The Mixing of Two Kingdoms

 As I reflect on the events that have transpired over the course of this past year, my concern for the church continues to grow deeper.  I love the church... it is God's design and His conduit to proclaim His glory to every tribe, tongue, and nation.  A local church is not a building but a gathering of believers in Jesus who live and worship with an identified community of other believers, in a context where they are responsible and accountable to one another.  It is a gathering of people who not only worship together, but are on mission together.  It is a gathering of people that was never intended to function only within the four walls of a building (or 8 walls if you worship in the building where I pastor).  It is because the church has a mission to proclaim the glory of God to all people that has me concerned.  When Jesus was teaching His disciples, He taught them to pray, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  Jesus told His disciples to seek first the Kingdom of God.  Peter tells believers that we are sojourners here on earth because our real citizenship is in heaven.  Sure we have earthly citizenship, but that never becomes more important that our citizenship in God's Kingdom.  My concern is the church has been trending toward a mixing of two kingdoms and one has become more important than the other.  Certainly no well intentioned believer would say that God's Kingdom is less important than our citizenship in the nation we live in, but our actions are painting a different story.  Let me explain.  Whenever we engage with others about political matters relative to earthly kingdom stuff, we have a tendency to ignore the values of the Kingdom of God.  In doing so, we lose our voice to the non-Christian world.  We communicate that our earthly allegiances are so important that we have no problem compromising the values of God's Kingdom.  Or maybe it is more shocking to say it this way... We think so little of God's Kingdom and what it means to be a citizen of heaven that we will forego values such as seeking peace, loving our neighbor, or better yet loving our enemy.  Instead there seems to be an unfortunate trend to engage in name calling and slander toward anyone who does not agree with their political leaning.  I have seen this from people on the right and on the left in the political spectrum in America.  It is not healthy or remotely helpful for anyone to do this, but what grieves me most is to see believers in Jesus engaging in such behavior.  Why?  Because it is not the Kingdom way and it certainly does not communicate the glory of God nor the message of the Gospel.  If you are a believer in Jesus, let me challenge you to seek first the Kingdom of God because there is no citizenship that you will ever possess that will be more important than your citizenship in God's Kingdom.  Here are a few thoughts for you to consider as you engage with people who think differently than you on political matters.  

  • Take on the nature of a servant (Phil. 2:3-8).  This requires humility.  Humble yourself before the Lord and before others.  As servants of Christ, submit to authority out of reverence for Christ.  God tells His people to submit to governing authorities because He establishes them (Romans 13:1-2).  The great thing about living in a democracy is that we have a voice and a vote.  However, when our vote doesn't go the way we want it, how are we to respond?  Submission!  Yes, that is right.  The only exception would be in the case where human laws or orders prevent you from doing what God called His people to do, or those laws require you to do what God has told you not to do through His Word.  Apart from those cases, which are few and far between, we should submit.  Does this make you a sheep?  No, it shows your conviction to follow God's Word as a citizen of His Kingdom.  Does this mean I have to agree with the person whom was elected into office?  No, but it does mean that you show respect (1 Peter 2:13-17).  Does this mean I can't engage and try to make a change?  No, but it does mean that you do it in a way that aligns with Kingdom values.  There is something greater at stake than the policies political parties make... the revelation of the Kingdom of God through the church of Jesus Christ to a world that so desperately needs Him.  There is no greater time to demonstrate what sets Kingdom values apart than in times where you did not get your way.
  • Listen and be slow to become angry (James 1:19-20).  Anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  It probably makes us feel good about ourselves, but it doesn't reflect the Kingdom.  I would encourage you to listen and find out where people are coming from.  When you do that, they will often give you an ear to where you are coming from.  People build walls up against rhetoric that feels like an attack, however, listening often builds bridges.  
  • Make up your mind to pursue peace (Romans 12:18).  You cannot control how others will respond, but you can decide how you will respond.  Peace does not mean that we all share the same ideology or passion about the same issues.  It means that we refuse to contribute to the chaos through  our actions or rhetoric.  It means that we treat people with dignity even if they treat you like dirt.  You can have difficult conversations without creating further division.  Almost all of us think we are on the right side of whatever issue we disagree about.  If you believe you can have a healthy and helpful conversation without contributing to the chaos, then do it.  If not, just remember that pursuing peace is more important than being right.  If you feel your blood boiling and don't think you can respond to someone without compromising Kingdom values, then don't engage.  It is better for you to say nothing than to compromise the values of the Kingdom.  We are told to love our neighbor.  There is no ambiguity concerning this command.  Jesus dispelled any notion of ambiguity by telling His people to love their enemy and pray for those whom persecute them.  This is the Kingdom way.  It might not be the way our flesh wants to respond, but it is the Kingdom way nonetheless.  
If you read this far and think this is just some left leaning guy trying to preach at those whose party lost the election, then you missed the point entirely.  In fact I am a conservative who has deep concerns about certain policies of the left.  However, my thoughts concerning earthly politics will never come before my responsibility as a citizen of the Kingdom of God.  I will continue to try to engage in healthy conversation and do my best to represent the Kingdom way.  Would you join me in such a task?

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