Battling unfair laws and agendas while growing in faith, unity and love in Christ.
Note: This was written with British Columbia and Canada in general in mind.
In 2020, I was all stirred up with politics, aghast at the imposing regulations, particularly those related to oppressing worship, freedom of speech and persecution against christians gathering. I engaged in trying to spread truth on social media, just to find out that I observed myself creating division between Christians, while we are called to unity.
When I shifted to focusing on Jesus and God’s Kingdom and battling our real enemy, I came into a place of victory and joy, because we know we have full authority to conquer evil through Jesus. He taught his followers to shine their light, for light defeats darkness. The Jews were under heavy oppression in Jesus’ days, and his response to a political question about taxes was “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” (Mat. 22:17-22) Just as the coin showed to him bore the image of Caesar, so we bear the image of God.
Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:18 to “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” We are called to walk with Jesus, and we fight with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
On the night that armed men came to take Jesus away, Peter took things into his own hands and struck one of the men with a sword. Then “Jesus commanded Peter, ‘Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?’” (John 18:10-11). Out of all those men harbouring hatred and contempt for the Lord Jesus, it was Peter that the Lord rebuked. God was in control.
Later on, Paul teaches Christians to respect governing authorities (read Romans 13:1-7). This is coming from Paul who was jailed and beaten many times by those authorities because his faithfulness to Christ. If Paul was not jailed and had his rightful freedom to travel and speak to people in person, Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon would not be in our bibles. What a different world it would be today without those teachings. God was in control.
Do we personally follow the rules that oppose our convictions and biblical instructions to grow in Christ? No. We don’t follow those rules. But we try to follow the example of Paul, the early Church, and even Daniel in the Old Testament. We don’t feel compelled to riot and protest, but fulfill our duty to keep our eyes on Jesus and watch out for evil. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against Satan’s kingdom and that is what we have to attack through prayer and obedience to the Holy Spirit. It is the forces behind our government, not the government itself.
On Resurrection Day of 2021, we had a deep moment contemplating the simple truth that everyone across the entire world who lives in reverence of the cross and walks in the light of Jesus is part of our same family, army, and body. We are one. The cross unifies us.
I hope we all remain on the narrow path, bathed in the joy that He brings to our lives.
God is in control. Always.
