When Leadership fails, Love shouldn't.

We’re currently reading through the book of Romans in our fellowship, and this past Sunday, we landed on chapter 13. Let’s just say—we didn’t sing. We prayed, then dived straight into the deep end. It wasn’t planned, but everything from our hearts to our history books showed up. One kid showed up with an injury and so we started by nursing the wound and hearing how his Batman stunts backfired, then we went into maandamano and finally the Bible.

Romans 13 talks about leadership and love. The chapter begins by saying that all authority comes from God, and that resisting authority is like resisting God. Paul calls government leaders “SERVANTS OF GOD”, and that line alone shook the room, especially considering the times we’re living in.

Romans 13 (GNT) reads thus...

Everyone must obey state authorities, because no authority exists without God's permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God. Whoever opposes the existing authority opposes what God has ordered; and anyone who does so will bring judgment on himself. For rulers are not to be feared by those who do good, but by those who do evil. Would you like to be unafraid of those in authority? Then do what is good, and they will praise you, because they are God's servants working for your own good. But if you do evil, then be afraid of them, because their power to punish is real. They are God's servants and carry out God's punishment on those who do evil. For this reason you must obey the authorities—not just because of God's punishment, but also as a matter of conscience. That is also why you pay taxes, because the authorities are working for God when they fulfill their duties. Pay, then, what you owe them; pay them your personal and property taxes, and show respect and honor for them all. Be under obligation to no one—the only obligation you have is to love one another. Whoever does this has obeyed the Law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery; do not commit murder; do not steal; do not desire what belongs to someone else”—all these, and any others besides, are summed up in the one command, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” If you love others, you will never do them wrong; to love, then, is to obey the whole Law. You must do this because you know that the time has come for you to wake up from your sleep. For the moment when we will be saved is closer now than it was when we first believed. The night is nearly over, day is almost here. Let us stop doing the things that belong to the dark, and let us take up weapons for fighting in the light. Let us conduct ourselves properly, as people who live in the light of day—no orgies or drunkenness, no immorality or indecency, no fighting or jealousy. But take up the weapons of the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop paying attention to your sinful nature and satisfying its desires.

This conversation came just after we had taken time as a country(Kenya) to remember our Gen Z freedom fighters, add to that the current maandamano and the political heat we’ve all been feeling, and suddenly Romans 13 wasn’t just an ancient letter anymore. It was alive. It was uncomfortable. It was necessary.

As we unpacked the chapter, three questions naturally rose to the surface.

The first one—are government leaders really men of God? Paul’s words are hard to wiggle around. He calls them ministers, servants, people appointed by God for order and justice. That doesn’t mean they’re holy or always right. We remembered biblical leaders like Pharaoh, who wasn’t godly at all, but still played a major role in God's plan. King Saul, though flawed, was still anointed. And even today, some leaders who don’t confess faith have done things that bless others. Paul isn’t asking us to evaluate their salvation—he’s asking us to recognize God’s hand in their appointment. That was a tough one to sit with.

Then the conversation took a turn to strikes and protests. Are strikes and protest legal? Many of us have been part of strikes before. Some have led them. And while scripture doesn’t directly say “don’t protest,” the spirit of Romans 13 invites a lot of reflection. We said if there’s going to be a strike, let it be grounded in clarity and purpose. Know why you’re protesting, how you’re going about it, when and to what extent. Strikes shouldn’t just be a release of anger—they should be a cry for justice, carried out in love and with responsibility. Because at the end of the day, those we strike against are still people. If hurting them causes harm to others, especially the innocent, then we’re no longer seeking righteousness—we’re just venting. And that’s a different thing altogether.

But perhaps the part that threw us off the most was when Paul suddenly starts talking about love. What has love got to do with Wantamaandamano? It felt like Paul had changed the topic. But as we sat with it, we saw that he hadn’t. He was building toward it. Leadership without love is tyranny. Following without love is rebellion. Protesting without love is destruction. Living without love is lawlessness. And so Paul says, “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Suddenly, everything made sense. All the don’ts—don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, don’t covet—all of it is wrapped up in this one thing: love your neighbor as yourself.

If we loved truly, we wouldn’t harm each other. We wouldn’t oppress. We wouldn’t take to the streets just to burn tires. And we wouldn’t wield authority as a tool for revenge. Both the governed and the governors are called to walk in love. That’s the only way peace becomes possible.

It was an eye-opening and ear-hurting session. No singing, just scripture and honesty. And maybe that’s what we needed most.