By this all men will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35
In these tumultuous times, we need a little reprieve from the fear and
hate that permeates the airwaves. Those talking heads espouse “news” which is
nothing more than rhetoric we are expected to believe. Celebrities who are not
experts in any field, and who don’t hold degrees, citing men who have degrees
from places we wouldn’t respect if we were to visit their campuses, come across
like they know more just because they have a microphone. Drop the mic and
realize what is going on. Everyone is backtalking, backstabbing, those things
that were once held in high esteem. Some think it’s funny, and others think
it’s cool to put down and then kick it while it’s down. What happened to common
values and decency? Before we go pointing fingers, we need to realize the ones
on our own hand pointing back at us. Church, where are you? Why is hatred and
fear running rampant and love and compassion has not hedged the wounds on our
society? The church is supposed to be a hospital, not a morgue. Our teacher has
not left the room. He’s still with us. The lesson is still ongoing.
Is it hard to love those around you? Probably not since most of us
surround ourselves with like-minded and likeable people and avoid people we
don’t care to be around. Recently, our church held a fast and prayer time where
we met every night to corporately pray. We all “Sunday” know each other, but
don’t really ‘know’ each other. Yet, over the past few weeks we’ve come to
truly find brotherly affection for one another, and to grow in the love of the
Lord toward each other as we’ve shared in prayer. It has made us closer to one
another, but more importantly, it’s made us want to share that love with more people
than just those present in the room. The Master Teacher has been teaching us,
practically, that love is contagious. He shared that with the crowd of
believers 2000 years ago on the mount when He taught:
“You have heard that it was
said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not
resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other
to him as well. And if someone wants to sue you and to take your tunic, give
him your coat also. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
Give the one who asks, and do not reject the one who wants to borrow from you.”
Matthew 5:38-42
It is hard to comprehend what it is Jesus is saying
here. Is he asking us to allow ourselves to be doormats? Well, yes, in a way he
is. He’s asking us to do what is necessary to win someone over to the cause. He
is not saying not to fight when it’s necessary to fight for righteousness sake.
We must remember this Jesus is the Lamb of God, but he is also the Lion of
Judah. Exodus 15:3 says, “The Lord is
a man of war, The LORD is His name.” A warrior is not someone who goes
picking a fight. A true warrior is one who fights when the battle is called for
and rests, when there is no need to fight. That is what the Lord Jesus is
teaching here. He is saying, if it’s of the flesh, it’s not worth fighting for,
but if it is of the eternal, then yes, we will be called to fight for it. The expression, “Pick your battle” doesn’t
apply here. The Lord picks the battle. It’s found in His word. Proverbs 6:16-19
says, “These six things the LORD
Hates, Yes, seven are and abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that
swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows
discord among brethren.” In short, pride, murder, strife,
maliciousness, contentiousness, envy, and disunity within our members and as we
reach out to others.
We are called to fight these things, not only in
others, but mostly with in our own nature. We are called to wrestle it down
daily in our own body and throw it repeatedly upon that altar of sacrifice.
Dying to self is exhausting work! It seems like I get one limb tied down and
another breaks free, and I cry out, “Lord, help me! I can’t get this old sinful
self to lie still! The knots I tie keep slipping!” Maybe it’s because I keep
tying the same flimsy knots instead of allowing God to take the cord. When He
says, “Put your finger here and I’ll pull it tot,” it works. It’s just hard for
me to look that sacrifice in the face, because it’s my face looking back at me,
and I see the agony I’m putting myself through. But when God sees it, He sees
his Son’s sacrifice to defeat that sin that is dying on that altar, and He
knows the necessity of it. I want to set me free, But He says, “It must be done
for without it, I cannot be with you, and this old thing will rise up and beat
the life out of you.” God knows how to fight, and I just need to fight His way,
with love.
We, as believers, must know who how to fight, and
the Teacher gave us instruction on that as well. Ephesians 6:13-18 “Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to
stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the
breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of
the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this
end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
We
should know the truth of God, which can only come through relationship with our
Master Teacher, by sitting in that classroom day in and day out, and doing our
lessons faithful, and taking the good and the bad, trudging through our
training in all that is required of us. We must suck it in for that girding of
the truth, because it’s important we are transformed and not conformed. We will
be fitted for that breastplate and learn to wear it even when it chaffs our
softer materialists spots we want a little more freedom instead of protection
over. The shodding of our feet with the preparation shoes, well, they might
cause people to wonder why we’re not wearing the latest style instead of
spouting those out of date philosophies, so maybe we’ll want to just kick them
right off and play the game barefoot instead and take our chances among the
thorns and thistles. Our shield can become a little heavy to carry at times
too. Sometimes, we just want to lower it just a little because after all, our
helmet is on our head, since we prayed a prayer when we were young, right?
Isn’t that enough? Isn’t saying, “Here,” when the roll is called enough for
being in school? Then there’s the whole
wielding of the sword of the Spirit training. Isn’t a couple of minutes a day,
and knowing John 3:16 enough to pass the test? Let’s admit it. We need some
serious attention to our Master Teacher. He’s calling us to attention, and we’d
better be giving him our full and undivided attention. His lesson continues as
he tells who we’re fighting against.
“You
have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor, and ‘hate your enemy’. But I
say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you
may be like your Father in heaven, since He causes the sun to rise on the evil
and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you
love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do
the same, don’t they? And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do?
Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they? So then be perfect, as your heavenly
Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48
By
now you might be wondering if I’m asking you to fight or to love. I’m asking
you to fight with love; or fight to love with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is
a battle call. The world is not ready, at this time, to be loved. Imagine the
child who is in the middle of a tantrum, and the father of that child picks him
up and says to him, “Son, I see you. I know you’re angry. I know you’re scared
and afraid, but I’m here now, and I see you. I hear you. It doesn’t matter if
the child is wrong or right. What matters to the child is that daddy is there
to comfort him. That’s what is going on in the world today. There are so many
angry, scared, misdirected people throwing tantrums amid a chaotic world, and
the real enemy is wanting to keep them there. Church, we should see them as
people, not the enemy, but as victims of the enemy of God.
Before
we armored up we were told in Ephesians 6:10-12, “Finally, my brethren, be strong
in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that
you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness
in the heavenly places.” We’re not fighting people, we’re fighting
against systems and ideologies that enslave people. We, the Church, should be
looking at these ideologies that seek to destroy life, that hurt and enslave
people, and declare war on those, and send in special teams, like Christian
SEAL teams that will come in and do rescue missions to get out as many people
as possible. The traps of the enemy are meant to kill, steal, and destroy, and
they are vicious. We need to use our weaponry and be well trained and reaching
for no less than the Well Done from our Master Teacher.
Let’s
be practical. What does life look like for the average believer as we go
through life:
1.
Fellowship-We first
must be in fellowship. No soldier can go into a fight and expect to make it out
alone. We need a family of believers. As “out dated” as I’ve heard people say
the local church is it is not outdated. If you don’t like your church it’s
probably because you’re not plugged into it. If you have a good idea go talk to
your pastor. You might find a man who wants more good ideas, and needs a lot
more help. Also, get involved with small home Bible study groups. These are
people you really do life with and have accountability with for the long term.
You can’t know everyone in your church, but if you know a group of people it
makes your spiritual family matter to you.
2.
Read your Bible goes
without saying, but seriously, if you want to know God then go get Him. He’s
right there, but read it cover to cover, and never stop reading it. You might
see something one way one time and then see it another way as God guides you
through life. Be a Berean and search Him out. You will always be His student.
3.
Pray! Pray all the
time, stay in constant contact with Him. Ask Him for the small things and the
big things. Be willing to be told yes, and told no, and be told wait, and be
told go. Learn to speak during prayer times, but also be willing to listen too.
4.
Worship- Take time alone to have those
intimate times with God, with no one else but the two of you. When you’re there
with Him remember who He is, and who you are to Him. Your identity is found not
in the world, or in who others say you are, but in who the one who created you
finds you to be when you find Him.
5.
Serve others- You can die to
self much faster if you put self to good use. Practice your religion. And
religion, as defined in the Bible, is found in James 1:27, “Pure
and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit the orphans
and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
If you’re so focused on feeding the hungry you don’t think about what color
your apron is. You think about feeding the hungry. You might just find you
enjoy doing it. Fight the good fight of loving others. Remember what love looks
like.
Greater
love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
John 15:13
