You are a Difference Maker in this nation! Get four ways Christians can stand for righteousness in the 2018 midterm elections.
There is something peaceful about watching a butterfly sailing by, catching the wind just right and staying afloat with little effort. Something so small in nature seems to have no real significant purpose—it certainly doesn’t have the power to change the world—right? But what if it does? What if one lone butterfly could start a hurricane?
Sounds impossible, yet there is a scientific theory that says otherwise. It’s called the butterfly effect. This breakthrough discovery, once posed by a meteorologist, states that something as small as a single flap of a butterfly’s wings can cause a big change in the weather somewhere else. Merriam Webster defines the butterfly effect as this: “a property of chaotic systems (such as the atmosphere) by which small changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variation in the future state of the system.” Simply put—small things can have a big effect.
What about you? Perhaps you’ve gone through life seeing yourself as a delicate butterfly, floating through life without making much of a difference. Maybe you’ve bought into Satan’s lie that you are just meant to go to work each day, cook dinner, go to bed and then start all over again the next day. But as a child of God, something on the inside of you tells you there’s something more.
In Ezekiel 22:30, we find one area where we’re called to have the impact of a butterfly in this world. God says, “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.” God was looking for someone with a willing heart to stand for righteousness—He was looking for someone to make a difference. And He still is. Today, He’s looking for Difference Makers to step up in America and rebuild the wall of righteousness.
Will you answer His call? Like a butterfly, your small actions can cause a chain reaction that will impact generations to come. You can choose to be one God can use to rebuild the wall of righteousness and guard the land. You can choose to be a Difference Maker, and start a hurricane of change in this nation and in the kingdom of God.
Learn four ways YOU, as a Christian, can stand for righteousness in the 2018 midterm elections, and how doing so will make all the difference!
1. Show Up to Make a Difference
It’s been said the first secret to success is showing up. To win a game, you must first play the game. So, to be a difference maker in this life, the first decision you need to make is that you are going to be a person who shows up when it counts—you’re going to show up to make a difference. One of the most pressing areas needing Christian influence is the current state of our nation.
When it comes to participating in our constitutional right and responsibility to vote, many Christians either don’t see the need or don’t think their single vote can make a difference. Maybe you’ve thought the same thing: It won’t matter if I don’t show up. I’m only one person. I’m sure plenty of other Christians will turn out.
Well, here’s the problem with that kind of thinking—what if a thousand people think that way? Or 10,000? Or more? Then what? The impact of the Christian vote is powerful. It’s been credited for many critical victories over the years, even very recently.
Consider the following group that most impacted the recent presidential election, as well as the current makeup of Congress:
- They are 9 percent of the adult population, which is 20 million people
- They are born-again, committed Christians
- They attend church regularly, read the Bible, and believe the Bible is final authority
- They are active in ministries outside the church
- They are registered to vote and regularly vote.
These are what political analysts call “the difference makers.” This group has championed biblical values at the polls and has turned the country in a more righteous direction. But even with the impact they’ve made, it has often been by very narrow margins. They need to fortify their army—they need more people like them to show up.
Does your vote make a difference? Water is hot at 211 degrees Fahrenheit, but it boils at 212 degrees. Little things make a big difference. Small keys open big doors. You are that key.
Think about what happened in Nehemiah’s day. The walls of Jerusalem were crumbling, compromising the safety and security of the Jewish people. When each individual stepped up and did his own small part, they accomplished a great work and the wall was rebuilt. Each piece of the wall may have seemed small and insignificant at the time, but when each piece came together, it was the rebuilding of a powerful people and a fortified nation. It made a difference.
2. Double Your Impact
What if someone told you that on Nov. 6, your vote would count as two? Would it feel worthwhile to show up? In a way, that’s exactly what the case will be—you can double your impact with your vote this year.
In any given presidential election, two thirds of the population will vote. But on an off-year election, only one third of the population typically shows up at the polls. (Remember the importance of showing up?) That means the impact of your vote is greatly increased! Your ability to influence the outcome is multiplied because fewer people will be voting.
Knowing this powerful truth, you can grow your impact further by calling on your friends to vote. Get involved in rallying Christians together! Create a club, start a pre-election Bible study focusing on the issues, host a pre-vote breakfast or a post-vote luncheon. Make it an event because it is an event!
When you double your impact on Tuesday, Nov. 6, you’re accomplishing a lot because there is a lot at stake. Here’s why your vote matters during this midterm election:
- 35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate will be contested. We need to maintain those who already stand for biblical values, but we also need to add at least nine more to continue forward.
- All 435 members of the House of Representatives are up for reelection. It is critical that we maintain the current number of members who stand for righteous values.
- Both of these elections will impact Supreme Court Justice decisions for at least the next decade, as well as decide who will redraw congressional maps in 2021.
- Thirty-six states will elect new governors.
The Christian vote is powerful—if you show up. So, if you’re a pastor, speak up and encourage your congregation to vote and to vote biblical values. Whoever says politics and the church don’t mix is missing the mark. Charles Finney said, “Brethren, our preaching will bear its legitimate fruits. If immorality prevails in the land, the fault is ours to a great degree. If there is decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discrimination, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the Church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in religion, the pulpit is responsible for it.”
The Church can steer this nation in a righteous direction, but we must make the decision to participate. Even if you have voted in the past, this is a new season—a new day. Gloria Copeland has often said, “In consistency lies the power.” That applies to anything worthwhile in your life—consistency in your prayer time, your time in the Word and in voting. Your vote last time made an impact, but it doesn’t cover this election. You are needed consistently!
3. Protect Unborn Babies and Persecuted Christians
In the United States, it’s easy to become complacent, comfortable and even apathetic to the evils and horrors going on around us. When it comes to abortion, some Christians seem to have given up, thinking the fight is too big and victory unlikely. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Right now, there is a critical bill that is poised to save every unborn infant 20 weeks or older. It’s called the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. President Trump has already agreed to sign it, the House has already passed it, but it’s being held up in the Senate. Why? Because we need nine more pro-life senators who will support the bill and vote it through. Once that happens, it can be sent to President Trump to sign into law.
We don’t have those nine pro-life senators today, so the bill is stuck. Meanwhile, 5,000 unborn babies who are 20 weeks or older are being aborted each month. But that can all change with the 2018 midterm elections. If Christians will turn out and vote biblical principles on Nov. 6, we can save 60,000 babies next year alone!
We can see a change in abortion laws and a reduction in babies lost when we get the right people in office. For example, California recently passed a law forcing pro-life pregnancy resource centers to advertise abortion clinics in their facilities. Only through a narrow Supreme Court decision was this law halted. Without the right members of Congress in place, the right Supreme Court justices will not be in place either. That’s why it is up to us to cast our vote.
Another group without a voice is persecuted Christians. Did you know 75 percent of Christians around the world are persecuted? And not the way you might think.
Brigitte Gabriel, a terrorist expert and victim of Christian persecution in Lebanon says this: “In America, people think persecution is, ‘Oh, I took my Bible with me to work and people looked at me funny because I’m a Christian,’ [but] my experience [is that] I had to dress in my burial clothes at the age of 13, waiting to be slaughtered.”[1]
The brutality against Christians in nations around the world is unspeakable. Among many others, persecution in China is increasingly alarming, and the brutal murders of Syrian Christians continue. We need people in office who will address the genocide affecting so many around the world and protect Christians!
Those who hold office here in the United States have power to influence leaders in other nations and to stand for the rights of their citizens. The current administration is doing just that, but we need more people in place who will support this stance. In addition, it is important that we never take for granted our freedoms here or sit in false security that this same thing could never happen in the United States. Certain ideological groups in the U.S. have begun persecuting Christian values at an increasing rate.
That is one of the reasons why, for the first time ever, the United States has been listed among nations displaying a concerning level of persecution toward Christians. That’s why when we stand for persecuted Christians in other nations, we stand for ourselves, as well. Brothers and sisters, now is our opportunity to speak out.
The reasons are sobering. The words of a powerful poem displayed in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum tells us why. Written by German pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984), he calls out the cowardice of German intellectuals during the rise of Nazi power and their targeting one group after another:
First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Speak out with your vote—not just because you might need someone down the line, but because it is the right thing to do.
Watch our special Faith for Our Nation series of broadcasts this week and next on kcm.org or VICTORY™ network (formerly BVOVN®) via Roku®, Apple TV®, Amazon Fire TV and YouTube.
4. Follow the Word of God Into the Voting Booth
You can’t separate the Bible from politics. You can’t sit in church and believe one thing, then step into the voting booth and throw it out the window. Truth is truth. The Bible is the only truth—in your home, in your relationships, in your finances, in your body and in politics. So, when you vote, follow the Word of God into the voting booth.
Truth doesn’t change, and your identity doesn’t change. If you are a born-again Christian, your identity doesn’t come from your gender, your skin color or your socio-economic status. Your identity is in Christ and you have a responsibility to vote biblical values as a steward of this great nation. Someone’s values are going to influence public policy—it may as well be our Christian values!
View the 2016 Republican Platform and the Democratic Platform here.
Learn why political platforms matter with Kenneth Copeland, Pastor George Pearsons, Bishop Keith Butler and David Barton.
When it comes to deciding how to cast your vote, it’s not hard to decide. It’s easy. Remember, the issues are not political, they are biblical. If you just look at blue policy (Democrats) and red policy (Republicans), only one stands in line with the Word of God. Only one includes the word “God” in its platform, while the other voted to remove His Name. As David Barton says, “No matter what any party says, don’t let others tell you what the Bible says. Always ask ‘what is the chapter and verse?’.”
Are you ready to step into your role as a difference maker in the 2018 midterm elections? When you take these simple tips and put them into practice—when you show up and vote according to the Bible on Nov. 6—you will be counted as a difference maker. God is looking for those who will rebuild the walls of righteousness. Will you be one of those people? Like a butterfly flapping its wings—when you vote, when you pray, when you stand—you can be the one who starts a hurricane of change in this world and in the kingdom of God. You can make a difference!
Watch our LIVE 2018 Midterm Elections Coverage in a Spirit of Faith on Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, on kcm.org or VICTORY™ network (formerly BVOVN®) via Roku®, Apple TV® (fourth generation), Amazon Fire TV and YouTube.
[1] Charisma, August 2018
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