Pastor Jamar Andrews Delivers Chapel Message Oct. 28

October 28, 2020

Jamar Andrews, pastor of Word Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas, delivered the chapel message to OBU students Wednesday, Oct. 28. Andrews titled his message “God and Government.”

Andrews speaks about this time leading up to the presidential election and our roles as Christians.

“In these days that we live in, it is so important that we have an objective viewpoint. God’s word provides that for us,” he said.

He read from Romans 13:1-4, sharing that government is God’s idea.

“We recognize that we cannot legislate a person’s morality, in the sense that when we give a law, when a law is given, it does not necessarily give the person the ability to be able to carry it out,” he said. “And so, the reason that we have laws is to resist or to restrain the evil. So as we look at the assessment here, that’s why we are told, ‘don’t steal and don’t lie,’ that those laws, those things don’t make us not do those things; but God has given the authority to the state and to the government to bring about the punishment for us not following those things.”

Andrews expresses that God has not only established government to restrain evil, but that he has also established the church. We should be willing to support our government, as our government officials are God’s servants.

He also stressed that as Christians, we can love our government officials by praying for them. He noted that we need to be willing to pray for our government, preach the truth and be involved.

“Wake up and understand what is around us, wake up and know that Christ’s return is closer now than it has ever been,” he said. “He is calling us to wake up and not to be caught off guard by the things going on around us. Not only do we need to wake up, we need to clean up.”

Andrews lives in Jonesboro, Arkansas, with his wife Stephanie and their two children, Eva and Elliot. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in speech communication from Arkansas State University and a Master of Arts in Islamic studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.