Matthew 28:19
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The question looming in our culture and church culture is who is making disciples.
If the church wont disciple people, the world will. If the church doesn’t show family right and wrong, and how to navigate through life, the world and culture will.
Is the church getting more political or are politics getting more theological and spiritual?
Understanding Authority -3 institutions God established
*Self-Control- *
Proverbs 25:28
A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.
*Family- *
Genesis1:27-28
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Church-
1 Tim 3:15 NASB
but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
Matthew6:19 ESV
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
*Government- *
Romans 13:1
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
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Voting is not **
1. A notion of affection or love to a particular candidate.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Personalities come and go, policies last along time.
- The Ballot box is not your soapbox
The goal isn’t to make a point, but a difference.
*What is voting. *
Pick the best available path forward.
Matthew 5:13-
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
Four issues to base your vote off, as a Christ Follower.
Religious liberty- This Country was founded on the idea of religious freedom. Its valuable that they do not interfere today.
We never obey Government at the expense of disobeying God.
Biological Sex - We don’t get to decide if we are a different gender and to do so is to go against Divine Order, call God a liar, erode family and contribute to mental illness.
Family- Vote for the candidate that is going to recognize family as the first authority in their child’s life, education and healthcare.
Issue of life-
John 10:10- The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
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Discussion Questions:**
1- Read Matthew 28:19. How has the church passed on the responsibility of making disciples to culture? In what ways is culture shaping disciples?
2- How does the four forms of authority work? (Self, Family, Church and State). How are they supposed to work independently and together?
3- Why do you think many people think the church should stay away from politics? What has been your view on this?
4- Read Matthew 5:13. What are some ways that you can be salt and light in your world today?
5- Take some time praying for each other and ask God for wisdom to navigate this charged Political Season.