Jihad is a literal concept in Islam, but spiritual warfare is simply a metaphor for followers of Jesus Christ. Do we truly understand that? I suspect we do and yet we don't.
In these treacherous times, it has become apparent that there are occasions when it is valid, even prescribed, for a devotee of Mohammed to slay his enemy. I've read the Koran a couple of times, so I know that holy war is what befalls some infidels. By contrast, the Bible uses images like sword of the spirit or shield of righteousness, and encourages disciples to armor themselves with these spiritual tools, but everybody knows the fellow who wrote that, Paul, never carried either. He actually wrote on another occasion that the weapons of warfare are not carnal, but they are powerful. (2 Cor 10:4)
I think it's fair to say that followers of Christ are not permitted to have enemies. Granted, the Lord mentions our enemies on a couple of occasions, but his command to is love them; to bless those who attempt to persecute us. In other words, when human beings attempt to create enmity with us, we short-circuit their efforts with godly love. We love them and seek to bless them.
So when we speak of the culture war, we have to remember that there's only one enemy: Satan. Everyone else on the cultural battle field is simply a prisoner of war we hope to rescue.
When we refer to the battle for souls, we have to remember that the foe is Satan. The human beings who have been seduced and enslaved by the forces of darkness are not our enemies. They are neighbors we want to love and rescue.
And when we talk about the Defense of Marriage, it's important to remember that the conflict is spiritual, not political. Satan knows what's at stake. The gay men and women involved in that struggle are working in opposition to us, but only because they are slaves to sin.
Of course, there are some who suggest that some of the doctines we uphold risk making the church irrelevant. Secular people don't accept the idea of original sin. Young people overwhelmingly approve of homosexuals and even civil unions. Having cherished ideas like these challenged and even dismissed can create anxiety, embarassment and even resentment. But facing our fears, overcoming our shame, and putting away our resentment are part of the spiritual warfare Paul had in mind.
The people who oppose us, condemn us and attempt to dismiss us are not our enemies. They are our mission. Once we realize that they are enslaved by the forces of evil, we are reminded again that we must overcome evil with love. This is, after all, what is engraved in the Sword of the Spirit.
Selah.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Invisible People
I don't believe in ghosts or poltergeists or even zombies, but I do believe in invisible people. In fact I've seen some! That sounds quirky, doesn't it?
Do you remember the story about the demoniac who came rushing down the hillside to meet Jesus when Christ's boat docked at Gadara? Here was a man in desperate need to compassion and care. The poor guy was so tormented by the demons that controlled his mind and his body that he went running naked through graveyards at night. The neighbors had tried to restrain him with heavy ropes and chains, but poor Legion had always managed to break free to run howling through the hills at midnight. (Luke 8:26 - 39)
Over time he lost some of his shock value and was downgraded to a nuisance. Then one day, his appearances became so routine and unremarkable that Legion became invisible. Nobody could see him anymore. Sure, they could see him, but not really. They couldn't see his pain. They couldn't see his fear. They could no longer see his humanity or his profound physical and spiritual needs. Until Jesus refused to turn away and actually looked this poor man in the eye, the neighbors were no longer angry or even ashamed. They were just indifferent. Because he had become one of those invisible people we don't want to look at.
I'll bet there are invisible people in your life. I'm talking about that painful person who is so galling to you that you'd rather not face him. Why is he so irritating? Are there spiritual needs in his life other people have chosen to overlook? Then there are those ever afflicted men and women whose problems never seem to go away, and you finally get tired of dealing with them. It's a drain and even an embarassment! You know what I mean? And what about all those faceless people behind the counters at grocery stores, drug stores and coffee shops when you're in such a hurry? Sigh! Sometimes we don't even see those stressed out human beings because we are so busy glancing impatiently at our smart phones and watches. "Good grief! How long does it take to make a stupid cup of coffee, anyway?"
Once in a while, I find myself trying to rush grimly past some clerk or a barista or teller. "Could we just get it done and get me outa here?" It's usually pretty easy, because other people feel overscheduled, over-worked, and unfriendly as well. But once in a while, as I'm glancing at my watch, a service person will glance across the counter with a big smile and inquire, "What do you do for a living, Mr. Floyd?"
OMG do I have to say "I am a Pastor.........?" Then there's the question, "Oh, wow! Where is your church?" There is no escape! I have to slow down, and smile "warmly," and say "Providence Baptist Church in McLean. Have you ever visited us?" (If everyone there is an impersonal jerk like me, why should she?)
Until she smiled and asked about my profession, that teller was just one of those invisible people. I couldn't see her because I was too busy.
The world is full of lost people who think they don't know any Christians. And the church is full of busy Christians who think they have never encountered an invisible person. Both groups are wrong.
Slow down and smile this week. Before leaving home, program a good word onto your tongue and a chorus into your heart. Don't leave home until you're ready to minister grace. How quickly you will discover that you really can see all those faces that never showed up on your radar before! Start warming them up today and- who knows!- in a few days you might be able to talk about your life with Christ or recommend a good book... or a good church.
Selah!
Do you remember the story about the demoniac who came rushing down the hillside to meet Jesus when Christ's boat docked at Gadara? Here was a man in desperate need to compassion and care. The poor guy was so tormented by the demons that controlled his mind and his body that he went running naked through graveyards at night. The neighbors had tried to restrain him with heavy ropes and chains, but poor Legion had always managed to break free to run howling through the hills at midnight. (Luke 8:26 - 39)
Over time he lost some of his shock value and was downgraded to a nuisance. Then one day, his appearances became so routine and unremarkable that Legion became invisible. Nobody could see him anymore. Sure, they could see him, but not really. They couldn't see his pain. They couldn't see his fear. They could no longer see his humanity or his profound physical and spiritual needs. Until Jesus refused to turn away and actually looked this poor man in the eye, the neighbors were no longer angry or even ashamed. They were just indifferent. Because he had become one of those invisible people we don't want to look at.
I'll bet there are invisible people in your life. I'm talking about that painful person who is so galling to you that you'd rather not face him. Why is he so irritating? Are there spiritual needs in his life other people have chosen to overlook? Then there are those ever afflicted men and women whose problems never seem to go away, and you finally get tired of dealing with them. It's a drain and even an embarassment! You know what I mean? And what about all those faceless people behind the counters at grocery stores, drug stores and coffee shops when you're in such a hurry? Sigh! Sometimes we don't even see those stressed out human beings because we are so busy glancing impatiently at our smart phones and watches. "Good grief! How long does it take to make a stupid cup of coffee, anyway?"
Once in a while, I find myself trying to rush grimly past some clerk or a barista or teller. "Could we just get it done and get me outa here?" It's usually pretty easy, because other people feel overscheduled, over-worked, and unfriendly as well. But once in a while, as I'm glancing at my watch, a service person will glance across the counter with a big smile and inquire, "What do you do for a living, Mr. Floyd?"
OMG do I have to say "I am a Pastor.........?" Then there's the question, "Oh, wow! Where is your church?" There is no escape! I have to slow down, and smile "warmly," and say "Providence Baptist Church in McLean. Have you ever visited us?" (If everyone there is an impersonal jerk like me, why should she?)
Until she smiled and asked about my profession, that teller was just one of those invisible people. I couldn't see her because I was too busy.
The world is full of lost people who think they don't know any Christians. And the church is full of busy Christians who think they have never encountered an invisible person. Both groups are wrong.
Slow down and smile this week. Before leaving home, program a good word onto your tongue and a chorus into your heart. Don't leave home until you're ready to minister grace. How quickly you will discover that you really can see all those faces that never showed up on your radar before! Start warming them up today and- who knows!- in a few days you might be able to talk about your life with Christ or recommend a good book... or a good church.
Selah!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Why are the Lights Blinking? Part 3
Great Falls, VA – A couple of weeks ago, I spent a week-end afternoon with a small group of twenty-somethings. I raised this whole question of what it takes to reach a generation of pagan Americans. Once you recognize that most Americans have no spiritual moorings, you realize the “Come & See” strategies of most churches are not going to work. The multitudes of the pagan majority aren’t coming. They can’t imagine why anyone would waste a great Sunday morning on something as antiquated and irrelevant as a “worship service.” So what are we to do?
Someone immediately waved the red flag of fanaticism. “Well, we certainly can’t go out there with the good news that they’re going to Hell. We can’t run down the list of all the things they can and can’t do in order to be a Christian!”
I could only sigh. Can we all agree that, in all honesty, that old cliché’ is just a straw man? In my long years of working with local churches and outreach strategies, I can recall only three individuals who might have conceivably fit that worn out stereotype. Sure, maybe one in a thousand Christians might assault an unbeliever with the threat of Hell and a list of spiritual do’s and don’ts! But if I’m right, most secular Americans have never met a Christian who behaves that way! to the contrary, far more American Christians are guilty of a different offense: never bringing up the Gospel at all. If only 30% of people here in the very secular DC area are actually Christians, that still means that 1 of every 3 people a bureaucrat meets here is a Christian. At least in my urban area, most people actually know quite a few Christians, but I would daresay many, many secular men and women in this area doubt that they know any Christians at all.
So please understand that I’m not even slightly worried about launching a vast tide of Christian evangelists who angrily warn neighbors they’re facing damnation and unfurl the flag of “Thou shalt nots.” No, it wouldn’t work, but it’s not going to happen. What I’m proposing is a generation of Christians who talk about their own personal lives the way other friends and co-workers talk about theirs. You don’t have to summon the fires of Hell and the demands of the Ten Commandments to share one detail from your spiritual life with an acquaintance or class mate.
For instance, smile and nod as your acquaintance talks about a riotous Friday evening of getting drunk and watching some gross-out movie about randy single people. Then mention that you played tennis or went fishing on Saturday, but the best thing that happened was in worship on Sunday. Then share something wonderful that happened at your church.
Ask questions about the plot when your friend summarizes what has happened so far in the best-selling novel she’s reading. After talking about that book for a while, mention that the most interesting thing you’ve read in the last few days is a particular section in the Bible. Then take a few moments to share something interesting from God’s Word.
Listen with interest as your co-worker shares the details of living with her boyfriend without the benefit of marriage. If it’s good news, you smile and nod. If it’s bad news, you sympathize. Then you confess with a slight smile, I thank God for my husband every day. I’m so glad I got him to say “I do,” because now I know he can’t get away!”
If lost people are not inclined to visit churches, then followers of Jesus will have to win them first and invite them later. But herein lies yet another problem of this pagan age: a vast and shocking number of Christians aren’t reading their Bibles. Hence, when opportunities come up to talk about what Christ is doing in our lives, quite often we have nothing to say. We haven’t thought about our faith. We haven’t read anything. We haven’t given God a chance to speak. So the great spiritual battlefields across the USA are littered with pagans who don’t know Jesus and saints who don’t know the Word of God.
We have to get the people of God back into the Word of God. Imagine a division of Marines rushing onto a battlefield with weapons they’ve never fired or even trained with. Of course, that would never happen. The Marines are better than that. So why are the people of God landing on battlefields with untried Bibles? We have to do better. Whether we want to admit it or not, the USS America is going down. Too often, the Church is still busy reorganizing deck chairs.
Selah!
Someone immediately waved the red flag of fanaticism. “Well, we certainly can’t go out there with the good news that they’re going to Hell. We can’t run down the list of all the things they can and can’t do in order to be a Christian!”
I could only sigh. Can we all agree that, in all honesty, that old cliché’ is just a straw man? In my long years of working with local churches and outreach strategies, I can recall only three individuals who might have conceivably fit that worn out stereotype. Sure, maybe one in a thousand Christians might assault an unbeliever with the threat of Hell and a list of spiritual do’s and don’ts! But if I’m right, most secular Americans have never met a Christian who behaves that way! to the contrary, far more American Christians are guilty of a different offense: never bringing up the Gospel at all. If only 30% of people here in the very secular DC area are actually Christians, that still means that 1 of every 3 people a bureaucrat meets here is a Christian. At least in my urban area, most people actually know quite a few Christians, but I would daresay many, many secular men and women in this area doubt that they know any Christians at all.
So please understand that I’m not even slightly worried about launching a vast tide of Christian evangelists who angrily warn neighbors they’re facing damnation and unfurl the flag of “Thou shalt nots.” No, it wouldn’t work, but it’s not going to happen. What I’m proposing is a generation of Christians who talk about their own personal lives the way other friends and co-workers talk about theirs. You don’t have to summon the fires of Hell and the demands of the Ten Commandments to share one detail from your spiritual life with an acquaintance or class mate.
For instance, smile and nod as your acquaintance talks about a riotous Friday evening of getting drunk and watching some gross-out movie about randy single people. Then mention that you played tennis or went fishing on Saturday, but the best thing that happened was in worship on Sunday. Then share something wonderful that happened at your church.
Ask questions about the plot when your friend summarizes what has happened so far in the best-selling novel she’s reading. After talking about that book for a while, mention that the most interesting thing you’ve read in the last few days is a particular section in the Bible. Then take a few moments to share something interesting from God’s Word.
Listen with interest as your co-worker shares the details of living with her boyfriend without the benefit of marriage. If it’s good news, you smile and nod. If it’s bad news, you sympathize. Then you confess with a slight smile, I thank God for my husband every day. I’m so glad I got him to say “I do,” because now I know he can’t get away!”
If lost people are not inclined to visit churches, then followers of Jesus will have to win them first and invite them later. But herein lies yet another problem of this pagan age: a vast and shocking number of Christians aren’t reading their Bibles. Hence, when opportunities come up to talk about what Christ is doing in our lives, quite often we have nothing to say. We haven’t thought about our faith. We haven’t read anything. We haven’t given God a chance to speak. So the great spiritual battlefields across the USA are littered with pagans who don’t know Jesus and saints who don’t know the Word of God.
We have to get the people of God back into the Word of God. Imagine a division of Marines rushing onto a battlefield with weapons they’ve never fired or even trained with. Of course, that would never happen. The Marines are better than that. So why are the people of God landing on battlefields with untried Bibles? We have to do better. Whether we want to admit it or not, the USS America is going down. Too often, the Church is still busy reorganizing deck chairs.
Selah!
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