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Reset Podcast with Archie Callahan is where faith meets real life.
In a world constantly shaping the way men think, lead + live, Reset Podcast takes a fresh look at men + culture through the lens of the GOSPEL. Each episode features honest conversations, practical wisdom + scriptural truth designed to help MEN reset their minds, strengthen their faith + lead with purpose in their homes, workplaces, churches + communities.
Whether we’re discussing leadership, marriage, fatherhood, integrity, current culture, spiritual growth, or the challenges men face today, our goal is simple: to align our lives with God’s truth + become the men He has called us to be.
SUBSCRIBE + join the conversation as we challenge cultural norms, encourage biblical manhood + pursue a life that honors Christ.
NEW EPISODE EVERY WEDNESDAY.
Hey guys, welcome to the Reset Podcast.
I am your host, Archie Callahan.
This is a ministry of Bridge Church.
Today I'm going to tackle an issue that's been very divisive in our nation.
And I think it's important.
I think it's something we need to look at.
And I want to answer this question today.
This is a pertinent question.
It's a question I believe that men need to grasp because I believe we're leaders in society.
I believe we're leaders in our home.
And men need to take this seriously because I believe it impacts our society.
I want to answer this question today.
Why should Christians vote?
We're right in the middle of midterm elections.
Election season is on us.
If you're a guy and you watch sports, you see all the commercials, the political ads.
They actually are getting a little bit on my nerves because it's one after the other.
Political parties are spending money to get their message out.
These midterm elections, they are important.
Some people say pastors and churches should stay out of politics.
I think that's absurd because we're called to make a difference in the world.
Our core values here at Bridge is actually know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference.
And one way we make a difference is getting into politics.
Not to become a part of the system, but become a part of a solution.
One way we can make a difference in our region, our state, our nation, is by exercising the privilege, the right to vote.
It's a sacred privilege that's been given to us.
Men and women have fought for our freedoms here in America.
Before we answer the question, why should a Christian vote, let's look at what's on the ballot in Virginia.
We have some constitutional amendments on our statewide constitution that are coming to the forefront.
There's actually three, but I want to look at two of those today because I think they're very important.
I think they actually impact the church.
They impact culture.
The first one would be a constitutional amendment on abortion and reproductive rights or freedom.
It would make abortion a constitutional right in Virginia.
It would legalize abortion, and birth control and fertility care would also be protected.
Why should this matter to Christians?
Why would abortion matter to Christians?
Christians, I believe it matters because in this constitutional amendment, it places no limits on abortion.
Most limits on abortion would be hard to keep.
Courts would strike down almost any restrictions on abortion unless it meets the strictest standards there.
And so meaning that
There would be no restrictions on partial birth abortions.
People could actually have abortions up to the moment the child is coming out of the womb, down the birth canal.
Also, it takes only in account the mother's health and not the health of the baby being born.
It gives no right to the unborn baby.
The child's decision is not counted here, and I believe that's totally wrong.
I believe that that baby has a right to be born.
I believe that...
Late-term abortion is barbaric.
It's not Christian.
It is actually child sacrifice put in a different cloak, a different way of looking at it.
We call it abortion.
God calls it murder.
When would it take effect if it's voted on and approved in our state?
It would take effect immediately.
It would go right into our law.
It would be a constitutional right to kill babies.
And the Christian church throughout the centuries has actually protected life.
We are people of life.
We believe in life.
You see, the Bible says in Psalm 139 that God formed us in our mother's womb.
David said, I was knitted together in my mother's womb.
Jeremiah 1.5 says, God knew us before we were ever born.
Exodus 20.13, you shall not murder.
Proverbs 31, 8, 9, speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.
The church has a right, has a duty to speak up for the unborn.
They cannot speak for themselves.
So it's very important that we understand what's on the ballot in the state of Virginia.
Bridge Church has its main campus in Virginia.
It's Chesapeake campus in the Greenbrier part of Virginia.
So we have to be informed.
We have to be people that do not stick our head in the sand, but we need to be informed on what's going on in our nation.
So that would be a constitutional right in Virginia if it's approved on the ballot.
Number two is one concerning marriage.
And we know marriage is a covenant between one man, one woman.
We know that comes all the way from the book of Genesis 2, verse 24.
We know it's God's design.
We know that marriage is not man-made, but a God-made covenant, a God idea, not just a good idea.
But in this constitutional amendment when it comes to marriage, it would remove the definition of marriage as one man, one woman committed together.
I believe, you know...
That has already been settled in God's Word.
We know that the Supreme Court has defined marriage in a way that's unbiblical, and that is the law of our land.
However, in our state constitution, when we remove that, things happen right away.
Same-sex marriage is the law of the land.
But if we do not strike down this constitutional amendment in Virginia, this is what could possibly happen.
Churches and Christian schools and ministries that hold a biblical marriage view could face pressure or legal challenges if they refuse to marry same-sex couples.
Same-sex couples.
Also in that constitutional amendment, it defines or separates sex and gender.
And we know from a biblical standpoint there are only two genders, male and female.
So the constitutional amendment would redefine what sex is and what gender is.
It separates them like two different things, like two different entities.
And so we believe that that needs to be struck down on that grounds.
The church is a place where marriage is sacred.
Genesis 2.24 says, Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
Matthew 19.4 says, Have you not read that he who made them at the beginning made them male and female?
Ephesians 5.31 says, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother.
Apostle Paul is...
is actually re-quoting Genesis 2.24 and Ephesians 5.
And be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
This is a great mystery, but I'm speaking concerning Christ and the church.
Now here's the big idea when it comes to this constitutional amendment on marriage.
God designed marriage, and it points to Christ and his church.
A government can change its laws, but it can't change God's design.
And so I believe the church needs to be informed on these constitutional amendments.
And we should, as followers of Christ, exercise our privilege to vote.
Why should a Christian vote?
Let's get back to that.
Why should a Christian vote, you know?
You know, there are a lot of people, progressive Christianity, that wants to tell us to stay out of politics.
Liberals want to tell us to stay out of politics.
People, when I say liberal, I'm talking about people that do not hold a biblical worldview.
want us to stay out of politics, but is that God's will for the church?
Now understand, we hold as Christians dual citizenship.
The Bible teaches us that our citizenship is in heaven, and that is so true.
But we all are also citizens of the U.S.
by our natural birth or through getting a citizenship through just going through the steps that America requires.
But here's the deal.
Our citizenship is in heaven, but we have a responsibility on earth.
There are three biblical reasons I want to give you today.
of why a Christian should vote.
Number one, voting is a stewardship of influence.
It's a stewardship of influence.
God holds us responsible for the influence he gives us.
In our democracy, your vote is part of that influence.
Men and women have given their lives so that we could exercise the freedom of voting.
Luke 12, 48 says this, For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.
We have been given the privilege of voting.
Why would we not vote?
It has been said in the last general election, over 40 million Christians did not exercise the privilege of voting.
What if Jesus' church
would begin to exercise that privilege.
Jeremiah 29, verse 7, it's during the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people.
Jeremiah said this, Seek the peace of the city where I have called you to be carried away captive and pray to the Lord for it.
for if it is at peace, you will be at peace.
It goes on to say, if the city prospers, you will prosper.
Meaning that we should care about our cities.
We should care about our state.
We should care about our region, our nation.
We should want it to be at peace.
We should want it to be blessed by God.
We should desire for our cities to prosper and our communities to prosper because if they prosper, we prosper.
Here's the takeaway.
We're going to exercise our vote.
It is a stewardship of influence.
Not voting is still a choice, and we will answer for it.
We will answer for that stewardship.
Are we taking it too lightly?
To not vote is a choice, folks.
When you go into the voting booth and you vote, that is a choice.
But to not go is a choice also.
Number two, voting is a way to love your neighbor and do justice.
Laws shape lives.
I'm going to say that one more time, guys.
Men, laws shape lives.
And if laws shape lives, we should be concerned about the people's lives that are in our nation.
The unborn, the families, the poor, the vulnerable.
A vote is one way to speak up for people who can't speak for themselves.
People who are vulnerable, people who are less fortunate, the poor, the unborn, families that are in disarray.
I mean, laws shape lives in our nation.
And for all the people that are screaming, Christians, stay out of politics.
Guess what?
They want to influence your life.
by persuading you not to vote.
So I believe as Christians, we need to exercise the privilege of voting because the laws that are passed in our nation shape lives.
This is not a red or blue thing to me.
It is not a Republican-Democratic thing to me.
It is a biblical thing to me.
It is a stewardship of influence.
It's a way to love your neighbor and to do justice.
Proverbs 31, 89 says, Open your mouth for the speechless.
In the cause of all who are portioned to die, open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and the needy.
We do that through voting.
We do that through speaking truth to power.
We do that when we remain faithful witnesses in our world.
You know, in the book of Revelation, it's a revelation of Christ, not the Antichrist.
But in the book of Revelation, the key to that whole book is to remain a faithful witness in the face of adversity, in the face of an Antichrist spirit, in the face of persecution, in the face of empire and world powers that want to dominate this world and bring in
anti-Christ focus to our world, we are called as Christians to be a faithful witness.
And when we vote and exercise that influence, we are being a faithful witness.
Here's the takeaway on this second reason that I believe Christians should vote.
Loving your neighbor includes caring about the laws your neighbors live under.
Loving your neighbor includes caring about the laws that your neighbors live under.
The Bible says, when the righteous rule, the people rejoice.
Number three, voting is salt and light in public life.
Jesus didn't call us to hide from culture.
Jesus didn't call us to be fearful of culture.
Jesus didn't call us to curse the culture.
He called us to make a difference.
Jesus said, go into all the world and preach the gospel.
Matthew 5, 13 through 14, in Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount, He said, You are the salt of the earth.
You are the light of the world.
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Meaning this, when I vote, I am being salt.
When I vote, I am being the light.
When I vote in a way that is biblical and God-honoring, and I'm not just party-oriented.
I don't have blind allegiance to political people, but I have an allegiance to the Lamb.
I have an allegiance to the Word of God.
I have an allegiance to the Bible that I begin to vote in a way that really makes a difference.
Proverbs 29, 2, and I just quoted this, but I'm going to quote it in the King James Version of the Bible.
It says, when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
But when the wicked man rules, the people groan.
The people groan.
I believe there's a groaning in our nation sometimes.
There's a lack of righteous leadership.
So the church, we just can't pull out.
We see what happens when we pull out of institutions like public education and like colleges, when we just no longer want to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Those become places of ideologies that are anti-Christ and
anti-church and anti-the kingdom of God.
So we are called not to run from culture.
We're called to infiltrate culture, to go into all the world, and we're called not to run from culture.
Jesus didn't pray that God would take us out of the world.
He prayed that God would keep us in the world.
We do not preach isolationism.
We preach, we are insulated in the culture through the blood of Jesus, and we are called to make a difference.
So these three reasons
Christians should vote.
Voting is a stewardship of influence, number one.
Number two, voting is a way to love your neighbor and do justice.
Number three, voting is salt and light in the
It seasons.
It protects.
So as Christians, we're here to preserve the kingdom of God.
We're here to preserve righteousness in our land.
So here's a takeaway on this third one.
Bring your faith into the voting booth.
I mean, you don't check your faith out.
You don't do away with your faith when you go into the voting booth.
Faith influences the vote.
Don't leave it at the church door.
Don't leave your faith at the church door when you walk out of the church door.
We are called to be salt and light.
You know, vote with conviction.
Pray with humility and keep your hope in Christ, not in politics.
I'm going to be honest with you.
My hope is not in politics, Republican or Democrat.
That is not where my hope lies.
My hope is in Jesus.
He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
He's not trying to be king.
He is king.
He's not trying to be lord.
He is lord.
He is sovereign over all.
He is in charge.
God and company has not gone defunct.
He's still in business.
He is still sovereign.
Psalm 146.3 says, Do not put your trust in princes, nor in the Son of Man, in whom there is no help.
Our help comes from the Lord.
And as men, let me tell you something, you have a privilege, you have a right to vote.
Let's lead with courage, let's lead with integrity, let's lead with character.
I just believe God in this season wants us to be strong and courageous.
Yes, there are some enemies in the land, there are some antichrist spirits in the land, but just like Joshua, God told him,
approximately four times, be strong and courageous in Joshua chapter 1.
He said, do not let this law depart from your mouth, but meditate on it day and night.
If you meditate on it day and night, you will prosper.
So guys, I want to encourage you during this midterm election season, vote.
Vote.
Be informed and vote.
Exercise the freedom to vote.
Don't allow your mouth to be silenced by the adversary.
Be sober.
Be alert for your adversary.
The devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5, 8 says,
We have an enemy.
In fact, we have three enemies, the Bible teaches us, the world, the flesh, and the devil.
There's a world system that wants to quiet the voice of the church, that wants the church to not come out of the full walls of the building.
But I believe we are called to be salt and light in our culture, preserving our nation, protecting our nation, praying for our leaders.
That's what kingdom people do.
Yeah, we respect all people.
We respect all people, no matter their ethnicity, no matter their background, no matter their religious affiliation.
But we believe in the midst of this world, we're called to be faithful witnesses in our world.
Jesus said, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in both Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the remotest part of the earth.
So let us do our due diligence.
Let us do our duty by voting this coming November.
Let us be informed.
Let us be enlightened on the issues.
Cast the vote.
And when you cast the vote, we're not trusting politics.
We're not trusting politicians.
We are trusting Jesus.
We are trusting Jesus.
And what a political spirit wants to do in our land—
is to divide and conquer.
Come on, don't let politics divide you from the people you love.
Love people.
Love your neighbor.
Love the people you go to church with.
Be informed.
Vote because that is your sacred duty.
Once again, thank you for joining us today on the Reset Podcast.
I look forward to seeing you next week on Reset.