December 2012
Spirituality vs. Politics
17 December 2012 @ 13:52
Why do we insist on tying spirituality to politics? Of course, it was used in Jesus time by the religious leaders so that Jesus could be perceived as a threat to the reign of Caesar, hoping that the authorities would kill the threat. 'And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” (Luke 23:2) Jesus never seemed to be too worked up over the problem of world government. His mind was simply on the things of God.
'He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” 16 So they brought it. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:15b-17) In our passion for our politics have we neglected to give God that which is God's?
Although many in Jesus' day were looking to Him to overthrow the current government, He was about God's work of love and He did not do it from afar. No, He came into the midst of our sin and loved us. While we regularly sequester ourselves in our sanctuaries planning our next big in-church campaign or program, Jesus is in the streets identifying with the poor and the oppressed; with the broken and the suffering. Can we do any less? As Christians, I believe we must be engaged with society, be it good or bad. We must let those who feel unloveable know that they are loved. We must let those who are broken and suffering know that we love them, not just through our prayers, but by our very presence. We must care about the poor and the oppressed. We must demonstrate unconditional love; demonstrate forgiveness.
Our church should be important to us as a place to worship God; to refuel and find respite from the battle; to be reminded of the Promise that is ours in Jesus Christ. I believe that the largest part of our church budget should be that part which is used to give drink to the thirsty, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit those who are sick and in prison. In James 1:27 we read 'Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.' To visit them in their distress means going to that place. Our church is not the front lines. It often is the farthest point from the front lines. It should not be our all in all. Save that place for Jesus and follow Him wherever He may take you. That is where we become the Church! By keeping our eyes fixed on Christ we can avoid so much of the stress of this world and that is how we remain spiritually unstained by the world. I am not saying that we won't be shaken and scarred but Jesus understands that journey well. Living the abundant life is not about wealth and possessions. It is about the abundance that cannot be taken from us. Wanna make a difference in the world? Go out and be blessed!
'He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” 16 So they brought it. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:15b-17) In our passion for our politics have we neglected to give God that which is God's?
Although many in Jesus' day were looking to Him to overthrow the current government, He was about God's work of love and He did not do it from afar. No, He came into the midst of our sin and loved us. While we regularly sequester ourselves in our sanctuaries planning our next big in-church campaign or program, Jesus is in the streets identifying with the poor and the oppressed; with the broken and the suffering. Can we do any less? As Christians, I believe we must be engaged with society, be it good or bad. We must let those who feel unloveable know that they are loved. We must let those who are broken and suffering know that we love them, not just through our prayers, but by our very presence. We must care about the poor and the oppressed. We must demonstrate unconditional love; demonstrate forgiveness.
Our church should be important to us as a place to worship God; to refuel and find respite from the battle; to be reminded of the Promise that is ours in Jesus Christ. I believe that the largest part of our church budget should be that part which is used to give drink to the thirsty, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit those who are sick and in prison. In James 1:27 we read 'Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.' To visit them in their distress means going to that place. Our church is not the front lines. It often is the farthest point from the front lines. It should not be our all in all. Save that place for Jesus and follow Him wherever He may take you. That is where we become the Church! By keeping our eyes fixed on Christ we can avoid so much of the stress of this world and that is how we remain spiritually unstained by the world. I am not saying that we won't be shaken and scarred but Jesus understands that journey well. Living the abundant life is not about wealth and possessions. It is about the abundance that cannot be taken from us. Wanna make a difference in the world? Go out and be blessed!