Any reader of the divinely-inspired record of early Christianity written in the book of Acts will note the attention given to numbers. Those who were saved in the days after the coming of the Holy Spirit were “added to the church.”

It’s a conversation I’ve had many times: High Schooler: I don’t know what I should do when I finish high school. Maybe I should go to trade school or university. Me: Have you considered attending a year of Bible college?

It was 1948. A young soldier had been released from the Army after World War II and intended to go to Columbia University on the GI bill. General Eisenhower had become the president of Columbia University, and this young soldier thought, “If it’s good enough for Ike, it’s good enough for me.”

I wrote these thoughts last month in the middle of our annual Faith Promise Missions Conference. This year, like most years, we were privileged to have a number of missionaries and fields represented in our conference. They are sharp, articulate people desiring to go the mission field and share Christ with the multitudes. The only thing holding them back is the financial resources necessary to go and be sustained on those fields.

Christians across America are frustrated. Some are discouraged. Some are fearful. Some are hopeless. Our culture is shifting before our very eyes, and there seems to be little to nothing we can do to stop it. We see the decaying morals and we sense the intolerance toward Christians growing around us.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day this year, many of our hearts and minds are filled with wonderful thoughts and memories of our own mother. The Bible is filled with examples of great mothers: Hannah, Elisabeth, Mary, the Shunamite woman, Eunice and Jochebed. I am thankful for each of these ladies as well.

In my last article concerning the Christian & Civil Government, I wrote about seven basic principles that God’s Word teaches Christians about their responsibility to human government. Today I want to examine these principals in light of our position as citizens of the United State of America.

I don’t believe the response to every social evil is a boycott. But when a company publically and forcefully comes out on the wrong side of a moral issue, I don’t believe the correct response is to do nothing either. Especially in America, where we have freedom and our choices—whether they be at the voting polls or where we spend our money—make a difference.

The Bible perseveres throughout the course of history. Everything else comes and goes. People, cultures, and nations are like grass and flowers—slowly dying and eventually withering away; but God’s Word abides forever.

How are we to respond to those in authority and those who govern us? In this series, I want to take a closer look at our responsibilities as Christian’s and the role civil government plays in our lives.