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It is written:
1 Peter 2:11-17-Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—. 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
As Christians, we live in a world that is at war. The kingdom of Christ (the church) is at war with the kingdom of Satan (who is the god of this world-2 Corinthians 4:4). However, we also know that Satan is limited in what he can do, and that God has providentially allowed all of the governments of the world to exist (Romans 13:1-7). So, what do we do when the government and its’ agents are corrupt?
In my life as a Gospel preacher, I have occasionally had positive experiences with some politicians and officers. These men and women are honest and full of integrity, willingly sacrificing for the good of others. We could include in this category also many good police officers and law enforcement agents. Indeed, I have been blessed to work with many of them, especially in eastern Kentucky. Thank God for these and others like them!
However, I have also had negative experiences with corrupt officials and law enforcement officers. Sometimes the courts are shown to be as immoral as the day is long, and justice is truly fallen in the streets. More will be spoken of that one day. Much more.
For now, we need to address ourselves to the issue of how we as members of the church of Christ handle these issues when we are confronted with them. What do we do as Christians when we find ourselves at the mercy of an unjust and corrupt system of power in the government? How do we respond to immoral officers who use their power to harm and mistreat the innocent?
Allow me to share some thoughts with you about these matters, based on the Word of God and from some things that I have learned through the years via my own personal experiences.
First, it is important to realize that as Christians, the Bible admonishes us to honor the institutions and laws of man as far as possible. Paul’s words to the Romans establish this point very well:
Romans 13:1-7-Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
Here, the Bible tells us that God is providentially the One Who rules over all the kingdoms of the Earth. Yet we are also exhorted to remember that the nations of this world are under the control and sway of Satan (Deuteronomy 32:8-9; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 5:19). This is something which is made clear especially in the Old Testament and in Jewish. Commenting on Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32:8-9, Godawa notes:
“When we look at the ancient Jewish understanding of Psalm 82, we see the gods as divine beings, not human. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, an ancient Jewish document labeled 11QMelchizedek reveals that they understood the gods of Psalm 82 to be satanic spirits to whom God allotted the nations. 11QMelchizedek 2.10-16 As for that which he said, How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah (Psalms 82: 2), its interpretation concerns Satan and the spirits of his lot who rebelled by turning away from the precepts of God to… And Melchizedek will avenge the vengeance of the judgements of God… and he will drag them from the hand of Satan and from the hand of all the spirits of his lot. And all the ‘gods of Justice’ will come to his aid to attend to the destruction of Satan.[ 4] Now, there were certainly a variety of theological viewpoints in Judaism, but this text does illustrate the dominant divine interpretation of that ancient context. Here is another text from a well-known noncanonical Jewish text that interprets the Sons of God in Deuteronomy 32: 8-10 as also being angels or territorial spirits spoken of in Psalm 82. Jubilees 15: 31-32 [There are] many nations and many people, and they all belong to him, but over all of them he caused spirits to rule so that they might lead them astray from following him. But over Israel he did not cause any angel or spirit to rule because he alone is their ruler and he will protect them. This passage from Jubilees is actually an interpretation of Deuteronomy 32: 8-10 that I will explore in the next chapter. But the point here is that the Sons of God in Deuteronomy were considered to be the same divine spirits who ruled over and judged the nations in Psalm 82. They were decidedly not human judges.” (Brian Godawa, When Watchers Ruled the Nations: Pagan Gods at War with Israel’s God and the Spiritual World of the Bible (Chronicles of the Watchers), 20-21 (Kindle Edition): Los Angeles, CA: Embedded Pictures Publishing)
The early second century Christians had a doctrine known as “the two kingdoms” that helped them to make sense of the Lord’s relationship to the authorities of the nations, and Christian interaction with such. David Bercot writes:
“One of the ironic things about the church today is that one of the basic core beliefs of Christianity has almost been totally lost. The belief I’m referring to is sometimes called the doctrine of the two kingdoms. This was a teaching that was universally believed by the primitive Christians and yet it’s a teaching that you hardly ever even hear of any more. Yet unless you fully grasp this doctrine and all of its ramifications you will never be able to understand primitive or early Christianity. Certainly in their view you will never be able to understand authentic apostolic Christianity. So throughout this message we are going to be looking at what the early Christians meant by this doctrine and what it means for us today. I’ll begin by first defining the doctrine of the two kingdoms: To put it in a nutshell, it’s the belief that there are two kingdoms or two realms in existence today. They are the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of this world. There is the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. According to this teaching, the kingdom of God is of necessity separate and distinct from the world order around it. The kingdom of God isn’t something in the future or something that we come into after we die or after Christ returns. It is something here and now in the true disciples of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the kingdom of God isn’t some spiritual, symbolic or figurative kingdom; it’s something concrete with its own set of laws, values, leadership and its own worldview like any other kingdom. As a result, God’s people reside in this world merely as foreigners and aliens because they are already citizens of another kingdom. So they live by a whole different set of laws. They have different values and a different outlook on world issues than do the citizens of this world. The Kingdoms of the World Under this teaching, the kingdoms of this world are part of the kingdom of darkness. That’s because Satan is the God of this present world. Now that doesn’t mean that Jesus Christ and His Father are not involved in the kingdoms of this world because God is still the one who is ultimately in control of the kingdoms of this world. Even though they don’t acknowledge it, the earthly rulers derive their power from God; however God’s governance of the earthly kingdoms is something completely separate and distinct from His oversight of His kingdom. The important thing to remember is that these two kingdoms cannot be mixed. Doesn’t Every Church Teach This? Now you may be thinking: “Okay, this doctrine of the two kingdoms doesn’t sound that particularly unique. Many churches teach that today.” I will agree that today there are many churches who pay lip service to this doctrine but there are very few churches who still actually maintain this basic doctrine of Christianity. I say that because even though many churches pay lip service to the doctrine of the two kingdoms, when it gets down to the nitty-gritty, most professing Christians today still think that they can mix these two kingdoms together. When push comes to shove, even persons who profess to be Bible believing Christians (those who say that they are no part of this world) act almost no differently than does the world except for a few highly visible issues like abortion, homosexuality or illegal drugs. And because they take a conservative stand on a few issues like that, they delude themselves into thinking that they are really different from this world. However the truth is that most professing Christians today are thoroughly part of this world. They are part of its government, its mindset, and its commercial organizations, and it has been that way ever since Constantine. For the early Christians this wasn’t a matter of lip service; it was a stark reality. They truly were citizens of a different kingdom than the people around them, and the Romans took note of how different and peculiar these Christians were. Now most of this discussion isn’t going to be me explaining the two kingdoms and what the primitive Christians believed about it. It’s going to be the primitive Christians explaining to all of us what they meant and what they believed.” (David Bercot, What The Early Christians Believed About The Two Kingdoms, 20-44 (Kindle Edition): Amberson, PA: Scroll Publishing Company)
Even though we may not fully understand the dynamic between the kingdom of God (the church) and the kingdom of Satan (the world), we are to honor the rulers of the nations as they have been providentially appointed by God. When Paul wrote these words, the wicked king Nero was Caesar of the Roman Empire! We honor these leaders as appointed by God, even while standing against wickedness and ungodly laws and rulings. We also acknowledge their God-given right to bear the “sword,” a clear reference to capital punishment, law enforcement, and military might.
“Scholars have argued about the exact background and significance of the phrase “bear the sword,” but none of the specific connotations suggested seems to be well established. 53 Probably, then, Paul uses the phrase to refer generally to the right of the government to punish those who violate its laws. 54 For the purpose of his argument at this point, Paul is assuming that the laws of the state embody those general moral principles that are taught in the word of God. 55 The “evil” that the civil authorities punish, therefore, is evil in the absolute sense: those acts that God himself condemns as evil. 56 Only if this is so can we explain how Paul can see the government’s use of the sword as a manifestation of its role as “God’s servant.” At the same time, this suggests that the “wrath” that the governing authority inflicts on wrongdoers is God’s wrath. 57 When the civil authority punishes wrongdoers, the authority, acting as God’s servant, is “an instrument of vengeance” 58 through whom God is executing his wrath on human sin. For, as Rom. 1:18 shows, the final eschatological outpouring of God’s wrath on sin is even now, in the course of human history, finding expression. The “vengeance” that is prohibited to individual Christians (12:19) is executed by God’s chosen servants, the secular authorities.” (Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans (New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT)), 801-802 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)
It is important here to remember that the “sword” that the government bears does so with God’s approval when the governments’ decisions are based on God’s revelation of Himself to mankind. In other words, when the government misuses its military power in persecuting the innocent, it does so without the approval of God.
Second, this highlights another important principle: Christians are not obligated to obey laws of man that contradict the laws of God. Indeed, this is something which is made clear throughout the entire Bible. God’s Word shows us many examples of men and women who broke the laws of depraved humanity and were blessed by God for doing so. One example is from the Hebrews midwives who were ordered to kill all the Jewish male babies, but who refused to do so! Even though they were ordered by the sate to commit this atrocity, they obeyed God instead and were blessed by Him. Moses wrote:
Exodus 1:15-20-Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; 16 and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?” 19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.” 20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty.
Here we see that the midwives were blessed by God when they stood against and broke the laws of a wicked government. Over the years, I have been blessed to work with those who believe that the Bible was written by the government in order to force people to obey the rulings of man. How ironic that there are so many heroes of the Bible honored by God who stand against wicked rulers! As Christians, we realize that when the government and officials of man oppose God and what He teaches, we are obligated to obey God rather than men (cf. Acts 5:29).
Third, it is also important to consider that the New Testament does not advocate the violent opposition of evil government. Indeed, we are called upon to remain peaceful in our dealings with humanity. The Gospel is not spread by force of arms, as Jesus teaches and as He exemplified in His own life and mistreatment.
1 Peter 2:21-25-For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
When Christians abandoned the Example of Jesus and tried to spread Christianity through the sword, the result was the atrocities of the Middle Ages and the Inquisition. Instead of combatting wicked government with force of arms, we instead honor the leaders who are over us and pray for their salvation.
1 Timothy 2:1-7-Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Fourth, when we find ourselves dealing with corruption in high places, we also continue to speak out against wickedness and corruption even as we commend the good within it. Some examples of this in the Old Testament include Ahijah versus Solomon (1 Kings 11), Shemaiah versus Rehoboam (1 Kings 12), Ahijah versus Jeroboam and another man of God (1 Kings 13-14), Elijah versus Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 17-18), and especially the account of Isaiah the Prophet versus Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33). Of this, the ancient account known as the Ascension Of Isaiah (referenced in Hebrews 11:37) starkly and soberly explains to us:
Ascension Of Isaiah 1:1-9-“AND it came to pass in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah that he called Manasseh his son. Now he was his only one. 2. And he called him into the presence of Isaiah the son of Amoz the prophet, and into the presence of Josab the son of Isaiah, in order to deliver unto him the words of righteousness which the king himself had seen: 3. And of the eternal judgments and torments of Gehenna, and of the prince of this world, and of his angels, and his authorities and his powers. 4. And the words of the faith of the Beloved which he himself had seen in the fifteenth year of his reign during his illness. 5. And he delivered unto him the written words which Samnas the scribe had written, and also those which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, had given to him, and also to the prophets, that they might write and store up with him what he himself had seen in the king’s house regarding the judgment of the angels, and the destruction of this world, and regarding the garments of the saints and their going forth, and regarding their transformation and the persecution and ascension of the Beloved. 6. In the twentieth year of the reign of Hezekiah, Isaiah had seen the words of this prophecy and had delivered them to Josab his son. And whilst he (Hezekiah) gave commands, Josab the son of Isaiah standing by. 7. Isaiah said to Hezekiah the king, but not in the presence of Manasseh only did he say unto him: ‘As the Lord liveth, whose name has not been sent into this world, and as the Beloved of my lord liveth, and the Spirit which speaketh in me liveth, all these commands and these words will be made of none effect by Manasseh thy son, and through the agency of his hands I shall depart mid the torture of my body. 8. And Sammael Malchira will serve Manasseh, and execute all his desire, and he will become a follower of Beliar rather than of me: 9. And many in Jerusalem and in Judea he will cause to abandon the true faith, and Beliar will dwell in Manasseh, and by his hands I shall be sawn asunder.’” (Dr. John H. Shepherd Sr. (Pasteur), The Ascension of Isaiah: I am a man of unclean lips… Isaiah 6:5-7, 13 (Kindle Edition): Maitland, FL: Xulon Press)
Many other examples could be cited from the Old Testament of how God commanded His Prophets to stand against the wickedness of corrupt government. Indeed, we see the same in the New Testament. Examples include how John the Baptist stood against the wicked king Herod (Luke 3:19) and also of Peter and John opposing the orders of the wicked Jewish leaders (Acts 3-5). As Christians, we must be wary of political bandwagons and pundits. We are called on to preach and teach the Word of God, not promote Republican and Democrat agendas (cf. 2 Timothy 4:1-5). When leaders do right, let us praise them: when they do wrong, let us stand against them, all the while praying for the salvation of all.
Fifth, we must avail ourselves of our privileges as citizens of whatever nations we find ourselves inhabiting during our pilgrimage in this world. Paul often used his rights as a Roman citizen in order to promote God’s kingdom and Gospel in the world of man.
Acts 22:25-30-And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?” 26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.” 27 Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.” 28 The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.” And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.” 29 Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. 30 The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.
Acts 25:11-For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.”
Paul used his unique privileges as a Roman citizen in order to promote the Gospel and the kingdom of Christ in this world. Being a Roman citizen, it was unlawful for him to be scourged by the Roman law enforcement officers. Further, he had the right to appeal his legal case to Caesar, which afforded him the opportunity to preach the Gospel to the very highest offices of the Roman Empire. Furthermore, he also freely acknowledged that he was bound to obey the laws of the Roman Empire so that he would abide by the legal judgments of the government if he had truly violated national laws which did not violate the law of God.
Notice specifically how Paul used his Roman citizenship in the face of unjust persecution from corrupt government officials:
“This detail about the release is important because it is against Roman law to cane a Roman citizen, and so Paul is owed an apology at the least. Paul’s rights, established by ancient law codes, have been violated. The Valerian (509 BC), Porcian (248 BC), and Julian law codes (ca. 23 BC) affirmed such protections (Conzelmann 1987: 133; Bruce 1990: 366). 6 Livy (Hist. Rom. 10.9.4) notes the heavy penalty for flogging or killing a Roman citizen, according to the Porcian Law (Barrett 1998: 801). Some exceptions allowed Roman citizens to be beaten, but it was never without a full hearing (Williams 1990: 291; Sherwin-White 1963: 72–76). The risk to the magistrates is significant, for part of their role is to protect Romans from injustice. If they fail in giving such protection, they might never serve in such a role again (Dio Cassius, Rom. Hist. 60.24.4). Paul therefore refuses simply to go free, given that as a Roman citizen he has been beaten without a formal charge being proved against him and without receiving a formal hearing. He wishes to make his innocence a matter of record to those in charge and to be publicly escorted out of prison, an act showing his innocence. A false claim of such citizenship could mean execution, so that is not likely here (Witherington 1998: 499–502; Suetonius, Claudius 25.3). As proof of such citizenship, individuals might carry a professio with them, or birth certificate indicating their status. These were small wooden diptychs (Williams 1990: 292; Sherwin-White 1963: 148–49). Normally, however, people did not carry such important documents. It may well be that the officials accepted Paul’s claim because the legal risk to Paul for lying made it unlikely that he would do so. Paul’s public release constituted an added element of protection for the local community. The magistrates would be more careful in the future. The magistrates come, address the concern, and ask (ἠρώτων, ērōtōn) Paul’s group to leave the city, 7 probably to guarantee the peace. Paul and Silas graciously accept. The imperfect tense of ἠρώτων is probably iterative, given the progressive nature of the tense in this context: they “repeatedly asked” them to leave as they discussed the matter. Although the RSV, NET, and NLT translate the aorist verb παρεκάλεσαν (parekalesan) as “apologized,” this rendering may be too strong. The term simply indicates an effort at exhortation and comfort, a conciliation (BAGD 617 §5; BDAG 765 §5), much as the father does with the elder son in the parable of the prodigal, where this term also appears (Luke 15: 28). “Appealed to them” (NASB) and “came to appease them” (NIV) are better renderings. A pattern will emerge in Acts 16–18: Christians are brought before officials, are accused, and are told to stop preaching or face a reaction that seeks to curb their mission, but the mission continues. The mission is shaking the pagan culture, but justice shows that it should not be stopped. Paul notes his suffering here in 1 Thess. 2: 2 and in 2 Cor. 11: 25. These events remain with him.” (Darrell L. Bock, Acts (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), 829-831 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic)
There will be times that the justice system fails us, and when we are confronted with persecution from corrupt political powers and their agents. During these times, we need to do our best to avail ourselves of the legal rights afforded us by our national citizenship as Americans. Prudence will help us determine when utilizing such means is expedient. Paul, for example, used his Roman rights when it was advantageous to the furtherance of the Gospel and the kingdom. His concern was always the advancement of Christ and His kingdom in the world. He was so focused on this priority that he even told Christians at times that it was better for them to suffer injustice rather than to bring reproach upon the church:
1 Corinthians 6:7-Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?
We must use wisdom in our dealings with the corruption that is at work in this world.
Sixth, let us always remember that it is not flesh and blood that we are fighting against when we face corruption in the political sphere. We are at war against the powers at work behind these forces. This Paul makes abundantly clear:
Ephesians 6:12-For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
These phrases were all used in Jewish literature before and during Paul’s lifetime to refer to the hierarchy of the angelic system in place around the world-a system which was mirrored among the fallen angels and their power structure. As such, we not only fight against the demonic powers of darkness, but we also fight for the unsaved humans who are enslaved to these powers (cf. Ephesians 2:2; 2 Timothy 2:24-26).
Seventh, use wisdom in your dealings. Jesus tells us:
Matthew 10:16-Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
The Apostles wrote:
1 Corinthians 14:20-Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.
Ephesians 5:15-16 (CEV)-Act like people with good sense and not like fools. 16 These are evil times, so make every minute count.
When I was in preaching school, our instructors advised us to always try to use good judgment and common sense habits when dealing with every day situations. We were admonished, for example, not to have private Bible studies with women, or not to be in the presence of anyone else’s children without having other witnesses present. I am personally aware, for example, of situations where good common sense precautions helped undermine and refute slanderous and defamatory allegations of corrupt and immoral agents of wicked government officials.
Sometimes we have to fight smarter, not harder.
Eighth, do not stop praying for your enemies.
Psalm 83:16-Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O LORD.
Matthew 5:44-45-But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Luke 23:34-Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.
Acts 7:59-And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Romans 10:1-Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
2 Thessalonians 3:1 (ERV)-And now, brothers and sisters, pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s teaching will continue to spread quickly. And pray that people will give honor to that teaching, the same as happened with you.
Please do not allow the wickedness of our enemies to keep you from praying for their salvation. The best way to defeat an enemy is to make him a friend: and the Good News of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit have the power to accomplish this.
“But that’s it. God’s method of church growth is preaching the Word, watered by believing prayer….Here is a principle to ponder: that which makes the Church a distinctive company in the world is the Word of God–or, putting it more concisely, the Word of God is the constitutive reality at the heart of the Church. It is what makes the Church what it is, and it has always been so….“What we call ‘the Acts of the Apostles’ is a case in point. In its twenty-eight chapters there are about thirty-seven references to the growth of the Church. Indeed ‘The Growing Church’ would be a more suitable title than ‘the Acts of the Apostles’. Of the thirty-seven or so references, six associate growth with the quality of church life and of Christian character, seven link growth with the evidence of ‘signs and wonders’, and twenty-four link growth with the preaching of the Word of God–indeed in 12: 24 the growth of the Church is actually called the growth of the Word, as if they were so closely related that they could be identified one with the other.” (Alec Motyer, Preaching? Simple Teaching On Simple Preaching, 175-193 (Kindle Edition); Scotland, U.K.; Christian Focus Publications)
Finally, we must not lose hope. Even if we face temporary defeats in the battles of this life when facing corrupt government and wicked law enforcement, there WILL be a day when our victory is assured and the defeat of the wicked is established.
Revelation 11:15-Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
Christian, do not despair when it seems that the corrupt politics of the world will carry the day. Keep your focus on Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.