By Ché Ahn
I’m writing these words on the first anniversary of Roe v. Wade being overturned, June 24, 2023. Today, as I reflect on this historic milestone, I want to emphasize the fact that elections do matter.
“What’s the big deal?” you may be saying. “The elections aren’t until 2024.”
But I am convinced that we need to be involved in politics now.
It’s high time for every citizen—especially conservative believers—to register to vote, be an active voter, and do your part to turn our nation back to our Judeo-Christian values.
The historic reversal of Roe hit home for me, as I have been involved in the pro-life movement for the last 50 years, and I served as the president of TheCall, a youth prayer movement, from 2000 to 2003.
Many people don’t realize that the visionary founder of TheCall, Lou Engle, wanted to mobilize young people not just to intercede for our nation in general, but specifically to pray and fast for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Part and parcel of this “call” to prayer was a pledge to vote for life in perpetuity. We saw thousands of America’s youth wear Life Bands as outward signs of their inner conviction—daily reminders to pray a simple but potent prayer: “Jesus, I plead Your blood over my sins and the sins of my nation. God, end abortion and send revival to America.”
Across the entire Body of Christ, I really believe our prayers made a difference. At the same time, I feel that elections are the counterpart of prayer. When we combine prayer with action, we will see a profound impact on our nation.
Every election matters. Just consider Donald Trump’s presidential victory in 2016. As a direct result, three constitutionalists received nominations as Supreme Court Justices—Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett—and they helped turn the tide of history in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022).
Why is that personal for me? These same justices also ruled in our favor in 2021 when our case (Harvest Rock Church, et al. v. Newsom) went before the Supreme Court to contest the unconstitutional lockdown of churches in California.
After nearly a yearlong battle, our lawsuit reached a landmark settlement that reversed the last discriminatory restrictions against churches in our state and imposed a permanent injunction against our governor from locking down the church in any future situation, whether a pandemic or another crisis.
In the end, it took multiple “rebukes” from the Supreme Court and a recall process before Gov. Newsom relented and gave the church what should have been our First Amendment rights from the beginning.
This is why we need to be political activists now and not wait until 2024 to have our voices heard.
So many of our elected officials, who swear to uphold the Constitution, are abusing their authority and doing everything in their power to violate our constitutional rights. We have come to an Isaiah 5:20 period in time where government leaders are calling evil “good,” and good “evil.”
Egregious bills are continually being passed—for example, AB 665 is currently in the California Senate—and we must act decisively if we want to stop this madness. (If you live in California, I urge you to contact your state senator and voice your strong opposition to this bill, which would amount to state-sanctioned kidnapping.)
In my 50 years of walking with the Lord, and in 44 years as a pastor, I have learned the paramount importance of being involved in politics and in our government.
As Christians we have been praying for 2,000 years, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). But Jesus is not just King over the church; He is King over every institution in society.
We are asking God to rule and reign not just over the church, but over the spheres of family, education, business, media, arts and entertainment—and yes, the government, too. We are welcoming the loving lordship of Jesus Christ to bring wholesale change and transformation to society.
The good news, the Bible assures us, is that eventually the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord. At the end of the day, we win.
But until then, we are to occupy the territory that God has given us, and we are to disciple nations (Matthew 28:18-20). In order to see this Great Commission fulfilled, we need to transform nations and transform our society.
Each one of us can take part in transforming our own communities. No matter your background or level of experience, steward your citizenship well and vote according to your values.
To all pastors and leaders who are reading this, I especially urge you to mobilize those in your sphere of influence to get out and vote. Use your voice and your platform to encourage people to vote biblically.
As we can poignantly see in this post-Roe world, the next generation is at stake.
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Author Bio:
Ché Ahn and his wife, Sue, have been the Senior Pastors of Harvest Rock Church in
Pasadena, California, since 1994. Ché is the President of Harvest International Ministry,
an apostolic network in over 70 nations, and the International Chancellor of Wagner
University. He received his M.Div. and D.Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary and has
authored numerous books, including his latest release, Turning Our Nation Back to God
Through Historic Revival.
