“What do you seek?”

Jn.1:35-38, ‘Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. ³⁶ And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”³⁷ The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”’

Verses 31 to 57 of the 1^st chapter of the gospel of John is all about the first few disciples who chose to follow Jesus. This is very much different from what we see in other gospels. Does that mean that these four gospels are not in unity? To understand this, we’ll refer to certain historical background of this gospel. Bible scholars are of the view that when Mathew, Mark and Luke published their gospels, John was still preaching about Jesus Christ. After accepting and witnessing the truthfulness about the other three gospels, John proceeded to write to present those things that lacked in other three gospels. John wrote this gospel between 90-100 AD, in a place called Ephesus. Hence, the difference in the gospels does not mark the lack of unity. Rather, it’s just the provision of those facts which were missing in other gospels.

The end of John, the Baptist’s ministry marked the beginning of the ministry of Jesus in the other three gospels, while it overlapped for a certain time period in the gospel of John. Here, we see John pointing out Jesus as the Lamb of God to his disciples. And immediately, these disciples stop following John and start following Jesus. When we read the gospels carefully, we note that there were many who followed Jesus. Basically, the crowd that followed Jesus can be divided into disciples, multitudes and Scribes and Pharisees.   Even today, we see many following Jesus. Some follow Him for a healing, some for a blessing, some to accuse Him and some to hear from him.  Jesus turns back and asks you and me, ‘what do you seek?’ In other words, ‘why are you following me?’

Why did Jesus choose disciples? Mk.3:14, ‘He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach ^and to have authority to drive out demons.’ Jesus came into this world to begin a great ministry. He was the 1^st missionary sent by His own heavenly Father to reach out to the lost mankind. For this, even at the beginning of His ministry, He called a few to be His disciples. These disciples were supposed to be with Him, to learn from Him before finally being sent out into the world to preach Jesus. This also showsthat only those who walk and have fellowship with Jesus are eligible to be sent out for preaching.

Jesus chose twelve disciples at the beginning of His ministry. Math.10:2, ‘These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.’ The disciples were given the mission to preach. They were also given the authority over sicknesses and against the unclean spirits. Now let’s see how these twelve became the disciples of Jesus.

1.  All the twelve of them started following Jesus as soon they were called. This is really amazing. How could they leave everything and follow a person about whom they did not know anything. Or did they know about Him? The answer to this question is given in the gospel of John. The ones who were called to follow Jesus were actually seeking a Messiah within their hearts. Andrew, one of them was a disciple of John, the Baptist, who had pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God. The conversations between the disciples show this clearly. Jn.1:40-41, ‘One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). Jn.1:45,’Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”Hence, they left all that they had to follow Jesus, who was pointed as the same by John, the Baptist.’  Even before they were called by Jesus, these disciples were seeking their Messiah about whom the Scriptures talked. They sought neither a miracle nor a temporary deliverance. They indeed sought the Messiah and hence, they could follow Jesus at His very call. They began to become a disciple of Christ Jesus by having a seeking heart that sought Messiah who would deliver them from sins. Such can alone be a true disciple of Christ Jesus.

1. But did that alone make them His disciples? Dear friends, let’s take note that becoming a disciple was not an easy thing for them. They had to forsake certain things of their life. We need to note that although these disciples, on the basis of the testimony of John the Baptist and the revelation that the Spirit of the Lord gave them, met their Messiah, they did not yet forsake all to follow Him.

• Mk.1:16-18, ‘And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.’ They left their nets. The nets were their source of livelihood. Leaving the nets does not mean to resign from the job or the source of livelihood……’the so called full time ministry or part time ministry’. It refers to the primary concern for the livelihood…..the concern which is deeper than that for a sincere faith life in Christ Jesus.  A person resigning from job to do the work of the Lord need not have left the deep concern or anxiety about his or survival on this earth in terms of finance. Such attitudes of many servants of God often are a big barrier, not only to their own spiritual growth, but even to other’s spiritual growth. Such have not yet left their nets. They have just left their previous means of livelihood. Earlier, they used nets and boats. But now, they use the name of the Lord as nets to earn their livelihood. Their primary concern is to earn their livelihood and not to follow Jesus. A true disciple leaves his nets. He leaves the anxiety and deep concern for his livelihood. He puts his complete trust in the Lord for his daily provision. At the same time, he willingly takes the risk of not being provided and depending upon His presence to overcome the pangs of basic needs, if the Lord allows. We come across many servants of God in the history of church who stayed hungry and thirsty for days together and yet never complained or fell in faith life. Following Jesus is more important than even the daily provisions in the life of a disciple, and for such, the faithfulness of God provides all that they need at the right time.
• Mk 1:19-20, ‘When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.’They left their father…..A true disciple leaves their 1^st love for their own family members. Math.10:37, ‘He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.’ They left their father. They left the guidance and protection of their parents, which had guided them and protected them thus far. Although, this sounds a little harsh, it becomes easier to be followed when the love of Christ dawns into our hearts. It’s easy to love someone who loves us. Our parents love us but sooner or later, we discover that even their love has limitations. But the love of Christ crossed all limitations to fill us with His love to love our parents without any limit…..to love them without expecting anything in return…..to lead them to the divine love which saves their soul. A true disciple steps into the sphere of unconditional love for his family as he leaves their conditional love for their family.
• They left the hired servants… ‘And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.’ A true disciple leaves even their deep concern towards their responsibilities. It was the responsibility of James and John to pay the wages of the hired servants. But before the call of Jesus, their liability changes. They now felt more responsible towards their heavenly calling than their earthly responsibilities. But is that being irresponsible towards one’s family? No. The secret here is that when we give priority to our divine responsibility 1^st, all our worldly responsibilities are taken care of by our Lord Himself.
• They left their miracle. In Luke 5, we come across a great miracle which Jesus did in the lives of the fishermen, who were called to be His disciples. In fact, this was the 1^st miracle done by Jesus. They had toiled the whole night and had caught nothing. But when they set their nets into the deep upon the word of Jesus, they caught a great multitude of fish (Lk.5:5-6). These disciples did not hesitate to forsake even this miraculous catch to follow Jesus. It doesn’t mean that Jesus does not do miracles. But to be His disciples, we need not follow miracles. Instead, miracles follow those who believe. Mk. 16:17-18, ‘ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they^[b] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”’ The great multitude of people often followed Jesus for healing, deliverances and various other miracle blessings. They followed miracles and not Jesus and hence, could not become His disciples. Dear friends, the greatest miracle is the amazing passion of our Lord for a lost and unworthy sheep like you and me. There cannot be a greater miracle than this. Peter saw that love in the eyes of Jesus…which made him conscious of his sinfulness…..which made him see the great gap between the holiness of God and sinfulness of man. Hence, he could say, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Lk.5:8)

These disciples, with a seeking heart had found Jesus as their Messiah and left their nets, family, responsibilities and even miracles to follow Jesus. But did that make them His disciples? Not yet.

We’ll go through the next part of this article in the next issue. Till then, may our Lord strengthen us through this message to submit and leave all that obstructs in our becoming His disciples?

Truth came by Jesus Christ

Jn.1:10-17, ‘He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.¹¹ He came unto his own, and his own received him not.²But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:¹³ Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.¹⁴ And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.¹⁵ John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.¹⁶ And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.¹⁷ For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

The gospel of John out stands from among the other three gospels in its presentation of Jesus. The writings of this gospel is very much unique and has a unique touch on all who read it. Its less narrative and more discourse. As we meditate on this lovely passage, may His spirit  touch us in a unique way and thereby, grow in the knowledge of our Lord through this passage.

Verse 10, ‘He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not’. Jesus was in the world and the world was made by Him. In the book of Genesis, we see God creating the whole earth by the power of His spoken word. The moment He spoke, what He spoke came into being. This Word was with God and in God…….was none other than our Lord Jesus Christ.Jn.1:1-3, ‘ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.² The same was in the beginning with God.³ All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.’

This Word was in the world, but was not recognized. As we read this verse 10, we see a time gap between ‘and though the world was made through him,’   and‘and the world knew him not..’

The world,  when created, involved Adam and Eve. And in those beginning days, they had fellowship with God. They did know God. They knew His word.Gen.3:1-3, ‘Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”Let’s take note that when the crafty serpent put a misleading question to Eve, she correctly spoke the exact commandment or the Word of God. Eve knew God’s word. She knew His will for her. Knowing God is knowing His will for us. So, the world in the beginning i.e. Adam and Eve knew God…but soon after the fall, they lost the fellowship with God. Thereafter, they knew Him not….’the world knew Him not’ . Sin caused the world to be deprived of the knowledge about God and His will for them.

Verse 11, ‘He came unto his own, and his own received him not.’  Israel was God’s own people, whom He had called, chosen and sanctified for His own purposes. Jesus came for the Jews but due to their rejection, He turned to gentiles. Jesus came unto His own, but they did not receive Him. They could not receive Him for they did not know Him. They lacked the knowledge about Him. They expected their messiah in the form of an earthly King. The four gospels does talk about the multitude who followed Jesus. Most of them were  Jews. They followed Jesus because of the miracles. They did receive Jesus as a performer of miracles. They approached Jesus for healing, deliverance etc, but the moment He started teaching them the word of God and proclaimed about His true identity, this multitude drew back. They could not receive His teachings. They could not receive His proclamations about Himself. They could receive only His miracles. The one who receives His teachings is the one who truly receives Jesus. Today, many have received innumerable healings and answers to their problems from Jesus, but yet have not received His teachings in completeness.

We receive Jesus as per our knowledge about Him. Indeed, we  received Him as our Lord and our Saviour, but in reality most of us are not able to submit every area of  our life in one go. Submission grows with growth in knowledge about our Lord. And the truth is that a life time is not enough to know our Lord completely. Yet the more we seek to know Him, the more we receive the knowledge about Him.  The more we know  Him, the more we receive Him.

Verse 12, ‘But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:’ We come across the word ‘power’ in various texts of the Bible, which  differs in meaning as per it’s context of use.   In the process of salvation, a child of God 1^st experiences  the power of the Holy Spirit, which touches and transforms his heart. This is  God’s power that flows into one’s heart, which is the same power that rose Jesus from the dead. This power is the power of the Holy Ghost that opens our blind eyes to see Jesus as our Saviour…….that makes our heart fleshy to respond to God in the right way. Col.2:13, ‘And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;’ Being dead means absence from life, which makes us unable to respond to God and His call. God who is LIFE was separated from us due to our sins. Is.59:1-2, ‘Behold, the Lord‘s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.’

Now this transformed heart  receives the legal right to become the son of God.  God, who is rich in grace and mercy, gave Jesus Christ for us. He redeemed, justified, sanctified and reconciled us to Him. This complete work of the Calvary is freely given to all, but God gives the RIGHT to become the children of God to only those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. ( Romans 3:23-30). The belief in this completed work on the cross in Calvary is the true belief in Christ Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus Christ and His completed work on the cross receives ‘legal right’ to become the son of God. This power and authority or the legal right is what apostle John talks about in verse 12.  Satan who was our former master, cannot have any more authority on this believer who believes in Jesus. Satan had legal rights in our life,  but now, he has no more power over us because Jesus has conquered the death and grave. Col.2:13, ‘Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.’  Through this power, God gave us the right to partake in divine glory and the  right to stand boldly before His mercy seat. This power gave us the right to have fellowship with Him.

Verse 13, ‘Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’  Every birth in this world involves either the will of flesh or the will of man. But here, we see a birth, where neither of them are involved. It’s entirely under the control and will of Almighty God. Being born of Spirit of God is indeed a birth that involves God alone. All praises to Him alone for giving us this great privilege.

Verse 14, ‘And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.^’

Jesus, the Word was made flesh. Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh. The Law was weak because of flesh. Yet, God revealed His power by sending His son in the likeness of sinful flesh and condemned the sin. Jesus was only in the likeness of sinful flesh. He did not have the actual sinful flesh. He faced all the temptations of the flesh and yet never sinned.

(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) In Mathew 17, we see how Jesus took John, Peter and James into a high mountain where He transfigured. His face shone like the sun and His raiment as white as the light. This is the glory which the apostle John is talking about here.

Verse 16,  ^‘And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.’ This verse  talks about His fullness. God, the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit forms the trinity….i.e. God in trinity or the trio in one God. Yet, each have a seperate identity.  Jn.14:9, ‘Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?’ One who has seen Jesus have seen the Father. But we cannot say the vice-versa i.e One who has seen the Father has seen the Son. The approach road to Father is the Son and not vice-versa.  It means the Father is in the Son. Jn. 14:17-18, ‘Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.’ Jesus, referring to the Holy Spirit says,’ I will come to you.’ This shows that the Spirit of God in Jesus. Jn.1:1, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ In short, the completeness or fullness of God is in Jesus.Col.1:19, ‘For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.’ And we, who are the sons of God have received of this fullness of God through our faith in Jesus.’ In us who believe in Jesus, dwells not only Jesus, but the Father, the Holy Spirit and the very Word Himself. In us dwells the character of God in completeness, thereby making us whole and complete in Him.

Verse 17, ‘For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.’  The law was given by God to Mosses. This law was the word of God. Jesus is also the Word of God who was made flesh. But then, John writes about grace and truth regarding Jesus. Truth is reality or a fact. To know the truth as truth, we need to experience it. Our own experience is the only truth that we can never deny. How much ever, we might have heard about anything from anyone, unless it becomes a part of our experience or life, we can never claim it to be truth with complete assurance. In other words, whether anybody else will believe it or not, we ourselves can never deny our own experiences. This law, though the Word of God, dictated or ruled the lives of many in the Old Testament, but could be experienced as truth in the lives of only few who were anointed to do specific work of God. ……..Mosses, David etc. Most of the people in Old Testament could not experience the law or the word of God in their lives. The only reason behind this was that the Holy Spirit was not made available to them. Most of us who were born in traditional, so called Christian homes, did attend churches, Sunday schools etc…..but experienced the reality or the truth of the Word of God only when the Spirit of God touched our hearts. In other words, presence of Holy Spirit is essential to experience the word of God in our lives. This law to be experienced as truth, Holy Spirit was made available to all who believed in Jesus as their savior and Lord. Hence, prophet Ezekiel wrote about the new heart with a new spirit who alone can walk in the statutes and ordinances of God Almighty. (Ez.11:19-20)

Grace is the unmerited favor. This Holy Spirit ……Holiest of the Holy…..dwelling in an unholy vessel of you and me is a mind blowing grace…..a grace which our human mind cannot comprehend. …..which passeth every human understanding.  Hence, apostle John writes about Jesus as being ‘full of grace and truth’. The Word of God without grace and truth is termed as ‘law’ which sounds more of dictator. But when this is combined with grace and truth, it becomes the very life itself……the eternal life…..

Dear friends, blessed are we because we live in the New Testament times…………..the time of experiencing His word and living the same through our daily lives. We have been blessed with this abundant grace to live this life of witnessing and bearing the truth, Jesus Himself, until He comes to take away His church. Let’s no more mistake this grace to allow ourselves to do wrong. It’s too precious and too late to be misunderstood any longer. Rather, let’s use every moment here after, to bear His word. Bearing His word is being disciplined in accordance with His Word ….which is the true witnessing. Every disciplining is allowing the power of God flow into our lives though His Word. And every disciplining is possible only by experiencing or applying the word of God in our lives. Disciplining alone transforms us more and more to be like Him, thus making us His disciples. And the disciples alone form the mystical body of Christ, His magnificent church, whom He will take away any moment.

May God bless you !

31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children

1. Salvation—"Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." (Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2:10)

 

2. Growth in Grace—"I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. 3:18)

 

3. Love—"Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them." (Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:2)

 

4. Honesty and Integrity—"May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection." (Ps. 25:21)

 

5. Self-Control—"Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do." (1 Thess. 5:6)

 

6. Love for God's Word—"May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb." (Ps. 19:10)

 

7. Justice—"God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do." (Ps. 11:7; Mic. 6:8)

 

8. Mercy—"May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36)

 

9. Respect (for self, others, and authority)—"Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands." (1 Pet. 2:17)

 

10. Biblical Self-Esteem—"Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:10)

 

11. Faithfulness—"Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts." (Prov. 3:3)

 

12. Courage—"May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions." (Deut. 31:6)

 

13. Purity—"Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions." (Ps. 51:10)

 

14. Kindness—"Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." (1 Thess. 5:15)

 

15. Generosity—"Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age." (1 Tim. 6:18-19)

 

16. Peace-Loving—"Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace." (Rom. 14:19)

 

17. Joy—"May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit." (1 Thess. 1:6)

 

18. Perseverance—"Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them." (Heb. 12:1)

 

19. Humility—"God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all." (Titus 3:2)

 

20. Compassion—"Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion." (Col. 3:12)

 

21. Responsibility—"Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load." (Gal. 6:5)

 

22. Contentment—"Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength." (Phil. 4:12-13)

 

23. Faith—"I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them." (Luke 17:5-6; Heb. 11:1-40)

 

24. A Servant's Heart—"God, please help my children develop servant's hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men." (Eph. 6:7)

 

25. Hope—"May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 15:13)

 

26. Willingness and Ability to Work—"Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as working for the Lord and not for men." (Col. 3:23)

 

27. Passion for God—"Lord, please instill in my children a soul that 'followeth hard after thee,' one that clings passionately to You." (Ps. 63:8)

 

28. Self-Discipline—"Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair." (Prov. 1:3)

 

29. Prayerfulness—"Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers." (1 Thess. 5:17)

 

30. Gratitude—"Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 5:20; Col. 2:7)

 

31. A Heart for Missions—"Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among the peoples." (Ps. 96:3)

5 Attitudes Toward Someone With Whom We Disagree

For Christians, it can be difficult to know how to engage in an uncivil culture and in an uncivil season. On the one hand we want to stand boldly for truth, speaking prophetically to our culture and wisely steward our rare gift of shaping our government. On the other, we're commanded by Scripture to comport ourselves differently. So how do we do this? Here are five principles from the Scripture that helps us adopt grace-filled attitudes toward those with whom we vehemently disagree: 
 

1)        Love Your Neighbor As Yourself (Mark 12:31).

At the very least your political opponent, whether it's the President, someone in the other party, your opinionated relative, or the blogger who has it all wrong--that person is your neighbor. And we are to love our neighbors, not with a sort of grudging foot-dragging love, but "as yourself." In other words, you are to treat them with the same respect you would want to be treated. How does this play out in the public square? Well I think it means we argue principles without making it personal. It means we give them the benefit of the doubt. 1 Corinthians 13 says that one of the definitions of love is that it "believes all things and hopes all things." In other words, we can oppose someone politically without thinking they are part of some evil, Machiavellian scheme to make our lives miserable.

2)       Love Your Enemies (Matthew 5:43-48).

 I think viewing a political opponent as an "enemy" might be too strong, but let's just assume that for a moment, on the issues about which you care, he or she is your enemy. For instance, I think it could be honestly said that most liberals are adversaries of the pro-life position that I hold. So how does Jesus' words to love them apply? Well, I'm suppose to love them with the fullest definition of love. I can oppose what they stand for without ridiculing the person or mocking them or their families. I love my political adversaries by speaking only what I know to be true about them. I means I see any good and redeeming values in them and pray for them.

3)       Honor the King (1 Peter 2:17). 

Peter wrote these words to a church about to endure four decades of brutal persecution at the hands of Roman oppressors. And yet Peter writes, "Show proper respect to everyone, Fear God, Honor the King." If this seems difficult to do under leaders who might oppose biblical values, imagine how difficult it was for Christian citizens of Rome. But it's made easier with the middle words of that phrase, "Fear God." Romans 13 reminds us that nobody is in power except those God anoints and puts in power. So, you can show proper respect to a political adversary because you acknowledge the sovereignty of God and you affirm that even your enemy was created in God's image. And therefore you can honor a political leader because in doing so you're honoring the God who put him or her there. I think the words, "respect" and "honor" give us a good grid for how we should make political arguments. We can forcefully oppose unjust, unwise, or unbiblical policies without resorting to name-calling, mockery, and slander. In doing this, I think Christians set themselves apart. Think of men like Nehemiah, Daniel, and Joseph who served wicked monarchs and still always showed proper respect to the office.

4)       Pray for Your Leaders (1 Timothy 2:2). 

There are not many specifics in the New Testament about Christian political activism. I might point to Jesus's words in Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus prayer in John 17 and Paul's appeal in Romans 10 for the necessity of Christians to shape culture at all levels (including political and governmental). But the one very specific instruction regarding Christians and their leaders is the command to pray for them. We Christians (myself the most guilty) seem to have it backward. We treat activism as a necessity and prayer for our leaders as an option. We should do both. We should pray and watch, pray and build, pray and act. But we must never diminish prayer. We must pray for our President, our Congress, our Governors, our statehouses, our mayors, our local leaders. Public service is a difficult calling. I like what Max Lucado is doing this year to gather Christians to pray during this election season.

5)        Speak with Grace (Colossians 4:6).

Paul writes to the church at Colosse, "Let your conversation be always full of grace." This verse really convicts me, because I now that my speech is not always marked by grace. Especially in election season. Especially when I'm all wound up with an opinion or idea about someone with whom I disagree. But followers of Jesus should be marked by grace. This means that what we post, what we say, what we discuss should run through the prism of grace. How is graceful speech different than ordinary speech? It flows from a heart humbled by God's forgiveness. It considers the human behind the argument. It tries not to divide, but to unite. It grounds every argument in the gospel story. Graceful speech doesn't post angry, half-truth, slanderous opinions on Facebook. Graceful speech doesn't support distorted 30 second TV ads. Graceful speech is open to new arguments, admits wrongs, and doesn't assume that it's right all the time