Introduction

Over a year ago someone asked what seemed at the time to be simple question among friends. They asked who I planned to vote for in the up coming presidential election. I did not care at the time but saw a chance to engage someone which whom I had not in the past. So, I stepped out and answered honestly, I don’t know yet. Long story short, this conversation ended up convicting me to search my heart’s loyalties. I realized how deep my love for God has grown and deep down inside I had to admit, how much I don’t care about worldly issues. Social unrest, politics, etc. had taken a compete backseat to God’s job he assigned ALL believers to do. The ‘Great Commission’!

Motivation

Now fast forward to today and what I see our Body failing in. Yes, I said it, failing in! We wholeheartedly put the job assigned to us on hold for our own passions. Our own desires and agenda’s are increasingly more important minute by minute, hour by hour. I was listening to Street Pastor’s –Underdog’s Anthem album when he asked, “Why do we choose Barabbas?” Then it hit me, we do this as believers, especially when it comes to world issues. We make God a part of our meal and not the feast itself. I cannot tell you the amount of so-called Bible believers I meet who are much more concerned with fighting political battles than open-air preaching. They try to make you as a True Believer feel guilty for taking what they call "a neutral position". Are they serious? Choosing to fight for God’s purpose and glory is neutral; since when? What am I going crazy or did His word not become flesh, willing to be tortured and murdered for my sins, so I could have eternal life? Come on man, give me a break!

There a few theories I have about why someone would say this, but I will stick to my hearts conviction on this issue. So, here is my hearts conviction in three points based on 1 Corinthians 2:5-9:

1. Someone who puts any cause, issue, or agenda before God is disloyal to God, period.
2. Anyone who does this either is unaware of God’s purpose for their lives or is making a conscience choice to ignore His calling for their own selfish desire.
3. They (people who put God second) cannot be True Believers in the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ!

I do not know if you are stirred up right now or feel I am coming on too strong. Some will, some won’t, but I am sticking with God all the way on this one. I am not saying it is not OK to support your political party, social organization, etc... What I am saying is that most people do not know what God says about an issue in its totality then mock you for not knowing what the news or a TV report says. To me, that is absurd! Why on earth would I care what information from those sources say, when I can put ALL, not some, but ALL of my faith in what God says?

Barabbas Bio Survey

Barabbas was, in his day, the symbol for freedom from political unrest and social oppression by the Romans on the Jews. He represented the kind of Messiah in outward appearance that most Jews, at the time of Jesus, thought he would be like. He was strong. He fought violently for injustice. He was one who had the popular vote to make a difference among the current condition of the Jews. They were basically oppressed and were looking for relief. He was the insurrectionary (John 18:39-40) whom procurator Pontius Pilate released during the Passover. It was custom to release, at the request of the people on the day preceding the festival of Passover, one prisoner condemned to punishment.

Josephus called Barabbas a “bandit” according to Robert Eisenman’s work about contemporaries combining insurrection and murder. Barabbas was said to be sicarii [members of a militant Jewish movement that sought to overthrow the Roman occupiers of their land by force (Eisenman 177-84, et passim)]. Pope Benedict XVI mentions Barabbas in this context: "Jesus was not Spartacus, he was not engaged in a fight for political liberation like Barabbas...” To this day, we symbolically are choosing Barabbas again and again when we feel pressured by government oppression. Could it be we are not really interested in living out a life Holy and pleasing to God as our spiritual act of worship? (Romans 12:1)

What’s the Point?

I am not saying we should be idiots and remain unaware. Don’t get it twisted. What I am saying is why is it we do not allow God to determine our passions? Why is God’s heart not the first and foremost foundation of our desires? Why does God have to take a backseat to a fight, He may or may not have for us to fight? So many close to home and abroad are lost and will face a fiery hell. It will be our fault if don’t try to reach them. Believers, we are responsible for preaching the Gospel. We were entrusted with this mission. How on earth do we not know God’s Holy Word, yet have time to read newspapers and watch news reports faithfully? Why are world events so much more interesting than the Word of the God we claim to believe?

Those are questions I cannot answer for you. You must answer it on your own. In this article, I am definitely inspired by the social and political unrest that seems to be growing amongst Conservatives I know. I also see people who are Liberal claiming God too, but don’t take time with Him to know His will. It is almost like they hold onto to viewpoints that are grounded in Relativism. Personally I have come to the conclusion I am Theocratic (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theocratic). I do not care if you do not like that. I only care about one’s viewpoint and guess who it is?

Final Thought

I am not on my soapbox to sway any other way but back to the cross, like Dillon Chase. He made a great point with his album, The Pursuit. What are we pursuing? Unfortunately we were made with some limitations. We were made in His image, not like Him entirely. We cannot create life, but reproduce life. We cannot make things happen by speaking them with the same authority, only through His authority and will. With that being said, our limitation sometimes is finding out how far we can stretch ourselves. Well, with God our loyalty cannot be stretched. Some things in scripture are presented by the writer as an ‘and/both’ scenario. We just have to understand and apply Ecclesiastes 3 to make the distinction. Other issues are an ‘either/or’. You are either riding with God or not. No ifs’, ands’, or buts’ about it. So will you choose Barabbas or Jesus this day? My earnest prayer is you will make Romans 12:1 your daily commitment, amen!