By GoodNews Polycarp
The affairs of every state are primarily ordered and dictated by the spirit that is at work in those that sit in the high places.
These are men with the power and authority to govern and exert the agenda of the spirit(s) to which they subscribe.
You can predict the future of any country by the faith virtues they hold.
And for the record, all these belief systems around the conduct of men in the courts of God were put in place by the political systems of society in the reformation ages.
An example is the current Roman Catholic worship system. Its practices took a major shift after Emperor Constantine in the Fourth Century welcomed the faith for the reason that he would prosper in advancing the Roman Empire, by use of the Christian ‘Chi-Rho’ symbol in the image of the cross.
This worked pretty well for him in putting an end to the Tetrarchy and becoming the sole ruler of the Roman Empire.
During his reign as Emperor, Constantine appointed Bishops and instituted what we now call the ecclesiastical structure.
In these ages, both the Church and the state paid allegiance to the Emperor, with the council of bishops taking on the role of the modern-day parliaments; thus, a route to the adoption and assimilation of the Roman culture into the administration of the Church opened up.
Practices such as the ordination of only male priests streamed from the Roman culture.
The use of symbols and signs is strongly believed to have originated from the Roman culture centuries ago.
The narrative is not different from the Protestant Church and to the history of Christianity in East Africa.
Lessons
If history is to guide us, then it is proper to deduct that the state and its leadership moderates the length, breadth, depth and height to which the Church impact in society.
King David, the second king of Israel after Saul, says: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Psalms 14:34).
In his reign, King David kept the precepts of God and restored the fear and worship of God to the nation of Israel.
What shall we say of Esther, the beautiful Jewish wife of the Persian King Ahasuerus and her cousin Mordecai, who persuaded the king to retract an order for the generation annihilation of Jews throughout the Persian Empire?
The massacre had been plotted by Haman, the prime minister, but thanks be to God that the tables changed, and instead Haman was hanged on the gallows to death.
Just imagine: had it not been for Esther’s influence in the palace, a full nation would have been destroyed in one day!
What I am saying, in a nutshell, is that we need Holy Ghost-filled men and women in political offices; men and women who will speak for the faith and pass only policies consistent with the faith, and show no compromise on wickedness.
Much more can be accomplished when righteousness is reigning over the nation than when all of us stay locked in prayer closets.
This is a knock on the hearts of those called in politics to arise from within the Church and go forth to establish righteousness over the nation.
The writer is a Gospel teacher and banker.
mandepolycarp@gmail.com
