Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia
Internal Circulation
August 2013
August 2012
Bishop’s Message
13th Edition
10th Edition
PRAYING FOR OUR LEADERS that our Lord acknowledged the authority of Caesar. This is a distillation of a wisdom that runs through the entire Scripture. Paul wrote to his young disciple Timothy, on how one should pray in a congregation. “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Peter also writes to the early Church “For the sake of the Lord, accept the authority of every human institution: the king, as the supreme authority, and the governors as commissioned by him to punish criminals and praise those who do good… Have respect for everyone and love your fellow believers; fear God and honour your king” (1 Peter 2:13-14, 17). These are important sayings because what the Apostles have written is simply not a “do this” and “do those” sanctions for the Church. They are in keeping with what Jesus said. Furthermore, during the time when the Epistles were written and read widely, the early Christian community was being persecuted both by the religious leaders of Palestine and the secular leaders of Rome. It is indeed surprising that the Apostles asked the early Church to pray for their leaders when the very leaders were hostile to the Church. So, we pray for our leaders not because they are patrons or because we want to patronize them.
Interceding For Our Leaders It is customary in the ELCM to intercede for our King and the leaders of the nation in our worship services. We pray that our King and the Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers will uphold the law and bring about a just nation. Although many of us do not pay particular attention to this intercessory prayer, one cannot overemphasise its importance. We pray for our leaders not because it is a continuation of the tradition of praying for royal patrons as it is the case in Sweden or the United Kingdom. This may be true in those nations but it is not the actual reason. Christians pray for very different reasons. God in his providence has given us a safe and progressive nation like Malaysia and we ought to learn to value this gift with thanksgiving and loyalty. Our genuine prayers for the general welfare of the leaders of our nation are the most excellent gesture of thanksgiving to our Father in heaven.
A Lutheran Perspective On Church And State
A Biblical Perspective On Church And State
The Lutheran understanding of State goes back to our beloved reformer Dr Martin Luther’s elucidations on the Christian’s attitude toward the State: “The Christian ought to be particularly thankful to God for the gift of government, through which he graciously preserves human life. Government is part of “daily bread” and ought to also be “received with thanksgiving.” Along
When Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21), he put to shame many who were oppressing the unfortunate people and yet claiming for themselves authority above the state. It irritated them to hear what Jesus said yet at the same time it showed
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