Unity in Faith Amidst Political Division

And so there's all kind of predictions out there that are starting to make their way into, you know, into our homes, into our living rooms. But I think the first thing to be aware of is that we are seeing great division in our families, in our churches, in our nations, especially political differences and political division. And that's unfortunate. I mean, there's always been some sort of division. I mean, there's always, you know, you know, grandma was this way and grandpa voted that way. And you had that and you talked about that years ago. But today the division seems to be deeper, greater, wider, more vitriol, more just more heart wrenching, if you will, among the families. And not only that, but it's affecting and impacting our nation. [00:03:02] (46 seconds)


So with that being said, it goes back to what Jesus declared, a house divided cannot stand. And that's the concern, I think, on the heart of our families, our churches, our pastors, that a house divided cannot stand, even among some of our politicians and some of our leaders. So here's what we're discovering about voting concerns. Some of the things that we're discovering is this. Number one, there are 90 million evangelical Christians in our country. That's a lot. That's a lot, 90 million evangelical Christians. That's not counting other faiths and other traditions, but 90 million evangelical Christians. [00:04:51] (35 seconds)


And I will argue that could make some difference and some change if these 45 million or even half of that number got out and voted. And so bottom line, 50 % of the evangelicals in our country will not be voting this election year. And that for some is extremely concerning. Why is that? Why are some concerned about that? Because as followers of Jesus, here's some issues that we must be aware of that's happening in our culture. No matter how you want to slice it, no matter how you want to frame it, here are some of the issues that are affecting our culture. Right. And these are not political. [00:06:09] (41 seconds)


The Word of God says a lot about Israel. That Israel is the apple of God's eye. Of course, in Genesis 12, we know that the Word of God says, God says to Abraham, I will bless those who bless you. I will curse those who curse you. So a nation that turns their back on Israel may be putting themselves in jeopardy, I will argue. The Word of God talks about the economy. Those who don't work don't eat. The borrower is a slave to the lender. I mean, these are some very basic economic principles. And of course, the Word of God says a lot about orientation. Romans chapter 1 gives a great definition and visualization of where God stands on certain orientations. So again, we need to be mindful of these things. So the Word of God is very clear about the very cultural concerns that are coming into our nation. So as a follower of Jesus, I will argue we're to be guided by Scripture. [00:09:34] (56 seconds)


As followers of Jesus, we are to be guided by the Scripture. And so the Word of God says, The Word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It's a lamp to our feet, a light into our path. It guides the way. It shows us where we're to go. It tells us and gives us direction. It takes out the darkness and gives us that marvelous light. And so when you look through the lens of the Bible and you ask the question, which candidate aligns most of the word of God? That's the very question to ask. And we need to ask that question because the main point is this, and this is the main point. So if you're tuning out and if you're just tuned in early, we're talking about dealing with an election year, an election week, and then how it divides our families and what we need to do. And should we vote? Should we not vote? [00:10:29] (51 seconds)


How involved should we be? Here's what I'll argue. As a Christian, I must take advantage of every opportunity to protect people, honor God, advance freedom, and turn back wickedness. So we should take those opportunities that we have. I won't. I won't argue. As a Christian, I must take advantage of every opportunity to protect people, to honor God, to advance freedom, and to turn back wickedness. [00:11:20] (31 seconds)


At the same time, yes, we're to remain passionate about the gospel. Yes, we're to remain passionate about eternity. And yes, as Christians and as the church, as those in the kingdom of God, we're to be passionate about those things. But that doesn't negate the need, if you will, to protect people, honor God, advance freedom, and turn back wickedness as we can do that through the vote. Yeah. So we need to ask, you know, this question, because a lot of people say, well, we shouldn't get involved in government affairs, civic duties, we shouldn't get involved in that sort of thing. So I need to ask the question for those who believe that, and that's fine if you do, but did great people in the Bible ever get involved in government and leadership? [00:13:42] (42 seconds)


I think when you look at the prayer of Jesus, he prayed for unity. He prayed for God's protection. He prayed for wisdom. prayed that ultimately God would glorify it. I think as families, that's what we're called to do. Not just during the election cycle, but every day of our life, pray for unity. Pray that God's protection will be upon us. Pray for wisdom that we will do and say and declare the right thing. [00:21:10] (26 seconds)


Pray that God would glorify it. Pray that God will use us for such a time as this. If that's our prayer, then I believe that we can definitely say things and share things and do things in our families that will be a blessing to those around us. Again, to answer this question, the first part of this question is, should we help and encourage people in our church to vote? I would say yes. To vote. Vote is a right and a privilege that many have fought and died for. It's a right and privilege that millions, maybe billions around the world, which they had that we take for granted. And so again, I think to encourage people to vote is a very important thing, both inside the church and outside the church to, to simply say, look, you know, men and women fought and died for this. Your vote is a voice and your voice may be the difference between life and death of children. [00:22:16] (52 seconds)


So yeah, boundaries are powerful. They're important and they're so needed and necessary. But I do hope those who are listening will go out and vote. Again, I think it's a wonderful freedom that we have here in this country and let our voice be heard and our voice be known. [00:29:31] (14 seconds)