Let me get this straight right at the outset. I do not agree with everything Obama stands for. But I respect him as I respect those who voted for him. Therefore as a believer I must pray for him.

The indictment is not that Obama is an antichrist that the Church failed to unseat. The real enemy must be the fundamentalist Bible beating churches that are spread accross the American nation.

There is a serious divide taking place. It is called religious prejudice. Right now I may have a position against homosexuality, Islam, and other persuasions, but above all, is how does the Church reach into a more divided community. It cannot go in with “guns blazing” quoting damnation scripture. Nor can so called “prophets” rail against what they see as sin.

A whole new approach is needed.

The election of President Barack Obama is a blessing. It challenges us to face our darkest fears and prejudices and come through in prayerful reapproaches into life’s major issues.

Did God allow Obama to be elected? A resounding YES.

God is speaking into the Church. He says you are preaching the NEW whilst you’re living in the OLD.

That is you’re preaching GRACE, but living in LAW in your attitudes.

I am not an American, nor do I live on US soil. But the challenge of these elections cause me to confront my own phantoms, and my own stance, to be purified by the message that voters said to the world.

A new Jesus needs to be seen. The Jesus who approached Samaritan women, a prostitute, a tax collector. We need to ask God to show us how He sees these so called “sinners”.

Is it feasible to say that we have lost sight of the Gospel message?

I think so. Our Church is in crisis already. What is the crisis?
1. Crisis of leadership: a legalistic, fundamentalistic leadership will lead us into division and into compartmentalization of society. More and more church leadership is retreating into religious “castles” of their own congregations.
2. Crisis of understanding; we need a new revelation what the Gospel really means. We must look beyond the MESSAGE to the MAN. How did Jesus act and speak in all circumstances and in society? Tremendous wisdom and tact disarmed all the religious leaders of his day. If anything the zeal for truth can become our main stumbling block.

What we need to understand is that unless the Church begin to understand that older approaches no longer work, and only bring greater divisions and polarization, we must ask Jesus to fill us with His Spirit. So that we may act as He did.

Unless we catch this moment, we will lose this generation to war. The only way to disarm the two sides is for Jesus to walk between them again. Too many are wanting to speak against Islam, and see that as our main threat.

I do not see it. I see our main threat as ourselves. Our intolerance sow seeds of a future war. The atrocities of two world wars must be remembered, so that our lack of love may be confronted, and maybe we will stand in God’s presence in all honesty.

When James and John passed through villages that would not receive Jesus, they wanted fire to come down from heaven to consume. Jesus rebuked them, and told them that they were operating in a different spirit.

Right now Jesus would ask: what spirit are you of?

So Obama’s reelection is a blessing, it challenges us to respect what we grew up to despise, love what we were taught to hate, and build bridges where we tore down to divide.

The challenge is there.

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