Navigational Guide #1 – Love Your Enemies
Cultural chaos is marked by “the blame game,” name-calling, and the identification of enemies. Amid such strife, Jesus advises a difficult, audacious response: “…Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matthew 5:44).
Loving and praying for enemies is not synonymous with condoning their behavior or failing to convey truth; please understand this. Instead, it’s relating and transmitting truth benevolently rather than being overcome by evil. It’s being proactive, overcoming “…evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
An expression of the “good” is a change of speech tone. Rather than communicating caustically, we respond decently and wisely. As the writer of Proverbs reminds us: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly” (Proverbs 15:1–2).
How might I speak the truth, but also craft and watch my words? How might I relate to my enemies candidly, benevolently, and wisely?
Navigational Guide #2 – Honor Jesus as Lord
Those with authority, including political leaders, urge us to follow them and their priorities. The Leader of the universe encourages us to follow Him and His Way of life. The two are not identical; no secular leader fully embodies the Almighty.
Therefore, there will inevitably be a difference in priorities and perspectives—a disparity of some kind, at some point—between the Way of Jesus and the way of secular authority.
In Acts 17, Paul and Silas preach Jesus in Thessalonica, much to the ire of the Jewish leaders. “‘These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also…They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus’” (Acts 17:6–7). If we’re fully faithful to Jesus, we can expect a similar scenario; at some point, the Lord’s Way and the world’s way will clash, and we’ll need to choose obedience to God over human authority (Acts 5:29).
Thus, beware of being in lockstep with any political or secular ideology. Pray for all in authority (1 Timothy 2:1–3), but remain constant, loyal, and bound to one cause: the Way of Jesus.
Where does a secular authority “have my ear” more than the Savior? How might I increasingly honor Jesus as Almighty and Lord?
Navigational Guide #3 – Prioritize the Vulnerable
These seasons are especially risky for the marginalized and vulnerable. It’s difficult enough for people with power and resources to find their way in chaotic chapters, but those lacking connection and assets soon become lost in the fray.
Thus, the Bible calls us to remember the least, lost, and lonely during turbulent times. “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute [vulnerable]…defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8–9); “…Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19). Such attentiveness is not synonymous with foolish handouts or lawlessness but, instead, with risky hospitality, loving our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30–31; Luke 10:25–37).
How can I curb my fear, aiding the vulnerable during turbulent times? How can I go beyond anxiety and prejudice and embrace the stranger?
Navigational Guide #4 – Make the Church Your Tribe
Seasons of upheaval are opportunities to deepen our identity as the People of God. Instead of seeking community (e.g., relational support, friendship) within an ideological tribe (political party, social media group, etc.), we connect more with Christ’s tribe, the New Community—the Church.
As we do, Jesus “rubs off” on us. We no longer view life through an ideological lens (such as politics) but through a Christ-centered perspective, shaped more by the Sermon on the Mount than by our favorite podcast. As a result, Jesus increases while human opinion wanes. We are captivated by the One who is neither left nor right but embodies a “third way” surrendered to the Almighty and His reign—a Kingdom that challenges all secular thought systems.
The result is a swelling hope that is not dependent on circumstances. We increasingly understand that the most crucial victory is assured: the triumph of God in Christ.
For a time, political and social systems wield power and dominance. We become incredibly anxious when they shake and rumble. However, “another way of living,” an alternative Kingdom, ultimately has the last word.
John the Revelator reminds us of God’s eventual achievement: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life…On either side of the river is the tree of life…and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him…And there will be no more night” (Revelation 22:1–5).
What’s “rubbing off” on me—politics or Jesus’ alternative way of life? How can Christ’s New Community, the Church, be my tribe?
In 1436, a young cleric noticed the proprietor of a fish shop using leaves from an ancient codex (book) to wrap his product. Among the pages was a second-century letter written by an unknown Christian author to Diognetus, a seeker curious about the peculiar character of the early church amid the upheaval of his day.
The cleric retrieved the epistle, discovering a fascinating description of Christ-followers, the people of the Way (Acts 24:14). The letter’s author recounted to Diognetus that Christians have a “…wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners…They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh…They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven…They are reviled and blessed…they are insulted and repay the insult with honor…To sum up all in one word—what the soul is in the body, Christians are in the world.”
I pray we’ll be the soul of our society during this turbulent era. Our culture doesn’t need more rancor but more centeredness in a righteous reality that transcends political and ideological bias. Sure, speak the truth, no doubt. But articulate it with benevolence and spiritual savvy (Ephesians 4:15; Matthew 10:16)—flavored with the conviction that, ultimately, our salvation comes not from human systems but from the rule and ethic of God in Christ.
Ironically, then, the way through our current upheaval is via yet another upending sparked by Jesus. For Christ wants to turn our society “upside down” (Acts 17)—as we love our enemies, honor only one Lord (Jesus), prioritize the vulnerable, and make the Church our tribe.
Daring, demanding stuff, for sure, but bright buoys—the only faithful way to navigate choppy, troubled waters.
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