They Voted With Their Lives
These are tumultuous times. When 2020 dawned, no one knew what was ahead. Well, almost no one. God knew.
Did you vote? More to the point, ahead of Election Day, did you openly declare what you believe concerning the critical issues of our time?
Campaigning for the 2020 elections began on November 9, 2016, and continues to this day. Prognosticators on cable/network television, talk radio, print/digital newspapers, social media, and even billboards all posited positions and proposed politicians. They claimed to have answers to the significant issues facing the republic of states known as America. Ordinary folks placed political placards in their yard or on their car for all to see, hoping to sway some.
The polarization of our nation is now almost complete. People you know spoke their mind, sometimes forcefully and without much thought. Others were afraid of being openly aligned with anybody for fear of retribution. America has never experienced an election season like the one that is still in process.
Where are you in all of this?
The early Church faced a similar situation. A small band of believers in the Lord Jesus had experienced His resurrection power first hand. They saw Him, touched Him, even ate with Him. After His resurrection, the Risen Lord appeared to His followers one-on-one, in small groups, and to more than 500 people at one time! The Scriptures even inform us that other dead people had risen on Resurrection Day as well. Those who were once dead were alive as proof that something incredible had happened. Their restored lives among the living dead could not be denied. Their public appearance and vocal testimony demanded a hearing.
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Pentecost Baptisms
Following Peter’s declaration that Jesus was alive, several thousand people repented of their unbelief and chose to join the new Jesus community. They devoted themselves to meeting from house to house, and doing life together in such a way that they became known as the people of “the Way.”
A very public proclamation signaled their new identity. What did the new Jesus followers do? They voted.
I hear your head gears grinding. “Say what?”
On the day the Church was born 3,000 people went into the mikvahs, the ritual baths below the Temple Mount. They openly aligned themselves with Jesus, declaring their commitment to leave old beliefs and practices behind in the symbolically cleansing baptism waters. Their bold public proclamation left them no avenue of retreat. There would be no turning back.
Non-believers watched while God forged the tips of His Gospel arrows for a spiritual war being fought all around them. Into Jerusalem’s neighborhoods they went. Because of their bold, responsive deeds (studying the Bible together, living together intentionally and purposefully, teaching their families and neighbors), the people around them began to believe in Jesus too. Every day their numbers swelled.
The Big Idea
So, let me get to the point of this blog. I am asking myself some questions. You might ask them as well.
- What have the people in my neighborhood observed about my life as a Jesus follower?
- Am I equipped to explain why I trust Jesus with my life?
- Why is it easier for me to declare loyalty to a particular candidate or political party than to Jesus?
- Where is the visible fruit produced through the abundant life that Jesus wants me to experience?
Table Talk
So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)
It is critical for all believers in Jesus to hear the spoken Word and to listen intently to what is said within His community. Hearing and listening are not passive disciplines. They are active.
Not only do you need to hear and listen to what others say concerning the Word, but you must also be willing to enter the arena of thoughts and ideas by speaking out. In doing this, you will hear yourself testing your biblical understanding of Scripture and what it says about the issues of our time in history.
Around the table this week, discuss with family and friends the following questions:
- Take a “thumbs up,” “thumbs down,” or “somewhere in the middle” survey of your group. How comfortable is the group as a whole with initiating and participating in discussions about the Bible’s relevance to today’s issues?
- What is inhibiting your willingness to openly declare your allegiance to Jesus and the teaching of His Word where you live, work, and play?
- Suppose Jesus’ followers willfully submitted to what the Scriptures command concerning the disciple-making adventure. How could the unity that might produce impact the way people around you vote in two years, four years, or more until Jesus comes for His Church at the Rapture?
Equipping the Church to openly vote with their lives as disciple-makers using the storyline of the Bible is why Disciple Daily exists.
Stop being passive. Get active!
Team-up with us, and let’s start voting as one people through our words and deeds in the days that remain before Jesus returns. The world needs what Jesus wants to say and do through us.
We are here for you!
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Disciple Daily offers a unique learning experience based on the storyline of the Bible. We help people gain confidence in their own ability to disciple others, enabling them to live together purposefully as followers of Jesus.
That post about voting is great! And the funny thing is that just before I read it, I was talking to Ilir Narta, one of our guys from Albania but long since an American citizen and a believer. We were talking about the present situation in the US, and Ilir was saying that he was disgusted with how Christians, in too large a part, have not spoken up nor voted their supposed Biblical principles. And I said to him that we have to vote like the first believers did–with our lives on the line in every way. And then I read the post! So with that in mind, it seems to me that this should be read by a wider audience so am wondering if you would have any problem with my posting it on Parler and Facebook.
Addendum to the above comment: I put it on my Facebook page and am already getting good response, including others posting it to their pages.
Karin,
Like everything else on this website, what you find here belongs to everyone. We are an open source network. Thanks for the encouragement!
This message needs to be shouted from the treetops. As believers in Christ we must boldly proclaim Him as sovereign God. Thanks for sharing this. My faith is strengthened to continue being a voice in the wilderness with my words and life.