Overcome The World With Love
We live in a troubled time right now. The economies of America and much of the world are in trouble. Poverty in the US is increasing as many find themselves struggling to get by day to day. Protests and movements are springing up as people are sorting out their feelings about it all. There are movements to call out big business and demand responsible leadership like the Occupy Wall Street as well as Christian movements designed at making America a Christian nation. There are political lines being drawn deeper and deeper causing a huge polarization with in our country. People become downright enraged when their side is challenged and opinions are like backsides, everyone has one. As Bob Dylan once wrote “The times they are a changing.” But they were changing back in the 60’s when he wrote that song too. As a person who was once very involved in various counter-culture political movements, this stuff is nothing new. The circumstances maybe different but the truth is all these issues are a common problem in our country and have been for years. I don’t know if they are going to get better but as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I am trying to focus on the mission that is before me. That is to serve others, serve God, and uplift his name.
I look at these different issues facing us as a country and I feel somewhat overwhelmed but there is a part of me that has hope. This is because I believe, however crazy it might sound, that one day my God will restore us. That as a Christian I have hope of a better tomorrow even if I must endure trouble today. It also means I must not stay idle and just wait o the Lord but get dirty. We have to serve others and try to spread the love of Christ to others in words and in deeds. The love of God is a powerful weapon against the struggles facing the world. I find hope in the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John 16:33 “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.” As a Christian if I do not believe these words then I am not truly a “follower” of Christ, instead I am just giving lip service to a religion. If Jesus has overcome the world, meaning he has defeated sin and has offered redemption to all who seek it, than our job is simply to proclaim it and show people what it means. How do we do that? First preach the Gospel of Jesus which is pretty cut and dry. Read Matthew chapter 5-7 and you will get the idea. Secondly we must serve one another, that means those who are not like us or even relate to us. Serve them in love, not a superficial love that we as humans often throw around like an old toy. We must adopt a new kind of love that is beyond our reality. This is a supernatural love that can overcome the world. Without the love of Christ, in my opinion, there is no hope for our country or our world. Luckily I believe that love is already here we just need to let it loose.
So what about the Christians that are praying for a Christian nation? I think we must view this with caution. We can argue all day if this country was founded as a Christian nation, but will we ever know? I wonder if it was did it represent Christ anyway? My view is we don’t need a Christian nation because if we are children of God we also are hiers to his Kingdom,, which is much better than nation on Earth. Christians are not only children of God but royalty within this kingdom. Our goal shouldn’t be to make the United States a Godly kingdom but let’s bring the Kingdom of God to the United States! This means instead of gathering to pray for policy changes and for so called “Godly” candidates perhaps we should be praying for the Holy Spiirt to be unleashed across the country. Pray that no matter who is in charge or what conditions we face that we have a trust in our God that he will provide. This country was never the Kingdom of God and it will never be so we can pray til we are blue in the face and it won’t change that. If we read in 1 Samuel 8:6-22 we get an example when the people of God demand a King to rule them instead of being content with God as our king.
6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”
10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
So God gave his people what they wanted and if you read the Old and New Testament much trouble followed. God did not turn his back but he gave his children what they desired and but he warned them as well to what could happen. So here we are in a time where we are ruled by men, many of which do not have the interests of the people they serve at heart. So many want to fight back and take the power back. Some want to put a Godly man in the position of power but we have seen in the Bible what even Godly men have done when corrupted by power. So what is the Christians role? What do we do in the face of troubled times?
I find many places in the Bible where answers are suggested and even commanded of us. For instances we are told to take care of the widow and orphan, to clothe the naked, take care of poor, feed the hungry and stand up for the oppressed. The way Christians should do this is to pray, serve, and love one another. There is so many ways we can stand firm in the face of evil and do so in a way that brings God glory. Jesus came and left us with examples of ways to do this through words, acts of supernatural love, and through great sacrifice on behalf of others. Remember we are just witnesses of the glorious salvation that was given to us and not earned. We must also remember that nothing Jesus did while on this earth was kept from us after he left. It is now ours through the Holy Spirit. This means we are not only called to love with a supernatural love that restores, reconciles and redeems but we have all the means to carry that out. Let’s bring forth a furry of love that the world has never seen and in it’s wake may we witness the Holy Spirit’s power to heal a broken world.
I leave you with encouragement from 1 Thessalonians 5:12-19
12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.
14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.
God bless you and do not become discourage but stand firm.
Amen.
