During a recent appearance at Dallas Theological Seminary, Dr. Tony Evans, founder and Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, TX, offered a powerful and biblical perspective on what is happening in the nation - particularly amid Donald Trump's shocking win at the polls on Tuesday.
"You and I are God's officiating crew in a world of conflict," Evans told the audience in a sermon titled "What On Earth is Going On". "There is cultural conflict, racial conflict, police and citizens conflict, Democrat and Republican conflict - and the clashes just keep on coming. That is the world in which you live, raise a family, and do ministry. That is the world in which God has placed you and me. He's given each of us a book - it's the same rule book, and he intends for all of the decisions on the field of play by his officiating crew to be consistent with that book."
Because of all the racial, political, and cultural division seen across the United States, Evans said he believes the country is currently experiencing the "passive wrath of God," citing Romans 1:24, 26, 28.
"What you are seeing today is what it looks like when a people have been abandoned by God, because God has been put on the periphery of the life of the family, of the culture," he explained. "The reason why there is a racial divide in the country is because 11 o'clock on Sunday is still the most segregated hour. The reason why culture is in disarray is that the officials can't get together and make a unified call."
According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 70.6% of the American population identified themselves as Christians, with 46.5% professing attendance at a variety of churches that could be considered Protestant. However, today, far too many religious leaders are satisfied to simply give words about God rather than the authoritative voice of God, Evans said.
"All through Scripture we are told of the role about God's people, not only in influencing God's people, but influencing the environment in which they lived," the pastor said. "We've..dumbed [the Church] down to be a one and a half hour gathering weekly...for inspiration, information, fellowship - all that's great...but it is the job of the church to legislate from heaven to history...We are to be embassies on earth that reflect the value systems of heaven located in history."
He emphasized, "This is not a time for weak pulpiteers, this is not a time for weak church leadership, cuz the teams are at war. And they're not going to stop fighting. What we often find in churches today is they don't legislate from heaven - what they do is bring to the church the world's point of view, say a little prayer over it, and think it's endorsed by Jesus."
Throughout the Bible, God intentionally placed his people in positions of distress - in positions only he could fix, Evans said, and the same is happening today.
"The way it is now in culture, with the redefinition of the family, the taking of the lives of the unborn and the racial strife...God caused it. And when you understand God causes it, then you have to understand only God can fix it. And make no mistake about it, God is not going to skip the church house to fix the White House...God checks with his church before he deals with the principalities and powers and the rulers."
Culture collapses when God's people can't be located, Evans contended. Thus, it's of the utmost importance that God's people recognize that he has given them the authority on earth.
"We don't recognize our legal authority, and settled for inspirational weekly meetings," Evans said, and challenged Christians to remember that whatever ministry they're called into, to enter into with the mindset that they're representative of the King, and therefore carry Kingdom authority.
"God has caused all the despair, until he gets the undivided attention of his people," the pastor concluded. "There is a bleeding world in every single category. So, as you study and learn and prepare, you have two choices: Be kingdom citizens that unapologetically represent the king, or take down your sign."
