Kingdom vs. Politics

Politics, per Bing, “Noun: the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.”

 Kingdom, per Bing, “Noun: a country, or territory ruled by a king or queen.”

When you look behind the curtain of politics and kingdom, both have to do with power and ruling. It is not a contest on who is the best speaker, the best looking, or even if you like the person. It is what ruling powers do we want to guide us.

Political Thinking!

Political thinking, this includes all parties, make decisions based on issues that concern us. Keeping our rights or willing to pay a price to help others. Most are based on self-interest, our opinions, the hurts and wounds we may have developed over the years. It is also based on the culture we were raised in. People think it is a race issue when it is a cultural issue. Being raise in a small town with no expose to other cultures can create a vacuum of what appears as uncompassionate. It not being uncompassionate, but a lack of understanding.

In the Northern states, we have learned to have different cultures but still be neighbors. People make jokes about Swedish, Polish, and Italians but we just made a joke back. It wasn’t considered derogatory but more of a brother verses brother picking on each other. We were all Americans and all had stories how we got here. Now in this atmosphere if you look at someone funny, you could get sued or shot.

Pennsylvania is a lot of small towns with less exposes than many places in the USA. Many of the white people I have talk to are just confused by this race problems. They were taught to obey the law. If a policeman stopped them, they didn’t run but did what was requested. Even if the policeman was a bully, they respected the authority and would later complain or report them. On the other hand, because so many non-white people have been unfairly treated, they run to protect themselves. I have heard a few interviews of wonderful black men training their sons on how to react to the police. But many families have no fathers or abusive fathers which make their view of the police tainted with fear and anger.

Kingdom Thinking!

Ok! Enough of the soapbox. How does Kingdom fit in all this mess, now that I have piqued your interest?

The Kingdom I am referring to is the Kingdom of God. As a Christian, who has accepted the price of Jesus’s death to pay for my sins, I have given up the right to my opinion. Yes, I still have an opinion, but I stop and ask God how He is looking at things. My opinion is formed by my experiences, education and exposure to cultural influences. I remember, a long time ago, I was getting ready to teach a Bible class. I was finishing my lesson and I felt a check in my conscience that something wasn’t right. I stopped and prayed and heard, “You aren’t seeing this right.” That stopped me dead in my tracks. This is when God revealed to me that my experiences, hurts, and the way I was raised was influencing my ability to see what the truth was. I ask God how to overcome my bias. He showed me a principle of what I call, “putting on your God’s glass.” This means going to God and asking Him how He looks at a situation. This changed the course of my life.

The Kingdom view on politics is as follows. I am a citizen of God’s Kingdom and His rules. Yes, I am a United States citizen but if you return to the definitions of politics and kingdom, it is deciding who rules or who has power to set the laws of the land. Jesus didn’t just die for me. He rose from the grave and is sitting up in heaven ruling. When I made Jesus Lord of my life that means I live in His Kingdom and by His rules.

What does this mean when it comes to politics? It means I don’t vote because of how nice a person is or because they may help my self-interest. I am God’s voice in the world. I am His ambassador. This means I represent Him and not my own interest. It has nothing to do with how I feel or what I think is fair. I don’t judge because someone is rich or poor. I treat everyone with respect because they were made by God. It has nothing to do with race, sex, or culture.

Jesus 2020!

I am going for “Jesus 2020!” Does God protect the helpless? Does He believe in murder for inconvenience? Is not His principles “you reap what you sow” or “if you don’t work you don’t eat?” Didn’t He pick David, a king after His own heart, who was murder? But God looked at the fruit of a life and could see in the future pass the man’s mistakes. A welfare state or socialism is NOT Kingdom. It puts the state above God as the provider, protector and total power broker. Democracy is not perfect but it does allow religious freedom no matter what you believe. If you remove Christianity from Democracy, it will collapse.

When we want the government to help people, it sets up an endless cycle of throwing money into a black hole. It sucks the life out of all who are force to give. Kingdom giving is giving to others to plant into their lives to help them to become productive through their gifts and skills that God gave them. It is not just throwing money at problems. It is seeds of redemption to produce a step out of poverty. This is what kingdom giving is based on.

Prayer

Father God,

Help me to see how You see what is going on in the world. Remove the confusions and chaos that has cause a false narrative in my thinking. I want to be rule by Your kingdom and not the world’s. Heal me of wounds and experiences that have caused me to react in ways that stop Your will on earth. I refuse to be dictated by the world’s tainted information. Help me to bring Your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Let me be guided by your Holy Spirit with Your principles and not my cultural principles. I trust You. Forgive me for the wrong responses and help guide me to the right decisions. In Jesus’s name.

Your kids! Amen.

Scriptural References

Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 4:20; Luke 17:20-21; John 4:34; 14:21; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12; Matthew 24:46-50; 25:19-26; Galatians 6:7; 2 Corinthians 9:6; James 2:14-15 required to give; Ephesians 3:7; 4:28; Matthew 6:10