Believers in Crisis

On January 6, 2021, something beyond horrendous occurred at the Capitol in the United States. What happened was unthinkable, and it left me wondering if words even exist to describe the ugliness of it. It was chaos, it was violent, and it was wrong.

Christ’s name and a truly biblical understanding of Christianity was maligned in what happened, thanks to Christian emblems present that should have had no place at such an event.

One man involved in the event who is being charged even felt that his being arrested was akin to Jesus being arrested. How can any person commit wrongs such as these and compare it to the sinless Lamb of God? Likely because they do not know Him as He truly is and the reason Christ faced what He did for our sake.

Believers, we are in crisis.

As believers we are already plagued with difficulty in sharing the Gospel due to how both false teaching and politics have poisoned far too much of Christianity, and what happened at the Capitol have only made it worse.

I’m shocked, overwhelmed and grieved, yet even as a writer I don’t feel I can fully express what needs to be addressed here. Words are not enough; however, I want to share a few articles with you (note: the links are included at the end of each quote.)

True Allegiance to the Way of Jesus

Ann Voskamp writes,

“The King of Kings is never for one country, but for one Kingdom. The King of Kings doesn’t align with one national party, but He aligns all His people in one global church. The King of Kings is about every nation, every tribe and every tongue pledging allegiance to one banner of self-sacrificing, cruciform Love. And allegiance to the Way of Jesus means that godly ends never justify ungodly ways.

“When Christians believe pledging allegiance to a national leader can save their vision of the world, that is no longer Christianity; that is nationalism. And cloaked idolatry. When one’s flag-waving Christianity could not possibly translate to Rwanda, Haiti, the Philippines or Aruba, it’s no longer Christianity; that is nationalism. And antithetical to the Kingdom of God.”

— Ann Voskamp (emphasis added), Instagram Link

The World Sees: How Will Believers Respond?

Christian theologian and writer Phylicia Masonheimer shares,

“The world is watching to see if the conservative Christian church is evenhanded in its offended-ness. Is it as angered by a breach of Congress as it is by a breach of orthodoxy? …will we maintain our view of God’s establishment of leaders with our new pagan king, or has that theology run its course?

”Of course, Christianity is not a monolith. Not all of us are extreme in our political loyalties; many of us can yet discern nuance. Many more are trapped in the messy middle, politically homeless, torn by the unacceptability of right and left both. But for all of us – the Trump voter, the Biden voter, the independent, the pacifist – there remains a truth in Romans 13:1: ‘Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.’

— Phylicia Masonheimer (emphasis added), Article Link

We Must Remember: God Is Sovereign

Phylicia continues,

“If we believe God sovereign only when our candidate is in power, we do not believe God is sovereign at all…

“It is good to defend religious freedom. It is good to desire open doors for the church. But let us not confuse our spiritual allegiance with a political one, or assume America is the designated guard dog for the kingdom of God. The church is bigger; America is not the new Israel. The church is worldwide, thriving in the persecuted places, growing exponentially despite heavy oppression (Iran and China).”

— Phylicia Masonheimer (emphasis added), Article Link

Our Call as Christians

In closing, let’s remember and remind believers around us that our call as Christians is this:

• To follow and obey Christ Jesus, showing His love through loving others, and
• To live godly lives and share His Gospel message of salvation in a way the honors Him.

We should always stand for what is right and just. We are called not to build earthly kingdoms, but to build God’s kingdom which is not of this world. This comes through bringing people to know the Gospel, which will alone bring them hope for all eternity because of the ultimate price Jesus Christ has paid for our sins.

May we pray for all believers to know God and live in a way that truly glorifies Him. May we pray for those in need of Christ, whether they are unsaved or deceived believers being led astray.

As we go about our daily lives as believers, we must seek to represent Christ rightly, but first we must know Him as He truly is—the God-man who operated in humility, speaking the truth in love and laying down His life for undeserving sinners—you and I.

We are called to love Him and love others—even our enemies—in all godliness, not with the sword of man or in man’s sinful ways, but with the Word of God, sharing His truth in love.

Disclaimer: The inclusion of any link or other media on this website does not mean the site creator agrees with or endorses everything the author says, writes, believes, or stands for.

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