When it comes to politics, I live in two worlds. I share a joyful connection with believers from all over who are fed up with dry, religious fundamentalism and the way it seeps into the political sphere. They feel there is an inordinate amount of hope placed in political candidates (what Proverbs calls “trust in princes”) as well as an us vs. them mentality that turns many away from the kingdom of Jesus in favor of a political party. 

I also share glorious communion with friends who are passionate about the transformation of society and believe the Kingdom touches every arena, including the development of “public policies” (i.e. politics). They are ardent in their involvement with legislation and absolutely frustrated when Christians and pastors are silent on political issues that are near to God’s heart.

In these two worlds, the Lord consistently brings me back to a bright and gleaming center point, a revelation of the all-consuming Christ who fills all things and whose blood was shed to redeem all things. This is my foundation, and as a result I often appear like someone in the first camp more than the second. However, I feel a strong connection to both realms, and I want to share some thoughts accordingly. My hope is to offer a bridge of even deeper communion between the two. 

In view of this, I want to call us backward in time to look with fresh eyes at how the issue of politics played into the earliest days of Christianity. This is only a brief and cursory look at one passage of the New Testament, but I believe it opens up a high degree of clarity.

A New Worldwide Garden

(with flowers called Little Christs)

In the first century, a new world was birthed in a graveyard. Like a little blossom growing in a massive garbage heap, the resurrection of Christ began to release a garden across the broken landscape of planet earth. Little by little, this garden grew and a group of Little Christs (what we translate as “Christians”) began to emerge. People were discovering the astonishing kindness of God as Father and Friend, and a transformation erupted in hearts, one person at a time. 

As this occurred, major outposts of light began to coalesce. One of them was in a city called Ephesus. In this cross-cultural metropolis, a young spiritual leader was raised up to provide some wisdom and guidance to this growing spiritual community. Now I use the word “leader” hesitantly since the scriptures prioritize the term “servant.” Either way, this servant-leader worked as a young father to this new community of light, and he was called to lead by example and joy. His name was Timothy, and he himself was introduced to this new world by the influence of an older spiritual father named Paul.

Paul, a “sent one” of Christ, wrote a letter to this young man to give him some things to share with the growing community of Little Christs. The garden of their fellowship was destined to fill the whole earth (against all odds), and so in its earliest stages it was important that certain things were established:

Thus, Paul wrote the following:

1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. (1 Timothy 2:1)

“First of all” he said. 

Did you see that? Look again if you missed it. In this new worldwide garden of Christ Ones, the call to pray for those in positions of power was a “first of all” thing. This, Paul says, is because God wants us to experience a tranquil and quiet life. 

You may not be aware of this, but people in positions of authority can affect the tranquility of our lives. Therefore, this new “Christian” community, which carried its own heavenly authority, was to engage in prayer so that wisdom and peace would come to those with earthly authority. Apparently, God cares about this. 

Now we know that tranquility flows from within, not from outward circumstances. We also know that we are part of a higher Kingdom that transcends every earthly kingdom. This is the focus to which many believers subscribe. However, this verse (and many others) suggests that God cares about the tangible peace in our day-to-day interactions with the public. In other words, our Father wants to see the ways of heaven influence every part of our lives–not just our churches and living rooms, but courtrooms and legislative halls as well. He wants the policies of public order to reflect healthy things that promote peace, joy, and good stewardship of earthly resources. Such things affect the lives of people, especially the marginalized and weak, like orphans, widows, ex-military, unborn children, minorities, etc. God cares about all this. And this is where both perspectives begin to collide. 

Doesn’t the Church Thrive Under Persecution?

(i.e. bad governments)

Now here’s the rub. Many Christians will say something along these lines: “Ok, but those who are living under persecution of evil governments are thriving and growing way more than those who sit under ‘nicer’ governments such as the one in America. This shows we are part of a higher Kingdom that eclipses whatever is going with the earthly ones.”

Perhaps you have thought along these lines before. I know I certainly have. Why worry so much about who’s in power when God does amazing things in the midst of the most corrupt governments on the planet. But there lies some faulty thinking underneath this sentiment and I would invite you to ponder it with me. We need the humility to be open to new ways of thinking, recognizing we do not have all the answers, no matter what side of the aisle we fall into. 

Whether we like it or not, this way of thinking would lead us to the conclusion that we should sit back and let certain administrations come forth that bring destruction to our resources (natural, financial, whatever), while empowering injustices like sex trafficking (which often happens in more subtle ways in the West), the slaughtering of the unborn, the fostering of overseas wars, empowering corrupt business leaders, etc., and all because, well, the church thrives under persecution.

Perhaps you see some problems here. The answer is really simple and it connects to a similar issue in the church surrounding the topics of sickness and poverty. Over the centuries, Christians have looked at sickness and poverty as things that make people “holy.” Some have therefore cursed themselves under vows of poverty and sickness because they believe this makes them more set-apart for God. 

But here’s the problem with this. Jesus told us to pray that it would be on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus called us to be a part of spreading a garden of new life. In heaven, there is no poverty. Neither is there sickness. And certainly there are no deranged dictators either. Just because God can work through such things does not at all mean that it is his will for them to be on earth. If the Lord’s Prayer will be answered (through his body, i.e. the church), this means eventually all sickness will have to bow the knee to the Kingdom of God. Poverty and its many twisted fruits of malnourishment, fear, and corruption will need to vacate the premises. Furthermore, corrupted positions of power will need to be straightened out as well.

Poverty is the source of so much wickedness. Sickness is the source of great pain and weariness and (to state the obvious) death. The same with evil governments. These things do not come from heaven. But here’s the reality: God is so good that he can turn around demonic schemes into great good–even unimaginable good. Therefore, his Kingdom and glory manifest in places of poverty and in seasons of unhealed sickness. But God does this in spite of the issues, not because of them. 

According to Romans 5, grace multiplies where sin abounds. This is amazingly good news worth celebrating! But Romans 5 is incomplete without Romans 6. In Romans 6, Paul says that now that grace has come, we should start to embrace victory over sin. Though we celebrate how God turns evil around for good, the hope is for evil to diminish through the influence of a joyful, victorious, and praying church.

Grace abounds in the midst of sickness, poverty, and evil governments. Praise God. Let’s seriously give him glory and honor and thanks for how he works through these things, even multiplying the church through it all. But let’s also be about the calling of seeing these things crushed under the feet of Christ. For his greater will is that bad things would cease, and he has raised up a church of salt and light to be part of this mission. 

This absolutely expands into public policy and economic decision-making. Thank God we have people in the church throughout history who did not separate these things in their minds. A prime example is William Wilbeforce in England who in the 1800s was instrumental in the governmental halls to end the African slave trade across Europe. If he had said, Well this is just a necessary evil … God works out slavery for good … and hey, we can even justify slavery’s existence using the Bible! … well, my friends, the world would be a little less “gardened” today. It would be a little less salty and less bright if believers hadn’t actively gotten involved in the political realm to end the injustices happening around them. 

Truly, the Body of Christ is made to expand the Garden! Even if it’s a very little bit at a time. 

And, to go back to Paul’s words to the young servant-leader of Ephesus, this begins with prayer. Paul even goes on to reiterate his previous point about praying for those in authority:

Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. (2:8)

It’s interesting he addresses the men here. In his day and age, men would get in heated debates and become uncontrollably angry over the political leaders of their day. I know things aren’t like that anymore (LOL JK), but there is wisdom for us here.

In a time of anger and arguing (“wrath and dissension”), this is such a clear word. Too many Christians complain and spit out venom against politicians when they should be turning that energy into faith-filled prayer … Apparently, this changes things! Apparently, this is part of the victorious Kingdom of heaven manifesting on earth through the Body of Christ. 

The Issue of Voting

(connecting prayer with action) 

Ok. So most Christians won’t argue with what I just said. How could they? It’s written in black and white. But what’s not written in black and white (and thus the cause of more debate) is the issue of voting … Why doesn’t Paul tell them to vote? It must not have been important, right? 

Well, not really. The reason is because voting wasn’t an option back then. A major reason for this is because the “garden” of human dignity (which was ignited by the Christian faith which brought new value and meaning to the individual as well as the collective) had not yet spread to the point of breaking up unhealthy systems of power. There is still much work to do in this arena, but the taking away of power from kings and dictators (as was prayerfully set up in the U.S. Constitution) was a major step in the right direction. 

Paul doesn’t write in his letters about reckless driving either. That doesn’t mean we can get behind the wheel and do whatever we want. There are principles of wisdom that apply to modern situations. We are to be guided by the indwelling Spirit of Christ as we apply these principles . 

In the days of the Roman Empire, rulers got their power through birthright and many of them were insanely corrupt and appointed whoever they saw fit into other positions of authority. In such a broken system, Paul is urging them … (did you see that word before? it’s a strong one … it’s the word for begging) … he is urging the church to intervene through prayer. This is because he wants them to experience quiet and tranquil lives! He wants to see more of heaven on earth through the policies created by those in power. 

But here’s the deal. Paul always combined prayer with action. Prayer is where things start, in the spiritual realm. Through restful, faith-filled prayer, we tap into our authority  in Christ which then filters down into the realm of this physical earth. But with that, Paul always went on to tell believers to follow-up their prayer with corresponding actions. For example, we are to pray for those who are lost, but then follow up by communicating the good news as God leads us. This is very simple. Prayer and action (led by the Spirit) go together.

Therefore, if Paul were in a culture where you could not only pray for leaders but have a choice in picking them, you better believe he would have told people to vote as well. I acknowledge that good options are sometimes limited in the voting process, but in most cases, there is a candidate who will promote policies that bring more peace and justice to the world than another candidate.

Going Beyond Personalities and Slogans

(and what the media presents)

Now I recognize this is where things get tricky. It’s important to know that when we vote for individuals, we are not voting for a Pope or a Messiah. We need to go beyond personalities and slogans and attempt to understand the policies these people will have the authority to enact. Many people get caught up in the personal life of a leader as though we are voting for someone modeling spirituality. But that is not what is happening. We are voting for people who will have authority to appoint judges, veto laws, and make certain decisions that will affect our daily lives – which, again, God actually cares about. 

This is where we ask for discernment as we pray for leaders and seek God’s heart for those in authority. What the media communicates to us is not always the best source of truth. We need to do research from a wide variety of sources, and not just the ones we agree with. In the end, as best as we know how, we steward this privilege of being able to appoint people into power. This is a remarkable gift to our generation. It is called voting. It is a simple task, but a powerful one, especially when aligned with prayer. 

(And on a different note, some people do not vote because they feel their vote doesn’t count. Without getting into the weeds of election integrity, all I will say is that most “election interference” requires a close call in the votes that come in. Therefore, high numbers of votes for a particular candidate is a powerful force against possible interference.)

A Cyrus Decree

(End of a Delay: 2019-2024) 

In light of the current elections in 2024, I want to submit a prophetic sense here… In the days leading up to Christ’s resurrection, the temple of Jerusalem was a pre-figure and sign of greater things to come. God’s plan was never about a building–nor was it about a physical garden. It was about living stones and living flowers that would fill the world with goodness and peace. Nonetheless, the physical temple was a big part of how this plan would eventually unfold. 

During the building of the temple, there were starts and delays that happened due to political factors. A pagan king named Cyrus rose to power and made favorable and good policies toward the Jewish people and the building of their prophetic temple. Though he did not embody the Sermon on the Mount, and probably wouldn’t pass an ethics today today, this man is honored in scripture for enacting decrees (public policies) that enabled economic prosperity and freedom for the Jewish nation. This helped move forward the greater plan of humanity’s restoration in the coming of Christ. 

But in the book of Ezra, we learn how in the middle of the building project things got delayed. This is because of new leaders who rose to power. These were not favorable toward the work of the temple and therefore construction stopped. It was not until a new king came back into power who decided to honor the original policy of Cyrus (you can read Ezra 4 – 6 for more of the story). After this, construction commenced once more and things in Israel advanced toward grander purposes than anyone could imagine. 

Some people take a deterministic view of this issue. They look at verses about God’s sovereignty and say it doesn’t matter; that it’s all part of his plan. But the mystery of the story is that God’s sovereignty intertwines with man’s choices. Yes, he appoints people to power, but somehow we still have a role to play here, especially today.

In the previous issue of Elisha’s Riddle, we shared about a delay at the end of 2019 going into 2020. There were certain promises of Kingdom expansion that were put on hold so that pruning and weeding in the garden might take place. I believe we entered a season similar as to what we find in the book of Ezra, where unhealthy political leaders came into power who were unfavorable toward the greater purposes unfolding in our own day and age. (I’ll leave the reader to ponder the political connections being suggested here.)

But God’s grace abounds and we need to celebrate this. The lockdowns and other inhibiting forces surrounding Covid ended up releasing greater manifestations of the Kingdom. We celebrate the goodness of God here, not the power of pandemics. Coronaviruses do not originate in the heart of the Father. They are not heaven’s best. This was a demonic delay, combined with unhealthy leadership. But as he always does, God still worked out great things in the midst of it. 

To get to the point, we sense so strongly that this delay is coming to end (though its end will be marked by great struggle). Like the renewed decree of Cyrus in Ezra, I believe we are going back to certain things that were started in the previous administration that will advance the true “temple” of a redeemed humanity. This will not ALL happen because of one administration. We truly do not put our trust in princes. But to go back to the beginning, the Kingdom is meant to touch every area of life, including American policies. There will indeed be a greater breakthrough of tranquility and peace in our daily lives (and in the nations) because of healthier policies being put into place. War-hungry forces connected to previous administrations (both Democrat and Republican) are being challenged like never before. God’s will is for more of heaven to touch the world and American elections are called to be part of this. 

So let’s believe for breakthrough together. Let’s pray and vote. And like Wilbeforce, may we even get involved in the political arena if and when the Spirit of God leads us in that direction. 

I entrust you to listen to the Holy Spirit on this matter … Let it be, Jesus! Amen.