Misplaced Allegiance and the Cost of Discipleship
We gather today not as members of a party, not as defenders of a nation, but as people seeking to walk in Christ’s way.
We come with questions. We come with convictions. We come aware that our faith is being tested — not by persecution, but by power.
Core Scriptures
Matthew 4:8–10
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
Philippians 3:19–21
their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a temptation we do not often name in the church —not temptation toward sin as we usually define it, but temptation toward influence, relevance, and control.
Jesus faces this temptation directly.
He is offered power.
Not chaos — but order.
Not persecution — but authority.
Not rejection — but dominion.
And he refuses.
This matters because Jesus does not reject power because he lacks it. He rejects it because it would require misplaced allegiance.
This temptation is not about whether the kingdoms of the world matter. It is about how they are gained. The devil does not tempt Jesus with evil for its own sake. He tempts him with a good outcome achieved by unfaithful means.
Jesus is offered exactly what he will eventually receive — authority over all kingdoms — but without obedience, without suffering, without the cross, without his sacrifice for us. He is offered the kingdom by the wrong means.
And this is where the temptation meets us. Not in whether we care about society. But in whether we are willing to compromise Christ’s character to achieve what we believe is a righteous goal.
When Politics Become Our Hope
We live in a time when many Christians believe the future of faith depends on political victory.
We are told:
- If the right laws pass, morality will return
- If the right leaders rule, God’s order will be restored
- If Christians regain control, the world will be saved
But this logic quietly replaces discipleship with dominance. It suggests that Christ’s way is insufficient without enforcement.
A Dangerous Exchange
When faith attaches itself too tightly to political identity, something subtle happens:
- We begin to overlook character for the sake of outcomes.
- We tolerate rhetoric we would otherwise reject.
- We confuse victory with vindication.
- We defend leaders we would never follow spiritually
The question is no longer: Is this Christlike?
But: Does this help us win?
And winning becomes the measure of righteousness.
Jesus and the Refusal of Control
Jesus never asks:
- Who should we silence?
- Who should we exclude?
- Who should we dominate?
Instead, he asks:
- Who are we serving?
- Who are we becoming?
- Who is being harmed?
His kingdom grows through sacrifice, not supremacy. Through faithfulness, not fear. Through love, not law.
The Cost of Political Faith
When Christianity is fused with nationalism or political movements:
- The gospel becomes conditional
- The church becomes defensive
- Faith becomes transactional
Those harmed by policy are dismissed. Those outside the faith are dehumanized. And Christ’s name is used to justify what Christ himself refused.
A Question of Allegiance
Jesus’ words confront us still: You cannot serve two masters. Not because politics are irrelevant — but because they are powerful. And power always demands loyalty.
The question is not whether Christians should care about society. The question is what we are willing to sacrifice for influence.
When political loyalty becomes unquestioned —when we excuse behavior we would condemn in our own lives, when we silence criticism because “the stakes are too high,” when we defend cruelty because it achieves our preferred outcome —our allegiance has shifted. And allegiance always shapes worship.
What we protect at all costs reveals what we trust to save us. What we excuse reveals what we value more than Christlike character. What we fear losing reveals where our hope truly rests.
Political engagement is not the danger.
Political devotion that overrides spiritual integrity is.
A Call to Discernment
As a faithful community, we commit to asking harder questions:
- Does this policy reflect Christ’s concern for the vulnerable?
- Does this rhetoric honor the dignity of our neighbors?
- Does this alliance require us to excuse behavior we would condemn in ourselves?
- Are we being shaped more by fear or by faith?
Quiet Truth
When politics tempt our faith, the answer is not withdrawal, but re-centering.
Christ does not need our dominance to be Lord. Truth does not need coercion to endure. Faith does not need to win elections to be alive.
Call to Action
This week, we practice holy resistance:
- Resist language that dehumanizes
- Resist loyalty that demands silence
- Resist fear disguised as righteousness
- Resist the urge to trade faithfulness for influence
We choose Christ — even when it costs us power.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You refused the kingdoms of this world
when they demanded your allegiance.
Free us from the illusion
that political victory equals spiritual faithfulness.
Teach us courage without control,
conviction without cruelty,
and love without conditions.
May we never gain the world
and lose our soul.
Amen.
As we continue walking His Word together, this week’s Discipleship Practice invites us to examine not just what we believe about politics, but how our loyalties shape our discipleship.
We will reflect on what it means to engage public life without surrendering spiritual integrity — to pursue justice without compromising character, to care about society without confusing political victory with salvation, and to follow Christ even when the path of faithfulness costs us influence.
Rather than asking how faith can secure power, we will ask a more searching question:
What kind of people are we becoming if we pursue that power?
→ Explore this week’s Discipleship Practice
Walking His Way 