Hey everybody,
Last Sunday evening, I did what I rarely do, and I did something I discourage other people from doing. I posted on social media. Specifically, I posted about the controversy surrounding the Olympics opening ceremony. Here's what I posted:
My take on all the Christian outrage of the opening ceremony of the Olympics (that I did not see). Apparently, many are insulted by a disrespectful reenactment of a painting (not a photograph) of the Last Supper. Instead of outrage, let's try to behave the words of Jesus. Love your enemies. Don't boycott them. Don't complain about them. Don't whine about the "injustice;" pray for them. If you care to read the actual words of Jesus, they are below. C'mon Christians. We can do better than this.
Right after that, I posted the words of Jesus recorded in Luke chapter 6, when He tells us to love our enemies.
Let me give you a little backstory. I didn't know about the controversy. I don't watch much news, I definitely don't spend much time on social media. So, I was blissfully unaware that many Christians were outraged and boycotting the Olympics. I had enjoyed watching a LOT of the Olympics over the weekend. So, I'm home, watching the Olympics on Sunday evening, and I decided to take some time to prep for the Made For Mondays Podcast that we would be recording in the morning. While reading over the questions, I saw one concerning the "Olympic opening ceremony controversy" and how Christians ought to respond. I thought to myself, if I'm going to talk about this intelligently on the Podcast, I better find out what the controversy is. So, I reluctantly opened my social feeds, and nearly every post I see is Christians talking about how offended they were by the opening ceremony.
A little side-bar. I've talked to MANY people who watched the opening ceremony that didn't even notice this controversial scene. I suspect that many upset Christians weren't upset until they saw someone else's post on social media and they realized that they were supposed to be upset. That's what social media does to people, it stirs the pot, it agitates.
Back to me prepping for the pod. As I'm reading all the outrage, I start to see other posts from people I know who aren't Christians. They are responding to all of the Christian outrage, and, believe it or not, they are not repenting for having enjoyed the opening ceremony; they are mocking Christians for their very thin skin. I see comments from some Christians on those posts and they are angrily insulting the person that they disagree with. As I read on and on, my frustration with the general Christian response grew to the point that I posted my post and the words of Jesus, encouraging us to do better in our conversations and engagements with those in the world who view things differently.
Earlier in the day I taught a message on the letter of Philemon, and the big idea was, "The world will change when we BEHAVE the Gospel, not just BELIEVE it." The world won't get better when we shout our beliefs at other people, the world will change when we live out the teachings of Jesus in compelling ways. What I saw unfold on my social feed was the opposite of what I had urged in the message that morning. Christians were employing worldly tactics of rage, hostility, and trading insults with those they disagreed with instead of kindness and love.
The teachings of Jesus on loving our enemies are certainly countercultural. Some even view it as weakness. But if we are going to be followers of Jesus, we need to be DOERS of his words, not just hearers. Pastor and author, Brian Zahnd observes:
"Christians are to persuade by love, witness, Spirit, reason, rhetoric, and, if need be, by martyrdom; but never by force."
Does that sound too radical? In the book of Acts, we read about persecution, in which Stephen was martyred. His last words were:
As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. Acts 7:59-60
Stephen prays for the people who were actively killing him. In the following verses, we see the church scatter. People flee for safety, and as they go, they tell others about the amazing love of Jesus. More people come to faith. What they don't do is retaliate.
The world's tactics of fighting and arguing and forcing others is not only un-Christian, but it's ineffective. Martin Luther King Jr. once said:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. . . . The chain reaction of evil—hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars—must be broken, or we will be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."
I close with the words of Jesus. He told us to love our enemies. As you engage the culture this week, do so with these words at the forefront of your mind and remember that the world will change for the better when we BEHAVE the Gospel we say we BELIEVE.
27 "But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.
35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” Luke 6:27-36
See you Sunday,
Pastor Jamey