Because of the current political situation in Thailand, I want to re-post an article that I first published in 2010 under a slightly different title (see here). So far, the recent protests have remained mainly peaceful, but the country remains deeply split into two camps and the situation continues to be very tense. As Christians, we are supposed to be "salt and light" and I therefore think it is crucial that we have the mind of Christ (or call it a "Biblical World View") on the matter. May Thai people see the peace, joy, love and unity among us Christians that only the Lord can give, and may one day the world see Thailand as a country marked by these attributes!
Here are the main parts of the original article:
A few days ago my attention was turned to Joshua 5:13-14, when Joshua encountered a man with a drawn sword just before the Israelites were to attack Jericho:
"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell face-down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?" Joshua 5:13-14
As we have followed the ups and downs of politics and the changing of governments and constitutions in Thailand (which seem to change more frequently than the weather in Southern California) we might be tempted to take sides and support the Red Shirts, the Yellow Shirts, or another group/color. But I am convinced that we, as the body of Christ, are not to take sides, similar to the commander of the Lord's army in the passage from Joshua quoted above. According to Romans 13, we are to obey, support, and pray for the people in authority, no matter what color they represent or how they got into the position of authority. Whether through elections, coups or by other means. We should always remember that the governments of this world are just that: they are of this world. But the Kingdom that we seek is NOT of this world! The advancing of this Kingdom of God does not depend on political systems or political parties. The Bible was written not as a manual to build kingdoms of this world (i.e. political and geographical entities known as "nations"), but as a manual for believers anywhere, anytime, no matter whether they happen to live in a monarchy, a democracy or in a communist nation like Laos. I think that the best testimony we can give to society in Thailand and to the rest of the world that's watching, is that we are content, loyal and supportive to the government at all times, even though we might not like some of the values and/or policies that each particular government stands for.
Unfortunately, there are not many good examples for us to look at, because in most nations the church is acting as if the body of Christ was nothing more than just another political lobbying group, trying to push their agenda and their values on the rest of the society. Unfortunately, this is especially true for the American church. However, when non-believers look at the church, they should not see just another political party (or color...), but something that is radically different, something that no political, religious, cultural or humanistic movement can produce. People should see us as people who genuinely long to lead a holy life, people who know their sins are forgiven, people who find their joy, confidence purpose, value and meaning in God and who try to love even those who hurt them... Another benchmark for Christians is that we are to give honor to whom honor is due, and whether the Prime Minister's name is Sonthi, Surayut, Somchai, Samak, Thaksin, Aphisit or Yingluck, we can certainly trust the Lord to work out everything for His purposes. That does not mean that we should not vote or participate in other ways in the political life of the country. It does mean, however, that we should never try to use force in any way. The only reason we have to not obey the government is when the government either tries to force us to do things that are against scripture (like bowing down to an idol) or tries to keep us from doing things that are commanded by scripture (like praying, witnessing, and raising our children according to Biblical standards). But because we know that our freedom does not depend on the rules and laws of the nations, and because we know that God is able to do everything according to his purpose we should never put our hope in any man, party,"system" or color. The Kingdom of God is not of this world, and it is not in question who is in charge of it. Let us live our lives for him who sits on the throne and reigns!
