A Life in Exile

I do not often respond to posts on Facebook, but when a young woman I knew wrote a poignant letter to the Church, my heart was burdened, and I felt led to share some thoughts. Her upbringing has been much like my own—accepting Christ at a young age, and brought up in the church by very active and godly parents. Church was the focal point of weekly activities and relationships. While my life took a different direction with over twenty years in overseas missionary service, she remained in her home church, but also visited those of her friends.

So, what created the disconnect with her faith? Politics. For several years, she struggled with how some in the Church responded to one political figure whom she found repulsive and hateful. As she watched close family, friends, Sunday School teachers, and church leaders cheering for this person, she said, “Something deep within me began to crack.”

Where do we go with disappointment?

I remember years ago, growing up in the same church, when I heard my beloved pastor say something that I did not agree with. It was such a vivid moment in my Christian life that I still remember it and mark it as a turning point in my journey. Why? Because it reminded me that we are all sinners, saved by grace. No one is perfect, not even my favorite pastor.

When I’m disappointed in a fellow believer, I remember how David dealt with such feelings. He took them to God.

If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers. (Psalm 55:12-14)

As he leaves the acts of his friends in the hands of the Lord, he ends the Psalm with this statement:

But as for me, I trust in you. (Psalm 55:23b)

The Church is not perfect. Christians are not perfect. We are fallible humans, saved by grace and found righteous only by the righteous work of Jesus Christ. Read Paul’s letters. Churches have always been messy and made up of different kinds of people (those different parts) who often struggle to work in the unity we’re called to in Christ Jesus.

When you’re disappointed in a fellow believer, take your pain to the Lord, who never changes. Pray for that person. Continue to love them as a fellow believer, despite the differences, remembering that two of the Lord’s disciples were on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Matthew was a tax collector for the Romans, while Simon was a zealot. They set aside their differences to follow Christ, and He reshaped their worldview and redirected their passions and desires. 

When Christians judge based on political views

I want to park here for a minute, because I think this is where my friend began her struggles and struggles still. Politicians are not models for Christian living—in any country, in any form of government. God mandates governments for the purpose of maintaining order over chaos (Rom. 13:1). We are to pray for our leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-2), and as Christ-followers, we are to be good citizens (1 Pet. 2:13-14; Titus 3:1).

Some Christians are called to take an active part in government in order to be a witness and do good. Otherwise, we are to pray and vote (we have that right and responsibility in America) for the leaders we believe will serve us the best. As a Christian, I’m not voting for the “most Christian” leader, because I don’t know their hearts. I can only vote for the person who “says” they will serve the interests I’m most invested in. No one person or party can meet that goal a hundred percent. In the end, it’s a best guess for the person and group that aligns with my beliefs, best interpretation of Scripture, and dreams for my country.

We are living in a 24/7 news cycle and in a time when you can do an internet search about a person’s words and actions as far back as we have data. There is no candidate or leader who has not spoken or acted in a way contrary to Scripture or my Christian beliefs. If “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” then that holds true for politicians in spades.

Do I get discouraged when a fellow believer likes something said by a politician or agrees with a view that I find contrary to God’s Word? Absolutely. But in the end, the true source of the problem is that Satan actively uses politics to divide the Church. If a fellow believer’s political views hinder my love for that person whom I’ve known and served with all my life, then I need to take that to the Lord in prayer.

I’ve had private conversations with fellow believers about political views. Did I change their minds? No, but did I stop loving them? No. What do I do with our relationship? I kept the focus on the main thing, Jesus, and how we can serve Him to our best in the Body. In the end, if the hate you’re upset about from a politician leads you to hate your fellow believer or the Lord’s Church, then Satan has won.

Loving the nations as a Christian vs. views on immigration

My friend’s struggle with the Church increased as she became involved in the immigrant community through her teaching of ESL. Fellow church members were strong in their support of immigration policy, while students were telling her stories of the hate they face in coming to this nation. Stuck between two worldviews, she struggled. I get it.

As a person who married an immigrant and has lived in many other countries, I know about immigration. I know what it looks like from the other side, and the hoops we had to go through to move into a foreign country, even on a temporary basis. I know how many people have asked me over the years for help in coming to America. This is the land of opportunity for a reason. The reality is different, but you can’t tell that to someone with a dream.

Again, I believe there is a difference between the Church and political policy here. The government is established to make laws and protect the citizens of that nation. That is right and good, and every nation has rules about who can come in and who cannot. In Athens, Paul spoke about God’s order for the world: “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands” (Acts 17:26). There should be no issue for Christians to support such laws, while they can have honest discussions about what methods are best to ensure human dignity and national interests.

What I believe my friend is missing is the bigger picture of how churches are serving immigrants and refugees both in America and around the world. Much of the long-term care for refugees is done by Christian groups and local churches. Many of our missionaries are serving in this capacity. Just this week, I prayed for a couple mentioned in a Baptist missions magazine who are serving near the Texas-Mexico border, providing services for immigrants. They host volunteer teams from churches around the country who come to serve there. So, the church does not hate the foreigner and stranger. We, who are also sojourners on this earth, are serving them as best we can.

I have served in churches made up of these immigrants. We have many in our state. Arabs, Hispanic, Ethiopian, Somali, Korean, and many other ethnic groups are gathered together by common language and heritage to worship God. Just because a person may not see many in their own local church, it does not mean they are not in churches.

Yes, we are to love our neighbors, no matter the color of their skin or their native language. Israel was reminded often to include the foreigners among them, because they were once foreigners and strangers in Egypt. Though my friend may feel the church has slammed its doors on immigrants, this is far from the truth.

Keep your eyes on Christ and God’s Word

My heart is burdened for my friend because all this disappointment in fellow believers and the Church as a whole has led her to question her faith. When political slogans grew too much for her to bear, she wrote: “I wondered what happened to all those Bible stories they taught me. I went back to look. Maybe I have the wrong book.” She sees the Christian faith of others as cruel and their love exclusive. Then she says a truth: “I have never known a hope more misplaced.”

Yes, in this I agree. When Christians put more hope in a political candidate or party than in the Lord Jesus Christ, they’ve gotten off track. It happens to us all who go after people or things in hopes of meeting our needs or being the answer to all our troubles. Politicians come and go. Governments change. All earthly ideologies are temporary and fallible. Love, as the world defines it, is NOT the answer—Jesus is. The love demonstrated by our Lord is the love that is willing to suffer reprimand and rebuke. It is the love that is willing to suffer hatred from another in order to bring about their well-being and good. 

This is where my dear, sweet, struggling sister has also misplaced her hope. The Church is not perfect, but also, the ideology of “let love be our guide” is not the answer. Does the Church need to do better? Absolutely. We can do better at sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, who demonstrated the ultimate act of agape love on the cross while we were yet sinners. We can do a better job of serving in our neighborhoods. We can do a better job of loving our fellow believer, despite their political views. Ultimately, we can do better at making disciples of Jesus.

So, my dear sister and anyone who is also struggling with the Church and their faith, I say to you: Keep your eyes on Jesus, who loves the Church and will return for His not-yet-perfect Bride. Keep digging every day in His Word, which is our guide for living according to God’s standards, not a political party’s or the world’s. Keep loving the stranger, as the Lord leads you. And keep loving your fellow believer. Why? Because the world will know we are His disciples by our love for one another. Satan wants to divide and destroy the Church through bitterness and anger. Beat him at his own game by loving your brother and sister in Christ, despite your feelings. The end goal in demonstrating love for our fellow believers is worship of Jesus Christ and glorifying God. Loving others is the beautiful byproduct of the overflow of His love for us and our love for Him. 

Jesus was betrayed by the ones closest to Him, but He still went to the cross, and, post-resurrection, placed His Spirit within those men to be His witnesses to the world. Imperfect as they were, they changed the world for Christ because they kept their faith in the only source of hope for the world. I pray you will too.

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Wednesday Wisdom, click HERE, or check out these posts on division and doubt: Learning from the Past: Twenty-Seven, Working for the Infallible God Through Fallible Organizations, I Disagree, Doubt, and Don’t Throw Out the Baby with the Bathwater.