Ask Sam: Global Leadership Transitions
June 7, 2024
Host: Dr. Isaac Crockett
Co-host: Hon. Sam Rohrer
Note: This transcript is taken from a Stand in the Gap Today program originally aired on June 7, 2024. To listen to the podcast, click HERE.
Disclaimer: While reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate transcription, the following is a representation of a mechanical transcription and as such, may not be a word for word transcript. Please listen to the audio version for any questions concerning this dialogue.
Isaac Crockett: Welcome to the program. I’m Pastor Isaac Crockett and I’m on with my co-host today, which is the regular host of the program, the Honorable Sam Rohr, the President of the American Pastors Network. And on this Friday edition of our Stand in the Gap program, we’re going to ask Sam some questions like we often do on our Friday programs. And today I want to look at elections. And you might be saying, okay, maybe thinking Donald Trump and Joe Biden or all these different names than our elections. But I want to look broader than just our November elections. In fact, I want to look at global leadership transitions that are going on and the election year that 2024 has been and is going to be if God tarries this year. And so in the last few days even there have been some important elections, some bill as the largest democracy in the world.
Isaac Crockett: It’s the second largest nation that is India. They just had their national elections have been revealed. The counts came in as well as our neighbors to the South Mexico. They had a historic thing because they knew that one way or the other it was going to be their first female president because the two top contenders were both ladies. And so they have had their first female president elected. And already this year there have been other elections that were important, Taiwan, El Salvador, Russia, just many big countries or important key players or historical things going on. In fact, time Magazine at the very end of 2023, the date, I think it was dated December 28th, 2023, they had an article titled The Ultimate Election Year. And here’s a quote about what they saw as being the ultimate election year and the year 2024. It says this 2024 is not just an election year, it is perhaps the election year globally more voters than ever in history will head to the polls as at least 64 countries.
Isaac Crockett: Plus the European Union representing a combined population of about 49% of the people in the world are meant to hold national elections. The result of which for many will prove consequential for years to come. And I think we can say that about our country, the results of this election in November will have consequences for years to come because we know that elections have consequences. But they’re saying that almost 50% of the world, 49% of the world’s population will be having major elections all in the year 2024. Fascinating. Interesting. And for us as Christians seeking to know the truth, it’s necessary for us I think to look at world trends and events. So Sam, as Americans, we are sometimes stereotyped as not knowing what’s going on in the world, just knowing what’s going on in our country. But would you recommend that we as Americans should be paying attention to these elections this year? Is this a year for us to be paying attention to not just the elections, but really the leadership transitions that are going on around the world? And I’d like to just get your opinion, why we should care about it or why we should or should not be paying attention to
Sam Rohrer: It. Well, Isaac, we always should be aware of what’s happening because we are in a more interconnected world now than we’ve ever been. And so who runs countries and all of that becomes obviously very, very critical Now, in addition to those 64 countries, and I thought that was extraordinary, 64 countries, 40, 40% of the world’s population this year here coming through, going to have elections. But if I look over the list appropriately that you cited, Russia is not there. I don’t believe I saw them. And China, now both of them just reelected their people, Zee and Putin for five years. So they’re in the saddle. I think that’s very significant. But anyways, back to this. Should we play close attention? Yeah, we actually should because I think here’s what happens. Elections are time of potential transition.
Sam Rohrer: Cause for the moment in which they are happening, things kind of go into suspended mode like we’re seeing in America today. Things kind of hold a little bit, lots of anticipation looking forward. Those who are in kind of bide their time waiting for somebody new to come in, it’s a time of unsettledness. Things are up in the air. So potential change or change to put that way and potentially big change is always present in any election. That’s why we should pay attention, number one. Number two, I think elections by the very nature give a point in time analysis. I suppose you would put it this way of the people in that nation. So now we know a lot of elections are rigged, we know that. But nonetheless, elections represent the mood, the expression of the will of the people, the general will and desires of the people of that nation manifested in that leader.
Sam Rohrer: And it can either be for good or for ill. So it’s a representation of what the people think of that nation at that point. And then I think, here’s the other thing, Isaac, and this is a bigger picture. Elections are times of change of leadership and whereas they may be elections we’re calling and people choose or it’s a usurpation of power, whatever it is, it’s within this context. It’s at a moment in time when we’re seeing God manifest his divine providence because we know that God raises up and puts leaders not just in America but around the world. So when I am looking and we’re talking about this massive change of leadership in this world, nearly half of the world’s population here going to be represented in an election. I’m also saying we ought to look and consider the fact of what God is doing and that he’s raising up leaders that will either be people who fear God and yield to his desires for the nations, or they will be people who will tend to perhaps walk the line more for the emergence of the global government, which as we see underway and the antichrist, we know biblically comes out of it.
Sam Rohrer: So this is a momentous time in history no matter how you look at it.
Isaac Crockett: Well, and it’s interesting, even what you were mentioning about fairness of elections, this article, they rank the fairness score of these countries, and this is coming from Time Magazine. I’m not saying they know everything, but many of these elections are ranked as not very fair at all. And then I do think they had Russia in there, but I don’t think they had China in there. And then for example, Ukraine is supposed to have an election, but because of the war going on, there will be. And then when we look at what’s going on in Israel with the war going on, that changes things. When we look at what’s happened in Iran, I know with the Prime Minister there’s a lot of transitions now that weren’t even accounted for in December that are going on. And then also, Sam, I think we should look at, and we’re going to talk if we have the chance today, a little bit about even unelected officials and some of the transitioning and transfer of power, some people who are dying who have died this year that were maybe wealthy and had influence and business leaders, businesses that are going out of business, different businesses that are picking up steam.
Isaac Crockett: There’s a lot of things that are going on and it’s interesting to watch and see what the Lord is doing and then even looking at churches, leadership in churches, denominations that are holding elections, we’re just seeing a lot of changes at the same time, the same year. So let’s be aware, let’s look at that. So Sam, when we come back, I want to ask you questions about that and I really want to get into what I’ve just brought up and that’s the unelected officials and the influence that they have in the world and in certain spheres, whether it be churches, businesses, worldwide councils, all kinds of things that you’ve talked about and warned us about. We want to get into that and talk through some of that when we come back. But for right now, we’re going to take our first time out to hear from some of our partners and we’ll be right back on Stand in the Gap today.
Isaac Crockett: Welcome back again. I’m Pastor Isaac Crockett with Sam Rohr, the president of the American Pastors Network. We’re asking Sam questions today. We’re asking about leadership transitions, not just the elections, although as the Time Magazine article that I referenced in the first segment says this is the election year. This is an ultimate election year where 49% of the world’s population will have national elections, and that alone is significant. But Sam, I want to go to you because I brought up, and you kind of mentioned this too in the first segment, that there are many positions and influencers who are not elected, whether it’s the World Health Organization or the judges that are judging different cases about political leaders or voting rights or whatever. There are a lot of powerful people internationally and nationally that are in positions that they were not elected to. So as we discussed this and look at these things, can you give your thoughts on the importance of and just what’s going on with unelected officials?
Sam Rohrer: I can Isaac, and I think there’s a number of different ways to approach this, but I would say this, we’re in the midst of an election here in America. Obviously those who are listening to us are listening to us here. So obviously out front, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and we know that. Now, here’s one thing I’ll mention. If the presence and the style of Donald Trump has done anything to me, one thing it has confirmed, I think unarguable, the reality of his involvement has been the reality of, I’m going to say an unseen, coercive, and controlling power behind the scenes. Now think about that because whether you call it the deep state, which that’s a relatively recent term, it’s come out during these last years, right? The deep state or the establishment, or I’m going to put into it the global cartel or whether you call it an unelected bureaucracy, to me, they’re all essentially the same.
Sam Rohrer: And what’s significant about it is, is that we are witnessing as we’re seeing these court cases unfold and some people going to jail and some people not going to jail and crooks running free and bringing in illegals across the border and sanctioning it by law, all of these things, you’d say what is happening? And I think the point is there’s a power behind the scenes and it includes some of them, whatever we call them to be. Secondly, there’s a fact that I think powerful entities do operate behind the scenes, and I’ll describe some of them, but these people, I’m going to put say it this way, these people who prefer never to be in an elected position, they don’t want to be the face, but they want to be the hand that controls the face. These are people who don’t want accountability. They would like to remain anonymous, but powerful and the fact that those kind of people have existed, that’s nothing new.
Sam Rohrer: That’s nothing new. But I think we’ve seen it over the last years and seeing it now, just again unarguable because we know biblically and we know historically that unless you are committed to God and you discipline oneself, even Penn said that here in Pennsylvania and some of our leaders, that if people did not discipline themselves according to the 10 commandments of God voluntarily, they would be therefore uncontrollable. That’s what a tyrant is. But we know unrestrained by God’s hand in his instruction, people are driven by their lust for power, for money, for fame, for sex, something that’s of the moment. So that’s a fact. Unrestrained by truth, these things are pronounced. A third thing I think of is that as an example, the recent World Health Organization meeting that just concluded on June 1st, going into that meeting, the World Health Organization, all of them unelected, unaccountable, we’re all desiring to get control over global health policy.
Sam Rohrer: That was the goal. The year before all 194 nations representatives said, offered no opposition to all of the amendments. This last week of May, they were there to vote to basically give national sovereignty to this unelected group who would then be able to decide travel when there’s a pandemic mandate, a personal ID mandate, vaccinations, all that. They did not have an agreement sufficient to bring it to a vote. So they went into secret session the last day of that meeting, the World Health Organization people, again, I can’t give you their names, I don’t know who they are, but they are there. They voted among themselves to basically embrace the worst of all of the provisions and they basically put the nations of the world into the agreement as if they voted for it and now they’re going to make them opt out and there’ll be a vote coming up the first week of July and they’re going to make it.
Sam Rohrer: I’m telling you, extraordinarily difficult. They’re going to make it very costly for anybody to opt out. Alright, now, who are these people? Well, who funds the World Health Organization? Well, it’s Bill Gates, it’s big billionaires. It’s George Soros of the world, it’s China, it’s our leaders of our country. But who agrees to that? My point here, Isaac, is that here is something that is happening that’s consolidating global government. All of the leaders of the world are involved to one point or another and to this point, they’ve either been shunted to the side, run over, trampled on, but the goal to consolidate power is happening and these people are in fact leaders. Now I also go here and I think this is a case in point, go to Washington, we’ve talked about it a lot, and you say, what’s the difference between the leaders of the Republican party and the Democrat party?
Sam Rohrer: And you have what’s created, the fact that there’s this term called the uni party. Well, in reality, the leadership at the top of both parties, they agree on the same fundamental things. You spend the trillions of dollars, you go into debt. You agree? I mean, my point is this, Isaac, is that I believe what we have seen for a long time is not really the rule of the visible, it’s the rule of the invisible, the power brokers behind the scene, the money, the bankers, the ones who ultimately at the end of the day say, you’re either going to get this money, you can do what you want or you can’t or you come back to me. We’re in a day of bribery and corruption as the Bible talks about, and wherever that is present, you have an unseen power that operates where accountability does not rule and where justice cannot happen. This is what I think what I’m talking about with this unseen, unelected group of people. So these transitions of people coming into office in these election years, some of them may make a difference at the end of the day, some of them may not make a lot of difference.
Isaac Crockett: It’s so interesting. I think we need to have our eyes open as Christians looking at this, preparing ourselves as much as possible for what could be lying ahead. Just this week with the elections, the national elections that have been in the news, I mentioned India and Mexico. Prime Minister Modi over in India has done some of these things you’re talking about. They’ve accused him. He’s been elected since 2014. He was reelected just a few days ago and they’ve accused him of freezing the assets of enemy politicians and all kinds of things, weaponizing the law against them, but he’s not doing it on his own. He’s having to use banks and other high up people like you said, that are unnamed. We don’t know. The other one is our neighbor to the South Mexico. I think it’s very interesting that the progressive president, they had basically his handpicked person to run after him is Claudia and she was one of those academics, had a PhD and was involved with climate change things.
Isaac Crockett: Again, one of those kind of unnamed unknown people that was pressuring things and had clout and leadership in the climate change stuff. And then she became the official in charge of the energy, I think in Mexico, but now she’s the president. So I don’t know what it all means, Sam, but I find it interesting. In fact, we could go into greater detail about a lot of different people, but I’d love to see what you think of these just in the last few days, some of these things coming together, what you think of what’s going on in Mexico. And I know even as you were talking with me earlier today, you were telling me some things yesterday and today about what’s happening in Mexico that were surprising to me. So I don’t know if you have any thoughts you want to share on that or catching us up to speed on things you have found out.
Sam Rohrer: Well, just a couple of things. I mean I think the point is just like down there in Mexico, these are handpicked people. If the powers that be have their way and they’ve had their way for a long time, I think those who assume to us presidency are handpicked. I’m going to say that can’t go into full detail on it, but there’s a selection process behind the scenes. It’s generally by those who put up the money or have some control over the individual. That’s just the way the process has been for a long time down in Mexico. The fact that this woman comes forward not really heard of even though she was the energy secretary there. But it’s interesting that she is a progressive. She aligns fully with global governance mentality. She’s a climate change proponent. She is an academic from that perspective, as you have said, she’s openly hostile to the United States as we are now considering Mexico. I mean when I just saw numbers the other day that through Mexico into the United States just in the last, I think just this year so far, I have 30,000 Chinese men have come into our country through Mexico. So we have again, transition time, times of unpredictability. At the end of the day though, the Lord is directing these people, I believe
Isaac Crockett: Amen, we believe in God’s providence and that he is still in control. And it’s interesting to watch what is happening, but we need to look at biblically, what is the role of government? What is the role of authority? What is the role of anybody who is in leadership, especially on a national or global level. So we’re going to take another time out to listen to our partners and come right back, discuss that the biblical roles. Welcome back to the program. I’m Isaac Crockett with Sam Rohr here. We’re asking Sam questions on this Friday edition, and we’ve been talking about global leadership transitions and just a lot of elections for example, and a lot of changes going on all this year. And as we keep saying unprecedented, we use that word a lot, but it does seem an unusual amount of elections going on in 2024. But before I go back to asking Sam questions, I’d just like to ask our producer, Tim Snyder, if he’s available to come up to the microphone and just give us maybe some quick updates on some of the things going on at Stand in the Gap or the American Pastors Network.
Speaker 3: Thank you very much, Isaac. I am here and I’m at the microphone here to give some announcements about some resources that we have here at the American Pastors Network and Stand in the Gap Media. We are on social media, we are on various places on social media. One of those places is YouTube. We have three great YouTube channels, the American Pastors Network Stand in the Gap TV and Stand in the Gap radio, check them out to see our archives and all the great content being posted. One of the things is on Fridays. You can go ahead and check out our Stand in the Gap radio YouTube channel. You can see a live version, a video version of this show actually being broadcast as it’s happening live. So go ahead and check that out. If you’d like to see what Sam and Isaac look like and some of us look like, check that out on Stand In Gap Radio.
Speaker 3: Also, we have an American Pastors Network and Stand in the Gap tv. We also have TV programs and a bunch of other content posted. So please subscribe to our YouTube channels by searching for American Pastors Network. Stand in the Gap radio and stand in the gap TV search and subscribe to these channels to be notified when new content is posted. Also, we encourage you to please pray for this ministry. We cover your prayers for all the things that the Lord has for us to do. Nothing happens without prayer, and we encourage you to please pray for us and we thank you for your prayers in advance. Also, please consider giving financially. No amount too big, no amount too small is too much. As we start to go into the summer holiday here and the summer months, a lot of times a lot of organizations see a drop in their giving. So please don’t forget us in your giving this summer as you’re out and about on vacation or whatever. We appreciate your giving and please consider giving to us financially. No, too big, no ma, too small and thank you in advance. So those are some of the things I’ve got Isaac, and I’ll go ahead and send it on back to you.
Isaac Crockett: Well, thank you Tim for those reminders. And at the beginning of our program, I read from part of a Time Magazine article about 2024 being the ultimate election year. It caught my attention that it said 2024 is not just an election year, it’s perhaps the election year, and it went on to explain how 49% of the world’s population would be holding national elections. Again, reading from the article the results of which for many will prove consequential for years to come. Well, Sam, these consequential important elections, national elections that are being held are very important. We talked about that. We talked about even the roles of unelected people, the influence, the spheres of influence of leadership that’s going on. Very interesting things that you’ve pointed out, but let’s go back to the word of God. Let’s go back to the Bible, something you love to talk about. Something I also love to talk about what is the biblical role for government and also even just expectations for national leaders and that’s for leaders who are elected as well as those in business or church or other behind the scenes things that maybe aren’t elected. But anybody with authority, anybody with leadership, what are the biblical requirements and expectations?
Sam Rohrer: Isaac, great question. And we like to talk about that a lot here on this program because I think it goes to the heart of understanding not just what we’re talking about, elections, anticipations of what elections might mean, how you evaluate candidates or anything else. As you said, it goes beyond that. Alright, so where do we go? Where do we go for that? Well, we go to the word of God and primarily two places here, and that’s first I’m going to go Romans 13 verse one. And the way it talks about to all powers there that be are ordained of God, literally that reference to there is that God, literally the word means to be ranked or ordered. God is authority. There is no authority outside of Him. God. God himself. God established a concept of authority, meaning with that somebody in charge, somebody in submission to the one in charge.
Sam Rohrer: And God laid out the concept of authority by saying the individual, you have authority for yourself. That’s called free will. You’ve got to decide who you will serve God or yourself or the devil as an example. Then the family and God ranks the order, father, mother, children and scripture talks about that. God establishes later in the New Testament the concept of the church and assigns leadership roles and what that means and details it there. But before the church was civil authority because we see the kingdoms of the world all laid out in the Old Testament, the Babylonian and the Greek and the meat. Those were civil authorities and God gave to them in Romans 13, God put the whole picture together. Paul, the apostle Paul did and said, God is a source of authority. He ranked and ordered all of those authorities and he gave to them his order for how it ought to be.
Sam Rohrer: And in simple terms, the purpose of all authority, I’m going to put in there the father and the employer as well as the president of the country or the legislature or whatever it may be. All of them, all of the authorities are two things. They’re to execute the justice of God, the justice and the love of God. Praise those who do well. Number one says that in Romans 13 and says that in one Peter as well, praise those who do well, punish those who do evil. That is the function, Isaac. Beyond that authorities, if they go beyond that, as they relate to each other as God has established it, it constitutes rebellion. So civil authority is there. God’s given them the sword underneath of them. The citizen must subject themselves, submit themselves to the rules of government. Were to pray for those in authority, that kind of thing. All of that is ranked, but that’s the concept. God has a set of instructions, he ranks it, he orders it. It all requires somebody on top and somebody who is in submission ultimately all of them in submission to God. And that’s the biblical principle. Ultimately, everyone including those in positions of authority will give an account to God. So when that’s understood, you have a well-functioning society. When anybody’s out of order to that, you’ve got trouble.
Isaac Crockett: And that’s why we need to have a fear of God, a fear of the Lord and laws and enforcement of laws that come down to that. That’s where our morality comes from. And that’s so important about our program too. And I think everyone who listens regularly knows that we want to approach it from the biblical worldview, not just conservative, not just what we think, not just historical or national or constitutional, but what does the word of God say? And when we consider those things, then Sam and I think that so many people, so many godly people that listen to our program regularly, that encourage us to do, like Tim was mentioning, they watch things and they send stuff into us and they send notes and emails and things of encouragement to us. I’m thinking of someone like that and they’re looking for an opportunity and they get in our country and in many of these countries, we get to be involved in the process of nominating and electing a leader for our country. Something that many in the New Testament didn’t have the opportunity to do. But when we have that opportunity, whether it’s an elected official for the government or Sam, maybe it’s just dealing with business officials, banking officials, church officials, just anybody that we are allowing them to have leadership, that we get to be involved with that. What are some of the things that we should be considering, again as a voter, as a church member, just as a citizen at large,
Sam Rohrer: Isaac, the general one that applies to everybody, including those who are in office, and I’m going to say particularly those who are may be in a position of authority is this. And King Solomon answered this question at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes 1213, what’s the whole duty of man? He sums it all up and he says, fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man. Why? Because we’ll all give an account to God one day for what we do here. That overriding principle, Isaac is the most profound of any. And it must absolutely be present in a person who’s exercising authority because if fearing God and submitting himself to the commandments of God, God’s word, God’s principles, praising those who do well, punishing those who do evil according to how God defines those thirds, what we just talked about, if that is not there in a person in authority, what you will have will be a person who is harsh, a person who will be cruel, a tyrant in the making because of necessity.
Sam Rohrer: If they’re not in submission to God, because they will give an accountability to him and fear God and keep his commandments, they will make themselves God and they will determine the rules and they will wield the sword of government that Romans 13 says, God gives to a person in authority. They will wield it selfishly, selfishly, not selflessly, selfishly. And they will be the tyrant. They will be the Hitlers of the world who cared nothing for anybody else except for themself. So that’s where I would go first. And then the second thing, and this is from being in office and having to work this through myself, is this, if a person is going to be in a position of authority, they must understand the concept of being God’s minister or deacon as the word actually is in Romans 13. If that person understands that they’re God’s minister, servant of God, they will then understand how it’ll be a servant to the people, not a Lord over the people.
Isaac Crockett: Well Sam, this is great, just very good stuff and if you’re listening today, I hope that you’ll listen to all of our programs because this is the kind of helpful word of God informed kind of lessons that we enjoy coming to stand in the gap radio for. And Sam, thank you for that explanation that I think gives us what we need to know while we still have another segment that we want to wrap some of this up and apply it to ourselves so that we go away with ideas of what we can do. We’re not left feeling helpless about what’s going on in the world, but hopeful and reminded of God’s providence that he provides for us and that he is sovereign and in control. So we’ll talk about that when we come back on staying in the gap today. Welcome back to the program.
Isaac Crockett: We have been talking about the transition of leaders and of presidents and other national politicians, but not just elected officials, just leaders in general and some of the transitions of power that have been going on, some very high profile people all over the world have died in recent times and then just an unusual amount of national elections being held in 2024. And just some very interesting thoughts, and I appreciate Sam, you’ve took us back to the Bible and you took us back to what the purpose of leaders, what government leaders are for what all leaders and authorities in our lives, what they’re for. And the ultimate authority is our sovereign God and creator. But we look at the big picture, we look at what’s going on in the world, and somehow, Sam, we feel kind of small and insignificant sometimes. Sometimes even Christians can kind of get a fatalistic view of things like, well, what I have to do or say doesn’t really matter then.
Isaac Crockett: And yet God as a sovereign God is also a personal God and he provides for us our daily bread and he is our good shepherd that we don’t have to want, and he takes us so we can lie down by the quiet streams and the pastures that we need. And so could you maybe just talk to us about how we as individual believers, even though we are in the midst of national leadership transitions and in some cases maybe not so good transitions, what can we as individual believers do? What can our response be even on such a big level of what’s going on seemingly?
Sam Rohrer: Isaac, again, it’s a great question and it’s such a practical one, but here’s where I would go first. It’s basically approach that I have followed, I follow personally and we talk about on this program before, but it goes here first. It is make certain ladies and gentlemen, you’re watching me and listening to me right now that you have a certain relationship, a genuine relationship with God, the Father through Jesus Christ, his son. In other words, have you been redeemed? Have you been born again, biblically, this is the most essential question. This is what the whole aspect of a biblical worldview is. God created sin came, God provided a plan of redemption. Jesus Christ came. He is the way, the truth and the life. God so loved the world that he did that. And now we are where we are right now. That is the most important question.
Sam Rohrer: So that’s where I start. You will not be able to approach life or walk in life or live without anxiety and stress and all of that if that vertical relationship with the Lord is not first made secure. That’s where I go first. Start there first, Isaac. And as you know, you preach and you talk. You’re a people. That’s the starting point. The second thing after that is to trust in the Lord with all our heart. Lean not into our own understanding and all of our ways acknowledge him and he will direct our past. That’s Proverbs three, five and six. And it starts with how do we do that? Well, we fear God. We pursue the truth. God’s word. We yield ourself to God’s word, fear God, keep his commandments. We put ourself in the right position. We choose what God said to Israel. I have two plans ways before you.
Sam Rohrer: One leads to life, one leads to death. Follow me, fear God, keep my commandments. You’ll find life. Pursue your own way. You’re going to end up in judgment and cursing. So Isaac, again, it’s a series of choices, but make sure the vertical one is clear and established. Once that is certain, then pursue the truth, fear of God, keep his commandments. And then as a part of that, we understand that God has chosen to put us in this life according to His timing, his purposes. God does not revolve his plan around us. We must acknowledge and submit ourself to God’s plan because his ways are perfect. And what we know from scripture is that he is working out raising up the nations and the leaders and putting them down and moving what his plan of redemption forward and what’s that center on Israel. And that’s what you and Jr talk so eloquently about on the Monday’s program this week, focus on what’s happening there because that’s what God says he is doing and he’s working and all of that. Isaac, then these pieces fall into place. And when I believe these things, because God says it, I am able to look at what’s happening and though I don’t understand it and be able to tell it exactly what’s going to happen, excuse me, I can trust the Lord that his providential plan is being miraculously worked out because our God is a keeper of promises. And what he has said will come about, will absolutely come about.
Isaac Crockett: And that’s really, we have this peace that passes understanding as Paul says, because we trust in the Lord and in good times and in bad. And a great reminder, Sam, we all have different leadership roles that we play and as Christians, hopefully we can understand that role and step into it. But the Lord actually called you as you studied that to get into government. And you spent almost 20 years in the state of Pennsylvania, commonwealth of Pennsylvania and government. But could you just maybe speak to us about the importance? I think a lot of people listening might think, well, I’m not running for president or something like that. But we do all have opportunities to take leadership and many of us are in leadership roles, authoritative roles that we maybe don’t even think about it. Could you just talk to us about what that influence that God has given each of us and how we can use that to reach people with the gospel and the truth of God’s word?
Sam Rohrer: Absolutely. Isaac, and one of the things, and I’ll share this, that when I was in office and I was actually pursuing how is God going to hold me accountable as a person that he moved into office as a minister of God, and I began to study that it really come clear because as I said earlier, Romans 13 is about all authority. It speaks to the Father, it speaks to the mother, it speaks to the employer, it speaks to the person in office. It’s all authority. It’s just a matter of jurisdiction which one finds himself. And a person could be in multiple, I could be a father, could be an employer at the same time, could be in the pulpit, could have multiple hats at the same time. But here’s what I learned in verse six of Romans 13. It uses the word for minister of God in that verse that is different than the other two that are pure ahead of it, or the word diano or servant.
Sam Rohrer: The one in verse six actually talks about a minister of God there, the Greek word like turga, it actually means leader in worship. And Isaac, this is where when I became aware of that is when it transformed everything. And that is this a real true leader? A true leader will as a part of his duties in his life, lead people to God, it lead them through Jesus, lead them in worship. That’s the literal meaning that lead them in worship to God. Now, what’s the role of the father and a mother in a home to lead their children to Christ? What should the employer’s responsibility be? If he’s a believer, lead them to Christ. What should a person in civil authority be? The righteous kings of Israel led their people to Christ. The ungodly ones led them into idolatry. That is the measure of a leader.
Sam Rohrer: At the end of the day, whether a person’s a grandmother listening to me or a grandfather or somebody younger, it’s to whom are you leading people? If you’re leading people to Jesus Christ and the God of the Bible, you’re leader. If you are leading them to anything else other than God in the Bible, you’re an evil leader. Put it bluntly. So Isaac, it’s not that hard to measure, and we can get caught up on all types of techniques. And whether you’re a type A or B and personalities, it’s the end of the day when people come in contact with it, are you pointing them to yourself and the world and an idol or are you’re pointing them to Jesus Christ?
Isaac Crockett: Well, Sam, thank you for that great reminder. It’s a good time to take that, and you may want to listen to some of this program again or share it with others, but to take some time for self-reflection and asking the Lord, where are your opportunities to lead people, ultimately leading them to Christ, leading to the Lord that we could be empowered by the Holy Spirit that indwells us and disciple others, make disciples for the kingdom of God. That’s what it’s all about. Well, we’re out of time, but thank you for listening and I hope that until next time, you will look for opportunities to stand in the gap for truth, wherever you are.
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