Christians Should Vote, Biblical Guide to Civic Duty at the Ballot Box

 

Christians Should Vote

Biblical Guide to Civic Duty at the Ballot Box

God specializes in turning a mess into a message. He can take what the enemy meant for harm and turn it around and use it for good.

He brings Life from death.

Two Tuesdays ago, I missed an opportunity to pray a blessing and plant a challenge regarding elections, at the close of our S.A.L.T. Expo. (They forgot to call me up to close in prayer, and I failed to jump up).

After a day of kicking myself, the Lord prompted me to stop wasting time and turn the mess into a message. So, the prayer that never got prayed was turned into a blog. The blog was turned into a Facebook post which we paid to have boosted—shown to more people.

It took off and quickly hit about 1,700 views, but then just that quick, it was shut down. Rejected “because it contained sensitive information that might change the outcome of an election.” (Isn’t that something? Simply telling Biblical Truth, can change the outcome of an election. That must mean, a lot of people are believing lies.)

Rather than wasting more time moaning, we took the post that was from the blog, that was from the prayer that never got prayed and turned it into a two-part series newspaper article.

Then, from the momentum of that, we turned it into a booklet published in paperback and e-book.

Whew. That week was a busy month!

God took a missed prayer mess and turned it into a message.

I thought we were done but evil is dumb and doesn’t know when to shut up.

Thursday night, everyone had gone home from Prayer Meeting and Roxy was tucked in bed, and all was quiet. I was ready for things to get back to our normal rhythm. So, I sat down and started working on Sunday’s sermon. I read through Ezekiel 32, more than once, then again in a different translation. The section focusing on the judgment of foreign nations spans chapters 25 through 32, concluding with Egypt in chapter 32. After this chapter, the book moves to the watchman's duty, the restoration of Israel, Ezekiel 38-39 war, and the amazing vision of the new temple.

As I sat there reading about the heavy realities of national judgment, I realized the sobering parallel to our own nation. Today find ourselves at the threshold of where a nation can fall under judgment, if we the people, don't do our duty to let God's voice be heard through our voice at the ballot box.

But then, somewhere in the midst of reading and praying and listening for leading, I noticed we had a comment on our Church Facebook page. We had posted a picture of a filled-out ballot, and we listed how we were voting. The comment read: “I didn’t know voting was church related!!”

I immediately knew the Lord wasn’t through talking about this topic.

So, He took the booklet, that was from the two-part newspaper article, that was from the Facebook post, that was from the blog, that was from the prayer that never got prayed, and turned it into this message:

Christians Should Vote, Biblical Guide to Civic Duty at the Ballot Box

The lady that left the comment, is not alone, multitudes say and think, “I didn’t know voting was church related.”

The heartbreaking part is that I know the lady and her husband. The comment was not meant as an admission of simply not knowing; it was an accusation, a rebuke, aimed at me for speaking about politics.

They used to live in our little village. They attended this Church before I was Pastor. Her husband was a gifted musician and singer. They were nice, friendly, church-going folks.

There are many just like them. Outwardly looking like God-fearing, Christ-following folks. But mention politics, and fangs flash, talons pop. That’s why it’s so heartbreaking. Decade after decade of church attendance, yet they still have no understanding of the foundational principle of Christianity: to be salt and light, preserving and illuminating.

Jesus puts it like this in Matthew 5:13-16:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Overcoming soul winners and disciple makers—this is the character of the Church Jesus builds. It’s the very Church He spoke about when He declared, “I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Hell cannot stand against the overcoming, soul-winning, disciple-making, preserving, illuminating, salt and light shining Church!

The gates of hell erected by the not so Supreme Court banning prayer and Bible reading in schools; the gates of hell housing the slaughtering of babies, the mutilating of children, the perverting of marriage, cannot stand against the Supreme onslaught of His Church!

You won't find the phrase "separation of Church and state" anywhere in Scripture, nor is it found or implied in the U.S. Constitution. The Founders never intended to exile God from government; they intended to keep the government out of the Church. Quite the opposite of what we are told today. The original Divine design was for the state to be influenced by the moral voice of the Church.

The saying “Don’t mix politics and religion” is a doctrine of demons never taught in the Bible. Yet, it has become the default setting of the modern church.

There are two reasons (at least) for this widespread ignorance:

1.    Pastors have failed to teach with uncompromised clarity the Truth of God’s Word regarding politics and religion.

2.    People willingly refuse to listen and learn. Many hold to their man-made tradition and religion, no matter what the Bible says.

Hosea 4:6 warns: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

Knowledge of God isn’t lacking because of scarcity, but because of willful rejection.

Jesus dealt with the same deceiving spirit in His day and said: by your tradition you make of none effect the word of God (Matthew 15:6, Mark 7:13).

The Divine Mandate for Dominion and Prayer

So, what exactly does God's Word say about our civic responsibility?

Let’s start at the beginning.

Genesis 1:27–28a declares:

“God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion...’”

From the dawn of creation, God’s Divine Design was for mankind to rule and reign as His representatives and ambassadors, His steward of the earth.

Fast forward to the New Testament, where Jesus states that He will build His Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against the multiplying, subduing, dominating force of His Church.

The original Greek word translated as "Church" is Ekklésia. In the ancient world, an Ekklésia referred to a body of people called out to interpret, enforce, and implement the law and will of the governing authority.

By definition, the Church is built to have dominion over evil and interpret, enforce and implement righteousness; the law and will of God on the earth.

In other words, be salt and light, preserve and illuminate. Or you might say it like this: be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion.

How do we do that?

We start with 1 Timothy 2:1–2:

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority...”

God governs in the affairs of men, and He uses His Ekklésia to do it.

... that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

We are commanded to pray for all those in authority, because the effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective (James 5:16). We pray to effect change, ensuring an environment that we can live quiet, peaceable lives in all godliness.

But prayer is not a license for laziness.

The Word of God demands we put feet to our faith. James 2:17–26 repeatedly warns that faith without works is dead.

So, how do we apply this in a Constitutional Republic like America?

We effect change by prayerfully electing authorities who protect godliness. We the people of God, cause His voice to be heard through our voice at the ballot box.

It is our civic duty, our Christian responsibility, and it pleases our Creator. As our text in 1 Timothy 2 continues in verses 3–4 telling us: “For this (prayer, faith and action) is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth.”

The Church in one accord voting Biblical values helps create a healthy, stable environment to reach communities with the saving truth of Jesus Christ, resulting in quiet peaceable lives in all godliness and reverence.

James 4:17 cuts right to the heart of it: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

The Three Pillars of Biblical Engagement

To destroy societal ignorance and apathy once and for all, we must stand firmly on the three undeniable, Biblical pillars that mandate our presence at the ballot box.

1. Stewardship 2. Defense 3. Occupy

Pillar 1: The Principle of Civic Stewardship
In ancient Israel, God directly chose kings and priests and prophets. But in modern America, by God's providential design, He has placed the governing authority directly into the hands of the citizens. That’s you, if you’re a US citizen.

Our Declaration of Independence clearly states:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

The government gets its power from the consent of the governed.

We the people receive rights from our Creator, and we the people grant select and certain power to governing authorities.

That powerful, world-changing sentiment is codified in the first three precedent-setting words of our U.S. Constitution:

We the People.

Romans 13:1-7 establishes that all civil authority is instituted by God.

But catch the beauty of America, in a Constitutional Republic: the “governing authority” is not a king on a throne—it is the citizen holding a ballot.

Under God’s providential design, you are part of the ruling reigning authority over the greatest most powerful nation on earth.

That is extremely awesome, however, remember: To whom much is given much is required. Luke 12:48.

Since this authority belongs to we the people, if we refuse to exercise our authority, by not voting, we are burying our talent in the sand. Abstaining from voting isn't holiness; it is a rejection of God-given responsibility and stewardship.

Remember, Jesus said the steward who buried his talent was called wicked and lazy and what he had was taken from him and he was cast into outer darkness where there was wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 25:14-30.

Pillar 2: Voting as an Act of Righteous Defense
Our vote is a shield to protect the innocent and a tool to push back the darkness.

Voting to keep baby slaughtering, child mutilators out of office is definitely a just and righteous defense for the innocent.

Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.”

If we refuse to step into the voting booth to select the righteous, we are actively allowing the wicked to rule.

Pillar 3: The Command to Occupy Until He Comes

The demonic deception tells the Church to just sit down, shut up, be nice, fiddle around until the rapture, while the whole world burns.

Jesus commands the exact opposite in Luke 19:13: “Occupy till I come.”

To occupy means to hold the ground, engage, influence, warn, stand as a watchman. To be salt and light, preserve and illuminate.

We cannot occupy the nation if we surrender the ballot box.

Ronald Reagan said it like this:

“...this is a republic, and we don’t have a king with a sword, only we the people, and our sword has been fashioned into a ballot box.”

Platform Over Person

You might say, “Fine, we ought to pray and vote. But I don’t like politics, and I don't care for anyone on the ballot.”

That’s okay, you don’t need to like anyone that’s running.

God makes it simple. We vote for a platform, not a person. Personality is irrelevant. We vote exclusively for the policy platform that aligns closest with Biblical principles.

Platform. Policy. Period.

As Christians, we have the Bible. As a nation, we have the Constitution—a document firmly built upon Biblical principles. We must vote for the platform closest to the foundational baseline of our nation.

Even for non-believers, this remains the absolute best way to vote.

Why?

Because the U.S. Constitution has stood the test of time. As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, it remains the longest living written constitution in history, giving rise to the freest, most prosperous, and most generous nation the world has ever known.

So dear Church, fellow U.S. Citizen, do no surrender your God given unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, granted by our U.S. Constitution, do not fall on your sword in surrender, but rise up and cast your ballot for the party that most closely promotes these time tested, Godly principles.

Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, we beg for your mercy, please forgive our ignorance, our apathy, our egregious sins. For Your name’s sake, give us a great awakening so this nation does not perish before completing Your mission. From the Seed You planted in Columbus, the Pilgrims, the Founders, the Patriots, all the way to we Your people, here today. Lord, unless You build the house, we will be no more successful than the builders of Babel. Have mercy oh God and show the world what You can do to a people whose God is the Lord.

Thank You.

In You, we trust and love, forever.

Amen.

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