Editor’s Note: Lots of Christians these days are talking about politics, culture war, and the state of our nations. Those are important matters to discuss. Christ is Lord over everything, and he calls Christians to love their neighbors, in part, by seeking justice. 

You also might have noticed that many of these same Christians will quickly concede, “Yes, yes, of course, the only thing that will really redeem a nation is evangelism and healthy churches.” Yet then they never seem to get around to talking about evangelism and healthy churches. 

Since the United States is moving into an election year, 9Marks decided, let’s talk about evangelism! News channels and social media feeds will spend the year panicking about earthly affairs. Let’s keep insisting that heavenly affairs are most urgent. 

Christ has given us earthly citizenships to steward in love and obedience. Yet our heavenly citizenships must remain the priority, meaning the former shapes and determines the latter. To reverse the order is idolatry and makes Jesus a tool of the world. 

So: as political talk heats up in the coming year, ask yourself, how will your political conversations impact your evangelism? As you think about your vote and your political commitments, ask yourself, how will they impact your evangelism? 

We’re not saying you should adopt an either/or posture, as in, “Only this world or the next world matters.” Rather, we’re talking about priorities. What serves what? We feed our children because we don’t want them to be hungry, yes, but we feed them most of all because we want them to know the love of the heavenly Father. Our commitments and actions in this world should always serve the next. That’s what a Christian means when he or she declares that Jesus is Lord over everything. 

So, again, let’s talk about evangelism. How’s your personal evangelism going? Is your church engaged? Are your elders strategizing together? 

We’ve compiled a host of articles to help you practically, but also to remind you that, even when the devil offers us all the kingdoms of this world, something else remains far more important.