- Joined
- Jan 31, 2012
- Messages
- 8,092
- Reaction score
- 762
- Points
- 113
From a good friend:
"Midterm elections are quickly approaching, and I won't lie to you: I totally understand why most pastors don't talk that much about voting. Say one wrong thing, sound like you lean slightly in one direction or another, and you get trashed on the internet and you lose the trust of half your congregation. And I don't want that any more than the next person.
But what I don't want - even more than that - is a world system and political powers that Christians have had no influence in. There are powers and principalities at play on the macro level, and we are called to wrestle against them (Eph. 5:12). There are political leaders and hopeful leaders that have evil designs and warped hearts, with a resistance to God and his ways.
So if you are a follower of Jesus Christ - if you call yourself a Christian - that's precisely why I want to tell you how to vote. You ready? Here's my strong voting advice that I won't back down from: Vote with your Bible open.
- Vote with the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).
- Vote with Jesus' Great Commission in mind (Matt. 28:18-20) - as opposed to a Muslim's or atheist's mission in mind.
- Vote to prevent the wicked from ruling (Prov. 29:2).
- Vote in submission to the governing authorities (Rom. 13:1-2) and the governmental systems in this society (Mark 12:15-17).
- Vote with the unborn in mind (Psalm 139:13-16).
- Vote with "the least of these" (Matt. 25:40) and vulnerable on your heart (James 1:27).
- Vote with the terrorizing of evil-doers in mind (Rom. 13:3-5).
- Vote with a relaxed trust that Jesus is over all the powers in this world (Is. 40:22-24; Col. 1:15-17).
- Vote with peace as an intended outcome in this world (Titus 3:1-2).
- Vote as a way to make this world brighter and more enjoyable (Matt. 5:13-15).
And I realize that this practice of voting with our Bibles open may influence each of us to vote in a slightly (or sometimes largely) different way. But that's the beauty of the mission of Jesus - he gives each of us the unique opportunity to join his mission here on this earth in a very personalized way.
So as the midterm elections approach, let's use this opportunity to be the salt and light of this world, bringing hope and joy, and resisting the process of decay in this culture. Let’s be people of compassion and conviction - the people who follow the One who shows us the path of truth and grace.
Feel free to hit me up if you have questions! I'm certainly a work in process, too. And I would love to chat
"
"Midterm elections are quickly approaching, and I won't lie to you: I totally understand why most pastors don't talk that much about voting. Say one wrong thing, sound like you lean slightly in one direction or another, and you get trashed on the internet and you lose the trust of half your congregation. And I don't want that any more than the next person.
But what I don't want - even more than that - is a world system and political powers that Christians have had no influence in. There are powers and principalities at play on the macro level, and we are called to wrestle against them (Eph. 5:12). There are political leaders and hopeful leaders that have evil designs and warped hearts, with a resistance to God and his ways.
So if you are a follower of Jesus Christ - if you call yourself a Christian - that's precisely why I want to tell you how to vote. You ready? Here's my strong voting advice that I won't back down from: Vote with your Bible open.
- Vote with the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).
- Vote with Jesus' Great Commission in mind (Matt. 28:18-20) - as opposed to a Muslim's or atheist's mission in mind.
- Vote to prevent the wicked from ruling (Prov. 29:2).
- Vote in submission to the governing authorities (Rom. 13:1-2) and the governmental systems in this society (Mark 12:15-17).
- Vote with the unborn in mind (Psalm 139:13-16).
- Vote with "the least of these" (Matt. 25:40) and vulnerable on your heart (James 1:27).
- Vote with the terrorizing of evil-doers in mind (Rom. 13:3-5).
- Vote with a relaxed trust that Jesus is over all the powers in this world (Is. 40:22-24; Col. 1:15-17).
- Vote with peace as an intended outcome in this world (Titus 3:1-2).
- Vote as a way to make this world brighter and more enjoyable (Matt. 5:13-15).
And I realize that this practice of voting with our Bibles open may influence each of us to vote in a slightly (or sometimes largely) different way. But that's the beauty of the mission of Jesus - he gives each of us the unique opportunity to join his mission here on this earth in a very personalized way.
So as the midterm elections approach, let's use this opportunity to be the salt and light of this world, bringing hope and joy, and resisting the process of decay in this culture. Let’s be people of compassion and conviction - the people who follow the One who shows us the path of truth and grace.
Feel free to hit me up if you have questions! I'm certainly a work in process, too. And I would love to chat
"