Yikes, religion and politics in one message? Yep! 🙂 I hope that you will find this message timely and helpful as you face the political and cultural challenges of 2016.
Here are some of the applications that you will discover in this message:
- Christians are citizens of both the kingdom of man and the kingdom of God, which is altogether, fundamentally different than the kingdoms of men. And being fundamentally different, we are called to engage the city of man in a fundamentally different way.
- As dual citizens, we are called to engage in the public square of our culture as citizens of the city of man. We should be involved in business, medicine, education, the fine arts, film, journalism, and yes, even politics.
- As we engage, we should do so with a fully-informed, educated, Biblical worldview that influences how we view economics, national defense, immigration, and human dignity and justice issues like abortion, euthanasia, poverty, and human trafficking. We should be informed voters, seeking to elect representatives and leaders who will promote the common good – the human flourishing of all of our citizens.
- Yet, avoid connecting your core identity to a city of man political affiliation.
- When you think you are right, avoid holding that rightness with a spirit of arrogant pride, but rather with a sincere humility. Let’s allow a theology of grace inform HOW we engage in the public square. After all, any right view we profess is grace.
- Avoid demonizing “the other side.” Seek to listen, to understand, to build a bridge so that you can engage with understanding, as you hold out truth and grace.
- Humility is much more powerful and much more influential than we think. For short term, kingdom of man gains, get loud and angry. But for long term kingdom of God influence, the keys are humility, gentleness and respect.
- Let our political and cultural vitriol reveal how prideful we really are… and how much we need to go back to the gospel. All we have is grace.
- As you represent Jesus in the kingdom of man, be sure to ride your donkey to the debate.
- While participating in the political process, do not put your ultimate trust in the apparent power, wisdom and ability of human kings, chariots, horses to save. The Bible warns us of this Ps. 146:3, Do not put your trust in princes (or politicians) who cannot save.
- Jesus is the only King who really can save in the fullest, deepest, eternal sense. Not just from economic collapse, religious persecution or terrorist threats.. but from a much greater enemy… ourselves.
Psalm 33:16-22, 16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who [trust] him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love… 20 [so] We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 O LORD, May your unfailing love be with us, even as we put our hope in you.