Why Does It Matter So Much Who Is Elected Anyway?

Today I went to place my vote for the President of the United States (among many other things).  All this week I have been receiving emails, phone calls, and mail alerting me to the fact that if Obama is elected the world will end (well, maybe not that drastic, but they were certainly close!).  I have heard that if Obama is elected abortions will increase (as if that could happen - the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is what decides those matters), that Christians will be persecuted (might not be such a bad thing), and that immorality will proliferate (exactly what is prophesied of the end times in Scripture anyway).  Now let me make one thing clear.  I did not vote for Barak Obama.  However, neither did I vote for John McCain.  Every time an abortive embryonic stem-cell research bill has been on the floor of the Senate he has supported such procedures.  That is just as much abortion as taking the life of an infant in the womb.  As a result, I went with another candidate who I believe to be more in line with biblical values and principles.  Can he win?  No, but that isn't the point.  If winning was the ultimate end then many moral decisions would be passed over because they aren't popular.

Now, let me get to the point of this post.  The point is not whether it was better to vote for McCain or some other candidate (I will assume that you did not vote for Obama who is clearly in favor of free unabated abortions), but rather in how much followers of Christ are clinging to this world.  Throughout this week I have heard the woes of many believers who think that the world will come to an end if Obama is elected.  I have seen worry, distress, fear, and anxiety, all over something that doesn't really matter.

This world, this government, and this economy do not belong to believers or to the church.  Their world, their government, and their economy is in Heaven.  It is stable, it is flourishing, it is growing, it is abundant, it is unconquerable, and it always provides an increase.  Why then would believers have so much anxiety over a place, a people, a world, a system, and a leader that does not belong to them?  Will God be in any less control if Obama is elected over McCain or if McCain is elected over Obama?  Will his plan be thwarted in any way by a mere man?  Was his plan any less accomplished when Nebuchadnezzar, or Darius, or Caesar, or Nero, or Hitler, or Stalin were in power?  The answer to all of these questions is no.  So then, why are believers so concerned about who leads this nation?  To be quite honest, this world, it's government, and it's economy are all under the authority of Satan anyway.  Satan offered them to Jesus because they are temporarily in his stewardship.  Now that is not to say that we should not endeavor to change these things.  We should vote, we should participate in our government, and we should strive to see justice and morality proliferate, but we must understand that these things will not be accomplished politically.  The only way to fight a spiritual enemy is with a spiritual weapon, the gospel.

In the end, what it all comes down to is the simple fact that far too many believers are too closely tied to this world rather than to the kingdom of Heaven.  Their concerns are here, now, with this economy, this leader, and this nation.  As a result, they are more concerned about winning a person's vote than winning person's soul.  This all stems from the belief that role of the believer is to change culture through Christ.  However, as I will demonstrate next time, I do not believe that this was how Jesus or the church proceeded in the New Testament, nor do I believe that this is the message of Scripture.  So until then, think on these things as you sit up till all hours of the night counting every single vote to see who will rule a world that isn't ours.