Politics & Christianity

PRAY 250; a Prayer “Jubilee”

Romans 13:7 “Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

Historical —May 17 Prayer & Fasting

Pray for Revolution, freedom from tyranny, favor

“Jubilee” —Ideal reversal of bad, releasing injustice, XP’ing free’m!

Social system turned upside down—not for own sake, but for justice!

Everything reset: citizens, immigrants, slaves, debts, land!

Idea of release pervades scriptures.

Today, we release our nation and it’s leaders to God; ask for blessing, favor, reform… for corruption to cease, for God’s ideals to win out in polit. spheres.

Would u bow your heads?

PRAY.

“Grab Bag” Series; May 2026

No connecting theme; misc. topics important or timely!

1) Conviction {listening to HS instead of my own ego… 2) Discernment {weighing my good vs. God’s ‘best’…

Ways to stay plugged in to God’s way & not disconnect, listen from God to move or act in line w/ His priorities; heart.

** "The desire to do the right things doesn’t come from understanding them more, but from starting a habit of doing them.”

“FAKE IT ‘TIL YOU MAKE IT, BABY!” Practice—starts slow, then gains traction!

That’s keeping “in STEP WITH” the HS.

TODAY: Politics & Christianity

Want to get this idea out ahead of our practical talk today…

Politics are part of our life—we can’t escape them!

Discuss my own apathy and desire to just ignore it all bc it all feels like a stunt; difficult to trust.

Tempted to buy head in sand & just live my life influencing what I can around me.

On the other extreme:

Obsession will turn every Bible verse or story or activity into something that supports my beliefs & condemns my opponents— not good either!

here thing: algorithm that decides which reels/posts you see on SM will reinforce harder what you already believe and even heighten you to get even MORE emotional about it…

Today, I hope to present a middle ground for us.

Not to be so uninformed that you are constantly oblivious when things happen in gov’t that affect my life…

....but not radicalized or obsessed where it becomes the most important topic in our everyday conversations.

“The church must never surrender its prophetic voice to political rage, nor bury its witness in political silence.”

You see, the Bible does address political things, just not in a way that promotes one party over the other.

It provides wisdom for engaging.…

Engaging Modern Politics as a Christian:

…

1 Peter 2:11–17 NLT “Dear friends, I warn you as “exiles and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. 13 For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. 15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.”

1. Begin with Prayer and Intentionality.

This whole ‘mess’ we call politics really comes down to a wisdom choice.

There were not any democ’s when Bible written. DEF not OT! City-states, Empires, ‘Republics’ where rich got richer and poor had no purp./value.

So no Bible verse tells us exactly how to vote—AMA Xian influencers say.

That does NOT mean that Bible has no input or outdated. Just takes some interpretation and societal adjustment.

That takes great wisdom. Not so ‘easy as pie’. (Remember Jesus’ new law about anger??)

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Before engaging politically, seek the Lord’s guidance!

Prayer is a key practice that leads to knowing what’s best vs. what’s good (wisdom).

Ask y‘self, Jesus: “What’s my goal in engaging with politics?” “How is it going to glorify God?” “Am I willing to make sacrifices to avoid corruption & injustice?”

"Does what I stand for (policy, platform, party, politician) honor Christ? Are the compromises going to compromise my witness to the truth?”

That’s Usually it

2. Establish clear Boundaries for your Convictions.

This is the most important one!

You can have social or economic thoughts on governance (know what US law code says) all day long, but make sure that you know where the Bible stands.

I guarantee that there will be compromises to be made.

Don’t lightly or thoughtlessly dismiss God’s word!

Also: don’t thoughtlessly use it to defend “your side"s actions.

Culture at large so Biblically illiterate; just see a Bible verse being quoted or some1 thanking Jesus and think: ‘this is the best thing!’

While yes, I think it’s encou'ing to see Bible being read or quoted (even attempted)… Satan quoted scripture to Jesus in wilderness—for nefarious purposes.

2 Cor 11—AP says Satan disguises ‘self as angel of light (looks good on outside)

Honestly when some1 in pub. eye handles scripture (who is not a minister by trade), I get skeptical real quick

Good Berean!

We need to know what Jesus taught and grow to discern what is ‘of God’ and what’s not (See Acts 5:29).

Here, in Bible study, at wkly B’fast hour, while serving tog., etc!

When early apostles were threatened & told to stop preachin’g truth, they said:

Acts 5:29 “Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”

If any law directly contradicts scripture, we need to be prepared to stand against it.

Lawmakers don’t always agree with the Bible’s ethic; and so think that society needs to bend to sometimes awful legis.

Don’t be anti-government but anti-tyranny.

Recognize that God is primary & gov't secondary = you won’t compromise core Xian values simply bc polit' pressure demands it.

There is room to argue about scruples (moral ‘grey’ areas).

However, distinguish between non-negotiable convictions and political preferences.

Many issues allow Christians to disagree in good faith.

a. Ground your positions biblically rather than ideologically.

Rely on biblical truths from divine sources rather than half-truths from biased sources.

This prevents you from becoming a mere partisan & keeps your witness distinct.

When you speak, people should recognize Christian conviction, not party loyalty.

Again, be sure your use of scripture to defend your position is solid, researched, peer-reviewed, etc.

GOOD BEREAN.

If we adhere to positions without first surveying God’s Word, then we are blind (see Isaiah 8:20).

In Isaiah 8, God comes against conspiracy as well as making decisions just based on political/economic strength/value.

Isaiah 8:20 “Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.”

Again—the major caveat—making sure that we actually know what our Bible teaches (vs. what's become diluted w/ pop theology or twisted into political rhetoric).

Here’s the thing: this whole realm of politics can get so disconnected from a ‘person’ quick.

Instead of caring what a real indiv. thinks, we group them into ‘sectors’ or ‘spheres’ and then we can say whatever we want about ‘X group’ w/o feeling bag.

Politics, unfortunately, gets personal quickly.

3. In Conversations, prioritize Connection over Victory.

Remember—political ‘opponents’ are people, too!

James gives us this universal command when it comes to dealings with other ppl:

James 1:19–20 “…Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

Approach political dialogue with vulnerability… seeking to learn about the other person… as opposed to focusing solely on exposing weakn's in others’ political views.

Ideological opponents are “peers to be persuaded,” not enemies to be destroyed.

This reframing—from combat to persuasion—fundamentally changes how you engage.

We’re too quick to believe that we know everything about a position and just start railing against it w/o ever sitting down, listening to opposition.

Doesn’t mean we should change our mind… but maybe gives us some grace for the person we could be debating to hear their motives or where their ideas come from.

That grace can go a long way to seeing a conversation cool down vs. heat up!

If you feel so strongly about some topic that you can’t be level-headed, ask WHY DO I FEEL SO STRONGLY about XYZ?

Am I so passionate about correct theology? weekly worship w/ God’s fam.? serving the poor or needy? vol. for ministry?

pause

Unfortunately most of our conversations today take place from behind a keyboard…

a. Be selective about what you put on Social Media… and your tone.

If I find that SM is making me worry more or angry more or stressed out… STOP IT.

Delete the app off your phone so you have to grab for tablet or laptop.

No notif., time restrict's, daily blocks

That’s just general advice for ANY SM any time.

Culture puts pressure on us to have a public word about everything, share SOMEthing, put opinion or likes or dislikes out there to world… don’t need to!

Also… don’t really need to know what’s going on about [random person] at every hour of the day.

Even the best intentions of a Social Media post can be interpreted 17 different ways.

Jesus gives us this warning which we can easily apply in our digital age:

Matthew 12:36 “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”

Social media makes us way more brazen about our opinions than we need to be. And we feel like we have to defend ourselves in that public forum also.

However,

Social media engagement requires particular care—even polite, question-asking approaches can invite hostility from other Christians.

Before you post. Consider whether a given conversation serves genuine dialogue or merely amplifies division.

Sometimes stepping back from a platform preserves your witness more effectively than continued participation.

Despite all this wisdom and precaution, I do want you to walk away with this challenge… >>

At Some Level, Be Involved!

Greatest verse about political involvement

Jeremiah 29:7 “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.””

Have babies, serve as little league coach… don’t live such separate lives. God going to use this to bring blessing to world.

Theological ponderings

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Action Steps

Vote prayerfully, not tribally.

Stay informed without becoming consumed.

Support policies that align with biblical justice and human dignity.

Serve locally.

Pray regularly for leaders regardless of party.

Model Christlikeness publicly.

Refuse cynicism.

Remember that discipleship is more transformative than outrage.

There is a quiet beauty in believers who can stand firm without becoming harsh, engage culture without worshiping it, and speak truth without losing love.

Finally, channel justice-seeking passion constructively by taking practical steps toward real influence in the public square rather than venting frustration online. This shifts your energy from reactive debate toward proactive service.