Preach Jesus, not your presidential candidate

While political pundits do their work and analyze the presidential debate, I will fulfill my role as a spiritual leader and encourage us to set our priorities straight. In short, as I Posted Preach Jesus early in the year and elect your preferred president based on biblical principles. But don’t preach your candidate. That will tarnish your testimony.

Too often we become known for the candidate we support rather than the Lord we serve. We profess our allegiance to a party or a person far more passionately than to the Savior. And to what end? To what end?

Better to set our priorities straight, keep our focus clear and make sure nothing clouds our testimony for our Lord, and then participate in the political process as responsible citizens.

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For all of us, that means voting informed. For some, that means supporting candidates. Or raising awareness about issues. Or getting people to vote. Or even running for office. Let everyone find their place.

But we shouldn’t be so focused on the election that we let our social media pages or spheres of influence become partisan cesspools filled with ugly attacks, mocking memes, and vile rhetoric – all alongside our favorite Bible verse of the day!

As Jacob said: “With the tongue we praise the Lord and Father, and with it we curse man, who is made in God’s image. Out of the same mouth come praise and curse. This must not happen, my brothers and sisters. Can fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives or a vine figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” (James 3:9-12)

When our entire nation is reeling and uncertainty is the order of the day, we can surely go the extra mile, perform better, and shine like lights in dark places – all while remaining politically active.

In other words, whether America realizes it or not, our nation desperately needs a church that is church, that proclaims and lives out our faith, and that offers the hope of the gospel, the most powerful force on earth to change hearts and lives. So let us make our role as disciples of the Lord our highest priority.

With that in mind, here are some dangerous tendencies you should avoid:

• We wrap the gospel in the American flag (or any other national or state flag).
• We equate our country with the Kingdom of God.
• We confuse patriotism with spirituality.
• We compromise our ethics to keep our party (or leader) in power.
• Our church/denomination/congregation becomes an appendage of a political party.
• We rely more on earthly than spiritual methods.
• We link the cause of Christ with the cause of a political party (or political leader) as if they were one and the same.
• We become as vulgar and rude as the candidates we follow.
• We trust the White House or any other branch of a country’s government more than we trust God.
• We turn people into political saviors.
• We equate loyalty to God (which should be unconditional) with loyalty to a party or political leader (which should be conditional).
• Our prayers and prophecies become party political.

Unfortunately, we tend to fall into one extreme or the other.

Some followers of Jesus withdraw from politics altogether because they think, “The whole system is corrupt,” or “Why bother?” or “This world is not our home.”

Others are so obsessed with politics that they elevate political leaders to savior figures, find their identity primarily in a political party, and expect politics to accomplish what only the gospel can accomplish.

The fact is that politics matters and affects the lives of millions of people. Politics affects laws that are passed. And our standard of living. And health care. And our national security. And our international reputation. Politics affects our daily lives.

Political leaders, especially our presidents, can do a lot of harm or a lot of good, and if we don’t vote, we deserve whatever we get. And yet, tragically, tens of millions of American Christians don’t vote at all. That must change.

But in any case, let us keep our heads cool and guard our hearts, not fall into the political madness of the moment, not become as carnal as some of our political leaders often become, and not become evangelists for our candidate instead of evangelists for our Lord.

What America needs more than anything is followers of Jesus living as followers of Jesus.

This will change our country more than any election ever could.

So let’s vote. And let’s shine.