‘GOOD GOVERNANCE DAY’ on this 25th Day of December, caused the Christian community in India to go up in arms in 2014.
They felt their special historic and traditional Christmas Day, was replaced by the Government of India with ‘Good Governance Day’.
And the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has not exactly been in the good books of the Indian Christians since then.
But frankly, there is really no reason why Christians should be up in arms, and offended by ‘Good Governance Day’.
And we’ll address that a bit later down this article.
‘Good Governance Day’ was established in India in 2014, in honour of the former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The newly elected administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi established and declared the 25th of December as ‘Good Governance Day’.
The 25th of December also happens to be the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpaye.
And it was in his honour, the government of India declared it would henceforth be annually commemorated as ‘Good Governance Day’ in India.
On 23rd December 2014, the then, ninety-year old former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, received the Bharat Ratna award.
It is India’s highest civilian award for merit.
Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya was also on the same day, announced as a recipient of this same award, posthumously.
He was a scholar, educational reformer and politician, notable for his role in the Indian independence movement.
Apart from these, he was the president of the Indian National Congress on no less than four occasions.
And he was also born on 25th December, 1861, and passed away on November 12th, 1946, a year before Independence.
Fostering Awareness
The current BJP Government declared ‘Good Governance Day’ as, ‘fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in government’.
The Indian National Congress criticized the ruling BJP government for setting ‘Good Governance Day’ on the same date as Christmas.
In addition, they criticized the BJP for declaring this date as a government working day, questioning the secularism in the nation.
But then, that’s politics!
Every opposing political party must oppose just about everything the ruling part does, or else it would never be political. 😂
So though ‘Good Governance Day’, was for fostering awareness among the Indian people…..
However, when it comes to the Christians of India, ‘Good Governance Day’, has been festering their hearts and minds.
And it should not, because this is probably the best thing that has happened for Christianity in India.
The Bigger Picture
As Christians we should be looking at the overall bigger picture.
For a start, persecution, in whichever form it may come, is Biblically an indispensable part of every Christian believer.
Not just in India, but right across the globe in every nation under heaven.
Get that settled, for without persecution, Christianity would never have taken off the ground.
And it certainly would not have reached globally by the millions, where it stands today.
And it’s all happened under the banner of persecution and opposition, which is Christianity’s springboard for growth.
We can’t pray for ‘no persecution’, that would be both ‘unscriptural’ and ‘unanswered’.
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was the greatest persecutor of the Christ believing Jews in his days, and ruthless to the core.
And yet, in God’s Sovereignty, plan and purpose, this very man ends up writing two thirds of our New Testament.
Grace is a powerful thing!
And that can well happen to any of our political leaders at any moment, for ‘no one’ can resist God.
The growth of Christianity grows and thrives only when it’s up against the odds.
Otherwise, it would have died it’s death a long, long time ago.
It’s only when all the odds are stacked up against Christianity, that the ‘Power of God’ is made manifest and known.
The first Premier of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru, who had his education in Cambridge, England, is believed to have said:
“Do not touch the Christians, or else they will grow”.
We don’t know how far this is true, but the statement, without any shadow of doubt, is absolutely true.
Something Really Interesting
But here is something that is really interesting!
We live in a world of amazing technology, getting information at the ‘click of a button’ on our personal computers.
Type in any ‘word’ or ‘phrase’ on Google search, and it will throw up endless connecting sites for information.
The computer micro-chipped brain, can seemingly do wonders, that our individual human brains cannot.
Our personal computers are our bed-rock for getting information, and we live in an age where we cannot survive without them.
However, when we type in something like, “Do not touch the Christians, or else they will grow”, what do we get?
A big fat ‘ZERO’!
In fact, this is what you get 👇🏽.
Mr Google seems to have gone into hibernation or on a fishing vacation in the north pole with this one.
And this blue-horned devil seems to be enjoying himself!
Now we don’t know whether you’ll get this in other parts of the world.
Do try it and let us know!
But here in Bangalore, India, you certainly do!
Are you getting the picture?
This is an accurate cartooned symbolic representation of [2 Corinthians 4:4].
Check out the Scripture for yourself!
There are some things the Devil does not want us to know.
The Prophetic Utterance
The prophetic utterance for what has been coined and termed as Christmas, is found in [Isaiah 9:6].
And this verse in particular is used world-wide in every pulpit at this season, year after year, for centuries.
Speaking of Jesus Christ, 700 years before His first advent, the prophet Isaiah, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote this:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:”
This was fulfilled to perfection in the town of Bethlehem, 33 years before the cross.
However, unlike the cross, the birth of Christ was not a public event, but a quiet and silent one.
The 1818 German composer, Franz Xaver Gruber and lyrics writer Joseph Mohr started their carol song with these words:
“Silent Night, Holy Night……..all is calm…”
And silent and calm it was indeed in Bethlehem that night.
The Saviour from Heaven made a ‘silent entry’ into this world filled with sin and despair.
Government Upon His Shoulder
Speaking of the future, Isaiah says, “and the government shall be upon his shoulder:”
‘Government’ is a Biblically Scriptural Word.
And in the coming rule and reign of Christ Jesus, the government, will indeed be on His Shoulders.
This government will not be a democratic, socialist or any other kind, but rather a ‘benevolent Monarchy’.
Christ Jesus will be ruling as KING of kings and LORD of lords.
And that is when the world will really get to see what true and ‘good governance’ is all about.
For the 25th of December to be called ‘Good Governance Day’, is just so perfect.
It far outweighs ‘Christmas’ by a huge margin.
We have this ‘Good Governance Day’ today in India, which just so beautifully and perfectly points to Christ Jesus.
I’m sure the current government did not know this, when they declared the 25th of December as ‘Good Governance Day’.
‘Good Governance Day’ has everything to do with Jesus Christ, on Whose shoulders the government shall rest.
It’s right in line with Bible Scripture! And it is coming for sure!
The Wisdom Of God
This is the Wisdom of God that is beyond our comprehension, HE is the One Who orchestrated all this.
Christmas, that is the annual celebration the birth of Christ, does not even exist in the Bible!
In fact, if you check out it’s origin, it comes from the paganistic practices of ancient Rome.
What has Christ got to do with paganism?
The Apostle Paul says, “What communion has light with darkness, and what concord hath Christ with Belial?”
And speaking of the believer, “what agreement hath the temple of God with idols” or paganism [2 Corinthians 6:14-16].
I don’t know about you, but ‘Good Governance Day’, is so appropriate and right on track.
We probably need to recheck and reset our belief system, for too much has gone haywire.
And as much it may fly in the face of much of Christendom, the Apostle Paul is our go-to-man.
‘Good Governance Day’? Absolutely!
“And his Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
And that above 👆🏼 is ‘ALL’ Jesus Christ, every bit of it.
Little Allusion
Although significant from the prophetic stand point, the New Testament gives little allusion to the birth of Christ.
Luke records it as an account [Luke 1:3] and Matthew as a fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy [Matthew 1:21-23].
And then it’s never mentioned again.
And by the time we get into the epistles of the Apostle Paul, the closest we get is in [Galatians 4:4].
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.”
The Apostle Paul knew only one thing, and that was ‘Christ crucified’ [1 Corinthians 1:23].
The prophetic fulfilment of Christ’s birth, was a ‘sign’ to the nation of Israel and not to the Church.
They would believe or accept nothing without a sign.
Whereas the Body of Christ believers, are called to live by faith and not by signs [Romans 1:17].
The virgin birth of Christ was to be a sign to the Jew, that this Christ, was to be their promised Redeemer.
Writing exclusively to the nation of Israel, Isaiah says in [Isaiah 7:14]:
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son…..”
But eventually, we know what the Jews did with this sign, they put their Redeemer and Messiah on the cross.
But God raised Him from the dead, thereby proving that Christ Jesus was indeed the begotten Son of God [Romans 1:4].
And our entire Christian faith and hope is centred only on the ‘death, burial and resurrection’ of Jesus Christ.
Nothing else!
Belief in that alone, and open to all men, seals us for salvation and an eternity in Heaven [1 Corinthians 15:1-4].
Do Not Get Upset
So let’s not get all upset and offended at ‘Good Governance Day’.
For at the end of the day that is exactly what is going to happen.
Not just in India, but right across the entire globe.
This government has inadvertently done the Christians a great favour by declaring the 25th of December as ‘Good Governance Day’.
Remember that it was God Who allowed the temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed in 70 A.D.
HE was the one Who prompted the Roman General Titus, to take out the temple and utterly destroy it.
There was a message in that for the Jew.
And that was that Judaism, with all its ceremonial rites, ritual and laws was ‘no longer valid’.
It was all Christ Jesus and His finished works of the cross now!
Similarly, it is God Who prompted our Indian Government, to declare the 25th of December as ‘Good Governance Day’.
But here is the thing:
Is There A Message In It?
Is there a message in that move of God for us?
We believe there is. Absolutely! Think about it!
It’s worth giving that some meaningful thought.
Just like Judaism for the Jew, is Christmas with all of its festivities, really valid?
It’s like in America, where they’ve just about replaced ‘Merry Christmas’ with ‘Happy Holidays’.
Is the same message there too? Is God saying something?
‘Good Governance Day’ didn’t just happen in this country to foster governance awareness among the Indian people.
God could well be telling us something here, something much bigger!
Could it be that God wants us to move away from what could just be a subtle form of idolatry?
We need to carefully listen through things and events that take place around us.
One thing is sure, Jesus Christ is mindful of this great nation of ours.
Pray For Our Leaders
We continue to pray for our leaders, that God will give them all the wisdom to lead this great nation.
And that all come to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus, the Author and Finisher our faith.
We thank our leaders for ‘Good Governance Day’, hopefully some eyes will be opened.
It’s a good reminder to check out and see where our faith really lies, it’s Truth Vs Tradition.
Is it in the ‘traditions of men’ or in the ‘truth of God’ as revealed to Paul the Apostle?
Is it any wonder that the Apostle Paul tells us in [2 Corinthians 13:5]:
“ Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”
‘Good Governance Day’ could well be a tremendous blessing and an answer to prayer.
As Christmas is celebrated, we will do well to remember that Christmas led to a brutal Good Friday.
That was Heaven’s mandate.
And Good Friday culminated three days later with victorious Easter.
It’s from that, where we get our great Gospel of Salvation.
“That Jesus Christ, died for our sins, was buried and rose again.”
‘Good Governance Day’ is indeed at hand!
(Please note, all that is written in the ORANGE COLOUR, are connecting links, so do refer to them. You will find them very useful.)