“Once again, our political system has failed us.” I’m so sick and tired of hearing this. Every election cycle, it’s the same old thing. And not that elections don’t have consequences. They most certainly do. But the result of every election is largely related to the degree of influence and impact that the local church has in its respective community. This is not that complicated.
A lot of Jesus’ teachings, particularly the parables, were about how radically different God’s value system is from the world’s. Many times our own perception of something we deem as bad, is actually good in God’s eyes. How many of us see wealth as a good thing? Nearly all of us. But God? Not so much. Jesus said it plainly: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matt 19:24)
We’re reminded of the parable of the Vineyard Workers that Jesus taught in Matthew 20. The daily workers that the vineyard owner hired near the end of the day ended up working for only the final hour. And yet he paid them the exact same amount as the workers he hired at 6am that morning. “The last will be first and the first will be last.” (Matt 20:16)
So considering this “backwards is frontwards and frontwards is backwards” and “last is first and first is last” philosophy that God seems to place great value on, why is it that we Christians have the most difficult time acknowledging that real, meaningful and lasting cultural change starts at the bottom and not at the top?
Doesn’t all come down to the local church having profound impact on the local community? Isn’t that where it starts?
The Role of the Church
Acts 2:42 reads, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. So the early Christians formed a community of believers, a church, and this was their purpose. 1) They taught biblical doctrine. 2) They provided a place of fellowship for believers. 3) They routinely observed the Lord’s Supper. And 4) They prayed.
The apostle Paul states in Ephesians 4:11: “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” Paul goes on to say in the following verses that this is to teach and grow the faith in their members, so that they will be mature and know true teachers from the false ones.
The church is to be a place of fellowship, where believers can be devoted to one another, honor one another, instruct one another, encourage one another, and be compassionate, kind, and loving to one another. The church is to be a place of faithful prayer; the teaching and practicing of prayer.
The church is to be faithful in its mission to develop disciples who are prepared to go out into the community and share the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. And not only through words, but also through good deeds.
James 1:27 tells us, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress, and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” So the church is to be a beacon of light to those who are in need of food, clothing, and shelter as necessary.
And last but not least! Believers are to be doing the very things that Jesus would be doing if he was still physically here on earth living among us. Our ultimate purpose is to be like Christ.
The government isn’t responsible for changing the culture. Even the church itself isn’t responsible for changing the culture. The role of the church is outlined above and very clear.
Any church that is genuinely committed to following God’s blueprint, while not doing so perfectly by any means, can nevertheless have a dramatic impact on the state of our nation. It won’t happen overnight. We didn’t get to this sad state of national affairs overnight, so it will take time.
And lastly, we MUST stop demonizing those who don’t look like us, think like us, talk like us, and vote like us. They are not the enemy, Satan is the enemy.
We must get out of the business of politics. Man cannot save what man did not create. Only God can do that. If we keep looking for someone other than Him to pull us out of this dark pit, we will continue getting what we deserve.
Seek God.
Love Christ and try to be like him.
Love and help your neighbors.
This is what the Bible tells us to do.
Former Blackout Artist 