Our Nature and Our Influence

Our home group gathered on a recent Sunday night in Phoenix. After dinner we moved into the living room for our Bible study. We sang a couple of songs and then one of the men raised his hand to ask me a question, “What do you think about pastors who call out other pastors who lack the courage to address important issues?”

I realized he had been listening to pastors online who were saying those who don’t speak out on the political issues are not worthy to lead their congregations. They are supposedly showing boldness by attacking those who resist being drawn into the politics which are dividing our nation.

I responded briefly, “It is a lot easier to find fault with other leaders than it is to set an example for God’s people. It’s easy to find fault with others who don’t share your priorities. It’s hard to do ministry and bring people to maturity in Christ.”

There can be reasons to speak against leaders. The Apostle Paul called out those who became apostate or were teaching false doctrine. An apostate is one who has left the faith and departed from biblical righteousness. Apostates deny Jesus is Lord and make their own rules about what is right and wrong.

However, the apostles did not criticize those who were preaching the true gospel. Paul said, The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice (Phil. 1:18).

That said, it’s hard for me to resist speaking out on current issues. I often wrestle with the decisions and attitudes of our political leaders. If an issue is a clear-cut Biblical truth, it’s one matter. If it’s a politician, or a policy that’s nuanced, and I take a hard line position, I am majoring on minors which needlessly alienates people.

The desire to dominate and control others is more of an animal instinct than a godly one. I saw this illustrated years ago when we took our children to the Phoenix Zoo. We were watching the monkeys on Monkey Island. They had many boulders to choose from, but instead of each monkey enjoying their own boulder, they would get on the same boulder and fight for supremacy. One would eventually push the other off the top of the rock. The defeated monkey could have climbed a nearby rock and had it to himself. But instead, he would soon fight for a place on another occupied rock.

This scenario played out throughout the enclosure. When one monkey was sitting comfortably on top of a boulder, another monkey would ascend the rock and seek to displace him. There were enough rocks for everyone, but they kept fighting to control rocks chosen by other monkeys.

To me, those monkeys represent human nature without Christ. I think about the monkeys when I see two children in a room full of toys fighting over the same toy, or two dogs fighting over a ball when there are balls nearby for both of them. This behavior can be amusing, but these same dynamics in business, church or international relationships are not funny.
Russia has almost twice as much land as any other nation. Yet they are sending thousands of their soldiers to their deaths every month trying to take over Ukraine. Russia will not be more secure by taking over Ukraine, any more than America would be more secure by forcefully taking over Greenland. Strong alliances with other nations are valuable. Acting like a child, or a strong dog destroys alliances and makes nations less secure.  

America’s international relationships are very important. The alliances we have had with Canada, Europe, and NATO have helped preserve peace and prosperity for America and the western world. Many nations are feeling bullied by America right now. The consequences of our lack of respect for them will hurt us in the long run.

Israel is a light to the nations that illuminates truth. According to ChatGTP, Saudi Arabia is 100 times larger than Israel. Iran is 75 times larger than Israel. Egypt is 48 times larger, Yemen is 25 times larger, Iraq is 20 times larger and Jordon is 4 times larger than Israel. Yet Israel is more powerful and prosperous than any of these nations. Nations don’t need to take the land or the resources that belong to other nations to be powerful or prosperous.

You might think, “That’s great for Israel, but how about the rest of us?” There is no difference between Jew and Gentile. The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him. Romans 10:12 We all have conflicts and then get to choose, do we want the blessing of God, or do we fight like animals?

If people are free to develop their God-given gifts and work hard to develop their God-given resources, they as well as their nation can prosper. Nations need a righteous and just economic system so people will work with hope in their hearts for a better future. Injustice destroys hope and is a root cause of immigration problems.

Most pastors realize our primary job is to make disciples of Christ, not followers of a political leader or members of a political party. Our calling is to bring believers to maturity in Christ so they will overcome their corrupt fallen nature, glorify God and bear good fruit.

If we love Jesus, we will be salt and light in our world. In our democracy, we have a vote for our political leaders and a responsibility to use our influence to further righteousness, justice and mercy. Believers are called to work on abortion, foster care, immigration, poverty and other issues.  However, if we judge one another, or confuse the role of the church and the role of the government, we damage our witness for Christ and diminish our influence.

We face a future with great opportunities and great challenges. Our economy is burdened with debt, our international relationships are strained, and the spiritual health of many people in our churches—let alone our nation—is weak. Our challenges will not be solved by AI, but by the grace and mercy of God. Let’s ask the Lord to give our spiritual and political leaders wisdom and courage.

The Lord will give us everything we need through his riches and glory in Christ. It is our responsibility to call on him and build our lives on his word.