God wants His people to live and behave in a Christ like manner while in the world. We are not to be of the world. We are called instead to be the salt and light that the world desperately needs. As “salt,” our lives are to preserve righteousness and justice in the world, and as “light” we are to shine on Jesus while at the same time exposing the deeds of darkness.
This is especially true with regards to politics. Some are called to enter full time into politics. Like that of a pastor, no one should ever try to do so unless certain of his or her calling.
But the rest of us who are not called to be full time politicians, we have our own mandate from the Lord. In my previous blogs, I have mentioned four of them. Here they are again for review:
1. Remember Why We Exist – Simply: To make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20).
All Christians have the mandate to make disciples of all nations. We start with our own home turf. We start with our families, circle of friends, neighborhoods, places where we work, go to school, community, state, other countries and to the uttermost parts of the world.
What does it mean to make disciples? Lead an unsaved person to Christ and nurture that person until they can do what you just did for him or her. In other words, all disciples and followers of Christ must be able to reproduce themselves in others. Life begets life. Christians will beget other Christians. If this is not occurring, then a Christian is not living up to his or her full potential.
2. It is in God We Trust.
This is more than a slogan for us believers; it is a way of life. Government policies will at times infuriate us, but our trust is not in marches, not in demonstrations, not in numbers, and not in who has the best arguments. We know the truth because He lives within us. But are we willing to follow the truth and rely completely on Him even if the government we are sworn to live under changes for the worse?
3. Our Christian Duty Is To Submit
Jesus said to “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21). Jesus and His apostles had many opportunities to rebel against the governing authorities, but they did not. In stead they submitted. Both Jesus and the apostles all died a martyrs’ death except for the apostle John who was exiled on a small island where he later died there. That’s submission. What little rights they had were removed.
Now remember this. If you ever want to know your Christian duty to the government, then here it is:
A. Submit (Romans 13:1)
B. Pay your taxes (Rom. 13:7)
C. Pray for your civil leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-2)
4. Our Commitment Is To Pray
Why are we to pray for our leaders? First, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (1 Tim. 2:2). The idea here is simply this: When you pray for your leaders, you will not become embittered toward them. Instead you will be respectful. You will show compassion. You will be understanding. By praying for your leaders when you see how the wrong policies are being passed and all the lying and corruption that so often occurs, instead of being upset and wanting to rebel or protest, your prayers for your leaders will also have a positive affect on you and cause your heart of soften so you will lead and quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and dignity.
In other words, it is not civil policies that will bring about these positive changes in you, but God through your prayers for your leaders.
Second, pray for their salvation. One of the greatest ways you can honor and support your leaders is to get on your knees often and plead for God to save them. Nothing in this world is more important than having a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Do not get all excited over a victory of a Bill. This is so shallow and short sighted. Get excited over eternal matters – the salvation of someone in public office which leads to the expansion of Christ’s kingdom.
Now we come to the fifth and final principle.
5. Realize Where Your True Citizenship Is – Heaven!
We need to live out our lives with this understanding – we are citizens first and foremost of heaven, not of any country on earth.
Here is how Paul put it: But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ – Philip. 3:20 NIV
The earth is our temporary abode. Heaven is where we belong because it is where Jesus is. In fact, what did Jesus say to His disciples just before going to the cross? “In My Father’s House are many mansions. I go and prepare a place for you, so that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2). So there it is. Why would we want to set up camp here on earth as if this will be our home when Jesus has a much better place awaiting us in heaven?
In fact, the fact that Jesus is in heaven waiting for us (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16) is something that ought to always be in our minds when we think about the need to jump in and get overly involved in politics. Our fellow countrymen, the Old Testament saints, where do they now live and wait for us? In heaven (Heb. 12:23).
You want to know where your name is recorded? Guess? In heaven (Luke 10:20; Rev. 13:8). You want to know where the bible tells you to store your treasures? In heaven (Matt. 5:12; 6:20; 1 Pet. 1:4). That is, you do the kind of works, live the kind of life that will earn you great rewards in heaven for you to enjoy. Don’t keep yourself up at night or at every waking hour seeking to earn for yourself a lucrative life here on this dying and temporary place where the bible says that “Satan is the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4).
While in Egypt for four hundred years, Israel was seen to be a people in a foreign land. They were aliens and God had a much better place prepared for them (Acts 7:6). For those who understood this, it made their tough life a lot more bearable because they saw beyond Egypt to the Promise Land.
Before God called us into His wonderful family, we were known as aliens in terms of our heavenly citizenship (Eph. 2:19). All that has changed now if you indeed have trusted Christ as your Lord!
When Peter addressed his readers, he labeled them as “aliens” (1 Pet. 1:1; 2:11). He was writing to Christians who were suffering immensely. Therefore, he reminded them that their suffering was part of their temporary abode. He reminded them to understand why they are treated as strangers. They are strangers in this world! Therefore, do not be surprised if you are treated like one. You are not home yet.
When Moses had exiled himself to Midian after snuffing out the life of an Egyptian, he lived as an alien (Acts 7:29). Why? God did not want him to become so comfortable there that when the time came for him to move on and become the leader of the Israelites and their deliverer out of Egypt, he could pack up and leave quickly and without little effort.
Why do you think it was so hard for Lot and his wife to leave Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:14-16)? When the angels of the Lord told Lot’s sons-in-law to leave, they thought he was joking (v. 14). When they told Lot to leave the next morning, both him and his wife hesitated (v. 16), and so the angels had to grab them both by the hand and literally drag them out of their doomed city.
But Lot’s wife never understood how she was to live her life in such a place. She was committed. She was a home girl. She was fixated with her home, her residency, her way of life. When after she was forcefully removed from Sodom, she still couldn’t resist. She look back one last time to the place she called home and immediately was turned into a pillar of salt (v. 26).
This is no way for any believer to live in this world. We ought not to live life on this side of heaven so that when the rapture occurs, Jesus literally has to drag us away from our present manner of life. Don’t we want to be with Jesus? Don’t we want to experience the mansion in heaven that He has built for us? Don’t we want to fellowship and enjoy the company of those who also are citizens of heaven as well? Don’t we want to escape the pollution and evil of this world when God’s calls and offers a way out? We won’t if we live our lives not as aliens on this planet.
Finally, when God brought Abraham into the Promise Land told him that one day his descendants will inherit it, Abraham still was not satisfied. He lived as an alien and looked for even a better place, whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 11:9-10).
Now why am I emphasizing all this? Because if you and I understand that heaven is where we belong, then you will understand why Jesus said to us while living on earth, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). Why should we seek another kingdom when we are already part of one – a better one? The kingdom that we are a part of now is not our permanent home. Heaven is, therefore, seek heaven’s will and its righteousness, which is another way of saying, “Seek eternal matters and not go after temporary ones.”
Okay, on this fifth principle, my point is this: The world is and will go to hell in a hand basket. In other words, things will not get better, but worse. America will eventually fall and succumb to liberalism, socialism and godlessness. The church will eventually apostate and go the way of the world – that is the false church, not the true remnant of God.
So what are we to do? Sit back and be passive Christians? No. Instead, we are to:
1. Fulfill the Great Commission Mandate of Matthew 28:19-20 and lead as many people to Christ and nurture them in the Lord.
2. Trust Completely in God. He is in full control of everything in heaven and on earth.
3. Submit to our government – pay your taxes.
4. Pray for your leaders in public office. Pray for their salvation and pray so that you will also have the right kind of heart toward them as a temporary citizen on earth.
5. Live your life as aliens.
Keep your life simple down here. Don’t live your life as if you are setting up permanent camp. Don’t be like Lot and his wife where God has to literally drag you away and out of the world.
In a remarkable series of trades, one 17 year old Californian. Steven Ortiz, was able barter a cell phone all the way up to a Porsche. Source: CNN News.
The cell phone was traded for an IPod Touch. The IPod begat a dirt bike. The dirt bike begat a laptop computer. The series of trades eventually led to a Toyota 4runner, a Ford Bronco SUV, and ultimately, the coveted Porsche. It's all very impressive.
I couldn't help but to think of the popular Dale Evans song, "Trading My Sorrows." The lyrics include these words:
"I'm trading my sorrow. I'm trading my shame. I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord"
"I'm trading my sickness. I'm trading my pain. I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord"
What are you willing to trade? Are you willing to trade your life on earth, your luxury, your job, your status, your home, your way of life for something better? Are you willing to trade your sorrow and shame for the joy of the Lord? He has something better for us. But we won’t want it, if we choose to live our life on earth as anything other than what God has purpose for us.
