February 19, 2016 Friday)
Our nation is in the midst of a presidential election and emotions are running strong as Americans line up behind their favorite candidate or party. I find people are intensely interested and eager to share their opinions. I am concerned that many of us Christians are more concerned about human government than we are about the Kingdom of God.
Perhaps we should listen to the Apostle Paul. The governments of his day were all under the control of Rome in one way or another, and all local leaders were ultimately responsible to the emperor. It was in what we might call a dictatorship today that Paul worked to win the world to Christ.
Paul gave advice. Here’s an example: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV).
Plainly Paul was not urging people to “run for office” as that was an impossibility back then and he was not even urging them to vote because that was not allowed either. He was simply urging that men pray publicly for those in authority so that the church could go about its business of winning people to faith in Jesus unhindered by a godless state.
What does Paul’s advice mean for us who live in a limited democracy, where we each have access to a ballot box and ultimately decide who occupies a position of authority?
It means just what it meant then: we are to pray for our leaders. As Christians, however, our first allegiance is to Jesus Christ and the spiritual kingdom of God in the hearts of people.
We are to give heed to our citizenship responsibilities, voting and running for office and
serving if elected, but our first priority as Christians is spiritual. We want what God wants, and that is people of all nationalites to surrender to the will of God in their daily lives.
Our fathers’ God, to Thee, author of liberty, to Thee we sing:
Long may our land be bright with freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by Thy might, great God, our King!
Our main concerns are God and people, our Christian witness, Heaven and Hell, spiritual matters and not taxes, property, politics, elections and candidates.
We are good Americans, conscientiously fulfilling our citizenship responsibilities, but we also pray for peace so that the gospel may be freely proclaimed around the world. If we
insist on being obsessed with something let it be obsession with the precious gospel of
Christ. If we have priorities other than His, then we need to check up on ourselves as
Christians. Do we want what God wants for His world?
Our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20).
“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:30-32 ESV).