Good News Sense

While human beings are not much different than those in the time of Christ, unquestionably the world is much different. Then people traveled by foot, either their own or those of animals. News passed slowly since it depended on those who moved slowly. Today people travel easily by car, train, or plane to anywhere in the world they wish to go, money permitting. Information moves literally at the speed of light.

In this world of rapid travel and even more rapid communication, the commands Jesus gave may take on enormous scope. What does it mean to “love your neighbor as yourself” in this modern world? Last time I challenged Christians who rest comfortably in their material blessings and look down on the needy rather help them. I asked how different the world might be if, like Jesus, we practiced what we preached. Since then, two totally unrelated books have got me thinking further on why and how we should love our neighbors.

A friend wrote about a new book called The Hole in Our Gospel: What does God expect of Us? The Answer that Changed my Life and Might Just Change the World by Richard Stearns. While I haven’t read it, some of the information I have read relates to this big modern world. In it, we have the ability to become aware of every disaster, each case of oppression, numerous areas of terrible poverty and need, and many areas of hunger and disease. To read about it can create an overwhelming sense of obligation, and I commend those who have the ability, by virtue of wealth, influence, or ability, to meaningfully address those problems. I believe Christians must be careful not to lose sight of the Great Commission as they seek to respond to the Great Commandment, and I am confident that the Great Commandment is always the wisest avenue of approach in seeking to fulfill the Great Commission. Does that mean, then, the Church in America must make a priority of addressing these global concerns? I think the answer must be a qualified yes.

I have always been troubled by the notion that Christians can “buy off” their responsibilities by supporting programs, whether they are missionary programs or aid programs. What is wrong in a church where missionaries report on the many conversions overseas but no one is bringing people to Christ here? Is that any different that supporting aid programs but doing nothing to help the needy up the street or in poor areas where we might minister in person? Both kind of programs, carefully monitored for waste, abuse, or local mismanagement, are fine, as long as they are above and beyond the personal outreach of believers in their own communities. Money is a tool, wisely used; it is not a substitute for what we may do with our own hands, feet, and voices.

The other book that influenced my thoughts is Mosques and Miracles: Revealing Islam and God’s Grace by Stuart Robinson, a book I started reading months ago. Frankly, a large part of it is rather depressing as it describes the history and purposes of Islam. This is a frightfully aggressive religion, historically, and that hasn’t changed. It’s goals are worldwide domination, regardless of the wishful thinking of many of our leaders. Apart from that, however, is one interesting fact; Islamic countries and communities around the world are some of the poorest, most oppressive places on earth today. In them, women are second class citizens, infidels including both Christians and Jews have even less status, kidnapping, murder, and enslavement are acceptable practices in the name of Allah, and no Muslim is required to keep his word to an infidel, which casts a disturbing light on any efforts to negotiate in places like Palestine.

It is also somewhat troubling to note the missionary fervor of many Muslims as they resettle throughout the nations of the world with a view toward eventual domination. They will use the freedoms that they despise in order to overturn those very freedoms. Our last President fought to introduce democracy in the Islamic world, but that will benefit us little if they use it to put sharia law into effect, which it their ultimate goal. Our current President is either naive or complicit in his approach, and either attitude is frightening in an American President.

All of that information is too much for most of us to grasp. What can we do about things so seemingly beyond our ability to change? I look forward to reading Stearn’s book and finishing Robinson’s, but I am confident of one thing. God doesn’t expect us to fix the world’s problems; he expects us to serve him in love where we are. Muslims are moving wherever they can to bring their faith and, if necessary, impose it with the sword. However, the power of love is greater than the power of the sword, and “He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world.”

I will never forget a phrase from a song that never became popular, as far as I know, written by a YMCA director. It said, “She was an old women who lived up the alley, but she loved me.” Her love led this man to Christ, and our love, if we are loving our neighbors, will do the same. Whatever the challenge—systemic poverty or militant Islam—it will yield to the love of Jesus Christ; but, for it to do so, we must “bloom where we’re planted.” In the end, the solution to the problems of the world will occur, not from enormous programs or vast expenditures of money, but from personal expressions of love in neighborhoods where Christians live.

“Love your neighbor as yourself” seems a pretty straight-forward command, a mandate plainly stressed in the life and ministry of Jesus and in the apostolic teaching that followed. Yet, it is clearly not as simple it appears for most believers. Christians are usually very nice people, who work hard, love their families, and try to be good citizens. They are generally decent people to have living in a neighborhood, dependable folk for employment or volunteer work, and pleasant people to have around for whatever reason. Of course, there are exceptions, but those are often living contrary to the plain teaching of the Word.

So why are Christians so despised by their political and social adversaries? Why have people written scathing attacks upon the so-called “Religious Right,” for example? What has inspired atheists to write books like God is Not Good? How could a Rosy O’Donnell honestly think that Christians are as bad as radical Muslim terrorists? Why are basically decent pro-lifers the target of suspicion when one crazed killer murders an abortion doctor? How is it that these nice people may find themselves in fear of breaking “hate crimes” laws? Is there more to these concerns than aggressive opposition inspired by the enemy? Are we “nice folk” in some way responsible for the suspicions directed our way?

Two of Jesus’ stories help us understand how his disciples should respond to others and, as important, to whom we are to respond.  Luke’s Gospel records the story of the Good Samaritan after a lawyer asks him, “Who is my neighbor?” in response to the Great Commandment.  How often have we turned that story around to suggest that we should be helping the “Samaritans” around us when, in the story, it was the Samaritan who did the helping.  Which is harder to help an undesirable or to be helped by one?  Of course, the victim in Jesus’ story had no choice; he was too badly beaten to resist any help.

In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus bases the division of the saved and the lost on their care or rejection of a whole host of undesirables–the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and imprisoned.  Jesus’ kingdom teaching always bothers those who preach salvation by faith alone.  Dare the saved assume they may neglect those in need and be secure in their hope of heaven?  Those who have truly been changed by trusting Christ for the forgiveness of their sins will reflect that change with compassionate hearts.  When such a heart is missing, what does that say about the person’s state of grace?  I would recommend thoughtful, prayerful reflection on that very question.

I have always cringed a bit at the phrase “social justice.”  Too often, those who use it seem to imply that we Christians need to fix the social and political problems of our world, structures dominated by unbelievers.  Moses didn’t fix Egypt; he left it, leaving behind a strong dose of divine judgment.  Christians are typically not the powerful in this world, and God warns those who are powerful that he will judge them in their use or abuse of that power.  Just to be clear, we should include the wealth among the powerful for surely money is power.

Nevertheless, we believers, especially when we enjoy much of this world’s goods, have an obligation to those in need.  Poor, imprisoned, widowed, orphaned, stranger, outcast–all deserve our loving, neighborly concern and ministry.  God didn’t bless so that the blessed could sequester themselves in a nice suburban community, far from the ugliness of inner city neighborhoods.  He doesn’t mean for us to look down on groups of people because we regard them more as threats to our way of life than as people in need.

Some rightly attack Christianity and Christians when we seem to have little sympathy for the plight of others, especially when we may be seeking to preserve traditional values politically.  I am ardently pro-life, but I have observed some painfully shrill anti-abortion protesters, who seemed to demonstrate little of the love of Jesus Christ.  I oppose gay marriage, but too many Christians seem to hate homosexuals (when Jesus said love your enemies).  I believe Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the light,” but I see Muslims no differently than any other unbelievers, those whom God would bring to himself.  I am politically conservative, nearly libertarian, and I hate what some on the other end of the spectrum seem to be doing to our country.  However, Jesus dealt with such people lovingly and reserved his anger for the evil inside the household of God.

Jesus practiced what he preached.  I wonder how different things might be if we, his followers, did the same?

I have often told that my first sermon, as a teenager, was about love, based on the text in I Corinthians 13.  I have studied, spoken, and written on love, numerous times, over the years.  As I have done so, i have become even more convinced that love is the most important virtue, the highest principle, the deeplest, most profound subject, and the most ignored, distorted, and misunderstood word in any language.

Realistically, the idea is not difficult.  We teach it to children:  “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”  I’m reminded of the line from Forest Gump, when Forest says, “I’m not a smart man, but know what love is.”  He did, but many Christians do not or, at the least, they don’t act like it.

Love is far bigger than romantic love, far greater than most poets conceive.  This love is sacrificial and unconditional, and Christ commands his people to love each other with this kind of love.  Oh, but we fall so far short.  “Love your neighbor as yourself,” he says, and “As I have loved you, so must you love one another.”  :”Husbands love your wives,” and the like; we get that.  “Love your enemies?”  Is he serious?  We can barely love our friends.  The so-called Christian from the church down the street; he may not be my enemy, but love him?  What about those who disappoint or hurt me?  Love them, too?

Of course, the answer is yes, but the test is a correct Sunday school response.  The test is real life in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and churches.  Love is the coin of credibility for Christians.  More than that, love is a priceless treasure that lonely, desparate people are searching to find, but they have to look so hard because we Christians are not loving!

The sad thing is that we’re searching, too.  What a sorry situation that believers cannot find love, right there among the Christians in their various churches.  Oh, there are glimmers and a few shining examples.  How far are we, though, from “By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another?“  Almost any day, people criticize Christians, some rather strongly.  Don’t you just hate them when they do that?  If you do, then you’re part of the reason they do.  They see our criticism, our self-righteousness, and our hate without ever seeing much evidence of our love.

Even within the “Family of God,” I don’t often feel loved, do you?  Our job isn’t to get love, but give it; still, if Christians are loving, then we all will know it, personally!  Instead, too many of us are self-involved, focused on our own wants and needs, and just too busy for this love business.  What does it mean, and how does God see it, when we’re too busy to do the thing he says is the most important?  How do we justify, how will we explain, some day, that we had other priorities, when he gave us this one to do first?

The question isn’t “What is love?”  Forest Gump could answer that.  No, the real question is “Why are we loving?”  Even though Christians tend to be better people to hang around with than some non-Christians, I have also know nice unbelievers who would put many believers to shame…even a few who were Muslims.  We will never win the battle for truth through argument; only love will give us the victory.  We will never win the culture war with words, laws, or elections, but love will defeat the wrong ideas we oppose.  So, again I ask, why aren’t we doing it?  Why aren’t people seeing the love of Jesus in us, who are his disciples?  Why aren’t they seeing it so clearly that they every criticism and complaint is rendered meaningless by the amazing love of Jesus Christ in us?

The date may be July 4, but the commemoration is Independence Day! We should use the day to recall and be grateful for freedom, especially in these days where freedom seems to be slowly slipping away. People who don’t understand freedom will not remain free for long. Those who fail to understand the roots of freedom will never truly appreciate what freedom is.

The roots of freedom are Christian because only Christ has made complete, genuine freedom possible. Real freedom begins in the mind and soul of a person. Long before men and women of every color, heritage, and culture began to demand political freedom, Christians had learned that freedom granted by God could not be destroyed by physical chains. Further, in that freedom, believers learned that true freedom is not a license to do as one pleases but an opportunity to serve others.

The boundary between service and slavery is still being challenged today. Only a free person may make the sacrifices of genuine service. When earthly powers attempt to demand service and sacrifice, they create bondage. The struggle to prevent such enslavement continues to this very day in nations around the planet, including this nation, and in culture, institutions, religions, and relationships.

The same boundary exists between a husband demanding obedience from a wife and a wife choosing to respect and submit to a husband’s wishes. It is sad to hear women from any culture, religion, or country say they are content to be under the domination of a husband and just as sad to hear a man say he finds pleasure in that which is not freely given (apart from custom).

The is a close relationship between freedom, respect, and love. God first created free creatures in order that they might learn to love him. Men used that freedom to true from the ways of God, and the results are less punishment than the inevitable result of unrestrained license. He grieved the sin and death man brought into the world but planned, long in advance, the deliverance of his lost creation. The price of that freedom was the death of Christ, just as the price of political freedom usually involves the blood sacrifice of countless patriots. The difference, of course, is Christ’s emancipation is eternal, while men and women must repeatedly fight for earthly freedom—as American patriots did over 200 years ago and as Iranian people are attempting to do today.

As we celebrate this holiday weekend, let’s be sure to make it “Independence Day,” and not just “The 4^th of July.” The reality of true freedom is too great a treasure to allow it to be lost in summertime fun and fireworks. Take a minute and look up some of the Scripture that discuss freedom such as John 8:31-21 and Galatians 5. Take another minute and read the Declaration of Independence; it is a marvelous document that set this country on its course toward the freedoms that, so far, we still enjoy. Then, take a final minute and thank God for liberty, freedom, independence, and all that means.