The Political Elephant in the Room: Disunity and Diversity [Part 1]

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Introduction

Before we get started let me be very clear....my job isn’t to tell you who to vote for!

my job is to make disciples and help you live every part of your life through an accurate picture and theology of Jesus and the gospel!

But what if we could experience something today that could change the way we live and experience politics or political conversations??

As an unbeliever, I did not care for politics

I was too busy playing football, going to school, and getting into trouble

As a believer, my view and desire for politics didn’t change

My attention was on other things....other priorities

I remember my boss finding out I didn’t vote....I was reprimanded and given time off work to go back across town and vote! [He was a Vietnam vet and schooled me on the privilege it was to voice my vote when so many can’t in the world]

In my Ministry Career - I’ve seen and heard some bizarre takes on politics.

I’ve had people ask me “what kind of church are we?”

Are we a conservative church or progressive church....WHAT!?

ummm…we believe the bible and love Jesus!

People have asked me more about where our church stands on political issues rather than if we even read the bible....or follow a risen Christ....or actually believe in the Trinity....or our beliefs on baptism, eternity, salvation, or ______________!

People have walked up and shook my hand and said, “I’m glad to hear a message that didn’t sound like Fox News or CNN” WHAT!?

I’m always fearful that someone is going to label us BY WHAT THEY THINK THEY KNOW rather than who we really are!

I was told by pastors either to keep politics out of the pulpit or I was told that there’s no way you can be a Christian unless you vote = this particular way

I have rarely seen politics and the Church play nicely together....

every 4 years I would hear that one particular candidate was God’s chosen vessel and the other was the Anti-Christ!

I would hear pastors the Sunday after the elections, either mourn the presidential outcome or pronounce a spiritual victory over the outcome! #SMH

I would often think…”Doesn’t 1Timothy 2 call us to pray for those in high positions? Doesn’t Romans 13 tell us that it’s God who appoints authorities? Doesn’t Titus 3 and 1 Peter 2 tell us to submit [to be subordinate] to rulers and authorities and to speak evil of no one?”

But everywhere I turned, I saw the Church praying for their candidate to win, creating this great divide in the body of Christ.

Transition

The truth is that on November 2nd people will be calling out to the Lord for their person to arise victorious.....and on November 3rd some will attribute their victory as “ordained by God” while others will look at the results with an apocalyptic attitude.

So here’s the question: What do we do with politics?

Do we just ignore the political elephant in the room?

Can the church really afford to continue to be so divided around politics?

Andy Stanley said this,

“nothing divides like politics, because nothing peddles like fear”

[In other words, politics divide us because one of the driving forces used is FEAR; ...fear of what we might lose if the other gets into power]

The Enemy uses fear because it’s an emotion that causes us to set alliances and pushes us towards self-preservation

There are TWO things present in every church when it comes to politics: DISUNITY and DIVERSITY

I posted a question on FACEBOOK and IG about how people felt regarding the struggle between religion and politics. [risky, I know]

Some took it as an opportunity to voice their views on specific policies

Some took it as an opportunity to voice their frustration with specific candidates

Some took it as an opportunity to attack others

Some took the opportunity to voice their pain of not being able to share their views…because they didn’t want to risk loosing friendships.

- Nevertheless, it did what I thought it would do....shine the light on diversity and disunity.

So what do we do with these two things?

How might the next three weeks before the election change how we live as Christians?

I think if we’re going to do better as the Church when it comes to politics, we need to look at what Jesus wants for His Bride!

I want to take you to 2 general places in scripture where Jesus is speaking to us.

The first place

I want to take you to Jesus’ life as He is bout to be arrested and soon crucified. [John 17]

I want us to focus on one question…”Can we repair disunity while remaining diverse?”

— before you answer, remember this:

Unity is not conformity. I’m not suggesting that we conform to a particular set of ideologies, “You have to look like me!”, but rather that we’d be transformed by the renewing of our minds as we look at the words of Jesus.

Jesus [and the Gospel] calls us to TRANSFORMATION [Romans 12:2 ] = meta-morphoo — to be completely changed from one state to another [metamorphosis]

In John 17 Jesus prays to His Father before He makes His final journey to the cross.

In John 17:1-19 Jesus prays that God would glorify Him and that He would protect and keep His disciples unified as they carry out the Gospel without His physical presence.

Examples: John 17:1–19 (ESV)

1When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,

3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

9 I am praying for them [the disciples]. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

Then Jesus shifts His prayer request to us: [those who will believe in me through their word]

John 17:20–21 (ESV)

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us....

Think about this!

Jesus is at the end of His life and ministry on earth....and when He takes time to pray, He prays that HIS CHURCH [His Bride] would be ONE…unified!

Jesus could’ve prayed for anything....surely there were tons of thoughts going through His mind....but one of His last requests from God, wasn’t deliverance, but that His people would walk in unity with one another!

Jesus knew...

That His Church would be diverse

That His Church would be all different colors, ethnicities, from different geographical backdrops, different languages, et.

Jesus knew that if they weren’t unified [because they are so different] that His church could suffer some major lose

Remember: Luke 11:17 Jesus said that a house or kingdom divided can’t stand!

If the CHURCH was to accomplish all that God had called it towards, it would have to WALK IN UNITY!

THINK ABOUT IT:

The only reason the Tower Of Babel [Genesis 11] didn’t succeed, wasn’t because the people weren’t unified....it’s because they were prideful!

The Shinar people all spoke the same language and they began to WORK TOGETHER.

Even though their unity was amazing....their purpose was evil. God didn’t disrupt their language because they were in unity....He did it because their motives were evil. They wanted to be God; to live independent of God.

So even though UNITY is good.....it must be MOTIVATED CORRECTLY

If not you get hate groups and country clubs --- but not THE CHURCH!

JESUS WANTS US TO BE ONE......BUT HOW?

That answer is found in the 2nd Place

The 2nd Place in scripture

If we are going to be the ANSWER TO JESUS’ PRAYER, then we must walk out JESUS’ COMMAND!

Jesus tells us in John 13:34 a new command that will fulfill the 600+ OT Laws:

John 13:34 (ESV)

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

This command is the struggle point for us when it comes to politics!

We are fine agreeing to disagree....but when Jesus calls us to love ONE ANOTHER we draw the line.

There’s a qualification to this love that we give each other: it’s suppose to mimic the love that we’ve experienced from Christ!

When the Enemy uses politics to divide the Church he is creating in us an opportunity to NOT LOVE each other.

You can not walk in DISUNITY and LOVE ----- and you can not walk in UNITY and NOT LOVE

We are not given permission to HATE one another for any reason

Actually, the love that Jesus is referring to is a sacrificial love....the same kind of sacrificial love that He shows for us on the cross!

If God’s love for you does not depend on your ballot....then our love for each other should not either.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO AFFIRM their actions or politics to LOVE THEM! God doesn’t affirm the actions of sinners, yet DIES ON THE CROSS FOR THEM because He loves them unconditionally!

Conclusion

We must look at our politics through the lens of our faith....rather than constructing a faith that is shaped through the lens of our politics.

The Christian life begins and ends with love and unity

What if we [as Christians] could get to the place where we could learn and talk about our diverse political views in light of the Gospel....AND STILL STAY UNIFIED in LOVE!?

Did you see why Jesus wants us to love each other like He loves us??

John 13:35 ESV

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What would the world think if it saw a widely diverse people [both physically and politically] walking in unity and loving one another??

The world would only be left to believe that our God is truly God!

John 17:21 ESV

21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

CHALLENGE:

Look for an opportunity to LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY someone with whom you DISAGREE POLITICALLY.

Allow yourself to assess your politics through the LENS OF YOUR FAITH rather than seeing your FAITH THROUGH THE LENS OF YOUR POLITICS.

[Make sure that your faith, the gospel, the scriptures, the character of God....influences your politics .... not vice versa]