How Can I Vote Like Jesus?

 “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You.” – Psalm 89:14

If you didn’t know it already, let me be the first to tell you: Jesus ISN’T running for President. Instead, we have two presidential candidates who aren’t in the same league as Jesus. So, choosing between them can be tough.

As a pastor-teacher, it is NOT my job to tell you who to vote for. My job is to teach God’s Word, which will equip you to think like Jesus. When it comes to deciding who or what to vote for, I believe we have two goals: 1) To determine the heart of Christ on the issues; and 2) To prayerfully decide which political candidates, propositions and measures are most in sync with the heart of Christ. 

In Psalm 89, a Jewish religious leader longs for God to restore the throne of Israel to one of King David’s descendants. From a New Testament perspective, we know that descendent to be Jesus Christ. The psalmist says: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You” (v. 14). In this verse, I believe we find the heart of Jesus Christ’s kingdom: It is built on the foundation of righteousness and justice.

Interestingly, Republicans tend to place a greater value on passing policies that are righteous (morally right), especially when it comes to the unborn child, marriage, gender, and sexual purity. Meanwhile, Democrats tend to place a greater value on passing policies that are morally just, especially when it comes to health care, the treatment of minorities, criminal justice reform, and ending poverty. But these few examples just scratch the surface of the matters of righteousness and justice that are addressed in the two party platforms.

So, you have some homework to do. Review the Republican and Democratic party platforms that are available online. (Once elected, political leaders vote in line with their party platform more than 3/4 of the time.) DON’T assume that your favorite news source is telling you the whole truth. Almost all news sources these days are slanted, either to the right or the left. But you have the tools necessary to make God-honoring decisions about who and what to vote for. You have the Word of God. You have access to God’s wisdom through prayer. And the party platforms are just a click away. Read them with righteousness and justice in mind.

Here are two very important lessons that I’d like every one of us to take to heart:

Lesson #1: Our primary job as Christians is to lead people to Christ, not to an elephant or to a donkey. So, don’t let your politics sabotage your witness to unbelievers or your fellowship with believers. Let’s be honest: If Jesus was an American citizen, He probably wouldn’t be a Republican OR a Democrat. Jesus isn’t a “party” guy. So, don’t damage your witness by coming across like it’s your way or the highway.

Lesson #2: Pray for right and just leaders. Vote for right and just leaders. And if the candidate you vote for doesn’t win … pray for the person who takes office, just the same.

For months I’ve been praying every day for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Governor Newsom and Donald Trump to be saved. I hope that you’ll pray for that as well. We need Christ-loving, Bible-believing Christians in our government now more than ever. So, pray for ALL of our leaders as you pray for our nation.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:30 and 10 a.m. at 16209 Kamana Road in Apple Valley.

Three More Savage Wolves in the Church

“Stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer.” 
– 1 Timothy 1:3-4

When the Apostle Paul left the city of Ephesus after three years of ministry, he warned the church leaders about “savage wolves” who would come to undermine the teachings of Jesus Christ. Sure enough, false teachers arose within the Ephesian church and started muddying the clear and simple gospel teaching that they had received from Paul.

Listen to what Paul wrote to his partner in ministry, Timothy, after he left: “Stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about” (1 Timothy 1:3-7).

This wasn’t just a 1^st-Century problem. Last week we looked at examples of three savage wolves that have risen up within the American church today. Now, let’s take a look at three more:

Savage Wolf #1: The hedonist who teaches, “Do what makes you happy. God will forgive you” (Jude 4). Jude wrote: “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 4). In recent years, a growing number of Christian leaders and churches have turned a blind eye to most sexual sins. Hedonistic Christians are very good at making excuses for sin and watering down what God’s word teaches about judgment and hell. They view God’s grace as a get-out-of-hell free card. So, be on guard. Steer clear of churches that call “good” what God calls “evil.” These are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Savage Wolf #2: The legalist who teaches, “Follow all my rules” while largely ignoring Jesus’ call to love God and people (Matthew 23-24). Jesus leveled this woe against the religious leaders of his day: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices .... but you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23). Legalism takes our eyes off Jesus and shifts our focus to rule-keeping. And any pastor or teacher who takes your eyes off Jesus, and tries to get you to follow some religious formula instead of loving and following Jesus, is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Savage Wolf #3: The politician’s hatchet man disguised as a pastor (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Remember what Paul teaches us: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority…. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4). God only calls a few Christian pastors to be political activists. But He calls ALL of us to pray for our leaders. It doesn’t matter if you’re a registered Republican, Democrat or Libertarian. Your top political priority as a Christian is to PRAY for President Biden, Vice President Harris, Governor Newsom and our local city council members. Pray for ALL our leaders to carry out God’s will for their lives. And we know that if they are in the center of God's will, they will make decisions that are righteous and honor Him.

More times than not, political activism in the church take our eyes off the goal: to expand Christ’s kingdom on earth by leading people to salvation and maturity in Christ. So, watch out for church leaders who are two-thirds political activist and only one-third gospel proclaimer. Most of them are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Remember, Christianity boils down to these three things: 1) Trust God, 2) Love God and 3) Obey God. False teachers always, always, ALWAYS chip away at at least one of these: Faith, Love and Obedience. Remember that and be on your guard!

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services: in person at 9 a.m., or online at 10 a.m. on YouTube or Facebook. Dane’s latest book, “Called to Persevere: One Man’s Journey to Overcome Pain, Disease and Disappointment with God,” is scheduled for release on Amazon in September.

How Would Jesus Vote? (Part 1)

"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.” 

– Psalm 89:14

Two ladies met at church one day. We’ll call them Mary and Mabel. They struck up a great conversation after the church service and talked about getting together for coffee later that week. But as they made their way to the parking lot, each of them got the shock of her life.

Mabel was beside herself when she looked at the back of Mary’s car and saw a bumper sticker that said “Biden-Harris”. Mabel thought, “How on earth could this sweet Christian lady be a Democrat?” Meanwhile, Mary glanced at the back of Mabel’s car and almost blew her top when she noticed a Trump sticker. She shook her head in disgust and thought, “How could ANY Christian support Donald Trump?”

This scene repeats itself in some form or another every week across America. And there’s a reason for it. If you didn’t know it already, let me be the first to tell you: Jesus isn’t running for President. Neither is Moses, King David or the Apostle Paul. Instead, we have two flawed men running for president, and each one has certain strengths and certain weaknesses.

If Jesus was a registered voter in the United States today, I’m convinced that he wouldn’t be a registered Republican. I’m also convinced that he wouldn’t be a registered Democrat. You see, Jesus was NEVER one to join political parties. In 1st Century Israel there were political and religious parties: The zealots, the Herodians, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. Which one did Jesus join? None of them! Jesus represents only one governing body—the kingdom of heaven.

Since Jesus isn’t running for office, when it comes to voting, followers of Christ have to do the next best thing. 1) Determine the heart of Christ on the issues, because Jesus DOES care about many issues that our government leaders deal with on a daily basis. 2) Prayerfully determine which political candidate, party, and propositions are most in sync with the heart of Christ. Now, let’s see how both the Republican and Democratic party platforms measure up to some issues that matter most to our Lord.  

In Psalm 89:14a, the psalmist summarizes God’s perfect government this way: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.” When God rules, He always does what is right. And He always does what is just. So, any leader who is going to please the heart of God must also do what is right and just. When it comes to choosing our political leaders, every Christian should ask: “Will this candidate do what is RIGHT in God’s eyes?” And, “Will this candidate do what is JUST in God’s eyes?”

If you, like Mary and Mabel, have ever wondered how committed Christians could vote differently than you, consider this: Christians who vote Republican tend to identify with Christ’s heart for righteousness, while Christians who vote Democrat tend to identify with Christ’s heart for justice. If you keep this in mind, it will help you better understand your Christian brothers and sisters on the other side of the aisle instead of judging them.

Here are two policy positions in the Republican party platform that are Biblically RIGHT:

Policy Position #1: The sanctity of human life. The Republican party platform states, “the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.” The party supports state and federal efforts “against the cruelest forms of abortion, especially dismemberment abortion procedures, in which unborn babies are literally torn apart limb from limb.” On the other side of the life cycle, the Republican Party also stands strongly against all forms of euthanasia including physician-assisted suicide.  

Policy Position #2: Marriage and family. The Republican party supports traditional marriage. Their platform says, “Every child deserves a married mom and dad, and our laws and government regulations should actively promote married family life as the basis of a stable and prosperous society.” Although the Republican Party has largely caved to public pressure to accept gay marriage, their party platform supports biblical marriage between one man and one woman.

On the other side of the coin, here are two policy positions in the Democratic party platform that are Biblically JUST:

Policy Position #1: Ending poverty. The 2020 Democratic platform states: “Democrats remain committed to ending poverty and enabling all Americans to live up to their God-given potential.… Directing more federal investment to the communities most in need will help create jobs; improve and expand housing; modernize and expand transportation, clean water, wastewater, energy, and broadband infrastructure; and promote shared prosperity.” This is, without a doubt, a Christ-honoring, just goal.

Policy Position #2: Achieving racial justice and equity. The Bible is very clear that God does not show favoritism, and neither should his followers. So, there is no place for racism in the church OR in America. The Democratic Party is absolutely just in standing strong against racism in America. Now, personally I think that some of the Democrat’s policies for eliminating racism are not biblical at all. But the fact still remains: The basic policy position is biblically just.

As the election approaches, remember: As Christians we are called to lead people to Christ, not to an elephant or a donkey. Don’t allow your politics to sabotage your witness to unbelievers or your fellowship with believers. Our loyalty must be to Christ. So, do some research, and vote in line with the heart of Christ. Let’s do our best to vote for right and just leaders, and to pray for righteousness and justice in the hearts of those who are elected.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our live outdoor worship service tomorrow at 9 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook.