A Time of Opportunity for the American Church
On July 4, 2019 I was spending some time with the Lord, and I asked Him to give me a prophetic word for America. I was caught off guard when He actually started speaking to me about it! While I realize it sounds rather grandiose, I’ve decided to share it. Like any prophetic unction, I’m taking a risk, but in the end, faith always requires risk. With that in mind, here we go!
A Time of Opportunity for the American Church
As you may know, there is a deepening divide in America. America is becoming more and more polarized, but I believe there is a place for the Church – the people of God – to be a soothing, calming and healing presence and voice in our culture, like the balm of Gilead. What is the balm of Gilead?
“Gilead was an area east of the Jordan River, well known for its spices and ointments. The “balm of Gilead” was, therefore, a high quality ointment with healing properties. The Bible uses the term “balm of Gilead” metaphorically as an example of something with healing or soothing powers.”¹
Some have referred to Jesus as the balm of Gilead – His saving power bringing wholeness and healing to our wounds. In the words of the old African American Spiritual, There Is a Balm in Gilead,
There is a balm in Gilead
to make the wounded whole,
there is a balm in Gilead
to heal the sin-sick soul.
In the same spirit,
Christians are called to be the balm of Gilead, bringing healing to our nation and the nations.
As political partisanship drives a deeper wedge into our nation, it has also created a vast opportunity that is wide open for those who aren’t afraid to engage in the middle.
It has nothing to do with surrendering your biblical convictions (or even your less important political convictions). It has everything to do with laying those things aside in order to engage with people: people who are made in the image of God and who are of the highest value and priority to God second only to Himself. It is possible to honor and value people while holding onto our convictions. In a practical way, this means we don’t always need to get our point across or tell people why they are wrong. What if we practiced James advice?
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19 ESV)
The DMZ
Maybe it’s not the best example but bear with me. The DMZ or the demilitarized zone lies between North and South Korea. According to Time Magazine , the DMZ “Serves as a buffer between North and South Korea, inside which neither country can fire weapons, build up military personnel or equipment, or start any act of aggression.”
I wonder what could happen if those of us who are sick of the “culture war” had a DMZ? What if Christians took the lead, laying aside political partisanship, and chose instead to engage with those who hold very different views and yet, like us, were made and crafted by our heavenly Father in His very own image? Again, this has nothing to do with compromise. It has everything to do with valuing people above their political, religious, or personal convictions in order to engage with them as human beings.
I wonder how many walls could fall? How many wounds could be healed? How many bridges could be built?
True Tolerance
The prevailing cultural philosophy right now is that “unity of belief” is needed before love and trust can develop. This view says, “If you don’t believe the same way I do, then we can’t relate.”
But true tolerance, in a biblical sense, means we can love, respect, honor, value and accept one another and have vibrant healthy relationships despite our differences.
It may sound overly optimistic to some, but I believe the Lord is opening up an opportunity for His people to model it in this hour.
Engaging the Middle…
Fear is often the biggest obstacle to engaging with people who are different from us. We tend to fear what we do not understand.
The political world is too divided. They won’t wade into the middle, but I believe the people of God are actually called to do it.
We are called to be salt and light: a preserving and illuminating force on the earth. Woe to us if we hide our light under a basket rather than allowing it to give light to all those around us – through our good deeds that draw attention to God (see Matthew 5:13-17).
Kris Valloton has said, “We are called to be the light of the world not the light of the church.”
If the world is getting darker as many Christians say, then our lights should be getting brighter – out there in the world!
Embracing a Kingdom Posture
In order to engage with people in the middle, we need to embrace a kingdom posture. The Church and the kingdom of God are not of this world. Though we are called to engage in civic spaces, we are an apolitical entity that will outlast every political structure.
We are called to be “kingdom Christians” says my friend, Lee Grady. That is, “followers of Christ whose primary allegiance is not to a political party but to biblical values.” If you haven’t read his recent article called, Why I Can’t Defend Everything Trump Tweets , it’s definitely worth reading. In my opinion, we need more voices like Lee’s to cut through the clutter.
The church is meant to solve problems, not create them. We are called to build bridges and not walls. At a time of deep division, could it be that God is asking us to lead the way and model what love looks like, both inside and outside of the Church?
Where to Start…
How about starting right where you are – with your co-workers and your neighbors? I’m fairly certain right outside your door or your cubicle, there are probably a variety of differing views and political convictions. My wife and I are Independents when it comes to voting. We vote along the lines of biblical convictions and conscience. Our views are at odds with many people we know, and yet that has not hindered us at all from engaging. In fact, we have some great relationships with people who are not in our church, and we don’t feel the need to delve into politics with them.
Why? Because we value them as people over their political convictions and affiliations. We are more concerned with loving people well and modeling Christ than we are about getting on our own political soap box. Here are a few ways we navigate tough topics with people who think differently from us:
- Listen well and practice James 1:19 “Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger…”
- Carefully weigh our words sometimes choose to say nothing at all
- Ask good questions that challenge the status quo without directly challenging the person. A good question can also redirect the conversation to something less volatile.
- At times, we excuse ourselves from the conversation.
- Affirm and encourage people for their good qualities.
- Remember that every person is made in the image of God. Whether or not they are expressing that image doesn’t matter. The fact of the matter is, God loves them as much as He loves me.
- If we are going to engage with people on divisive topics, we want to do it in the context of a 1:1 relationship, preferably over coffee, not in a group discussion.
Conclusion
It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone and wade into the middle, but it’s the only way we are going to get over our suspicion of people who aren’t in our circles and model the love of Jesus to people. Jesus laid aside His divine privileges to engage with us. He is Emmanuel, or God with us. And if Jesus came from heaven to earth, we can certainly walk across the street, step across the aisle, or lift our head above our cubicle to engage with people who may be very different from us.
So roll up your sleeves, get to work, and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Jesus wasn’t.
There multitudes of people whom God loves…waiting for us…in the middle.
¹ https://www.gotquestions.org/balm-of-Gilead.html
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