Loving The Unlovable

If you want to hear truths that need to be said but no one wants to hear, please feel free to continue reading my blog.  It's sorta my thing.  I look back over my life and see how God prepared me to say things that deep down inside, people know is the truth, but no one wants to be the one to say it.  Having said that, let me share one of those unpopular truths:  Hating Islam accomplishes nothing but division.  All the rhetoric about nuking them off the map, dipping bullets in bacon grease, or accusing them of having goats as girlfriends serves Christ in no way, shape or form, whatsoever.  As a matter of fact, it is an outright act of disobedience to the tenets of Christianity.

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." (John 14:15)

By the very mouth of our Savior and Lord, He says, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matt 5:44,45).  Brothers and Sisters, we cannot allow the ungodly, misguided and barbaric acts of a nation that walks in darkness to keep us from obeying our Lord and Savior.  We cannot allow our disdain for their hatred of Christianity to keep us from sharing the Gospel with them, for they are the very ones who so desperately need it the most.  I am not preaching tolerance, I am not preaching unity, I am reminding Christians that Jesus instructed us:

 "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned." (Mark 16:15)

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;" (Matt 28:19,20)

One of the countless things that set us apart from the world, that make us a peculiar people of God's own possession (1 Pet 2:9) is Jesus' instructions to us, "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (Luke 6:27,28).  Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.  However, be intolerant of them by preaching the Gospel to them. 

"If you keep My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in His love." (John 15:10)
 

There are many Muslims condemning the acts of terror committed in the name of Islam, but we cannot unite ourselves with them where they are, lost in their false religion.  Jesus said He is the only way (John 14:6).  Therefore, we must unite THEM with OURSELVES where WE are, having come out of the darkness and into the light of Jesus Christ.  Oh sweet brothers and sisters, the temptation to jump on the train of anger and resentment is truly enticing.  We are a worldly nation built on chivalry, justice, pride and bravado.  Yet Christ calls us to be a spiritual nation, built on humility, mercy, compassion and truth, leaving the justice to God, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.'" (Rom 12:19).  This is not to say we are not to defend ourselves, military retaliation based on defense is an unfortunate necessity.  However, there is a very fine line between righteous defense and punishing vengeance.

"Jesus replied, 'Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them.'" (John 14:23)

The world says to rage against your enemy, but we are not like the world, we are like Jesus.  Jesus did not rage against Rome when He came to earth to set the example of the ultimate image of humanity.  They spit in His face and He loved them to the end, "Jesus was saying, 'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.'" (Luke 23:34).  Those in Islam that rage against Christians and Jews truly do not know what they are doing because they are ignorant of Christ and live in darkness.  That is how we must see them, for that is how Christ sees them. Christ looks upon them with a broken heart, full of mercy, longing to bring them into the light.  The eyes of Christ see them as a deceived people, in desperate need of the truth.  Jesus said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,'  for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matt 9:12,13).

This is not a popular message, but it needs to be said.  When we are tempted to rise up in anger and judge an entire people for their barbaric behavior, we must choose obedience to our Lord over our emotions.  Yes, we must stand our ground, yes, we must defend our ground but we must do so boldly shining the light of Christ into the ever-growing darkness of this present age.  We must not fear our enemy, but rather we must fear God enough to obey Him, even when we don't want to, even when it doesn't make sense.  "I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will warn you Whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:4,5). 

The simple fact of the matter is, hating someone for hating or hurting you won't bring them to Christ.  It's easy to hate someone for being hateful.  The hard thing is to love someone who is unlovable.  People come to Christ because they see a peace in us that they don't have in themselves.  People come to Christ because they see a light in us that shines regardless of how great the darkness is around us. 

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matt 5:16).

"And let your way of life be beautiful before all children of men, those who speak wicked words of you, that they may see your beautiful works and praise God when He appears." (1 Pet 2:12)

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love." (2 John 1:6)

Dig In, Reassess, Press Onward

I have a bad habit of trying to do things in my own strength, my own wisdom and my own understanding.  The problem is, my own strength, wisdom and understanding are not sufficient for God's purposes.   And besides that, God doesn't ask us nor expect us to do His kingdom work in our own strength or wisdom.  His kingdom work must be done with His kingdom resources.  Proverbs 3:7 says to not be "wise in our own eyes".  Then it goes on to say, "Instead, fear the Lord and shun [turn away, depart from] evil."   Instead of trying so hard to do things based on our own understanding, our own self-perceived wisdom, God tells us to fear Him and turn away from evil.  So when you hit a spiritual wall because you aren't sure what your next step should be, don't be like me and start freaking out, ramming your head into your prayer pillow trying to figure it all out.  Trust me, it accomplishes nothing except further frustration and the temptation to just throw your hands up and take a nap with the hope that once you wake up you'll have all the answers.  Which would be ultra fantastic, but ain't gonna happen.

We need wisdom, but not our own.  We can't serve God without it, so how do we get it?  God tells us over and over in His word:

-"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Prov 9:10)

"-The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding." (Psalm 111:10)

-"And he said to the human race, 'The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'" (Job 28:28)

Wisdom is to acknowledge God as God, to honor God as God and to pattern our lives accordingly.  Scripture says, "in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Prov 3:6).  There used to be a popular bumper-sticker that said, "Jesus is my co-pilot."  To acknowledge God as God and to honor God as God, He cannot be our co-pilot, He has to be in the driver's seat.  If God is our co-pilot, then we have not submitted to Him in all our ways. If we have not submitted to Him in all our ways, then our path will not be strait.  Our path will lead us to ramming our head into our prayer pillow because we're trying to figure out which way to point the steering wheel.

So what do you do when you feel like you've hit a spiritual wall, wringing your hands in frustration because you know that there is something God wants you to do, but you're just not sure exactly what it is?  You dig in, you reassess, you press onward.  Dig in by acknowledging that God is in the driver's seat.  Reassess by letting go of the steering wheel and making sure that you are not holding back any area of your life from Jesus' Lordship.  Press onward by obedience to God's word and continuing to seek righteousness, no matter what the cost.  Seeking righteousness in the world today will come at great cost.  It will move you out of your comfort zone.  It is something that people are going to notice.  Scripture tells us to come out of the world, which means that we will necessarily not blend in with it.  1 Peter 2:9 says that we are a peculiar people, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.." 

Let us dig in, let us reassess, let us press onward.  Let us be God's peculiar people who have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light.  And in the meantime, do the last thing you clearly remember God telling you to do and do it with all your might until He tells you otherwise.

If The Shoe Fits

I want to share a few of the prophetic words God has given me to share with His church during the new women's Bible study we will begin on December 1st.  The study is based on the prayer methods and lessons learned in the movie, "War Room."  If you would like to be a part of this study you can go to Rockview Women's Ministry on Facebook and "like" our page to get more information, receive updates or to follow along by video. 

The study begins by encouraging an honest evaluation of ourselves.  For the study to bear the maximum amount of fruit in a person's life, they must first build a solid foundation upon which to set it.  Otherwise, everything we discuss and learn will have nothing to take root in.  When instruction and understanding have no root, they wither away.  Lives are not changed and no spiritual growth is maintained.  So, the foundation upon which this study will be set upon is an honest evaluation of where we are with God, individually and collectively, as a church.

One of the metaphors the study gives for our evaluation is from Revelation Chapter 3, which is Jesus' Letter to the Laodicean Church.  During my prayer time asking for God's guidance, leading and counsel as to how to present this lesson, He gave me three specific words I feel compelled to share.  Those words are:

1.)  The Church is lukewarm because "people are not coming to the cross broken and in desperate need of a Savior, longing to be free from the tyranny of sin in their lives."

               -the understanding I was given was that more people come to the cross
                because they want God to do things for them, instead of coming to the cross 
                because they are genuinely sorrowful over their sins, with a genuine desire
                to turn away from them
               -they come to the cross to be prosperous or happy instead of forgiven
               -they come to the cross with the mindset that God owes them, instead of
                them owing God
               -they come to the cross for forgiveness, but not in repentance

2.)  The Church is lukewarm because "they want changed circumstances instead of changed lives."

               -again, people are coming to church or claiming Jesus Christ because of
                what they think God will give them or do for them
               -people want the circumstances of their lives changed, they want bigger,
                better, more comfort, less worry, but they don't want to change themselves

3.)  The Church is lukewarm because there is a gross lack of discernment, "you seek teachers who will empower you, rather than convict you."

               -preachers who promise empowerment through Christ are teaching people to
                substitute themselves in the place where Christ should be
               -we have authority in Christ, but that should not be our focus, nor the impetus
                behind our desire for salvation or service
               -our authority in Christ is a part of salvation, not a reason for salvation
               -we are not in control, Christ is

One of the admonishments Jesus gives to the lukewarm Laodicean Church is, "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent." (Rev 3:19).  The problem in the church today is that we are far more zealous for ourselves than for God, His word and His righteousness.  Our lives are consumed with our own pursuits, we are all about our own business and little to none about God's.  Our attention is saturated with our own problems or desires and wants.  And our desires and wants usually only serve to bring about more problems.  To our shame, we are not zealous about our Father's business.  To our shame, the larger portion of those who claim to be part of God's church are not even aware of their great need for repentance.  That is why Jesus tells the Laodiceans, "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.  For you say, 'I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing', not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked."  (Rev 3:17,18). 

If anything could be used to describe the spiritual condition of the larger portion of God's church today, "wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked" would most certainly be the shoe that fits.

The Reluctant Warrior

I pray for God to use me in a mighty way.  I want to be a warrior for Christ.  The problem is, for Him to answer that prayer, He has to keep moving me out of my comfort zone and I don't like that.  If I want to be a warrior for Christ, I can't do it from my couch.  What's the point in wearing a suit of armor if I never leave my house?

Believe it or not, as bold as I may seem behind my computer screen, I have an irrational fear of rejection.  I hate rejection because I experienced it so much as a child.  As much as I love God and as much as I desire to serve Him, the thought of walking up to random people to tell them the good news of Jesus Christ terrifies me because I know far more people will reject what I have to say, than accept it.  But to become a mighty warrior, I have to step onto the battleground.  To be used by God in a mighty way, I have to overcome my fears, lest they remain stumbling blocks that only serve to prevent me from moving forward. 

My desire to not fail God is far greater than my fear of rejection, so today I did something entirely outside of my comfort zone.  I passed out flyers for our next women's Bible study in grocery store parking lots and at Target.  This may not seem like a monumental feat to most people, but for me it is truly a turning point in my spiritual growth.  I teach Bible study, I have a blog, I go to discipleship, I do the women's ministry for our church, my life truly revolves around Christ, I am truly consumed with Him, but for some bizarre reason I am ridiculously nervous, reserved and hesitant to ask a Walmart checker, a gas station clerk or a random person in the parking lot if they know about Jesus Christ.  It makes absolutely no sense.  And the reason I'm sharing this brazen confession of my own failure, is because I know I'm not alone. 

 

One of the things God impressed upon me today as I prayed about this is, "How many preachers have you seen talking to people on the street?"  My answer to Him was, "None."  That is because it is far more comfortable behind the pulpit, speaking to those who showed up to listen.  It's not terribly difficult to speak to people about Christ when your audience comes to you.  The difficult part of ministry is leaving the church and taking the message to those who aren't looking for it.

Another thing God impressed upon me today while I was whining to Him about having on the wrong shoes for all the walking I was doing and chastising myself for my nervousness was, "A seed must be planted before it can grow."  He showed me that every flyer I stuck on a windshield or handed to an unsuspecting stranger was a potential seed for His kingdom.  When the manager of Target came out to the parking lot to ask me to leave because they don't allow solicitation, I was embarrassed but not discouraged because I had already planted about 50 seeds in their parking lot.

God is leading me to share this candid confession because there are people who need to hear it.  There are brothers and sisters in Christ that need to know that they are not alone in their nervousness or anxiety about stepping out onto the battlefield for the Lord.  We cannot be mighty warriors if we never enter the battle, for the very notion of a warrior claiming to be mighty is by the many battles they have engaged themselves in and overcome.

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (1 John 5:4)

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

I'm still nervous.  And after my Target encounter, now I'm freaked out that someone may ask me to leave their parking lot because they don't allow solicitation of any kind.  But my desire to be a mighty warrior for Christ is greater than my fears.  And I know that I will overcome these fears because the Bible tells me I'm more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ.  Therefore, tomorrow morning, I will once again leave my comfort zone with my arms full of seeds and cast them out onto the battlefield.  I will sow seeds for God to grow into other mighty warriors whose desire to serve Christ will be far greater than any fear.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.'  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Rom 8:35-37)