I will freely admit that I'm lacking in wisdom when it comes
to dealing with the cultural moment that we find ourselves in - that we found
ourselves in over the weekend. I honestly do not know what it will take to put
the divisions that we see in our nation back together. It began Friday when
President Trump called football players who kneeled during the national anthem
SOB's and said they should be fired. It continued when more of those players
responding by kneeling during the national anthem. And then it really got bad as people were all over
social media on both sides yesterday - ramping up the rhetoric even more. I
don't know how this is fixed - it's a microcosm of what we are as a nation
right now. We're divided along so many different lines that it's hard to keep
count.
So, I said I don't know how that will be fixed - but let me walk
that back a little bit. I don't know exactly how it will be fixed, but I do
know that this moment calls for Christians to act like Christians. There are a
lot of different ways people will read that statement, so let me be clear. Some
see Christianity as a political movement - and that our primary purpose in the
culture is to win elections or get laws passed. Though that's not unimportant,
it's not what Christianity is. Others see Christianity as a social movement -
designed to get people to act right. Though that's not unimportant either, it's
not what Christianity is. When I speak of Christianity, I'm talking about a
group of people who are dedicated to living out the gospel in their lives and
in their cultures, because of what Jesus has done for them, and what he has
commanded them to do. They live it out through their witness and through their actions. Jesus and Jesus alone has the power to fix what ails us
as a nation, but he will not do it through political or social channels. He
will do it the way he always does it - by using the radical love found only
through the gospel. So though I don't know exactly what this will look like, I
think we can find some guideposts that will show us a way forward.
Divisions are healed
when Christians choose to listen more than they speak. We have an awful lot
of talk in our culture today, but very little listening. Most people don't
listen so they can understand - they listen so they can respond. But Christians must be different. The apostle
James said this: "Let every person
be quick to hear, slow to speak." Now, we don't have to be told to listen
more and speak less when we're talking to people we agree with. This
specifically comes into play when we're talking to someone we disagree with.
Christian, have you really listened to people you disagree with? Have you tried
to understand why they think the way they think, why they believe the way they
believe, why they're acting the way they act? Have you put yourself in their shoes? Even after you listen, you may
not agree with them. But you may find you have more common ground than you
originally thought. And most certainly, you will be better able to empathize
with them. Here's a good practice - every day, read an article or talk to
someone with whom you profoundly disagree. And as you do it - look for common
ground. You might be surprised.
Divisions are healed when Christians admit
they were wrong. It's funny - for a
faith that says that every single person on the planet is deeply affected
by sin, and even believers still battle a sin nature, we sure have a hard time
saying we messed up. But all of us have flaws in our thinking.
Some of that is sin, some of it is ignorance, and some of it is a lack of wisdom. But a big first step
to peace is admitting that you're not sure about everything - that you might be
wrong on issues that are not of first importance. A little humility goes a long
way.
Divisions are healed
when Christians choose to love their enemies. It constantly amazes me how
this clear command from Jesus, repeated numerous times through the New
Testament, is consistently ignored by people who profess to be believers. But
it's there over and over again: "Love
your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) "Bless
those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (Luke 6:28) "But
love your enemies, and do good." (Luke 6:35) "Bless those who
persecute you; bless and do not curse." (Romans 12:14) "If your enemy
is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to
drink." (Proverbs 25:21). The witness of scripture is that we
should love, pray, and do good for those with whom we disagree with. Can you imagine the difference that could made in our culture
right now if Christians chose to listen to and then pray for and then love
those with whom we consider our enemies? I mean, instead of going onto social media and
putting them on blast.
Divisions are healed
when the gospel is taught and lived by Christians. You see, the reason that
we are called to all of this is because this is what Jesus did. "While we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) If you are a believer
in Christ, you are a reformed enemy of God. You were once his enemy, and he
loved you enough to do what you could not do for yourself - he sent his son to
die for you. Jesus loved his enemies so much that he was willing to go through
the hellish torture of crucifixion - but more than that, he loved his enemies
so much that he was willing to endure separation from his father. And in doing
so, he reconciled those enemies to himself. I pray that includes you. If it does, he has now called you to a ministry of reconciliation - helping others be
reconciled to God. And when people are reconciled to God, then they will be
reconciled to one another. The gospel is the only thing that has the power to
bring people with such profound disagreements together. But when it is preached
right and lived right, you will see people who otherwise couldn't be in the
same room together living as brothers and sisters. So, the question for you is
this - do you love your enemies enough to try to make them your friends, the
way Jesus did it?
What would happen if Christians in this country decided to
live out these truths - putting them before every other competing truth claim?
We say that the reason we believe the gospel is because it is the way the world
actually works. Maybe the reason the world is not actually working right now is
because we are refusing to live out the gospel the way it was meant to be
lived. I do not have all the answers - but I know where the answers are found.
Will you be an agent of peace, and pray that God will show us those answers?
