Woe to those who
call evil good and
good evil, who
put darkness for light and
light for darkness, who
put bitter for sweet and
sweet for bitter. -- Isaiah 5: 20 (NIV)
This country
that we live in has become so polarized over the past 20 years. The people in
power have sold the people in
Don't
put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When
they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with
them. -- Psalm 146: 3-4 (NLT)
Don't
put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they? -- Isaiah 2:
22 (NLT)
It is
better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It
is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. --
Psalm 118: 8-9
Hear me very clearly today
beloved -- no political party cares about the cause of Jesus Christ. As a former
political junkie I can tell you that both sides care about one thing and one
thing only -- power. They will use whoever they need to achieve it, secure it
and keep it.
So should we vote? Absolutely
because it is a civic responsibility. It is not however a Christian
responsibility. The truth is that politics has corrupted Christianity. Last
night a Baptist preacher took to the national stage to promote a Mormon for
president and the evangelical world barely blinked. This is not an exercise in
saying one candidate is better than another. It is merely pointing out the
absurdity of a Baptist preacher shilling for votes for someone who denies the
deity of Jesus Christ! For someone who believes that we can achieve God-like
status and be equal with God! If that sounds familiar it is because there is
another fellow who believed such things in the Bible and his name is Satan!
Again, hear me very clearly, I
am not advocating for either side -- nor do I think it is a proper role of any
leader in Christendom to do so. I can give you 20 reasons why we should not
vote for Obama and 20 reasons why we should not vote for Romney. Do not confuse
the issue however; they will all be carnal reasons. We can dress them up with
the name of Jesus but in the end they will not be of God. The Lord does not
need your vote:
He said,
"Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He
controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. -- Daniel 2: 20-21
(NLT)
Everyone must
submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in
positions of authority have been placed there by God. -- Romans 13: 1 (NLT)
God has a plan and it will not
be changed by who you vote for. So what then is our responsibility? Our
responsibility is to seek the Holy Spirit inside of us and be led to vote
according to the Spirit of God -- without fear of condemnation. I say that
because there are too many political operatives in Christian clothing these
days. People who care about the cause of a party and not the cause of Jesus
Christ. The reality is that I agree with many Christians who feel voting is now
an exercise in determining the lesser of two evils. But we need to realize a couple
of things along with that mindset.
The first thing is do not ever
lose sight of the fact that you are voting for evil. Lesser evil is still evil
beloved. There are far too many Christians who advocate for their side as if
they have discovered righteousness in it. Man only finds righteousness in politics if he has pre-determined
his cause to be righteous. This is where the key verse comes in today. As
Christians, we should NOT be found calling evil good. The lesser of two evils
is still evil. But God is still on the throne. Whoever is president is God's
choice to fulfill God's plan. That means Barack Obama was God's choice in 2008
and George Bush was his choice for the eight years prior. Yes, that even means
that Bill Clinton was His choice before that. It doesn't make them righteous;
just who God allowed into power to accomplish His will.
Secondly,
when we realize that we are seeking the lesser of two evils do not ever fall
for the lie that somehow you will be judged on who you voted for. I have heard
this twisted and contorted argument too many times. The notion that we will
stand before Christ and have to answer for whether we voted for the pro-choice
guy or the Mormon is patently absurd. Do not let anyone try and condemn you.
Your vote is between you and God. Seek Him knowing that He will use whoever He
places in power.
I say
these things because the church needs to get back to being the church and leave
the world to be the world. What did Jesus charge us with? I do not recall the
parable of choosing the righteous presidential candidate. The disciples wanted
Jesus to deliver them from their own political situation with the Romans but
Jesus came to save them from so much more. God's plan is always so much more. It
seems sometimes as if we get pre-occupied with trying to bring the morality of
religion to the fallen world instead of the love of Christ. Realize that at its
heart that desire is no different than aspiring to be God. We want to convict
people of their sin, which is the role of the Holy Spirit. What we are supposed
to do is show them love, witness about our lives, and point them to the cross.
It is at the cross that they will find the forgiveness of God instead of the
judgment of man. Voting is not a fruit of the Spirit. When Christ returns He is
not going to want to review your voting record. He is going to review your walk
and what you did with the talent He gave you for His kingdom. When you strip
away all of the politics of man, the rhetoric, the lying, and the posturing --
then maybe we can start to see the politics of God. It is not found in
political platforms and fancy speeches. It is not concerned about the economy,
the budget, or even the wedge issues so many use to rally Christians to the
polls. The politics of God are found in His Word, and I pray we would just look
for them instead of looking for a Christian rationale to back up our desire to
cast our carnal vote.
1) Taking care of the least. The number one theme
in the Bible after salvation.
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