Politics, Faith, and Unity

On a stage with ideas bouncing around left, and right, pundits and politicians seek to influence the populace to throw their weight behind them. Sometimes, they say what they think the people want to hear so that the people will vote for them. Others seek to sway the voter to their ideas, making convincing arguments to bring the people to their line of thinking. To the voter, it can be a confusing time. So many topics and each politician with a different view. To confuse things further, each citizen's life may be impacted differently by the issues at hand, which makes ranking the priority of the issues difficult. One person's pursuit of happiness may collide with that of another. Another person seeks liberty and freedom at the expense of someone else. How does one weigh the issues fairly and prioritize them rightly?
If we are to take our own individual interests as the measure, others who reflect our demographic concerns will line up with us. We will separate into voting blocks according to interests and concerns that match our own. What we end up with is a lot of self interested groups who align with each other.
Some of these groups promote and prioritize under a banner, and align behind a party that reflects their commonality. Minorities, feminists, immigrants, evangelicals, gun rights advocates, to name a few, can bring great pressure to bear on the political scene. Elections are influenced and candidates position themselves to receive the greatest gain they can from each of these political factions. The individual voter is left trying to figure out which candidate fits the criteria that matches his demographic and interests. It is not an easy task.
If we take our faith as the guide, we are often not much better off, as each group seeks to claim moral high ground. Some hot topics like abortion and religious expression may sway us in one direction, but candidates who may stand opposed to our faith in these areas may line up with us in others, like helping the impoverished and oppressed. Honest Christian brothers and sisters may go to the same church, but disagree on which candidate best represents their faith. They may prioritize the issues differently. They may not agree on the veracity of the candidates. Personal history and family background feed into lives differently to inform and influence. Disagreements arise as issues and interests divide us.
My plea for those caught up in the election process is to put faith above politics. Our disagreements in reality, are often precisely because we believe strongly. But that does not mean we have to part company. Faith should rise above party bickering. The one who demands loyalty above all others calls us to unify around our faith. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth which was divided among party lines. Some aligned behind one party figure, while others untied behind another. He warned them against division and called them to unite under one head (1 Cor. 1:10-13). Addressing this division he writes,"Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf" (1 Cor. 10:17). He writes the Ephesian church to unify them under "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4:3-6). To the Phillippian church, he writes to encourage them to stand firm "in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel" and that they "be of the same mind, having the same love" (Phil. 1:27, 2:2). He calls the Galatians to unify under their faith (Gal 3:26-29).
As we think about our country, we are called to be a light to a dark world. That is hard to do if we are divided along party lines. But if in spite of our divisions, we unite as one loving family of faith we will do much more than influence an election. We may actually influence our country.

Influence

Christians are called to make a difference in society. They are called to be salt, and light (Matthew 5:13-14). Our  life of faith in Jesus Christ should penetrate and illuminate those around us. We should be a positive influence on society. Unfortunately, the influence can also go the other way. Unless we are careful, instead of influencing others for the good, we may be influenced for the bad (Psalm 26:4; 1 Corinthians 15:33). Peer pressure can be a strong persuader, especially if you are in a group. Before you know it you can be following the wrong crowd (Exodus 23:2).

The best way to maintain our witness and influence others for the Good is to keep the influence coming from the right direction (John 8:23). If our influence comes from the world, we will be influenced, but if the flow of influence is from above, we will influence others for the good as a result of our being influenced from above.When the direction of influence is from above, others recognize the source and God gets the credit (Matthew 5:16). Likewise, when you have been influenced by evil, the credit goes back to the source (John 8:44).

You cannot take your cues from the the devil and claim the name of Christ. It is a sham that everyone can see through (Jeremiah 7:9-11). On the other hand, when we are true to the Lord, He is glorified in us (2 Thess. 1:12). If you want to influence others for the good, you have to guard your heart and mind (Proverbs 4:23; Romans 8:6-7). The Bible tells us that only when we are delivered from sin and live by the Spirit can we have our minds set on what the spirit desires. We must no longer conform to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Then we can influence others because we ourselves have been transformed.

Serving Spaghetti

 With the help of ladies in the church, our youth group held a spaghetti dinner fundraiser. The ladies baked cakes for dessert, supplied rolls, applesauce, and cooked in the kitchen, while the youth were charged with serving guests and waiting tables. The dinner not only raised funds for the youth group, it also provided an opportunity for the kids to practice servanthood. They were not simply serving spaghetti, they were serving people. The kids did a great job. they were eager to please the guests and were quick to respond to requests for coffee, rolls, and dessert. The way they pitched in and worked to satisfy others showed maturity and a care and concern for others that many adults would do well to copy.

Those who are great in the world's eyes are served by others. They are honored above others and put on a pedestal to admire. They do not seek to serve, but seek to be served. This is exactly opposite of the Bible's picture of true greatness(Matt. 23:12). In the Bible the ladder of greatness goes down, not up. The greatest example of servanthood is Jesus and whoever wants to be great in the kingdom of God must follow his example (Matt. 20:28; Mk. 10:43-45; Jn. 13:12-15). We are told that we are to make the most of opportunities to serve others, especially those of the household of faith (Gal. 6:10).

As I saw the ladies step up to the plate (pardon the pun) it was great, and my estimation of them was not diminished, but enhanced. Though the dinner was to benefit the youth, their attitude of service was an inspiration. It may have only been a spaghetti dinner, but it was a chance to see servanthood put into practice.

Radiant

What does a radiant life look like? When we shine for Jesus what kind of illumination is it that others see? Moses spent time in the presence of God and his face was radiant (Exodus 34:29). The outer luminescent quality was visibly evident to others. Is that how we are to appear to others if we shine for Jesus? The Bible speaks of a radiance that comes from looking on the face of God (Psalm 34:5), and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like stars (Dan. 12:3).

If the Bible meant that Christians are to shine with the visible radiance that Moses had, we would have to conclude that true Christians are rare indeed, for not many people in this world literally radiate spiritual light. On the other hand, the spiritual reality of Christ within is evident in the lives of many Christians. When someone turns to the Lord in faith, they begin to reflect the glory of the Lord. The glory of the lord is reflected in our lives as we are transformed into his likeness (2 Cor. 3:16-18). God shines in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). Christ within becomes evident to others as we shine in contrast to those who do not have Christ (Phil. 2:15). When they begin to see us shine, they will recognize it as evidence of God's goodness (Matt. 5:16). Therefore, do not cover your light, but let it shine (Matt. 5:15). That way, those who do not know Christ may wake up and Christ will shine on them too (Eph. 5:14).