The Standard is High

The question of the month, "Why do the people who love Jesus, love me?"

One of my critiques of the Evangelical Church in North America is that so often it seems that we're against things! We're against sin, so is God, so that's not really the issue, but our thinking is that if we change a persons behavior and get them to stop sinning we're going to have a better society. I don't buy it. We can't legislate morality and we can't produce a better culture or people merely by bemoaning the things that are wrong, lamenting behavior that is sinful or complaining about attitudes that are rebellious. Life change is possible, it can and does happen and it is greatly needed in our society. But, it happens only through the power, the sacrifice and the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. Where the focus of the Evangelical Church should be is on being salt and light in the world, loving our neighbors and enemies and being used of God to change their lives rather than merely change their behavior.

Followers of Jesus Christ are the only ones who have the mandate and the ability to love our enemies. Did you ever notice, Jesus always had a way of cutting to the chase? "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same." Luke 6:32-33. A little earlier in the same passage He says, "...Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." Luke 6:27-28. This is fantastic! God never calls us to obedience without providing for us the ability to obey. In this case, He's not calling us to love those who we're incapable loving by our own strength and ability. As Christians we get to delight ourselves in the Lord, enjoy His fellowship and the empowering of the Holy Spirit and we are enabled to do something that no one else in the world is truly capable of doing...loving our enemies.

I recently heard best-selling author and Middle East expert Joel Rosenberg speak at a banquet where he made a similar point. In the Middle East, followers of Jesus are the only ones who have the mandate and the message to Love our Enemies. No one needs an update on the crisis that is the Middle East, but within the conflict that is raging it is only the Christian who has the responsibility and enabling to love those who hate us. That's not middle ground, it is higher ground. See, no matter where you stand in this conflict or which side you favor, Israeli or Arab, obedience to Jesus remains the same, love your enemy. If we live that mandate out, Rosenberg said, maybe then Jews, Muslims and other non-Christians will start to ask the question, "Why do the people who love Jesus, love me?"

What a powerful question!

This Christmas at Central Heights Church we are mobilizing to love our Community with the gospel, acts of kindness and demonstrations of compassion. We want to rise up and reach out to meet tangible needs with expressions of God's love. While we must be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have, my prayer is that people in our church and in our city will also start to ask, "Why do the people who love Jesus, love me?" I pray that our act of obedience will start a spiritual journey that will lead many people to know and follow Jesus.