What About Politics? | Ballot Box | Week 1
Opening
Politics can be a hard conversation, but we believe we are equipped for these discussions through the power of the Spirit. Pray for your group, both for this conversation and also for their public witness in this election season.
Overview
Politics have polarized our nation and the church has not responded well. We are as guilty as everyone else of thinking that people are our enemies if they do not agree with us. We have been consumed by politics or we have hidden from politics. But the church is called both to contend with culture and to create culture, not to disengage or lose our focus.
We have two foundational truths to stand on as we engage with politics. The first is that we can trust God. God is sovereign and is our ultimate leader. He also gives us wisdom to navigate the complexities and nuances of our lives. The second is that we are called to love our neighbors: no matter what label they claim, who they voted for, or what sign is in their yard.
Discussion Questions
- Do you tend to panic about the election? How does that change when you remember that God is sovereign and can be trusted?
- Who are you most tempted to hate? Can you ask God to help you love and bless them instead?
Practice
Galatians 5: 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
Read the passage aloud and allow for a period of silence afterward (maybe 3-5 minutes). What does the Spirit stir up? Make space for people to share as they are comfortable. How can we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our beliefs and actions concerning politics and every other part of our lives? See if anyone wants to share a specific experience and how they responded well or could have responded differently. What happens if we become this kind of person and take that into our families and communities and workplaces?
Closing
Pray for the fruit of the Spirit and that we might follow the Spirit’s leading. May the church’s witness shine brightly in our political climate.