"Where's a few priorities
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we need to make sure aregonna be a key focus for you,
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of all of these commands."
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- Yeah, God calls Mosesup on the mountain,
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"I've given you all of theselaws, all of these commands,
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but here's my top 10."
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And it's interesting,Moses later describes
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the 10 Commandments asthe tenor of God's law.
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And tenor meanslike the backbone,
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the heart, the soul, the guts.
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In other words, "Of all the613 laws, here's my top 10."
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So God has made 10 areasa priority category.
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And so when you lookat public policy,
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it could be things likeenvironmental issues,
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or welfare, helping the poor,it can be all sorts of things,
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but God still said, "Yeah,I dealt with all that,
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but here's my top 10."
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And so when we come to voting,
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as important as theseother issues may be to us,
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we've gotta rememberwhat God's top 10 are,
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and vote accordingly.
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And he gives us great guidancein those 10 Commandments,
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on what issues should bepriority in public policy.
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- Yeah, when you lookat the 10 Commandments,
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the first fourcommandments deal with
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our relationship with God,
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and arguably, we would say
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that's where we kind of getthe idea of religious liberty.
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As you go down to the next six,
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it's our relationshipwith humans,
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and among those inrelationship with humans,
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one of the commands that wesee is you should not murder.
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Well, when you look at theword murder, in Hebrew,
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it actually talks aboutshedding innocent blood.
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This is a distinction
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that God wasn't alwaysagainst killing, right?
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God honored Davidfor killing Goliath.
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That was a really goodmoment in David's history,
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but God was againstshedding innocent blood.
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That's why King David got introuble when he murdered Uriah,
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after the affair with Bathsheba.
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God is always against murder.
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Murder is sheddinginnocent blood.
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Well, if we think aboutcultural application,
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where are areas in culturetoday that sheds innocent blood?
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I think you would haveto talk about abortion
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as being one ofthose primary issues,
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'cause that's shedsinnocent blood,
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and knowing what the Bible says,
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that God formed usin our mother's womb,
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that God values that life.
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That would be an issuethat certainly would,
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we could argue,made God's top 10,
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'cause it's sheddinginnocent blood,
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and God wants to protect life.
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Also in the 10 Commandments,
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it talks about honoringyour father and mother,
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which gives you the idea
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of what a family unitshould look like.
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And don't commit adultery,
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because we don't want todestroy that marriage,
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that family unit.
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So God's interested in marriage,God's interested in family.
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God wants to protect life.
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God cares aboutreligious liberty,
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us being able toacknowledge him.
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This is all just fromthe 10 Commandments.
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And so if we acknowledgethat God covers
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a variety of issues inthe Bible, and he does,
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and God cares about many things,
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but he starts with a priority,
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saying, "Hey,let's look at life,
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let's look at religious liberty.
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Let's look atmarriage and family."
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Those are things that arepretty high on God's list.
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- Also high on God's list,
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he says in the veryfirst covenant he makes,
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back with Abram, "Abram,you're gonna have a nation,
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and whoever curses thatnation, I'm gonna curse.
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Whoever bless thatnation, I'm gonna bless."
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So it's really important
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how we deal with thenation of Israel.
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If we don't take theright stand on Israel,
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God won't take theright stand with us,
00:09:48.532 --> 00:09:50.267
regardless of whichnation it happens to be
00:09:50.267 --> 00:09:52.136
taking the good, or wrong stand.
00:09:52.136 --> 00:09:53.671
So Israel is reallyimportant, and the other thing
00:09:53.671 --> 00:09:55.973
is when God is tryingto restore Israel,
00:09:55.973 --> 00:09:57.842
after they've had a realdowntime under King Manasseh,
00:09:57.842 --> 00:10:00.478
really, really bad king,
00:10:00.478 --> 00:10:02.213
God's talking toIsaiah and says,
00:10:02.213 --> 00:10:03.748
"I'm gonna restore the nation,here's how I'm gonna do it.
00:10:03.748 --> 00:10:05.449
I'm gonna give you judgeslike you had at the beginning,
00:10:05.449 --> 00:10:07.618
I'm gonna give you attorneyslike you had at the first.
00:10:07.618 --> 00:10:09.553
And then you'll be called
00:10:09.553 --> 00:10:10.721
the righteousnation," Isaiah 1:26.
00:10:10.721 --> 00:10:12.890
So, God says therighteousness of your land
00:10:12.890 --> 00:10:15.660
is determined by thetype of judges you have.
00:10:15.660 --> 00:10:17.962
And if you look, so many ofour bad public policy issues
00:10:17.962 --> 00:10:20.765
didn't come from legislatures,they came from judges.
00:10:20.765 --> 00:10:23.868
And so, if I'm looking atelection, I'm gonna say,
00:10:23.868 --> 00:10:26.003
"Okay, what kind of judgeswill I get from this person?
00:10:26.003 --> 00:10:29.073
Will they be God-fearing judges,
00:10:29.073 --> 00:10:30.508
that'll give the rightdecisions that God can bless?
00:10:30.508 --> 00:10:32.943
What's the position ofthis person on Israel?
00:10:32.943 --> 00:10:35.212
Are they for or against?
00:10:35.212 --> 00:10:36.514
And what's theposition of this person
00:10:36.514 --> 00:10:38.015
on religious liberties, onabortion, and on marriage?"
00:10:38.015 --> 00:10:41.752
Marriage is a man and awoman, traditional sexuality.
00:10:41.752 --> 00:10:44.455
Those are in God's top issues.
00:10:44.455 --> 00:10:47.058
Now, other issuesmay be important toyou and that's great.
00:10:47.058 --> 00:10:49.960
But, when it comes timeto look at candidates,
00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:52.163
although there's a lot ofissues we may care deeply about,
00:10:52.163 --> 00:10:55.232
immigration, orenvironment, or welfare,
00:10:55.232 --> 00:10:58.069
when it comes time tochoose a candidate,
00:10:58.069 --> 00:11:00.404
remember the prioritiesthat God himself
00:11:00.404 --> 00:11:02.973
has put on those issues,
00:11:02.973 --> 00:11:04.275
and then look at theother issues below that.
00:11:04.275 --> 00:11:06.444
- Yeah, and when it comes tovoting someone into office,
00:11:06.444 --> 00:11:08.779
whether it's yourdistrict representative,
00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:10.214
or the next presidentof the United States,
00:11:10.214 --> 00:11:12.717
you want to identify some keyqualities in your candidate.
00:11:12.717 --> 00:11:15.720
Let's take a look atwhat you should consider
00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:17.655
when you choose.
00:11:17.655 --> 00:11:18.622
(wind whooshing)(serene music)
00:11:18.622 --> 00:11:21.892
(wind whooshing)
00:11:21.892 --> 00:11:23.127
- [Narrator] Whatshould you consider
00:11:23.127 --> 00:11:24.061
when choosing a candidate?
00:11:24.061 --> 00:11:25.162
The party, their personality,
00:11:25.162 --> 00:11:27.164
eloquent speeches,great debates,
00:11:27.164 --> 00:11:29.600
whoever has the mostsigns littering the lawns?
00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:32.236
Lots of people votebased on these things.
00:11:32.236 --> 00:11:34.739
But as Christians, itis our responsibility
00:11:34.739 --> 00:11:37.274
to know who we are putting
00:11:37.274 --> 00:11:38.542
into these importantpositions of power.
00:11:38.542 --> 00:11:40.644
Every election isa chance to choose
00:11:40.644 --> 00:11:42.680
who will frame America'spresent policies,
00:11:42.680 --> 00:11:45.249
as well as what itsfutures will be.
00:11:45.249 --> 00:11:47.151
So what kind of candidatesshould we choose?
00:11:47.151 --> 00:11:49.553
Let's go to the Biblefor guidance on this.
00:11:49.553 --> 00:11:52.056
In Exodus 18:21, we'retold, select capable men
00:11:52.056 --> 00:11:56.093
from among the people, Godfearing, trustworthy men,
00:11:56.093 --> 00:11:59.363
who are averse todishonest gain.
00:11:59.363 --> 00:12:01.532
Appoint them over thepeople as leaders.
00:12:01.532 --> 00:12:04.001
So the first qualification isthat the candidate is capable.
00:12:04.001 --> 00:12:07.471
Is there a proven recordof strong leadership,
00:12:07.471 --> 00:12:09.807
and wise decision making?
00:12:09.807 --> 00:12:11.575
The past is usuallythe best indicator
00:12:11.575 --> 00:12:13.778
of how a candidate willperform in the future.
00:12:13.778 --> 00:12:16.213
The second qualificationis God-fearing.
00:12:16.213 --> 00:12:18.816
Ideally, we shouldchoose a person of faith.
00:12:18.816 --> 00:12:21.619
A candidate's faithplays a big role
00:12:21.619 --> 00:12:23.521
in how he or she makesdecisions on important issues,
00:12:23.521 --> 00:12:26.524
fights against injustice,
00:12:26.524 --> 00:12:28.025
and speaks up forthe marginalized.
00:12:28.025 --> 00:12:30.194
So ask yourself, "Is God thiscandidate's final authority?"
00:12:30.194 --> 00:12:33.798
If the candidate isGod-fearing and capable,
00:12:33.798 --> 00:12:36.467
then you're on the right trackto choosing a good candidate.
00:12:36.467 --> 00:12:39.370
The third biblicaltrait is trustworthy.
00:12:39.370 --> 00:12:42.006
We wanna choosesomeone who is honest.
00:12:42.006 --> 00:12:44.141
This should be a foundationalprerequisite for every leader.
00:12:44.141 --> 00:12:47.478
Are they truthful? Canyou trust their word?
00:12:47.478 --> 00:12:49.980
Then they may bethe right candidate.
00:12:49.980 --> 00:12:51.882
The fourth is thatthey are ethical,
00:12:51.882 --> 00:12:53.951
what the Bible describesas hating dishonest gain.
00:12:53.951 --> 00:12:56.754
You want to choose someone whowill not be swayed by bribes,
00:12:56.754 --> 00:13:00.257
dirty politics, specialperks, or power.
00:13:00.257 --> 00:13:03.627
What are the moral principles
00:13:03.627 --> 00:13:04.929
guiding thiscandidate's actions?
00:13:04.929 --> 00:13:06.864
Your elected officialshave thousands of choices
00:13:06.864 --> 00:13:09.466
in a given term, but youonly get to choose once.
00:13:09.466 --> 00:13:12.837
So use this simplefour step grid
00:13:12.837 --> 00:13:14.939
for electing good leaders,and choose wisely.
00:13:14.939 --> 00:13:17.708
(dramatic music)
00:13:17.708 --> 00:13:19.476
(wind whooshing)
00:13:19.476 --> 00:13:20.911
- And looking at votingpriorities, we wanna make sure
00:13:20.911 --> 00:13:22.446
that as we vote, we are votingbased on what the Bible says.
00:13:22.446 --> 00:13:25.783
'Cause everybody has theissues that they care about.
00:13:25.783 --> 00:13:28.419
We have certain little things
00:13:28.419 --> 00:13:30.287
that this is what matters to me,
00:13:30.287 --> 00:13:31.956
and it's great that we haveissues that we care about,
00:13:31.956 --> 00:13:33.924
and probably God putsthings on our hearts,
00:13:33.924 --> 00:13:35.893
so that they're burdens tous, and we'll pray for them.
00:13:35.893 --> 00:13:37.561
We get involved andmake a difference.
00:13:37.561 --> 00:13:39.096
We just want to make sureas we're choosing leaders,
00:13:39.096 --> 00:13:41.398
that we're not ledby our thoughts,
00:13:41.398 --> 00:13:43.634
our desires, and our emotions,over what the Bible says.
00:13:43.634 --> 00:13:46.203
And the Bible is prettyclear on giving us guidance,
00:13:46.203 --> 00:13:48.572
of where righteousnesscomes from,
00:13:48.572 --> 00:13:50.341
or maybe what the Bible says
00:13:50.341 --> 00:13:51.442
about how weprioritize the issues.
00:13:51.442 --> 00:13:53.544
It's easy for us to getcaught up on what we want,
00:13:53.544 --> 00:13:55.779
and sometimes misswhat God might want,
00:13:55.779 --> 00:13:58.482
or what the Bible says.
00:13:58.482 --> 00:14:00.017
- There's a great exampleof this in the Civil War.
00:14:00.017 --> 00:14:01.518
President Abraham Lincolnwas in the White House,
00:14:01.518 --> 00:14:04.288
and for him, PresidentLincoln makes really clear
00:14:04.288 --> 00:14:06.724
that the Civil War wasreally a righteousness issue.
00:14:06.724 --> 00:14:09.627
For him, he didn't see any waythat God could bless slavery.
00:14:09.627 --> 00:14:12.529
And as long as we hadit, he didn't think God
00:14:12.529 --> 00:14:14.031
was gonna bless America.
00:14:14.031 --> 00:14:15.332
So the second inaugural,he really covers that.
00:14:15.332 --> 00:14:17.768
And there's an account ofhim being in the White House,
00:14:17.768 --> 00:14:19.904
with a bunch of ministers.
00:14:19.904 --> 00:14:21.105
And as he's walkingthrough the White House,
00:14:21.105 --> 00:14:22.640
he heard some ministers talking,
00:14:22.640 --> 00:14:23.807
and one of the ministerssaid to the other,
00:14:23.807 --> 00:14:25.276
"I really hope God's onour side in the war."
00:14:25.276 --> 00:14:27.578
Lincoln heard that,stopped, turned around,
00:14:27.578 --> 00:14:29.280
went back and said, "Not me."
00:14:29.280 --> 00:14:31.615
He says, "I don't wantGod to be on my side,
00:14:31.615 --> 00:14:33.951
I wanna be on God'sside in this."
00:14:33.951 --> 00:14:36.353
And that's really whatwe wanna do when we vote.
00:14:36.353 --> 00:14:38.522
We don't wanna justchoose sides and say,
00:14:38.522 --> 00:14:40.024
"God bless what I've chosen."
00:14:40.024 --> 00:14:41.592
We want to choose accordingto God's standards,
00:14:41.592 --> 00:14:44.094
and God's priorities,
00:14:44.094 --> 00:14:45.629
and that really is part ofour stewardship in voting,
00:14:45.629 --> 00:14:47.998
is elevating what'simportant to him.
00:14:47.998 --> 00:14:49.800
- So what should people doto actually get involved now?
00:14:49.800 --> 00:14:52.636
- Well, we've talked a lotabout voting priorities,
00:14:52.636 --> 00:14:55.606
but how do youactually get involved?
00:14:55.606 --> 00:14:57.541
What practical steps can we take
00:14:57.541 --> 00:14:59.310
to make a difference inthe election process?
00:14:59.310 --> 00:15:01.612
Check this out.
00:15:01.612 --> 00:15:02.579
(serene music)(wind whooshing)
00:15:02.579 --> 00:15:05.215
(dramatic music)
00:15:05.215 --> 00:15:06.717
- [Narrator] The civil arenacan be an intimidating place,
00:15:06.717 --> 00:15:08.218
but the more informed you are,
00:15:08.218 --> 00:15:09.653
the more empowered youwill be to get involved.
00:15:09.653 --> 00:15:12.022
Voting is not just a right,it's a responsibility.
00:15:12.022 --> 00:15:15.025
As Christians, we arecalled to steward the nation
00:15:15.025 --> 00:15:17.661
God has placed us in,
00:15:17.661 --> 00:15:19.163
but stewardship starts longbefore you head to the polls.
00:15:19.163 --> 00:15:22.266
First, remember this, chooseprinciples over party.
00:15:22.266 --> 00:15:26.136
Look at what the Biblesays about education,
00:15:26.136 --> 00:15:28.639
life, economics, marriage,family, immigration,
00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:32.509
religious liberty, andthen choose the party
00:15:32.509 --> 00:15:34.812
and the candidates thatbest mirror those values,
00:15:34.812 --> 00:15:37.548
principles over party.
00:15:37.548 --> 00:15:39.383
Second, it'simportant to support
00:15:39.383 --> 00:15:41.285
the good quality candidatesrunning for public office.
00:15:41.285 --> 00:15:44.388
Although the candidate whostands for godly values
00:15:44.388 --> 00:15:46.790
may often be bullied, belittled,
00:15:46.790 --> 00:15:48.726
attacked or ignoredby the media,
00:15:48.726 --> 00:15:50.794
this is not aninsurmountable problem.
00:15:50.794 --> 00:15:52.896
A candidate canovercome the media
00:15:52.896 --> 00:15:54.598
with a strong grassrootsteam lifting him up.
00:15:54.598 --> 00:15:57.434
So when you find a goodcandidate, get involved,
00:15:57.434 --> 00:16:00.004
offer whatever financialsupport you can,
00:16:00.004 --> 00:16:02.306
volunteer some of your time,
00:16:02.306 --> 00:16:03.874
even if it's onlyan hour or two.
00:16:03.874 --> 00:16:05.743
Voice and show your supportfor those candidates
00:16:05.743 --> 00:16:08.178
in the community, vote at allprimaries, and main elections.
00:16:08.178 --> 00:16:11.815
Call or write his or her office
00:16:11.815 --> 00:16:13.650
to let them know that yousupport what they're doing.
00:16:13.650 --> 00:16:15.953
Unfortunately, too fewChristians communicate
00:16:15.953 --> 00:16:18.889
directly with thoseelected to represent them.
00:16:18.889 --> 00:16:21.325
Politicians are constantlymaking decisions
00:16:21.325 --> 00:16:23.560
that will affect yourcity, state, and country,
00:16:23.560 --> 00:16:26.296
and a well writtenletter or email
00:16:26.296 --> 00:16:28.165
can have more impactthan you can imagine.
00:16:28.165 --> 00:16:30.567
Third, once you have becomeactive as an individual,
00:16:30.567 --> 00:16:33.404
it may be time tolead community change.
00:16:33.404 --> 00:16:36.040
Yes, you, gather otherswho believe as you do,
00:16:36.040 --> 00:16:39.043
and start a local groupin your community.
00:16:39.043 --> 00:16:41.378
Effective changemost often comes
00:16:41.378 --> 00:16:43.414
through well-organizedand well led groups,
00:16:43.414 --> 00:16:45.916
that represent a bodyof the electorate.
00:16:45.916 --> 00:16:47.951
Finally, pray becomeactive in praying
00:16:47.951 --> 00:16:50.587
for leaders andofficials at all levels,
00:16:50.587 --> 00:16:52.489
as instructed in1 Timothy 2:1-4.
00:16:52.489 --> 00:16:56.026
Pray for elected officials,issues, court cases,
00:16:56.026 --> 00:16:59.029
and potential candidates.
00:16:59.029 --> 00:17:00.397
There is power in prayer.
00:17:00.397 --> 00:17:02.032
As a founding father, JohnHancock wisely challenged
00:17:02.032 --> 00:17:05.069
Christian citizens in his day.
00:17:05.069 --> 00:17:06.870
"I urge you, by all that isdear, by all that is honorable,
00:17:06.870 --> 00:17:10.607
by all that is sacred,not only that you pray,
00:17:10.607 --> 00:17:13.577
but that ye act."
00:17:13.577 --> 00:17:14.878
Do all four ofthese action steps,
00:17:14.878 --> 00:17:16.547
and you can shape the futureof your city, state and nation.
00:17:16.547 --> 00:17:20.184
It's time to put yourinfluence to work
00:17:20.184 --> 00:17:22.419
through electionseason and beyond.
00:17:22.419 --> 00:17:25.255
- This is somethingthat certainly the Bible
00:17:25.255 --> 00:17:26.857
gives a lot of indicationabout the significance
00:17:26.857 --> 00:17:29.893
of our involvement, where weknow Jesus talked often times,
00:17:29.893 --> 00:17:33.497
many parables about stewardship,
00:17:33.497 --> 00:17:35.399
where there was amaster, and he left,
00:17:35.399 --> 00:17:36.934
and people were in charge,
00:17:36.934 --> 00:17:38.302
and stewardship isimportant in God's kingdom.
00:17:38.302 --> 00:17:40.571
And knowing thatstewardship is important,
00:17:40.571 --> 00:17:42.573
I find it interestingwhen Jesus said
00:17:42.573 --> 00:17:44.641
"That you need to becareful what you say,
00:17:44.641 --> 00:17:46.176
because you will give an account
00:17:46.176 --> 00:17:47.444
for every idle word youspeak on judgment day."
00:17:47.444 --> 00:17:51.215
That's kind of aterrifying thought.
00:17:51.215 --> 00:17:53.784
Every idle word?
00:17:53.784 --> 00:17:55.619
I mean, we knowalso Proverbs says
00:17:55.619 --> 00:17:57.387
that where words aremany, sin is not absent.
00:17:57.387 --> 00:17:59.590
So you wanna becareful what you speak,
00:17:59.590 --> 00:18:02.192
but here's what Iwanna point out.
00:18:02.192 --> 00:18:03.393
If we're gonna bejudged for idle words,
00:18:03.393 --> 00:18:07.131
imagine how much we will bemeasured for our actions,
00:18:07.131 --> 00:18:11.335
'cause if words arethat important, whatabout our actions?
00:18:11.335 --> 00:18:13.770
And not only are ouractions important,
00:18:13.770 --> 00:18:16.306
sometimes are our inactivity,or our lack of actions,
00:18:16.306 --> 00:18:20.544
becomes equally important,
00:18:20.544 --> 00:18:21.712
because if wedidn't do something
00:18:21.712 --> 00:18:22.679
that we're supposed to do,
00:18:22.679 --> 00:18:24.181
we're gonna be in troublewhen that time comes.
00:18:24.181 --> 00:18:25.949
And the Bible is very clear,
00:18:25.949 --> 00:18:27.584
we're supposed to beinvolved doing something.
00:18:27.584 --> 00:18:29.786
- Yeah, the Bible reallyteaches that well,
00:18:29.786 --> 00:18:31.388
in the book of Genesis.
00:18:31.388 --> 00:18:32.856
And Genesis is the creationstory, everything begins there.
00:18:32.856 --> 00:18:35.759
And so you have the firstsix days of creation,
00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:38.195
and you've got thelight and the dark,
00:18:38.195 --> 00:18:39.696
and the waters aboveand the waters below,
00:18:39.696 --> 00:18:41.298
and the fish and theanimals and everything.
00:18:41.298 --> 00:18:44.001
And in Genesis 2:5,the scripture says
00:18:44.001 --> 00:18:46.670
that God looked and saw
00:18:46.670 --> 00:18:47.905
that he had no oneto tend his garden.
00:18:47.905 --> 00:18:51.041
And so we see the creationof Adam, and in Genesis 2:15,
00:18:52.442 --> 00:18:56.113
Adam was put thereto tend his garden.
00:18:56.113 --> 00:18:59.216
So, why was man created?
00:18:59.216 --> 00:19:00.984
To take care of God's stuff,
00:19:00.984 --> 00:19:02.886
that's why he putus here as stewards,
00:19:02.886 --> 00:19:04.788
and one of his institutionsthat he created,
00:19:04.788 --> 00:19:07.024
he created a governmentbefore he created the church.
00:19:07.024 --> 00:19:09.393
I mean, this is anearly institution,right, in Genesis 9.
00:19:09.393 --> 00:19:12.896
He put us here to takecare of his stuff,
00:19:12.896 --> 00:19:15.032
And that's a mandate we have,
00:19:15.032 --> 00:19:16.633
which includes in thecivil arena as well.
00:19:16.633 --> 00:19:18.902
- Yeah, it's interestingto think about,
00:19:18.902 --> 00:19:20.571
that the reason God created man
00:19:20.571 --> 00:19:22.439
was not merely for therelationship aspect.
00:19:22.439 --> 00:19:25.709
We think so much thatwell, we're just here
00:19:25.709 --> 00:19:27.711
to have relationship with God.
00:19:27.711 --> 00:19:29.179
Well, that is true, thereis no doubt about it.
00:19:29.179 --> 00:19:31.181
But God didn't need just morepeople to sing worship to him.
00:19:31.181 --> 00:19:34.218
He had thousands ormillions, billions,
00:19:34.218 --> 00:19:36.420
I don't know angels,there's lots of them,
00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:38.222
that's what we know,there's a lot of angels.
00:19:38.222 --> 00:19:39.856
He didn't need more peopleto sing songs to him.
00:19:39.856 --> 00:19:42.693
But, what the Bible saysis he wanted somebody
00:19:42.693 --> 00:19:45.629
to take care of thisincredible thing he made.
00:19:45.629 --> 00:19:48.065
And it reminds me even of,we talked about in Luke 19,
00:19:48.065 --> 00:19:51.368
where Jesus taught the parable,
00:19:51.368 --> 00:19:52.536
and there was a master who left,
00:19:52.536 --> 00:19:53.904
and told all of the servants,
00:19:53.904 --> 00:19:55.739
"You're in chargeuntil I return."
00:19:55.739 --> 00:19:57.941
What's interesting, ifyou read the gospels,
00:19:57.941 --> 00:19:59.843
is so often beforeJesus taught a parable,
00:19:59.843 --> 00:20:02.112
he said, "The kingdom ofheaven is just like this."
00:20:02.112 --> 00:20:05.282
And then he tells thisstory of earthly relation,
00:20:05.282 --> 00:20:10.020
of how things work, but he said,
00:20:10.020 --> 00:20:11.421
"The kingdom ofheaven is like this."
00:20:11.421 --> 00:20:13.490
If the kingdom of heavenis like the master,
00:20:13.490 --> 00:20:16.026
who went out of town, andthen he came back one day,
00:20:16.026 --> 00:20:18.262
and said, "Okay, all servants,
00:20:18.262 --> 00:20:19.696
you are in charge of allthat I had while you're gone.
00:20:19.696 --> 00:20:22.199
Now tell me whatyou did with it."
00:20:22.199 --> 00:20:23.533
That sounds likeJesus is saying,
00:20:23.533 --> 00:20:25.569
"This is what it is for us."
00:20:25.569 --> 00:20:27.704
Jesus was here, he left.
00:20:27.704 --> 00:20:29.706
One day, he's gonna return,
00:20:29.706 --> 00:20:31.575
and we're gonna haveto give an account
00:20:31.575 --> 00:20:33.043
for everything wedid, or did not do.
00:20:33.043 --> 00:20:36.613
And one of the things
00:20:36.613 --> 00:20:37.848
that God has entrustedto us as Americans,
00:20:37.848 --> 00:20:39.316
and this is whereAmerica is unique,
00:20:39.316 --> 00:20:40.984
compared to manynations of the world,
00:20:40.984 --> 00:20:43.353
is we have the ability tovote, to choose godly leaders,
00:20:43.353 --> 00:20:47.457
to be a part of the process.
00:20:47.457 --> 00:20:49.493
One day, we're gonnahave to give an account
00:20:49.493 --> 00:20:51.161
for the stewardship,when God says,
00:20:51.161 --> 00:20:52.529
"What did you do withthat vote I gave you?"
00:20:52.529 --> 00:20:54.931
We're gonna have to say,"Well, I voted for this guy,"
00:20:54.931 --> 00:20:57.534
and that might begood or might be bad.
00:20:57.534 --> 00:20:59.469
But I would be terrifiedto say, "Well, Master,
00:20:59.469 --> 00:21:01.538
I knew you were a hard man,
00:21:01.538 --> 00:21:02.839
and you reap whereyou haven't sown,
00:21:02.839 --> 00:21:04.107
and you gather whatyou haven't scattered,
00:21:04.107 --> 00:21:05.642
so I just buriedit in the ground."
00:21:05.642 --> 00:21:07.678
I know what happened for thatservant, and it wasn't good.
00:21:07.678 --> 00:21:10.781
And to me, that's achallenge as Christians,
00:21:10.781 --> 00:21:12.683
why we have to beinvolved in the process.
00:21:12.683 --> 00:21:14.785
- Yeah, we have to be involved.
00:21:14.785 --> 00:21:16.086
The objective isrighteousness exalts a nation.
00:21:16.086 --> 00:21:18.789
But the only way you getrighteousness in this system,
00:21:18.789 --> 00:21:22.826
is by righteous policies.
00:21:22.826 --> 00:21:24.695
And the best way toget righteous policies
00:21:24.695 --> 00:21:27.297
is to elect righteous leaders.
00:21:27.297 --> 00:21:29.433
And the way you electrighteous leaders,
00:21:29.433 --> 00:21:31.635
is by righteous peoplevoting for righteous leaders,
00:21:31.635 --> 00:21:35.172
who will do righteouspolicies, that God can bless.
00:21:35.172 --> 00:21:37.874
It comes back to us,
00:21:37.874 --> 00:21:39.309
more than it does ourpolitical officials.
00:21:39.309 --> 00:21:41.578
We're the stewards.
00:21:41.578 --> 00:21:42.879
- So looking atelections in general,
00:21:42.879 --> 00:21:44.214
there's a lot involvedin the process.
00:21:44.214 --> 00:21:46.083
There's a lot involvedwhen people decide
00:21:46.083 --> 00:21:47.718
they wanna run foroffice, and maybe one day,
00:21:47.718 --> 00:21:49.586
God's going to lead you toget involved in the process.
00:21:49.586 --> 00:21:51.788
Maybe you're goingto run for office.
00:21:51.788 --> 00:21:53.357
You're gonna be onthe school board.
00:21:53.357 --> 00:21:54.658
You're gonna be inthe city council.
00:21:54.658 --> 00:21:56.026
Maybe one day, you'regonna be a state rep,
00:21:56.026 --> 00:21:57.928
or congressmen, senator,president of the United States.
00:21:57.928 --> 00:22:00.263
It'd be awesome.
00:22:00.263 --> 00:22:01.431
We know that God calls people
00:22:01.431 --> 00:22:03.233
to get involved in the process,
00:22:03.233 --> 00:22:04.735
both the vote, and torun as elected officials.
00:22:04.735 --> 00:22:06.103
There's a lot involvedin that process.
00:22:06.103 --> 00:22:07.871
And in the midst ofall these conversations
00:22:07.871 --> 00:22:09.773
we've been having,one of the things
00:22:09.773 --> 00:22:11.541
that hopefully is becomingapparent and evident
00:22:11.541 --> 00:22:14.111
is that in the midstof American culture,
00:22:14.111 --> 00:22:16.113
and we've seen a lot of darkness
00:22:16.113 --> 00:22:18.849
begin to spread throughoutmuch of American culture.
00:22:18.849 --> 00:22:21.585
And the reason darkness spreads
00:22:21.585 --> 00:22:23.453
is because there'san absence of light.
00:22:23.453 --> 00:22:25.756
And one of the crazy things,
00:22:25.756 --> 00:22:27.357
as we look at culture around us,
00:22:27.357 --> 00:22:28.558
that we hear so oftenwhere people say,
00:22:28.558 --> 00:22:30.293
"Oh, it's just so bad,there's so much darkness.
00:22:30.293 --> 00:22:33.497
There are so many problems."
00:22:33.497 --> 00:22:35.298
And every time I hear someone
00:22:35.298 --> 00:22:36.800
talk about the darkness ofculture, the sin in culture,
00:22:36.800 --> 00:22:39.669
I remember what Jesussaid, in Matthew 5,
00:22:39.669 --> 00:22:42.873
"The solution of darknessalways is light."
00:22:42.873 --> 00:22:45.809
If you walk in a darkroom, and you're nervous,
00:22:45.809 --> 00:22:48.412
what do you do, youturn on the light.
00:22:48.412 --> 00:22:49.613
Well, what didJesus say we were?
00:22:49.613 --> 00:22:50.814
We are the light of the world.
00:22:50.814 --> 00:22:53.483
As we look at culture around us,
00:22:53.483 --> 00:22:55.719
we have to recognizewe are the solution
00:22:55.719 --> 00:22:58.522
for every problemwe see in culture.
00:22:58.522 --> 00:23:00.690
God is calling us to getinvolved and make a difference.
00:23:00.690 --> 00:23:03.827
And right now is our time.
00:23:03.827 --> 00:23:05.595
We need to be good stewards.
00:23:05.595 --> 00:23:06.963
We need to get involvedin the process,
00:23:06.963 --> 00:23:08.532
promoting righteousness, havingthe right voting priorities,
00:23:08.532 --> 00:23:11.968
that at the end,we can once hear,
00:23:11.968 --> 00:23:14.471
"Well done, good andfaithful servant."
00:23:14.471 --> 00:23:16.807
(gentle music)
00:23:16.807 --> 00:23:19.376
- [Narrator] Doesyour vote count?
00:23:20.544 --> 00:23:21.778
Let's take a lookat the numbers.
00:23:21.778 --> 00:23:23.213
Only about one in fourAmerican adults vote
00:23:23.213 --> 00:23:26.249
to choose their federaland state legislators,
00:23:26.249 --> 00:23:28.452
and their governors, innon presidential elections.
00:23:28.452 --> 00:23:31.655
2.6% is all it tookfor a landslide win
00:23:31.655 --> 00:23:35.459
in a recent mayoral race inAmerica's second largest city,
00:23:35.459 --> 00:23:38.895
where less than 10%of adults voted.
00:23:38.895 --> 00:23:41.398
Only three out of fourAmericans register to vote.
00:23:41.398 --> 00:23:44.601
Four out of 10 choose notto vote for the president.
00:23:44.601 --> 00:23:47.871
Thus, four out ofevery 10 adults
00:23:47.871 --> 00:23:50.140
who are qualified toparticipate in the process,
00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:52.676
voluntarily refus6e to do so.
00:23:52.676 --> 00:23:54.845
5% of eligible voters
00:23:54.845 --> 00:23:56.880
elected the mayor of Dallas,Texas in a recent election.
00:23:56.880 --> 00:23:59.850
Only 5%, and that's ina city with a population
00:23:59.850 --> 00:24:02.953
greater than 10 separatestates in the U.S.
00:24:02.953 --> 00:24:05.622
Only six out of every10 registered voters
00:24:05.622 --> 00:24:08.425
actually bother to votein presidential elections.
00:24:08.425 --> 00:24:11.294
This makes it possiblefor our nation's president
00:24:11.294 --> 00:24:13.597
to be selected by lessthan 1/3 of the population.
00:24:13.597 --> 00:24:17.000
Seven out of everyeight eligible voters
00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:19.536
do not vote for their governors,
00:24:19.536 --> 00:24:21.171
senators and representatives.
00:24:21.171 --> 00:24:23.106
Hard to believe, but innon-presidential elections,
00:24:23.106 --> 00:24:25.876
only about one infour American adults
00:24:25.876 --> 00:24:28.078
vote to choose theseelected officials.
00:24:28.078 --> 00:24:30.280
And since only amajority of that 1/4
00:24:30.280 --> 00:24:32.382
is necessary to select thewinners, those numbers add up.
00:24:32.382 --> 00:24:35.652
Which brings me to number nine,
00:24:35.652 --> 00:24:37.621
nine out of 10 U.S.citizens 18 or older
00:24:37.621 --> 00:24:40.357
have the right to vote.
00:24:40.357 --> 00:24:41.992
And yet, tens ofmillions of Christians
00:24:41.992 --> 00:24:44.494
are not even registered to vote.
00:24:44.494 --> 00:24:46.696
At the end of the day,the votes that count
00:24:46.696 --> 00:24:48.665
are the votes that get cast.
00:24:48.665 --> 00:24:50.467
And yet, 90 millioneligible voters
00:24:50.467 --> 00:24:53.036
did not vote in the lastpresidential elections.
00:24:53.036 --> 00:24:55.939
That's 90 million Americans
00:24:55.939 --> 00:24:57.741
who decided theirvote didn't count.
00:24:57.741 --> 00:25:00.110
So what will you decide?
00:25:00.110 --> 00:25:02.379
Does your vote count?
00:25:02.379 --> 00:25:03.947
(wind whooshing)
00:25:03.947 --> 00:25:04.881
- A big election is approaching.
00:25:04.881 --> 00:25:06.116
And some major decisionsare about to be made.
00:25:06.116 --> 00:25:08.385
Voting is one ofour most important
00:25:08.385 --> 00:25:09.953
rights and responsibilitiesas U.S. citizens.
00:25:09.953 --> 00:25:12.455
And this next electionwill ultimately determine
00:25:12.455 --> 00:25:14.324
who makes the callsand all the issues
00:25:14.324 --> 00:25:16.192
that you and I carethe most about.
00:25:16.192 --> 00:25:17.761
In this upcoming election,your voice and your vote count.
00:25:17.761 --> 00:25:21.231
The president who takes officewill have the opportunity
00:25:21.231 --> 00:25:23.767
to make some majordecisions, this term,
00:25:23.767 --> 00:25:26.436
that will impactgenerations to come.
00:25:26.436 --> 00:25:28.805
The 1/3 of the Senate wevote in office this election
00:25:28.805 --> 00:25:32.142
will determine just how farthat next president can go,
00:25:32.142 --> 00:25:34.911
in making those decisions.
00:25:34.911 --> 00:25:36.513
And all of the House ofRepresentatives seats
00:25:36.513 --> 00:25:38.214
will be up for grabs.
00:25:38.214 --> 00:25:39.716
So this is the year to showup, and vote your values.
00:25:39.716 --> 00:25:43.086
- We have a chance to shapehistory, one vote at a time.
00:25:43.086 --> 00:25:46.256
(dramatic music)
00:25:46.256 --> 00:25:49.025
(wind whooshing)
00:25:54.764 --> 00:25:55.000

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