Pinnacle Leaders Podcast: Hope for Today’s Kingdom Leaders — This Could Be the Church’s Finest Hour

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ABOUT THE EPISODE

Our current cultural climate is deteriorating, progressively pitting itself against the Church and Biblical values. Poll after poll shows that Christianity in America is declining and that Christians themselves are becoming less convicted about their beliefs and faith practices. In this episode, Christian leaders are challenged to engage in today’s culture Biblically and offered three powerful reasons believers can be hopeful in these challenging times.

TODAY’S GUEST: DR. KEVIN BAIRD

Dr. Kevin Baird is the Director of The Florida Capitol Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to building relationships between church leaders and government officials. With more than 40 years of extensive ministry experience, his professional background includes positions as a lead pastor, church planter, national conference speaker, college professor, talk radio host, Biblical worldview advocate in public policy, blog writer and media analyst on culture. Kevin holds a B.A. in Religion & Philosophy, an M.Div. in Historical Theology, and a D.Min. in the History of Christian Thought.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

Despite this trend, many Believers hold fast to the truth that we hold the key for our world today. The key for renewal and regeneration is Jesus Christ.

Jesus himself exhorted His followers, saying “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14). In other words, it’s on us to preserve Divine Good in this world. It’s on us to shine the Light in the darkness. It’s not an overstatement to say that Jesus mandates that we influence our world.

You likely find yourself in some culture-shaping area of influence, and I encourage you — I encourage all of us — to shed the unbiblical notion that there should be a divide between the sacred and secular. When Christians retreat, hoping to leave a space or topic “neutral,” we cede ground to our Enemy. He always fills voids with lies, blindness and hatred.

God is calling upon your leadership in this hour, friends, and I want to encourage you to take heart! There are reasons to be hopeful!

My friend and respected Christian influencer in governmental spheres, Dr. Kevin Baird, recently addressed the graduates of Christian Life School of Theology Global. In his remarks, he outlined three great reasons to be hopeful in these challenging times:

1. Providence — God is omnipotently sovereign, and He is in control. It is He who sets up and tears down. Furthermore, Jesus is no “storybook” or “figurehead” king. He is real, and He reigns. God is providentially working.
2. Paradox — God’s ways are not ours, and many things that seem impossible to us are ultimately the method He chooses. Setbacks may actually be setups for our future.
3. Perseverance — God empowers us to press through, and the Gospel ultimately prevails. Ours is a God who has never tasted of defeat, so we can persevere. Jesus wins in the end, so we can press on. The real Church is unstoppable because our God cannot be stopped.

Yes, prediction models may forecast challenging seasons ahead. Nevertheless, remember the words of Apollo 13’s Flight Director Gene Kranz. When unforeseen complications arose and hope seemed lost on that famous mission, he was asked if it would be NASA’s darkest moment.

He responded, “No, this is going to be our finest hour.”

Subscribe to the Pinnacle Leaders Podcast with Dr. Langley to listen to this episode and others for more Biblical wisdom on the areas of lordship, leadership and lifestyle.

RELATED RESOURCES

• Engaging the Culture with a Biblical Worldview (BT800) – This course is designed for students seeking to understand how the Scripture relates to and mandates specific engagement of the governmental arena and "perceived" political activity. It is intentionally and distinctly non-partisan, recognizing that civil government and politics is incredibly broken and at times convoluted. The course is divided into the theology of cultural engagement, the philosophy of cultural engagement, and the practices a Christian leader or pastor might seek to implement. https://www.christianlifeschooloftheologyglobal.org/course/engaging-the-culture-with-a-biblical-worldview-bt800

QUOTES & SCRIPTURE TO REMEMBER

• “The church is the linchpin as to whether this culture is renewed or continues to deteriorate.” — Dr. Kevin Baird
• “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.” — Matthew 5:13-14
• “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” — Psalm 24:1
• “There are dangerous implications in creating vacuums and ceding this ground to the Devil…There’s no such thing as neutral. Vacuums will be filled.” —  Dr. Kevin Baird
• “God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.” — Romans 8:28
• “This is going to be our finest hour.” — Gene Kranz, flight director of Apollo 13