More Than a Voting Bloc

In Matthew 16, Jesus describes the church and foundation upon which it is built:
15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."   Do you ever get the feeling that the perception of the church has been diminished - some of that is self-inflicted, but I do think that there is a lessened regard for Christians in our culture today, and we have to really regain a sense of the church the way that Jesus saw it - following the living God, transmitting the knowledge of Christ, walking in victory over the very "gates of Hell", and aligning our lives with the purposes of the Kingdom of God.  As we do this, we experience and radiate the power and presence of God - a powerful force in our world today.


Colossians 1 describes the church and the head of the church, the body of Christ:
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

When I do election analysis and have guests on the program, one of the areas I like to cover is the significance of the so-called "evangelical" vote - you know, you and me.   And, not surprisingly, the exit polls and survey data are showing that about 1 in 4 voters were evangelicals.    Romney won about 3/4 of the vote, maybe a little more in that so-called voting "bloc".  It wasn't enough to offset some significant blocs of voters, especially among young people and minorities, who went for Obama.

Warren Smith of WORLD Magazine had some excellent analysis on my radio show on Wednesday about the evangelical vote and how there are people who are hired, yes "hired", to deliver that vote.    In the world of the political consultant, that is a palatable proposition, but I came away feeling like a statistic.   It's a harsh reality in the world of politics, but I began to think - in our culture, has the church of the living God been reduced to a voting bloc?

Dr. Thomas Kidd from Baylor University reminded us that our ultimate hope is not in politics - that doesn't mean we withdraw from participation, but it does mean that we can have an impact on culture in a way that transcends politics.  I believe that involves the power of prayer, the power of love, and the power of influence.

The church of the Lord Jesus Christ can work in numerous realms to testify to the truth of Christ and the glory of God.  Consider what God's Word says about the Church:

1st Timothy chapter 3 says:
(15)...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. 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: Godwas manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.   I mentioned Colossians 1 earlier - Jesus has been given the word of reconciliation.   He is the head of the church and He is working through us to fulfill His purpose - to reconcile all things to Himself.   So we have that message, calling on people everywhere to turn to God, and bringing an awareness of His power and presence.