By Geoffrey Botkin, posted on 24 December, 2011

The Zeal of the Lord of Hosts

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
– Isaiah 9:6-7

When American Christians mark the coming of Christ, are they willing to think about Christ in the present, or only as a cuddly infant in a Bethlehem manger? The promised Prince of Peace is no longer a babe asleep in the hay. He is King of the nations, and He is not a passive Sovereign. He is fully awake. The child who was born unto us now rules and reigns with all authority. He is zealous for the interests of His kingdom, to perform His will, on earth as it is in Heaven.

In 2011, Christ the King continues to order and establish his kingdom. If 2011 is part of “henceforth even forever,” let us consider how the world is being governed by Christ. Today’s Christians sing, “Let earth receive her King.” But is there any nation on earth where Christ, the Lord of all nations, is being acknowledged as King, Sovereign and Lord?

Yes. And this is the story of the year. The newest nation on earth, the Republic of South Sudan in East Africa, is experiencing “the zeal of the Lord of hosts.” Many of the people of this nation honor Christ’s present authority as Lord, and they now have the freedom to be the subjects of the true King, and servants of a living Savior.

These war-hardened survivors gave birth to a free republic on July 9th, and have seen an increase of peace and stability. For them, the story of Christ’s birth and present reign will have a fresh new meaning this season. Their adoration of Christ is not from sentimental custom, but from gratitude based on the hard realities of life and death, war and peace, blessing and cursing, and the terms of Christ’s very real promises to very real nations.

The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.
– Psalm 10:16-18

Free at Last, Free at Last

The newfound independence of the Republic of South Sudan may be the most strategic development for the Christian faith since General Douglas MacArthur urged American believers to obey the Great Commission in 1945, at the close of WWII. He invited Christians to come help disciple the nation of Japan – to rebuild a nation that was morally devastated yet spiritually open. But very few Americans responded. Very few seized the opportunity to build a nation that would honor Christ. However, Americans did disciple Japan indirectly, in other ways, inspiring an eager people to pursue American materialism. America’s postwar gospel was popularly described as, “It is not godless, but it keeps God in His place- the pulpit... It is the orthodoxy of the nonbeliever... It simply says, “Take up your credit card and follow me.” ¹

So where is Japan in the present? In 2011, Japan is like her teacher. Her external culture largely resembles American culture. But she knows little about the Prince of Peace, or His crown rights, and there are fewer disciples of Christ in Japan than in some Muslim countries.

A Disciple Will Be Like His Teacher

Today in Africa a new opportunity has opened to disciple a nation from the ground up. The citizens of this nation are teachable and they are uniquely motivated. They have been humbled by starvation and genocide. Yet they have nobly stirred themselves to acts of bravery and perseverance that few people ever see, and very few ever know. This is their time, and they know it. They are determined to secure freedom for themselves and their posterity. They are prepared to fight as hard for liberty and justice as they have fought, for five decades, for their very lives. This is why their independence is truly the story of the year.

Last week I met with the founding fathers of this new nation – members of the President’s cabinet who have been charged with building a nation out of nothing. These men, veterans of a long struggle against determined enemies, are unique among all the national leaders I have ever met. At this moment they possess a distinctive mental toughness and moral clarity. They have seen the face of evil in a short-lived Sharia government, and they have seen the face of domination in United Nations efforts to coerce families away from their Christian roots. They are statistically the poorest and most distressed in the world. Their nation is the least developed in the world. But although they have no developed material advantages, they have the Gospel of Jesus Christ and are thus far not ashamed to speak boldly to other nations about the authority of Christ. In official pronouncements of the new government can be found the words of Christ, the promises of Christ and the will of Christ.

When the Son of Man Comes, Will He Find Faith on the Earth?

Can it be possible that Christ can change Africa’s most poverty-stricken nation and sanctify its people? Is it possible that the nation that ranks lowest in every indicator of civilization can become civil and mature?

Yes.

“I believe the rest of us will be surprised by how much we will be learning from South Sudan,” observes Dr. Cham Dallas, a leading analyst of international developments.

Here is the message American Christians need to hear this season:

The birth of Christ is good news because of the redemptive power of a supernatural King. Christ’s words are not only words of eternal life; they change people and nations in the present. By the grace of God, deserts can become gardens and ruined sinners can become new and useful servants of a living Savior. Ignorant and wayward people can be entrusted with the very will of God. They can repent, and be entrusted with Ambassadorial positions in Christ’s Kingdom.

The gentle people of the Republic of South Sudan are open to Christian mentors to help them with the specifics of governance, growth, and national development. They are actively seeking help – from Christians who know the full meaning of Psalm 22:27-28:

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.

The battle-hardened people of the South Sudan are highly advanced in the language of freedom, civil society, and brotherhood, and they know generally what they want in a national culture. They have asked us for our prayers. The founding fathers of this nation are also looking to us for counsel and examples.

But what help can we confidently and faithfully offer? What can we legitimately offer? Traditions of careless men or the justice and judgment of Christ’s Kingdom (Is. 9:7, Matt. 5:19)? What can our young nation tell their younger nation? How well do we understand the claims of Christ over military, agricultural, parliamentary, economic, educational, medical, and family affairs? Could it be that Americans may be more confused about these issues than the world’s newest and most needy nation?

The future of South Sudan will be extraordinarily bright if its people simply follow Christ, who said what he meant and meant what he said. The lessons that can be taught and learned on that Republic’s cultural and political landscape can teach the rest of the world volumes about Christ’s Great Commission and how carelessly we in the West have mis-defined it in recent years.

Joyful All Ye Nations Rise

On July 11, 1776, The London Evening Post ran a story about the far-away American colonies that began, “On Wednesday last, the declaration of independence was read at the head of each brigade of the continental army, polled at and near New York, and every where received with loud huzzas, and the utmost demonstration…”

Most European papers had no idea what was about to happen, and what the next 235 years would look like in a nation that found her freedom.

On July 11, 2011, the Republic of South Sudan was 48 hours old, full of hope and thrilled with the prospect of the future. Most American newspapers completely missed the story of the year. Events were almost identical to the early hours of American freedom, and the world should have taken note. In South Sudan, celebrations and huzzas accompanied the reading of their declaration of independence, and now they enjoy the freedom to see how the Prince of Peace will order and establish his Kingdom. Christ is including their nation in His majestic plans. All Americans would do well to observe the zeal the Lord of hosts as He reigns over the newest nation in His realm.

¹ LIFE magazine, Sep 15, 1961, p54