PASTOR RODNEY BANKENS PREACHING
POLITICS
Romans 13:1-2 KJV,
1 Let every soul
be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers
that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever
therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that
resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
The Bible says
that government has been ordained by God Himself.
In just 2 days,
we in the United States have the privilege of electing the people who will
serve in office for the next several years. In this voting session we are
voting for the highest position in this nation, the most powerful office in the
world, President of The United States of America. Since I believe this is one
of the most important elections in our lifetime, I have taken a strong stand in
the past few months to encourage voters to support candidates on the national,
state, and local levels who embrace biblical values.
I listen to the
news every day on my XM Radio and on the internet. My wife and I are both
deeply concerned about the enormous moral issues facing our country. That is
why your vote on this Tuesday, November 6 is so critical.
This is a
crucial hour for our nation. Above all, this is a time for deep, intercessory prayer
on behalf of our great country, which is in grave danger…unless we repent of
our sinful ways and turn back to the God of our fathers.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 New Living Translation ®,
1 I urge you,
first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their
behalf, and give thanks for them.
2 Pray this way
for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet
lives marked by godliness and dignity.
When America’s
political leaders actively promote and then begin to legislate into law immorality,
and begin to restrict the religious freedoms that our country was founded on, and
are openly and outwardly hostile to men and women of faith, I believe we are
ripe for the
judgments of God.
So I ask each
one of you to PRAY and then VOTE on this Tuesday, November 6, asking
God for His mercy and grace upon our country. There is still time to turn from
our wretched and wicked ways so that He might spare us from His wrath against
sin.
I personally
think America has been headed in the wrong direction for so many generations.
This great nation is so deep in out of control debt now. There are in place now
Government agencies that are enforcing rules and regulations that were never
passed by Congress, our constitution is being breached. Most of the media in
America and much of the population continually mock God, questioning if there
even is a God. Now the media along with the multitudes of American people are now
diminishing the value of marriage and family. They are diminishing the unborn that
are so innocent and have no voice for themselves.
Blind leaders have our
blind nation headed over a cliff so to speak to a point of no return. Thank God
there are a few national representatives in Washington D.C. and a few preachers
along with a very few godly people who really realize what is happening and
what we are about to face. I hope we have many people that desire to help this
nation of America to get back on the right path.
I am hopeful and I have
good news for everyone to hear. God is the “shelter from the storm we find
ourselves in and the Shepherd who will lead us to lie down in green pastures, It
is God who will lead us beside the still waters and who will restore us body,
soul, and spirit while preparing a table before us with goodness and mercy
following us all the days of our life even in the presence of many merciless
enemies and all the false accusers.
This week Gallup poll
called to ask me about presidential candidates, national direction and to get
my take on what is unfolding on the political landscape. The poling person was
gracious and I am thankful to say I enjoyed what I felt was an honest question
and answer session.
I want a good relationship
with all the poling people and the media because I believe as strongly in the
freedom of press and expression as I do the importance of freedom to preach,
worship and assemble ourselves together. These are gifts and rights that come
directly from “God” and have been passed down to us from our founding
forefathers. I will always defend every God-given constitutional right while
also strongly emphasizing every human beings personal responsibility in keeping
these freedoms and constitutional rights in our nation.
Whenever issues of national
and moral importance (Which have now been made political) are addressed by a
preacher, we hear the outcry that we as religious people are to “Stay out of
politics!” In other words, they are saying we as preachers must avoid real-life
issues, day to day problems and challenges on the national stage by never
standing up with hopeful, helpful godly and righteous solutions. The truth is
Saints of God, this means all people of faith and certainly preachers of the
Word of God are bound and obligated to speak out boldly and to stand for
Biblical convictions. People with a secular, humanist, God-denying view that
assaults the Judeo-Christian biblical views and diminishes the importance of the
founding documents of this great nation are continually organizing in every
community against the things pertaining to God. They force their views on the
population through protests and radical political activism while never giving
up an inch of their “unsacred” turf, however unsacred it actually is. They expect
the church community to hush-up, be quiet, roll over and go back to sleep, and above
all they expect us to keep our faith to ourselves.
There are even several
people who support the outreaches of LIFE and who love God who have told me
that I am getting too political. Some have scolded me in emails and on private
messages on Facebook. Exactly what does that mean that I am getting too
political? Am I concerned? Yes I am. Do I care? Yes I do. Do I love God and
people? Yes I really do. Do I want to assist the suffering people in this
nation? Yes, that is why I am compelled to speak out and to be open with my
views.
I am commissioned by God
and His Word to speak, to put a ”trumpet to my lips,” to “sound an alarm on the
holy mountain,” to warn the people, stand in the gap, repair the breech,
rebuild the walls, restore the foundation, and faithfully present the one
reliable standard – the Word of the living God. I am called to preach “the Way,
the Truth and the Life.” I will do all that I can do and I will proclaim truth
all the while I am involved in touching people. Now is the time to “call a
solemn assembly, to rend our hearts, not our garments.” No more religious
pretense saints of God. It is time to stop “honoring God with our lips” and
begin honoring Him with all of our hearts, with everything that is within us.
As saints of God it is of the
utmost importance that we not just try to tell people how to live, but actually
we show them how to live by our example. New Testament Saints of God were so
full of life and love they turned their world upside down. Now it is up to we
who are Holy Ghost filled saints of God to turn our upside down world
right-side up again and get them on the straight and narrow way, before it is
too late.
I told the very polite Gallup
Poll pollster what I feel like I am called to do even when it comes to this
election. I am now trying to challenge all ministers, preachers, saints of God,
and leaders of our country to consider fulfilling the will of God and together
get our nation and our people on the right path which includes the path of
salvation.
I will endorse biblical truth, love,
compassion, courage, convictions, strong marriages with strong families, and
the importance of everyone assuming responsibility for their actions as well as
influencing local and national direction. I support the Constitution of the
United States of America as our founders established it. Up until this election
I have never stood up and personally endorsed a particular candidate nor have I
personally in the past endorsed a party. But our nation is in trouble, many of
our leaders are taking advantage of we the people and we are in grave trouble
and therefore I must sound the alarm against EVIL. Saints of God not only do I
have a God given right to sound the alarm, but I am also protected by the
Constitution of These United States of America to sound the alarm by blowing the
trumpet of truth and righteousness. Every one of us certainly has the God-given
right to stand up for our rights and to sound the alarm and no one understood
this better than our national founding fathers.
When a preacher, or highly
visible person or for that matter any one of us endorses a candidate, that is
our right and we should all respect each other even if we disagree with others
opinions. We can disagree without being hateful, ugly and mean. I will talk to,
counsel with, challenge, and pray for and with any candidate who is running for
any office or holding any office. I will love them all and honor their position
even if I firmly disagree with their stand. But I will not be a soggy, mushy,
mealy-mouthed, inspire-no-one preacher and just tip toe around the issues that
are corrupting this nation, no Never!
I will exhort – I will speak up and I will
speak out because it is what preachers are called by God to do. Woe is me and
all of us as ministers of the gospel if we do not standup and speak out in this
evil day. When we do not proclaim truth and liberty throughout the land, we
have failed both God and man. “We must Shout it from the housetops, cry out
with a loud voice everywhere we go.”
The fact is the Word of God
is carved in the stone on buildings throughout Washington, DC, and buildings
all over this nation, this published and public Word of God continues to
testify while some pulpits have gone silent and the pews become sanctimonious
mortuaries where dead saints come to attend church once or twice a week.
Preachers of the gospel must not be timid and fearful or they will have a
church filled with spineless, fear-filled people who will never become a “city
set on a hill,” they will be as one whose light has gone out or one whose light
has been put under a bushel.
I will always embrace sound principles upon which we
can build our lives, families and future. I support what has been proven to
work throughout human history to the real benefit of people, not some idea or
suggestion that reduces humanity and human beings to something less than God
created us to be. Lives as well as buildings must be established on a solid
foundation and not built as the city of New Orleans, Louisiana and so many
American people and, yes, many of our politicians are hell-bent on building
their future not only on sand, but on sand below sea level.
I will always stand against
evil and expose evil, damaging
practices, and I will stand against bad policy being propagated by the
law-makers of this nation.
Since most media and many teachers
and scholars do not seem to believe in evil and obviously some lawmakers and
even so many Christian ministry leaders do not seem to believe in evil either I
will still stand against evil, which is sin.
In other words the national
leaders would have us believe, “the three little pigs” and Red Riding Hood need
to learn there is no big, bad wolf, and while at it chunk the Bible along with
the children’s stories out the window all the while we are to continue living
in a failing, fantasyland and a dream world that is filled with so many
nightmares! So for these who do not believe the Bible is the truth of God’s
Word, let me address what I mean by bad policy. If it does not work or is not
sustainable, no matter how sincere these masterminds seem we must stop the
madness! Because this madness is worse than suicidal; it becomes murder - death
to people and it produces such and insecure future with no hope for every
American citizen, because we are all involved in these failed policies.
I will encourage every person to assume
responsibility for their own lives, their personal decisions and to diligently
seek to assist other people along the way. Vote faithfully and with biblical conviction for those who hold to
moral values, freedoms, liberties and sound principles dear. Do not vote just
for one issue or out of mere personal preference or fear of damaging your party
loyalty or do not vote only for a great sounding high flying personality.
Consider the whole package – vote principle not just preference. There has only
been one perfect candidate – Jesus – and He will not be in the running for your
vote in a political race.
Jesus
Christ rules in
the lives of those who are totally submitted to Him! I encourage every one of
you to recognize how valuable and important you are to the Lord and to His
cause and purpose, because of this we must see all things through the eyes of
the Lord because there are so many who run for our higher offices that are
refusing to even acknowledge God or to fellowship in His love. Because of this
twisted view today we best know how to discern who we are to cast our vote for.
I will endure – I am in the race to win, not
just this up and coming election Tuesday, nor am I seeking the approval of men
by who I vote for or who I am pushing for office, but I plan on finishing and
winning the “race God has set before us all.” This is a race for the full
expression of the life, love and liberty only God can give which people are to
share. I will “stand and having stood keep standing for God and right while I
continue to run this race of life.”
To the people and all
political candidates I say: “if you are going to get beat up, let it happen
because you are standing boldly in behalf of what is best for God and country –
what is best for people who are running this race of life.” So if you are
asking me to explain in brief words what I am trying to do, here is my answer: I want to inspire everyone to first get on your
face before God and then stand on your feet for God and right during this
election and Vote godly Tuesday. Every one of you needs to go to the polls and
Vote your Bible.
The upcoming presidential
election will say something about who American people trust and even what the
American people trust? Both candidates and parties stress the importance of
trust. The fact is, they each want you to trust their leadership and their promises,
but if you read between the lines and have the ability to discern, you will see
so much more than either of them desire that you see.
Neither presidential
candidate is perfect so therefore we have reasons for legitimate concern on
both sides. We all want both parties to be concerned with the welfare of the
American people, poor, middle class and wealthy. We want both parties to seek
better ways to enable the healthcare system to work more efficiently and
effectively for every American. We want both parties to provide the best
military and defense system for the nation. We want both parties to reign in the
lavish spending and to balance this nation’s budget. We want both parties to
abide by and to enforce the constitutional laws of these United States.
Some things, however, are
very clear when it comes to this election and who we choose to cast our votes
for:
One candidate and party favors limited government
and believes in the ability of citizens to be more productive on their own,
this is Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan who have been nominated by the Republican Party.
The other candidate and
party
believes government is the primary source of care and that financial resources
should be taken from successful people and redistributed to others in order to
pay for highly comprehensive social programs, this is President Barack Obama/Joe
Biden who have been nominated by the Democrat Party.
NOW, I really want to
believe that both candidates and parties genuinely care about “We the people.”
So with all this before me how do I really know which candidate and which party
is the one that I should vote for to best care for “We the People” and all the
evil that is set before us as a nation at this time?
Here are some facts for all
of us this morning:
The people must control the government,
or the government will control the people.
“We the People” will ultimately trust
God or we will trust the government.
If the government does not serve us
wisely and effectively, we will serve the government and it will bring us to
our own ruin.”
When people are taught to
look to government or to others to care for them, they will not look to God.
God must be our source. The prophet Jeremiah said,
Jeremiah
17:5-6 New Living Translation ®,
5 This is what the Lord says:
"Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human
strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
6 They are like stunted shrubs in the
desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land.
When people in trouble are
led or encouraged to look to politicians and the federal government for help
and their every day needs, they will not seek God and find the real assistance
they so desperately need. When “We the People” are taught not to give or
receive love, taught not to care for others, or not to assist our neighbor, we
then have become deceived and contribute to our own downfall, and to the loss
of freedom, and will ultimately find ourselves in slavery and bondage. Handing
our personal responsibility and the importance of being involved in meeting the
needs of others to some agency or national political power destroys our hope.
If the American people will
again put God in first place; we will notice others and become motivated by
true compassion; we will then work together to find meaningful solutions. In
addition, we will be personally involved. People in need must see people who
care in order to recognize there is a God who also cares.
Jeremiah
17:7-8 New Living Translation ®,
7 "But blessed are those who trust
in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and
confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a
riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not
bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay
green, and they never stop producing fruit.
A government program will
not, and should not, be expected to reveal the love of God. Trusting government
to care for the poor around us strips God from the equation. This is not
biblical compassion at all.
I am not opposed to a
“safety net” approach to welfare, but I am against teaching people they do not
have to work, do not need an education in fact all they have to do is go to the
mail box month in and month out and their meager little bit just to keep them
happy and voting right. Folks we have become a welfare nation, no longer a working
nation and our people remain in poverty with no hope of ever being successful
in life.
To make things worse, we
are not approaching the solutions with the idea of producing more wealth, but
rather with the idea of viewing wealth as a fixed amount that must be
reapportioned in order to benefit others. As we cave in to the desires of
activists, such as taxpayer-provided contraception and condoms for college graduate
school students, we depart the realm of assisting the poor and enter into a
true socialist society. This is not the America that has surpassed the world in
wealth, strength, freedom, and positive influence.
People’s needs and
weaknesses should help drive them to the correct source of help: which is God.
Instead, we are training people to turn to government. A faceless federal
agency sending out checks with no personal connection is welfare, but it is not
compassion in the scriptural sense. If “We the People” keep lifting up the
government rather than God and His love as the answer to life’s challenges, we
are actually promoting idolatry. Pointing people to government for assistance
instead of stepping up and, as the church of Jesus Christ, taking an active,
personal hand in helping others is a complete abandonment of the call of God.
May God forgive us and lead us to repentance!
This election will give us
an indication of whom and what the American people trust. If we say no to
ever-increasing debt, overreaching entitlements, more taxes on everyone, we
will also be saying yes to personal responsibility, meaningful acts of
compassion, legitimate interest in our neighbors, and a determination to offer
assistance by mentoring and teaching others.
This is the only way out,
and we must do it together as “We the People,” under God, indivisible. Then,
and only then, will we have liberty, justice for all. We will again be the land
of opportunity and a “shining city set on a hill” for all the people of the
world to admire. It is not too late, but it is very late. Watch and pray—then go
vote!
Let me
insert the reading of a letter for your hearing:
From the
heart of Pastor, written Oct. 27th, 2012
I’m writing this from a Shepherd’s
heart that is so heavily burdened for our Nation and its People that I feel a
mandate from God above to speak as I’m speaking right now. I’m writing this not
as a rebuke, but as an Alarm! My heart is completely humbled as I write these
words. This is also NOT a Political Post, but One of Morality. I was awakened
much of the night last night in Prayer, burdened of the Lord for America.
Please hear me out and don’t turn a deaf ear to these words that I now write.
The issues of which I’m writing are
not Political issues, but they are Moral issues, which have been hijacked and
stolen from the Church and entered into the Political Mine Field of other
issues and after being told that these issues are “Political” for so many
years, Society and the Christian Church have bought this lie, hook, line and
sinker. But it’s just that – A Lie!
James 4:17, “Therefore,
To Him Who Knows To Do Good And Does It Not, To Him It Is Sin.”
(Please keep this verse of scripture as a basis of reflection as you read the
rest of my words)
I hope many read this, but I’m
speaking directly to the Christians of America within my sphere of influence.
Our Nation is literally at the point of No Return if Righteous Change doesn’t
take place immediately! I don’t believe that I’m overstating the case when I
say that this is the single most important election in our Republic’s short 236
year history. There has never been so much at stake as there is at this stage
of our existence as a sovereign Nation. Everything that this Country was
founded upon and founded for is now on the verge of being done away with. Our
Religious Freedoms and Civil Liberties which have been purchased with the shed
blood of our Nation’s finest for more than Two Centuries are now at stake! We
have never known life without these things here in this Nation and we have
taken them for granted as though they would always be, but again, I implore you
to truly shake yourself and see the Handwriting On The Wall! Time is Up!
Something must happen Now!
Many good, well-meaning Christians
are depending solely upon the Lord to fix this and if He doesn’t, then they are
simply assigning that as “God’s Perfect Will”. My dear Brothers and Sisters,
God has Always, Always, Always, utilized humankind as His instruments in this
world to bring about His agenda. He utilized Moses to lead the Children of
Israel out of Egyptian Bondage. He used Jonah to go preach to the people of
Ninevah to Repent and turn to Him lest they be destroyed. He used young David
to kill the Philistine giant, Goliath of Gath in the face of overwhelming odds.
He has ALWAYS used “People” to do His work and His will in this world. It’s no
different today.
As I write these words, we are only
Ten Days away from “Choosing” our next President of these United States of
America. We have two very different candidates. I have been accused of being a
racist because of some of the things that I am about to address, but anyone who
truly knows me, knows that I am not a racist. I am SO grateful that our Country
has FINALLY come to the place that an African-American can be elected to the
highest Office in this Land. I applaud that and I am sincerely so grateful that
we’ve reached that point. Frankly, it’s been far too long in coming! So there
is nothing that I’m speaking today or any other time that has anything at all
to do with Race. Race is a complete “Non-Issue” with me, in any aspect of life.
As far as I’m concerned, we are all of the Human Race and that’s the only Race
that counts, because the Human Race is the Race that Jesus Christ bled and died
for.
As a Christian, there are (3) Three Fundamental Issues that are
of the most importance to me. It’s not Fiscal Policy, although that is very
important. It’s not Foreign Policy, although, again, that too is extremely
important. However, I’m of the persuasion based upon the Word of God and my own
personal experience with His faithfulness, that if We, The People, Seek First
His Kingdom & His Righteousness, that He will bless us Fiscally and even
defend us from our enemies. But that’s where we have strayed. We have become a
Nation who seeks the Creation above the Creator! We seek material Blessing
above the Blessor! Our Priorities have been shifted and though true Repentance
begins in the heart, it also proves itself through One’s deeds and actions. We
MUST Repent and realign ourselves with God’s heartbeat and then we will again
begin to see “God Bless America”, but not until!!!
The 1st
Moral Issue is Abortion. Right now, there is a little baby
boy or baby girl, created in the image and likeness of God, being brutally
slaughtered within its Mother’s Womb every 26 seconds in our Nation. They call
it Choice, but God calls Abortion – “MURDER”! The proponents of this heinous
act have attempted to label the Unborn as merely a fetus, a blob of
inconsequential tissue and cells without a Living Soul, but God has declared in
His Holy Word that “before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you”.
Since 1973, we have slaughtered more than 52 Million little “People” in America
and my friend, their innocent blood is crying out for Justice to a Holy and
Righteous God! President Barrack Obama is strongly pro-Abortion, pro-Late Term
Abortion, pro-Partial Birth Abortion, pro-Infanticide and his voting record and
his own words bear this out as factual. One thing that God says that He “Hates”
is “Hands that shed Innocent Blood.” What could be more innocent than a
precious little baby boy or girl? Governor Mitt Romney is not completely
pro-Life, as I wish he were. He favors abortion in the case of Rape, Incest or
to save the Life of the Mother. Regardless of how the child was conceived, he
or she is still a Living Soul and a Little Person who is at our mercy. Yet,
there is still a huge difference between the two candidate’s positions. We have
the opportunity of possibly slowing the rate of abortions by 80% -95% by our
Vote. I have actually heard some Christian’s state that they aren’t going to
vote for either candidate because neither of them are completely Pro-Life, so
they’re just going to stay home and continue to “Pray”. But I say, that to sit
by and do “Nothing” when we could do something and perhaps make a huge dent in
the number of babies being slaughtered in this Nation is Sin itself. Yes that’s
what I said. We can pray until we’re blue in the face, but if we sit idly by
and do nothing to save these precious lives, then even as we pray (in vain) we
are sinning, because remember, “To Him Who Knows To Do Good And Does It Not, To
Him It Is Sin”. We MUST act to save these precious babies!
The Second
Moral Issue is the Protection of Marriage.
God has made it abundantly clear that Marriage is an act that is between a Man
and a Woman, not same-sex! As a matter of fact, He’s clearly stated that the
act of Homosexuality, much less Homosexual Marriage is an Abomination and He
abhors it! Paul lets us know in the 1st Chapter of Romans that blatant
homosexuality is the very final stages of a society that is in utter moral
failure, on whom God’s wrath and judgment has fallen! President Obama has
recently endorsed Homosexual Marriage. Governor Mitt Romney has stated that he
would endorse a Constitutional Amendment cementing into Law that Marriage is a
Sacred Union between a Man and a Woman and my friend, that’s God’s plan too! We
will never change God to fit into what’s Politically Correct. He is the Lord
and He changes not, so we must change our ways of thinking to align with His!
We, as the Church, if we want to be on the side of God, then we must support
and protect Marriage as being between a Man and a Woman. My friend, anything
less is asking for God’s Judgment to fall without reservation upon this Nation,
just as we read of in Romans Chapter 1.
The Third
Moral Issue is our Alliance With The Nation Of Israel. God stated that He Would Bless Those Who Bless Israel and
He Would Curse Those Who Curse Israel. President Obama has continually for the
past nearly 4 years, insulted, rejected and abandoned our best and only real
friend in the Middle East, ISRAEL. He has gone out of his way to befriend,
embrace and embolden her Muslim neighbors who have made it abundantly clear
that they want nothing less than to blow Israel off of the Map. President Obama
has also stated and I quote,
“Should the Political Winds Shift, I will
stand with the Muslims”.
Governor Mitt Romney is very
Pro-Israel and wants to strengthen our alliance with her once again. We must
stand with Israel if we expect God to bless us.
My dear brothers and sisters, with
just the little bit of information that I’ve given, I must say that to sit this
election out and not vote, regardless of whether you’re praying or not, to not
act, is cowardly, self-centered and sinful! I say that as kindly as I possibly
can, but it’s simply the Truth. To KNOW
to do right and to then not do it, it is SIN!
Protecting the life of the Unborn is
RIGHT! To not do it, is SIN!
Protecting the Biblical Depiction Of
Marriage is RIGHT! To not do it, is SIN!
Protecting our Alliance with the
Nation of Israel is RIGHT! To not do it, is SIN!
We must Pray! 2nd Chronicles 7:14, “If my
people which are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my
face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, will
forgive their sin and heal their land.”
We must Pray! We must also Turn from
our wicked ways (Repent) and seek FIRST the desires of God! Repent is a VERB.
It requires ACTION. There is fruit thereof.
I pray that on November 6th, the
Body of Christ in this Land will arise in one united voice and stand with
Righteousness! Then and only then can we hope to see God’s hand of blessing
rest upon our Nation once again. Lest
we act now, our days of Liberty and Freedom are nearing their rapid end and our
Children and Grandchildren will be the ones who suffer the greatest costs of
our Apathy and Inactivity! In other words, they will reap the consequences of
the Sins of their Fathers and Mothers who chose to remain Silent and Apathetic
when they could’ve done RIGHT!
I love each of you, I love God and I
do love America and I pray that we will do the right thing while we can and I
pray that we always remain One Nation Under God!
Pastor Robbie Baankens
Abundant Grace
Petal, Mississippi
Who is for Abortion?
Who is for same sex
marriage?
Who is on the side of
Israel?
Who is a Mormon?
Who is a Muslim?
Who is for big spending and
for big debt?
Who is for more taxes?
Who is for less government and
less taxes?
I have already voted for Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan
