The Bible and the Ballot Part 2: From Politics to Pharisees

How can we faithfully navigate our Christian values in a world deeply divided by political allegiances? Join me, Jason Hopkins, on this episode of the Hopeful Perspective Podcast as we explore answers grounded in scripture, specifically from the book of Matthew. Reflecting on the contentious Paris Olympic opening ceremonies, we discuss how Jesus’ teachings should shape our responses, ensuring that our political actions are rooted in biblical principles rather than reactionary impulses. Learn how to distinguish between constructive Christian engagement and the distortions of Christian nationalism, which can compromise our witness and prioritize political loyalty over genuine faithfulness to Christ.

Are our leaders truly embodying the principles they preach, or are they falling into the same traps as the Pharisees? In this chapter, we scrutinize the actions and fruits of Christian leaders, drawing on Jesus' criticisms of the Pharisees to highlight the importance of integrity. Discover how the pursuit of honor and power can undermine humility and service, particularly within the Christian nationalist movement. By examining Galatians 5:22-23, we underscore the significance of bearing the fruit of the Spirit and reveal how legalism and human traditions can obstruct others from entering the kingdom of heaven. Contemporary parallels are drawn to help us navigate these challenges in our current context.

What happens when leaders make false promises, prioritizing political gain over genuine commitments? This episode dives into the issue of deceptive oaths, comparing modern political behavior to the Pharisees' focus on trivial matters over justice, mercy, and faith. We examine and explore the principles of authenticity over authoritarianism from Matthew, Titus, and Romans that should guide our expectations of political leaders.  Don't miss this episode as we navigate these complex issues with the wisdom and example of Jesus Christ.

Chapters

• 0:01 Navigating Christian Values in Partisan Culture
• 14:09 Examining Christian Leaders' Fruit and Actions
• 21:27 Navigating Political and Biblical Values
• 33:54 Journeying With Hope and Direction

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to the Hopeful Perspective Podcast. I am your host, jason Hopkins. Our podcast is designed to give you a perspective of hope that impacts your daily life in an authentic and tangible way. I opened the first six episodes where we learned how my life story illustrates God's glory through my own experiences, moving from a survivor to a faithful and God-loving thriver. Though my past was full of pain and suffering, I have been restored with purpose, mission and sanctification. I have been redeemed. I have also been called to follow Christ in my redemption. I want to thank you for listening and taking the time to download our episodes, as this, paired with rating our podcast with an honest response, both help the algorithm immensely to spread our reach. We have also provided a few options to either contact our show with your direct feedback, as well as to support the podcast financially if you are called to partner with us bringing hope to a hurting world. This far in the process, in addition to my own life story, we have talked through the basic yet foundational principles of suffering, redemption, forgiveness, renewing of the mind, relational reconciliation, and then last week, we initiated our series on the Bible and the ballot. And then last week we initiated our series on the Bible and the Ballot. We addressed contentious topics such as the right to life and the biblical definition of marriage. I shared personal insights from my own extensive research and conversations with diverse theological perspectives. I illuminated my own personal stances in order to begin laying the foundation for a biblical perspective as a Christian living in our partisan world. Today, we are going to talk through scriptures that give us further insight into this perspective. So I encourage you to grab your favorite snack, hot or cold beverage, get comfortable and come on this journey with me today, as we explore some of Jesus' words in the book of Matthew and how they may apply to our living as a Christian in a partisan world.

Speaker 1: 2:10

Some of you may have read the heading to the last episode and upon listening, we're left curious as to how me sharing my own stances on contentious issues in our society and politics in fact shows us how to be Christian in our partisan world. I want to address my reasoning briefly for choosing how I did and why I did present the topics. First, I wanted you, my listeners, to be clear where I have landed upon hours, months and years of studying and researching the biblical view on issues like the right to life and the family unit. In understanding all the pretenses that I shared, you will have better understanding and a context for the next few episodes, as I share what the Lord has given me in view of being a Christian in our divided and partisan culture, as well as what it means to participate and what my values are in terms of my voting, as well as being faithful to the principles of my faith more so than to the politics. As in anything we discuss, I believe that we ought to look to Jesus as our model for what to be passionate about. As leaders in the body of Christ, we need to pay close attention to our culture and society and where we are going. As it pertains to politics, the evidence seems to point that, as believing members of our communities, we are expending a lot of energy reacting to the unbelievers around us, who obviously view and vote their conscience differently than we do as submitted Christ followers, view and vote their conscience differently than we do as submitted Christ followers.

Speaker 1: 3:46

Even as I created this episode, while the 2024 Olympic Games are going on in Paris, great outrage was expressed by the Christian world by the apparent blasphemy the Parisian Olympic community demonstrated in their opening ceremonies. Now listen, I too was offended by what my television screen fed back to me, due to my own personal reverence for Christ and the imagery that the Last Supper invokes for my faith. But the Holy Spirit seemed to follow up with me with this question. Do I think God is surprised by the mockery and rejection a secular society shows towards him? What did the scriptures tell us about Jesus' expectations? What did Jesus show us when it comes to correcting the unbelievers of Israel, versus what he modeled for us in responding and redirecting the religious leaders in his day? See, we need to look back to Christ and to do what we need to by looking at scripture to inform us, and I will do my best to share less of my own opinion and more just biblical truth.

Speaker 1: 4:56

Further, I want to make a distinction, going forward, between the common Christian who, though they are tempted to react adversely to the culture around them, promoting anti-biblical values such as being pro-choice or gay marriage, that they still remain consistent and Christ-like in how they respond to those that disagree with them. I want my listeners to distinguish between this person and the one who has fully become engulfed down that slippery slope in the latest wave of Christian nationalism, where people have devolved from using their faith to simply guide their votes, to having placed their faith in the votes. Those who have helped to vilify and weaponize what it means to be conservative. The American Christian believer who utilizes social media as their political bedpan, fighting other people as they fight for their rights. I'm talking about those who seem, on one hand, to have difficulty communicating healthily the message and the hope of the gospel, as we were commanded by Christ to do. Yet on the other hand, these same people sure come alive to take a confident stand and trumpet the partisan conservative talking points wherever and however they can, with little difficulty communicating at all. We know what and who they are against, more than we know who and what they are for. Believer in Christ who claims to worship the Lord, yet appears to have significantly deep trust. Issues that, if the wrong political party makes it to the White House or that that blasphemous piece of legislation is passed, that in either case these issues would be too much for God and or he just would be taken by surprise.

Speaker 1: 6:40

Jesus said we would know a tree by its fruit and, honestly, a lot of those who veer towards this heresy of Christian nationalism. I know them by their conservative bullet points far more than I know them for their Christian beliefs. I believe the biblical fruit can be observed by our moral character, integrity, vision, emotions, beliefs and behavior. Vision, emotions, beliefs and behavior. The fruit our tree bears is seen in our internet searches and our social political media messaging. This fruit can also be seen when we communicate directly in healthy dialogues, where we treat people as people believe it or not. Yet most seem to resort to communicating divisively through their Instagram, their Facebook X Threads, youtube and if you have been kicked off of those platforms Rumble and so on and so forth, and the only direct attempt to communicate to people is talking at them in their base rallies versus chatting with them in relationship Relationships where they can have discerning, even if disagreeing, conversations, person to person, not shouting at crowds.

Speaker 1: 7:52

Jesus, the word who became flesh, and the Bible, the Logos, his revelation, modeled for us not only the what that we should stand for, but also the how. Jesus taught us the fruit that a believer committed to him bears. Both of these are capable of expressing the heart of God, and we will see. In the passage we review today, one that the Lord showed me in my own devotion, as well as multiple other places in the Bible, we will see. Jesus' most angry moments were with the religious folk of his day, not the unbeliever, not the sinner, but the religious leaders. We read how the Pharisees and those trying to make a profit in the temple courts off of sacrifices, where Jesus said they were turning what was intended to be a house of prayer into a den of robbers. These examples earned the righteous anger of our Messiah, and as much for the fact that they were in charge of leading others, as we will soon see. So I want to give you some time to look up and read this passage from Matthew 23, verses 1-22, written just a few passages after. He gave us the healthy and wholesome way we are to handle conflict in Matthew 6 and Matthew 18. Let's read it.

Speaker 1: 9:14

Then Jesus said to the crowds and his disciples, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you, but do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for people to see. They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long. They love the places of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues. They love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth father, for you have one father and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest amongst you will be your servant, for those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Speaker 1: 10:18

Then Jesus carried on in what is often labeled the seven woes of the Pharisees, in verse 13. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Woe to you, teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you hypocrites. You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. Woe to you, blind guides.

Speaker 1: 10:50

You say if anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing. But anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath. You blind fools. Which is greater? The gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say if anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing, but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath. You blind men. Which is greater? The gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.

Speaker 1: 11:33

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You give a tenth of your spices, your mint, dill and cumin, but you have neglected the more important matters of the law, justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter important matters of the law, justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. You blind guides. You strain out a gnat, but you swallow a camel. And woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee first clean the inside of the cup and the dish and then the outside also will be clean. So what do you hear when you read this passage, or you hear it? I pick up clear passion and emotion and vote in the anger that Jesus was feeling as he corrected the hypocrisy and the woes of the Pharisees. Do not miss this important point.

Speaker 1: 12:30

Jesus began this discourse by communicating that the Pharisees' words and message all in themselves were not the issue. After all, truth is truth. We read that the Pharisees occupy the seat of Moses, that is, they were actually called to the position of authority that they were in being such, jesus said that we need to respect what was due to these scribes and the Pharisees. They should be respected because they hold an office of authority that's ordained by God. I believe that we are to apply these same principles to anybody in authority, as we acknowledge the sovereign hand of God. Who isn't surprised at who is in that seat of authority? Yet Jesus then says Do what they say, not what they do. The message in itself was productive. It was the messenger who was the problem.

Speaker 1: 13:26

Our Lord instructs us how they were wrong. First, we hear that they do not practice what they preach. We have come to accept this as a clear declaration of hypocrisy in our English language. In the Greek, I will simply say that the same term that forms the word hypocrite hypocrites is that which was used of Greek theater actors. Greek actors wore masks to cover who they really were underneath. This is what we see in any of Jesus' teachings against the Pharisees. His disposition was that they covered up their secret indiscretions with the mask of rigid law and religiosity.

Speaker 1: 14:09

So the religious leaders were saying the right things, but in their personal life, did they bear the full fruit of the teachings and the principles they prescribed to others? Now, granted, we need to clarify that Jesus came declaring a new covenant and a new kingdom that was coming to earth with his arrival and eventual sacrifice. So it would be hermeneutically inaccurate to hold them to the standards of that new covenant, as they did not have the reference point of the fruit of the Spirit found in the letter to the Galatians. The fruit which are not bound by any lots, it's written much less the ones the Pharisees were reinforcing. That said, Jesus was asking for the Pharisees to be personally accountable for the scriptures that they did have and for their walk to match their talk. And since we're talking about Christian leaders and even the further right Christian nationalists, these guys are all supposed to know the new covenant and they should have been discipled to know what the fruit that believers are to be bearing. So I caution you to examine their fruit. You talk the talk, but do you walk the walk? Now let's see what the walk of a believer who bears spiritual fruit is, and let's let scripture speak for itself.

Speaker 1: 15:30

Galatians, chapter 5, says that if a believer is truly rooted in Christ, they will bear the fruit of the Spirit. Now I want you to read along and remind yourself, starting in verse 22. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law, and self-control Against such things there is no law. We ought to be using this proof text to anyone that declares themselves to be of the Lord, and anywhere in our life, if our attitude or our messaging violates any of the fruit of the Spirit, then our truth is hypocrisy, as we're not living out the heart of the very messaging that we espouse. Jesus would say to such a person be careful to do what they say, at least in the particular instances that the message hasn't become a biblical, but do not do what they do, for they are hypocrites. They are actors wearing masks and covering up what is the truth. Now we see.

Speaker 1: 16:38

The second point of Jesus' anger at the religious of his day was that the Pharisees pursued the highest of honors, positions and statuses. Jesus observed how they wear their phylacteries, or these long scarves, more or less, that were statuses of religious prominence, and they also sought the highest respect as rabbis, placing emphasis on their title over the truth in their teaching, and they loved to be in the marketplace where the loudest voice came from the richest donor. Today there are believers who have exchanged their faith from the humble beginnings and teachings of Christ to the more arrogant positions of power in government and businesses. That net worldly benefits. I encourage you to do your own research, as I have, and you will see that conservatism and the further right to Christian nationalist movement has a $1 billion revenue for the funding of their political party or their candidates to be seated in the highest positions in the land, whether it's governors, senators or even the White House. They seek honor, not necessarily humility. They seek policies over principles and the power of government over the promises of God. We need to constantly challenge anyone or any action that defies Jesus' explanation in Matthew 23 that we are reading, that the greatest among us in verse 11, will be a servant, since it is in their humility that they will be exalted, not their position of power.

Speaker 1: 18:13

The third point of Jesus' anger that we are cautioned with when we read Matthew 23 is that the religious leaders tied heavy, cumbersome loads onto their followers, unwilling to pick up the same work they expected to be done. You see the hypocrite or actor. The mask is worn as a necessary survival skill to project somebody that we're not. Survival skill to project somebody that we're not. The Christian nationalist faces this tension often in their exploits, as the requirements they face on this road to being politically relevant as well as gaining power will inevitably lead to abandoning their principles and promises that one time may have even informed their faith. This is one definitive place where conservatism will divorce Christianity. Christianity stands for the rights of the unborn and the family unit, without compromising either their character nor their Christ-like values. They uphold truth in the fullest, which means bearing Galatians' fruit of the Spirit.

Speaker 1: 19:16

The fourth point we extract from the message of the Pharisees is that the religious leaders kept people from the kingdom of heaven by making human traditions and human religious rules more important than God's word. This was clearly seen in the way that they opposed and rejected Jesus, as they would have surely opened the door to many other people into the kingdom if their seat of influence and support would have been used to understand and support Christ. Yet they chose to shut the door of heaven in people's faces and were most harshly accused by Jesus of creating twice the children of hell that they are, having been willing to travel great distances to win a single convert. We see in this that their zeal and evangelism did not prove they were right with God. These religious leaders went to great lengths to win others, but they brought people to darkness, not light.

Speaker 1: 20:09

I think the similar principles apply to Christians and Christian leaders, who have the opportunity to bring people into the kingdom, yet their politicking slams the door in people's faces. They pride themselves and are even fueled by creating division amongst one another and anyone who disagrees with them. Every convert they have is adopting practices and philosophy that draws them away from the heart of the gospel and rather into the false god of their favorite political candidate or even their political positions. The author Poole said that the Pharisees' business was not to turn men from sin unto God, but merely convert them to an opinion. How similar does this describe the online and social media world? All we have to do is take to X or the artist formerly known as Twitter, to Facebook, to Instagram or any place, and we will see people attempting to convert people to opinions. Friends. We were called to create disciples of Christ, not to create a political party or even a government that calls ourselves Christian People, bearing this title but wearing a mask to cover personal impropriety.

Speaker 1: 21:27

The fifth thing I want us to see today is that the religious leaders made false and deceptive oaths. Jesus asked us to consider for which is greater the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Here Jesus emphasized that the altar itself is greater the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Here Jesus emphasized that the altar itself is greater than the sacrifice made upon it. The altar in that day was the established meeting place between God and man, where sacrifices were made and penitence given on behalf of the sinner. Our altar is Jesus himself and his work that was done on the cross is Jesus himself and his work that was done on the cross. That is the gift and the promise that was made.

Speaker 1: 22:01

How many times have we heard political promises, false and deceptive oaths on the lips of our conservative politicians who try and cater to our votes with honey? But the constituents whom they made the promise to are left with a bitter taste. And yet we still search for that next candidate to deliver us. Even some of our most worthy of politicians at the head of the party have promised to protect the sanctity and the right to life. One political cycle only to change that position. The very next political cycle. See, their emphasis is not the promise, the altar, but rather the gift of your vote that comes across it.

Speaker 1: 22:43

The next woe we read is when Jesus tells us Woe to the Pharisees and scribes you hypocrites, for you pay tithe of mint and dill and cumin, yet have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. Have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. In other words, the religious leaders were obsessed with lesser trivialities and ignoring the weighty matters, whereas the majority of conservative politics affects issues beyond the scope of right to life, preservation of the nuclear family unit, economic prudence, smaller government, etc. Many leaders will reduce the morality and goodness of candidates to their vows and views on only a few topics, to the expense of the other issues that are also significant to the life of a believer. What does the Bible tell us about mercy, justice and faith? How are we to govern our lives as individuals and push our government to reinforce these same kinds of issues? Have we become preoccupied and nearsighted? That is, a narrow focus on a few issues that affect a small portion of our population, to the detriment of our values that affect the whole? Are we yet beginning to see how we are being put into double binds when we divert our attention from trusting the Lord and His sovereign hand over our lives to fearing our nationalistic future, if people use their own vote to elect someone who thinks or believes differently than us? At the very least, I want to identify the blind spots that falling too far down the slippery slope on either side of the partisan landscape can lead us into, particularly if you are one who calls yourself a Christ follower.

Speaker 1: 24:27

Let's examine the last part of Matthew 23 that Jesus instructs and cautions us about the Pharisees. Jesus said that these religious leaders were like the whitewashed tombs pretty on the outside but dead on the inside. What this means was that the religious leaders are impure both inside, but try and look clean on the outside. You see, it was the custom of the Jews of that time to whitewash the tombs in the city of Jerusalem so that before Passover no one would touch one accidentally, making themselves ceremonially unclean. I have to be clear as we come to this point. I'm sure many readers can read this and be tempted to attribute Jesus' teaching to others' whitewashed tombs, potentially avoiding our own hypocrisy that has been created within ourselves, in our own lives.

Speaker 1: 25:22

I too often have to admit that I've read scripture in the same way, and it's often due to my own insecurities in acknowledging where I want to project a level of spirituality that I don't possess, or even appear knowledgeable in topics of biblical or even political significance that I knew less in. The hardest three words to utter, I think, are I don't know. To admit that we too struggle with wearing a mask To clean the inside of our dish is to remain a believer that is hungry to learn and is willing to remain humble. This is the standard we are to be shooting for, not to become merely more knowledgeable and hyper-spiritual, and especially not to paint ourselves that way. Christ calls us to remain authentic and vulnerable, as it is through our insufficiency that his power and grace are made efficient.

Speaker 1: 26:23

There are various other texts in the scripture that give us guidance and espouse the principles that a believer is to prioritize as it concerns government and governing officials. Granted, we know that the state of Israel is of theocracy. Who, at the time of the apostles, was under the occupation of rome? Do we see verses that tell us specifically how to elect democratic leaders or what to do with democracy? Of course we do not, though there are principles we certainly have that speak to our character, and Matthew 23 is one of these texts. Let's look at a few others. The book of Titus declares that we are to remind the people to be subjected to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate and always to be gentle toward everyone. Does that sound familiar?

Speaker 1: 27:20

The Apostle Paul, in the book of Romans, chapter 13 and verses 1 through 3, tells us everyone must be submitted to governing authorities, for all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished For the authorities. Do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right and they will honor you. And then again, paul in Romans 13, in verses 6-7, tells us this this is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them. If you owe taxes, pay taxes. If revenue, then revenue. If respect, then respect, and if honor, then honor.

Speaker 1: 28:15

The Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2 to submit ourselves, for the Lord's sake, to every human authority, whether it's the emperor as a supreme authority, or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that, by doing good, you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil. Live as God's slaves. Many of these passages speak for themselves, and their principles ought to be applied to the politics of our day.

Speaker 1: 28:47

Do we believers abide by everything that we read? And I admit I will never claim to know all of God's perspectives and in all of its accuracy and truth, regarding even the issues we face today, except by the principles that he has revealed to us in his word. And even then, sometimes it is best to say I don't know the full truth, where he purposely didn't necessarily give clear direction. Our faith will often lead us into the waters where all we can do is look up and trust the Lord through the raging storm, even when that storm is on our land of the free and the home of the brave.

Speaker 1: 29:27

This series is not created to bash our democracy or to talk down to conservatism in any way. I mentioned last episode that I am an equal opportunity offender, not on purpose, but when we read the truth of the word of God we will be made uncomfortable, particularly if we have integrity and are trying to walk out a Christian walk. We serve a God of hope and a future, and yet that doesn't mean our culture will embrace either of those things, and certainly doesn't mean having the quote unquote correct and righteous candidate will create some utopic Christian America either. Yet we can be involved actively and even passionately within our civic and political spheres, so long as we are consistent, living out the fruit of the Spirit and do not compromise our biblical values in any way, whether in our message or our messaging. We are to be a beacon of hope for the people around us the first glimpse of the Bible they maybe haven't read. As we radiate the joy and love of Christ and have thanksgiving for all that we have been given, we are to show them our faith and our hope.

Speaker 1: 30:43

And for some of you listening, you've either walked away from that faith and that trust you perhaps at one time placed in him, or maybe you've been tempted away in your own pain, like I once was, to pursue other avenues you thought provided more security. Or you've never put your hope and faith, nor your trust in the Lord, but you're feeling compelled in your search for truth by the evidences the Holy Spirit is illuminating about Christ. Either way, I would be remiss if we left our time today without providing an opportunity for whoever wants to to respond to Christ. And I want to pray for you right now, for whoever wants to to respond to Christ, and I want to pray for you right now. All of you listening either agree with this prayer or lift those up that are listening who are needing this right now.

Speaker 1: 31:29

Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins and I surrender my full life to you. Wash me and cleanse me from all unforgiveness and pride. I believe that you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins and you rose again on the third day for my victory. I believe that in my heart and make confession with my mouth that you, jesus, are my Lord and my Savior. You are higher than any earthly king and president, and your kingdom is forever. I want to live my life according to your terms and I want you to change my reliance from myself or on worldly political pursuits where I have placed hope, and instead I want to trust your plan and ask for you to put the people and the processes by which I need to pursue restoration in my life.

Speaker 1: 32:18

I ask for you to reveal to me where I have mistakenly been idolatrous in this and whatever dynamics the enemy has utilized to keep us apart. I speak your truth over when I have become overzealous in my passion for politics or politicians or even the ability to vote, that has taken me out of the balance and away from the faith, or maybe even where I've been apathetic. I ask for your grace, your mercy and, most importantly, your forgiveness. Thank you for being a God of mercy, a God of healing and a God of truth. Might I become a bridge builder and a peacemaker who will stand on truth, yet I will do so with wisdom and discernment of your Holy Spirit. It's in your name, jesus, christ of Nazareth, the one true Messiah, that I pray Amen. If you have today agreed with this prayer from the depths of your heart, I want to welcome you to the eternal family of God and I want to commend you if you've returned to the faith and the truth of, maybe, your childhood. I encourage you to find and commit yourself to an orthodox, biblical-based faith community who worships the Lord passionately. Also, devote yourself to the daily reading of scriptures, as there is so much to grow, so much to learn and so much to be discipled in as it pertains to new life and maturity in Christ.

Speaker 1: 33:42

Next time on the Hopeful Perspective podcast, we will examine further the perspective that we are to have as believers and followers of Christ in this partisan world.

Speaker 1: 33:54

We will look at how the Garden of Gethsemane gives us direction and guidance. As a follower, I look forward to being with you next time on the podcast, but until then, I just want to thank you. Thank you for joining me along this journey and, if you want to be so kind, follow, subscribe and, most importantly, to rate and write a review for others on your platform who may need the hopeful perspective in their life, did you know that you can contribute monetarily by pressing our support the show link that is embedded on your platform in the episode descriptions? All of your contributions are utilized to grow the podcast, to multiply our equipment, to broaden our reach and to share the hope of Christ. I want to shout out my gratitude to the multiple new donors who have already made this commitment to support the podcast financially. Without you, it would not be possible to reach as many people with the messages that we do or anyone who needs to be reminded that hope is indeed real. So thank you so much in advance and until next time. Remember you are loved.