Misconception #6: The Church Should Not Have a Voice in "Politics"

The sixth misconception is that the church should not have a voice in “politics.” The very word “politics” has been used to unsettle believers and push them into a place that is not good — a place where whole categories of truth get quietly ruled off-limits.

The misconception: “politics” is off-limits for the church

Notice how the enemy has done a real job on people here. He has managed to file genuinely moral issues — abortion, for instance — under the heading of “politics,” so that the moment they come up, believers say, “Oh, I don’t talk about politics,” and fall silent. But what is politics, really? It is simply the realm of ideas — the public forum of societies and governments, the place where ideologies compete. And how involved should the church be in the realm of ideas? Consider what Scripture says the church is:

…the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

1 Timothy 3:15 (NKJV)

If the church is the pillar and ground of the truth, then the world should be coming to us to learn what is right, what is good, and what is true. In every conversation, with every person, in every environment — whether you are in communist China, in a Muslim country, or just down at the local gas station — there is a spiritual climate. You are either giving out truth or falsehood, light or darkness. You are either of the kingdom of God or the kingdom of Satan. There is no neutral middle ground in what we put out into the world.

Why we are told to engage authority

This is exactly why Paul commands believers to pray for those in authority:

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NKJV)

Why pray for leaders? Because God desires all people to be saved — and for that to happen there usually needs to be peace, an atmosphere of godliness, and freedom to speak. We need godly leaders and righteous people in government who will stand for freedom, including the freedom to speak about Jesus Christ. In countries where you cannot speak His name, that suppression is not God’s will; that is the darkness, that is the work of the devil — and the devil would love to see it everywhere, including here.

A prophetic people who know the times

That is why the church in this world is meant to be a prophetic people — people who understand the times, like the sons of Issachar who knew what Israel ought to do:

…of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…

1 Chronicles 12:32 (NKJV)

Knowing the times takes a level of dependency on God. Too often in the church we settle for generalities, but God wants specifics. There are certain issues — abortion, transgenderism, and more — where we need a clear voice every single time. The deep error underneath this whole misconception is that we divorce the natural from the spiritual, as if what happens in the public square has nothing to do with the things of God. But they are interconnected. What unfolds in the natural is connected to the spiritual; principalities and powers work through willing human participants. That is why the body of Christ must pray, speak, and expose evil. Lives and souls are genuinely at stake. Consider the tragedy of human trafficking — will we wave that away as merely “politics”? The thought is absurd. Such evil calls the church to be a praying, prophetic voice.

It is time for the church to rise up. It is time for God’s people to take a stand.

🎥 Watch the full message: Misconception #6 — The Church Should Not Have a Voice in “Politics”

Part of the Misconceptions of the Faith series.