Yesterday here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Governor made it mandatory for face masks to be worn when inside a building, unless you have certain medical issues or are a certain age. This has also happened in some other states, and it appears other states are going to follow suit in the coming days. Immediately after the decision was handed down, the reaction on both side was swift on social media. I am not surprised by this, nor do I think you really are. This has become the norm in our society. When someone says something, everyone feels they must respond immediately. Here is my concern, the church is losing any influence it may have in our society. The church has gotten sucked into the political divide in this country. Please don’t misunderstand me, Christians need to be involved in the political process; however, when we engage in politics, it must be to speak truth into the situation, not share our opinion or to roast anyone who disagrees with us. We certainly cannot be all about demanding our rights regardless of the cost. The Bible constantly calls us put the needs of others ahead of our own. We see this in the example of Jesus, especially as Paul writes it in Philippians 2:2-8. I believe God is giving us a unique opportunity to show what living the Gospel out looks like to a world that is battling a virus and fear. When we get on social media and start name calling, and we verbally torch anyone who disagrees with us, we are showing the opposite of the Gospel. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have your opinions on things. I certainly have some very strong opinions on mask wearing, the closing of church buildings, and more. However, I have to remind myself that there is more at stake than my personal preferences or comfort. There are eternities at stake. Because we believe what the Bible teaches, then we believe that there is only one way a person can be saved. A person can only be saved by surrendering to God’s grace through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection. This has nothing to do with political affiliation, personal preferences, or any temporary decisions made by political leaders. We need to be kingdom-minded now more so than ever. With this being said, I would like to suggest a few steps we can take to be focused on what Jesus says matters.
- Pray for one another. We need to be men and women of prayer. We need to pray for one another. We live in a fallen, sinful world. We all have a sin nature inside of us, battling against the Spirit of God for control of our mind and our mouth. In a day and age where there is very little accountability on social media, people feel free to get on there and air out every thought they have, regardless of who they might hurt.
- Pray for our government. Maybe I am more sympathetic to those in leadership, because I am part of a team that has to make difficult decisions at times. Decisions that I know are going to be unpopular with some. But for those who think it is easy to make a decision that will affect millions of people, I would say, how about you try it for a week and then let’s talk. I’m not trying to be condescending with that statement, I just believe that when you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, it gives you a different perspective. Whether you like those in office, whether you voted for them or not, and whether you agree with their decisions or not is completely inconsequential. If you are a child of God, Romans 13:1-7 tells us that we must submit to those God has placed in authority over us, unless they ask us to violate Scripture. What if instead of posting our opinion about whatever government official, we instead posted Scripture or even prayers for them on social media? What if we spent some of the time we normally are on social media, and instead spent that time in prayer for them?
- Pray for the lost. Our highest calling as a Christian is to be a disciple-maker who makes other disciple-makers. How much more time would we have to read our Bible, pray, and disciple others if we stopped posting so much on social media? I’m not against social media, I think it has some great uses, especially when it comes to Gospel endeavors. When was the last time you tried to share the Gospel with someone on social media? While we sit back and argue about politics, millions of people are dying and going to hell. How can we think God is ok with that church?
I love the church, and I write this with a heart that is breaking. The kingdom of God is bigger than our country, and more important than my personal preferences. I need to be consumed by the kingdom of God until every other concern fades away. Will we lay down our verbal arms and put on the armor of God, pick up the sword of the Spirit (Bible), and proclaim in person and online the truths of the kingdom of God? Or will we focus on winning a culture war while watching millions die without Jesus?
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin