Since World War II, the Great Society programs of the 1960s and more, the federal government of the United States has been getting larger at the expense of individual liberty and freedom. The liberals in the federal government offer more and more freebies in exchange for votes. Hence, the more dependent America becomes upon big government, the less likely it becomes that America would ever vote against it.

This is the only way we can interpret the fact that, among minorities, the nuclear family has almost disintegrated since the advent of the welfare state, coupled with Social Security, food stamps, affordable housing, immigration reform, public daycares, diversity and sex education in public schools, the phenomena of single mothers, Obamacare and the state enforcing same-sex marriage upon culture. This demonstrates that the goal of the far-left has always been the nationalization of the family.

After all, if the government gives a teenage single mother food stamps, free healthcare and affordable housing, then why does she need her church and her family? If a single mother could receive more money in food stamps and welfare checks as a single parent, then why get married? When the federal government takes 15 percent of my salary for Social Security, instead of giving me the right to invest it privately, it gives them the ability to utilize trillions of dollars in a ("legal") Ponzi scheme to further expand their programs and reach.

If a family in poverty qualifies to pay a few hundred dollars per month in a Section 8 apartment building (as opposed to paying five times that amount in an unregulated apartment) it could demotivate the breadwinner of the family from improving himself or herself. This in turn would continue to perpetuate the generational cycles of poverty and secure their political allegiance to big government candidates. Truly, he who controls the family controls society.

This is why the liberal state will usually be antagonistic against biblical churches, home-schooling parents, and non-governmental organizations that have the potential to replace government programs, influence the children and improve communities. The state wants no rivals.

I believe that if the prodigal son (Luke 15) lived in America today, he would have never repented and come home to his father, since he could have gone to a local government building for aid. It was never really about doing the best for the people; if it was, then the state would give parents the option of using the thousands of dollars we pay annually in taxes to send our children to private schools for a better education (instead of our tax dollars going to subsidize failing public school systems). The goal has always been for big brother to become bigger, if not better.

Of course, the far-left creates a narrative of compassion for all the programs and policies mentioned above. But in truth they are creating a nation of dependency, which creates a larger voter base for them. It is always about money and power, nothing more and nothing less.

For example: while they skillfully craft an amnesty plan for millions of undocumented immigrants based on compassion, their real motivation is to tip the population scale towards government dependency. When big brother dictates our healthcare system, they control our future health and quality of life. When government redefines marriage and family, they weaken nuclear families and in essence ensure that they inch closer to replacing the family.

Hence, same-sex marriage and the like is more about gaining additional control over the family than it is about civil rights for gays. Their goal is simply to nationalize families and shift future generations toward a culture of government dependency (conceptually and financially). The entity that defines the family influences society as a whole.

This is nothing new. In the Bible we see humanity always attempting to be autonomous without divine constraints so we could be our own gods. From the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11) to the Pharaoh of Exodus to the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome (Dan. 7), to the beast of Revelation 13, there has always been a human proclivity away from God's rule toward the Messianic State—a politically-correct place without individuality and human freedom because conformity to the belief and values of the state trumps freedom of speech and religion.

In closing: In this day and age, because the typical church has largely abandoned cultural engagement and families have been disempowered, I am not a proponent of quickly getting rid of governmental programs like Section 8, Social Security, food stamps, welfare and more. There are millions of people who really do need governmental help.

Churches and families would need to prove their ability to stand in the gap in these areas before systemic change could come. Also, we do need a smart plan for immigration reform, one that doesn't compromise the health and resources of our nation. I believe there could be partnerships between the church and state to better the quality of life for cities. However, these programs should never take the place of the family and church, and never become a system that traps poor families in generational poverty.

For example: Social Security is also a good idea for those who do not know how to invest their money. However, every person should have the option to opt out so they could invest their own money, if they so choose.

Scripture teaches that God has judged numerous nations, empires and leaders who became rivals to His kingdom and glory. Our nation has gone so far down the road toward socialism and the nationalization of culture that the only thing that could change this is a divine reset towards a decentralized way of life, which would force communities to once again depend upon God, the church and family for their very sustenance.

In the meantime, perhaps the most important role of the church today is to strengthen the nuclear family in our congregations, and empower parents so they could train their children with a biblical worldview. Strong biblical families are now the greatest countercultural witness that will draw attention to the restorative power of the gospel.

Joseph Mattera is overseeing bishop of Resurrection Church and Christ Covenant Coalition in Brooklyn, New York. Visit him at josephmattera.org.

Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!

FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.

The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.