I hate politics. Let me say that right off the bat. Politics divide. They are a tool used by an earthly enemy to keep spiritual people occupied from Kingdom work. I'm not saying that Christians can't be patriotic. What I am saying is that patriotism, in those who call themselves brothers, often becomes what is spoken of most. Christian, we need to be focused on one object only (And He is not an Object, but rather a person), rather, one MAN only, and He isn't in an oval office. He sits at the Right Hand of the Father, Ruling along side Him! Jesus is our King! Let the world do as it will (we should still vote, as it is our duty in submission to authority, and in so doing, vote our principles), it is our own house we need to clean. (1 Cor 5:12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” )
Church, we need to focus on what is inside the church. We like to point out and poo poo what is wrong in our government, while divorce, slander, gossip, drunkenness, and things like these run rampant in our churches. We focus more on the government, on those outside, and less on the work of the Kingdom. We have a citizenship in the Kingdom Eternal, under our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. A rhino, donkey or elephant have nothing on the Lion and the Lamb! And we let those lesser animals divide us and rule over us! When it comes down to it, our countries will eventually fall and fail. They will die alongside this world. We, then, need to focus on Christ's eternal Kingdom, established by a writ nailed to a tree and signed in blood. We were bought and paid for by our precious savior's life blood, and we still focus on the perishing rather than the eternal. This is not our home. Let's start acting like it! Let's look like the church of the Bible, rather than a smaller version of our own ideals.
Well, you might say, "Preacher needs to address what this or that president is doing!" No we don't. The word says " Submit to governing Authorities" (See below). You might say "the church needs to address this or that issue of social justice." You're right, in part. We don't need to draw attention to the nastiness of some people, we need to BE the change God is doing in us. If we're standing upon the authority of Scripture, submitting ourselves to Christ and His authority, we will seek to do what is right, no matter what. Christians living as Christians should has always enacted social lchange, not through protest or rebellion, but by the Holy Spirit moving us to change it in ourselves and in our Christian Community, then enacting it to our neighbors.
Romans 13:1-7 English Standard Version (ESV)
Submission to the Authorities
13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
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