Government and hope

Right now the election is a pretty frequent topic that comes up. The big
debate between McCain and Obama. Stickers and signs are everywhere, people
are choosing their sides. The future of our country, at least the next 4
years, is hanging in the balance and everyone has their firm belief about
who the best person is.
I've never really taken much interest in politics. In the past I've just
voted straight Republican, but in recent years I've moved more into a middle
ground. I'm still undecided about where I stand for this election. I plan
on taking time to do some research and find out where the candidates stand
on different issues. I look at both sides and I see some things I like
about each party. I don't believe in voting on just one issue, I think that
we have to look at the whole person. We probably won't find someone who
agrees with us 100%, so we have to find the one we agree with most.
I think the reason this is becoming such a big deal is that people are
looking around at this world and see that it's broken. The economy is
taking a nose dive, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan continues, the
environment has become a big issue, the genocide in Darfur, crime in our
cities, unemployment, and a million other things. We know this isn't how
it's supposed to be, and we want someone to fix it. Everyone is hoping
their candidate will be able to fix things, everyone is sure they have the
answer.
As a Christian, what should our attitude be? Traditionally many Christians
have taken the Republican side, but that has become less true of late. As
we look at the ethics of the Kingdom of God, neither party really fits.
Whether it's abortion, war, social justice, the environment, capital
punishment, welfare, health care, or a lot of other hot button issues,
neither party has fully taken a stand on what has traditionally been the
Christian viewpoint on those issues. So what are we to do? I think as
Christians, we have to look at where our hope lies and take a look at what
God's Word tells us about these things.
Throughout the Bible, the relationship between God's people and government
has been an interesting one. At times the governments were fully on God's
side, at times the governments were totally against God. God placed Joseph
in pharoh's government to advance His people and save them from famine. He
used David to fully establish a physical kingdom dedicated to God on earth.
God used government leaders such as Daniel and Nehemiah to help His people
in times of hardship. Yet Egypt was a horrible oppressor, Saul rebelled
against God, Solomon played for both teams, and the kings of Judah and
Israel were a mixture of good and evil. Nebekaneezer, Cyrus, and Darius
were all evil kings, though Darius did allow the Israelites to return to
their native land. Pontius Pilate has God Himself nailed to a cross. I
think the important thing in all these cases is that God was in control of
all of those leaders. Romans 13 tells us that "there is no authority except
from God, and those which exist are establish by God". So whether good or
evil, God put that person in place for a reason and He had control over
them. Yes, that does create difficulties as we examine why people like
Adolf Hitler were put in power by God, but I'm not going to touch that one
right now. However, this should give us comfort that whichever leader is in
place, God is still in control. He still reigns over all rulers of the
earth, and all things are at His command.
I think we do need to take a good look at where our hope is placed. While
God has used the governments of the earth for His purposes, I don't see
anywhere in the Bible that God designated the government as our hope.
Instead, God has called His people into His Kingdom, which He desires to
establish on earth. When God created Israel He did so by calling people out
of other lands to establish a new kingdom in His name. While His people
lived for a time among other peoples, He eventually called them into a land
of their own. God desired for them to be His people, dedicated to Him, and
He would be their God. Unfortunately, those people hardened their heart to
God and they desired to be like the other kingdoms around them. Those
kingdoms stole God's people away and they became a part of those idolitrous
nations. When Jesus came, He did so to reestablish God's Kingdom on earth.
Not as a physical location or formed government, but in people's hearts.
That, even though we lived among the other people, we would be distinct from
them. We would not live the way people in the world's kingdoms lived, but
we would live with God has our leader. I think that is what is important to
Christians today. Who do we seek to lead us? Who will save us from this
broken world and fix what is wrong? When we look to human leaders, we are
placing God sized problems on the shoulders of men. God wants to be our
Savior, He desires to fix this broken world and make His Kingdom on earth.
That still leaves us with a jacked up world, what are we to do? God's Word
shows us that God can, and does, use the governments of this world for His
purposes. However, God's Word also shows us that His agent for establishing
His Kingdom on earth is the Church. The Church, the people of God's
Kingdom, has been given the privledge of sharing God's Glory with the earth.
We are His agents, His ambassidors, for bringing His hope, His peace, and
His goodness to others. We are the ones that God wants to help the poor and
suffering. We are the ones that God wants to fight injustice with. We are
the ones that God wants to bring love to the lonely and heartbroken. We are
the ones that He wants to use to save this broken world. Unfortunately,
many Christians look to the government to fix these problems. We don't want
to deal with the inner city, so we ask the government to develop programs.
We don't want to help the sick, so we send them to hospitals and clinics.
We don't want to help the destitute, so we send them to welfare and
unemployment. God asked us to be His Body, physically represent Him, on
earth, and we are trying to pass on the stuff we don't like. But we have
the opportunity to be Jesus to a broken world, that is how God wants to deal
with this jacked up planet.
I do believe that Christians should vote and make their voice heard to the
government. Even Moses appealed to Pharoh to address the issue of slavery.
However, as a Christian our hope should not be in our elected government
officials. They have a role to play, and God will use them. But we have a
role to play also. As God's people we should be establishing outposts for
His Kingdom on earth, and letting others know of the hope we have in Jesus.
Each of us has a role to play in that, not just the paid "ministry" people.
Each person can take up some way to speak up for the Kingdom of God. Some
Christians may be called to be active in the government, from president all
the way down to local government. All of us can get involved in our local
neighborhood to bring God's Goodness there. Some may be called to go to
Sudan or China to bring God's Kingdom. Some may just go to a normal job and
bring God's Kingdom there. Whatever it may be, we each have a role in
bringing hope to a fallen world. Our government officials have a role in
that, but it is a small part compared to what God wants to do with the
Church, His chosen people.