Philippians 2:1-13 Paul’s Prescription for Christian Love and Unity

Have you ever faced opposition while on your Christian walk of faith? If so, you’re not alone. Opposition to the Christian way of doing things has existed since Christianity began. In the passage from Philippians 2:1-13, Paul is trying to deal with a rift that has occurred within the church at Philippi. He argues that the people of God have an incentive to come together for hope and comfort.

Paul emphasizes three characteristics of love: Harmony, humility and helpfulness. The church at Philippi needed to submit to Christ’s will and serve others. They, like all believers, needed to come together and agree in doctrine and creed, but not at the cost of the truth. Each believer has a responsibility for unity. Each believer has to take ownership of his or her own spirit and disposition. Ambition and conflict are empty works of the flesh. Christ has taught us how to submit to one another out of love instead of fear. We are to care for the interests of others more than we care about our own interests. There is a hurting world dull of hurting people. They need our help, even if it is only a hug or a sympathetic ear. We are to do so with humility. When we serve Jesus with humility, he will lift us up and exalt us just like he was exalted and lifted up. When we care for others as much as we care about ourselves, mutual service causes disunity to vanish. 

Jesus is the perfect example of Christian unity. Paul tells the story of the crucifixion from Jesus’ viewpoint so that his followers can see that the price of unity was Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus gave up his deity and heavenly position to become a servant. If he could waive his rights, so can we as Christians. He did this because he cared more about the human condition than he cared about his own benefit. Christ showed his humility by pouring out his life both literally and figuratively for us. He submitted himself to God’s authority, especially during his anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before he died. When he returns, everyone will submit humbly to his authority-believers in joy, unbelievers in sorrow and remorse.

Not everyone has heard of Jesus, and that’s sad. Today, knowledge of the Bible has been steadily declining. Some people think that Jesus was just a religious leader. Some people think that he was a prophet, and others think that he was a good person, but as believers we know the truth. Jesus was God in the flesh. He gave up his position in heaven to take the form of a humble human in order to save us. Paul invites us to turn away from worldly influences and focus on Jesus’ example of humility. We are to persevere in faith in the face of opposition.

Why would he become a human and give up his life for us? The answer is simple. He did that because he loved us and wanted to give us our lives back. God puts Jesus in our lives through his living word-the Bible. He calls us his own through baptism. He forgives us and lives in us through the Eucharist. He is with us always. Jesus still reaches out to us today. He calls on us to trust him He tells us that we are still precious to him. He’s more than a hero-he’s our Lord and Saviour.

Christ didn’t see his godly position and authority as something to be kept for his own benefit. He was willing to sacrifice them so that he could be the sacrifice that was needed to save humankind. That was hard for the people to accept in Old Testament times, and it’s still hard for us to accept today. Christ left his heavenly position, but he was exalted by his resurrection and ascension. His exaltation will culminate with his Second Coming, when he will judge all the people and separate the saved from the unsaved. Jesus’ name and reputation create his power. That power will cause everyone to pay homage to him when he returns. The people will submit to his power and honour him. When they honour Jesus, they will honour God the Father. Jesus’ power exceeds earthly powers. Nothing is too difficult for him. No prayer is too hard for him to answer. His humble powers restored our broken relationship with God. There was a cost-his life-but to Jesus the cost was worth it.

Jesus is unique. He can’t be imitated. Instead, we must recognize the gifts God has given us, and we must think about each other in the same way that we think about Jesus. We have to look at situations with a mind that is informed by Christ and filled with his Spirit. We can do this because Jesus stirs our hearts, minds, emotions and wills. His name has spiritual power and can’t be mentioned in a neutral way. People either accept him or reject him. 

There are some denominations, usually ones that are more fundamental or strict in nature, that claim that the only way we can be lifted up by Jesus is if we follow the denomination’s rules and traditions. This leads to prejudice. When people of different denominations fail to love and understand each other, they fail to show Christian love, and our Christian witness is marred. Instead of focusing on theological differences, Christian denominations need to focus on the basics of the Gospel. The way we treat others affects everyone. If they see us being mean, they will likely copy our behaviour. If they see us loving others, they will hopefully copy the same behaviour.

Our one motive must be to follow him. God wants to walk with us during our journey through life. He will strengthen us during that journey. He will strengthen us when we face hard times and bring us joy through the blessings he will give us. He pays attention to us even if we ignore him, and even when we pray to him. God is at work in the ordinary, mundane things. God is working in our lives right now just like he worked in the lives of the first disciples and his first followers.

Being Christ-like is caused not by imitation but by inhabitation. We allow Christ to live through us through the choices we make. We choose to follow Jesus in all situations and trust God’s Holy Spirit to give us the power, strength, love, faith and wisdom to do it. These gifts are always available for the asking because the Holy Spirit lives in us.  

Jesus put our needs before his own, and he calls on us to do the same. Jesus calls on us to be servants, which means that we have to give up our right to be in charge. When we give up that right, we experience great freedom. We become available and vulnerable. We lose our fear of being taken advantage of. True humility is one of the most costly and life-enhancing of all Christian virtues and a powerful part of a spiritually solid believer. That’s why Paul encourages us to imitate Christ and the humility that characterized his life of service. We are to engage the world with three expectations in mind:

1.      Unity. We are to engage the world together as Christians.

2.      Respect. We are to respect other people even if we can’t stand them.

3.      Regard. We must strive to understand and respond to the needs of other people. 

A minister was sitting on an airplane when a family of three came aboard. They had purchased their tickets late and could not get seats in the same row. The flight attendant assured them that there were several empty seats, so surely someone would be willing to change seats with them.

In front of the minister were two empty seats, middle and window, and on the other side in the same row the middle and aisle seats were open. The family asked the gentleman sitting in the aisle seat in a courteous manner if he would be willing to move from the right side aisle seat to the left side aisle seat. He refused. He wasn’t even courteous enough to answer verbally. He just stared straight ahead as he shook his head firmly.

There are three stages to the service path for Christians. The first stage is charity. Charity is our emotional response to human need. We want to give something to alleviate the immediate problem Charity can literally mean the difference between life and death. It is not insignificant. All of us can participate in this work of charity through our willingness to give.

The second stage is advocacy. Advocacy emerges from charity. In this stage of service we work and speak on behalf of others with the goal of changing social and political conditions so that the long term needs of the people can better be met. Advocacy is, by definition, a more controversial stage along the service path. Mother Teresa couldn’t help but move from the work of charity to the poorest of the poor to becoming an international advocate for children—the born and unborn—and women. If God is calling you to participate in the work of advocacy, you’ll not believe the impact it will have for those in need.

And the third stage is justice. We work for justice when we strive to change systems and processes that create the conditions for poverty or limit self-determination. Justice work naturally progresses from charity and advocacy. Justice means standing with the poor, with those in need.

When we focus our attention on Jesus’ humble sacrifice, we see human pride and sin. It’s only when we depend on God that we receive salvation. God calls us to humility each and every day. He calls on us to live out the love and life of Christ to a watching, hurting world around us.

 Bibliography

1.      Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

2.      Pastor Gregory Seltz, “A Hero? No, a Saviour!” Retrieved from www.lhm.org

3.      Exegesis for Philippians 2:5-11. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

4.      Pastor Bobby Schuller, “There is No Name.” Retrieved from www.hourofpower.org

5.      Jim Burns, “Responding with Love.” Retrieved from www.homewoed.org

6.      Dannah Gresh, “Am I a Mean Girl?” Retrieved from www.proverbs31.org

7.      Pastor D. Geedvadhus, “Humility.” Retrieved from www.lhm.org

8.      The Rev. Dr. Michael Foss, “A Passion for Christ’s World.” Retrieved from www.day1.org

9.      Charles R. Swindoll, “Sharing 101.” Retrieved from www.insightforliving.ca

10.  Dave Branon, “Winners and Losers.” Retrieved from www.rbc.org

11.  Stephen Davey, “Invisibly Involved.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

12.  Pastor Rick Warren, “Allow Christ to Live Through You.” Retrieved from www.purposedriven.com

13.  Dunnam, M.D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 31: Galatians/Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians/Philemon (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)

 

 

Matthew 20:1-16 God’s Version of Labour Relations

A poor man walking in the forest felt close enough to God to ask, “God, what is a million years to you?” God replied, “My son, a million years to you is like a second to me.”

The man then asked, “God, what is a million dollars to you?” God replied, “My son, a million dollars to you is like a penny to me.”

The man asked, “So God, can I have a million dollars?”

God replied, “In a second.” 

The story is told of an Englishman, a Frenchman and a Russian who discovered a bottle with a genie inside.  One of them rubbed the bottle and freed the genie, who generously offered to grant one wish to each of the three.  The Englishman went first, and wished that he would be granted a peerage and daily access to the throne.  His wish was immediately granted.  The Frenchman came next, and wished that all the beautiful women in the world would suddenly fall at his feet in adoration.  His wish was immediately granted. 

The Russian came last.  Of the three, he was poorest.  Of the three, his needs were greatest.  The genie invited him to take his time and to think of the one thing that would give him the greatest pleasure in life.  At that, his face lit up and he said, "That's easy.  I wish that my neighbor's potato crop might fail."

The parable of the workers and the vineyard is like that.  It proves that the old adage that “the first will be last and the last will be first.” Those who came at the first of the day had their needs met, but they could not focus on that positive aspect of their lives.  Instead, their focus was on their neighbour who, though less deserving, also had his/her needs met.  Instead of finding joy in their own circumstances, those who came at the first of the day found outrage at the apparent unfairness of the situation.  They did not want more for themselves.  They wanted less for their neighbor.  

The parable is about a landowner who helps others. It’s about a landowner who sweeps up lost and idle people and gives them a purpose. The landowner hired workers at different times during the day, but he paid all of them the same wage regardless of the number of hours they worked. The workers who were hired first represented God’s chosen people of Israel, the recipients of God’s covenant promises. The workers hired last represented the Gentiles. They were offered the same salvation as the Jews through faith in Christ. They were part of the remnant Paul refers to in Romans 11:1-2, 29-32.

At first glance, this parable seems unfair. After all, it doesn’t seem fair to us that the workers who were hired at the end of the day received the same pay as the workers who were hired first thing in the morning. We must remember though that what is unfair to us is fair to God and vice versa. That’s because God’s kingdom does not work in the same way as our worldly kingdom. The parable is the story of God’s grace and how he gives his grace to anyone he chooses. Those who receive it are blessed beyond anything they can earn or imagine. In God’s eyes, there is no difference between a lifelong Christian and a person who becomes a Christian on his or her deathbed.

Jesus had a bitter message for Christians, especially their leaders. The followers of Jesus would sacrifice a sense of fairness for the Kingdom. Those who grew in the faith would feel lonely. Those who grew in ministry would feel abandoned. God does not have favorites in the Kingdom. But he does have the saved community where the most senior and the neophyte shared equally in God's very life. Indeed, the first would be last and the last would be first.

We are conditioned to judge value and estimate worth on the basis of compassion and merit. This is how the world operates, but that is not how God operates. God’s world is an economy of grace, and gratitude is the capital. God is free to do what is necessary to work out his will in our lives and in the history of the world. We are to wait upon God, and while we are waiting on God we are to praise him just like Paul and Silas did when they were in jail in Acts 16:25-40.

Our capacity for gratitude is directly related to our capacity to see and experience grace. The first workers in the parable were ungrateful because they saw the landowner’s method of rewarding his workers as unfair. They could not see and experience his grace. Likewise, sometimes we can’t fully see and experience God’s grace because we don’t always show gratitude. Sometimes we look at a deathbed convert and think that it was not fair for God to forgive him because we have been faithful Christians for a long time. When God forgives us, he breaks into our world of reward and punishment.

We can improve our capacity for grace and gratitude by being a blessing to others and giving blessings to others. If we want more gratitude in our lives, we have to be more aware of the spirit of grace in our lives. The more we experience grace, the more we will be filled with gratitude and the more likely we will be to affirm and bless others.

There is a story of a man who faced surgery several years ago, and it happened suddenly. He didn’t have time to emotionally prepare for the surgery. He went to the doctor who sent him directly to the hospital and in hours, he had open heart surgery. This man was grateful for his surgery, his successful life and the extra years that had been given to him. But he also said that he was sad that he was not able to express his love to his children before that critical moment of surgery. He had wanted to tell his children but he didn’t. There wasn’t time. Months passed; years passed; a decade passed. One day, he was at his doctor’s office only to discover that he needed surgery again. Only, this time, he had two days to prepare. He had each child, now adults, come into his hospital room and talk privately with him. He wanted each child, now an adult, to know that he felt this past decade of life were extra years that had been given to him by God. Not only the past ten years, but his whole life had been a gift of God, that they, his children, had been a total gift of God. That God had given him his children, his wife, his family, his work, his faith in Christ. That God had given him an abundant life and that God would give him eternal life as well. He wanted his kids to know how he felt. He wanted to tell his children these things ten years ago, and now he had a second chance to do it. And so he told them, each of them, one by one. It was very emotional, and his wife left the room because she couldn’t handle it.

This man expressed what God wants. Deep down inside, all people have this attitude that life is a gift. Life itself, the abundant life, eternal life, it is all a gift. It is not that God owes us anything.

No matter how badly we mess up, God loves us so much as he ever has or ever will. God’s heart is a giving, self-sacrificing, forgiving heart. God’s heart can turn us into people who rejoice over the good fortunes of other peoples-regardless of our own circumstances. God’s heart injected in us allows us to see what God’s Kingdom is all about. It turns the world’s rules upside-down. In God’s Kingdom:

1.      Greatness is not measured by who ends up on top of the heap.

2.      Being rich does not mean having material possessions.

3.      Getting even with people who wrong us is out.

God is always available to anyone who reaches out to him wherever they reach out to him and whenever they reach out to him. Any time is the right time in God’s eyes. God’s grace never runs out. It is limitless because God is sovereign and just. 

The workers who were hired last represent the outcasts of society. These workers were hired last because no one else wanted them. Likewise, the outcasts of our society are not wanted. They stand outside of society, but God invites them and all of his people to be on the inside of his kingdom. God looks for us just like the landowner sought out the workers. In the parable, it would have been undignified for the workers to go looking for a job. They had to be found and asked so that their honour could be kept. True selfless acts are rare in our world, but they inspire us to show the same grace, faith and love to others. Those of us who were called first and early in life are called on to understand our sin-filled world and join Jesus in inviting the lost ones-the poor, the lame, the latecomers, the unimportant-instead of complaining.

God’s gift to us is the gift of eternal life with him. It doesn’t matter to God how long we have been with him in faith. God chooses to invite us to spend eternity with him. We can choose to accept or reject his invitation. If we choose to accept him, we choose to reject the attitudes and behaviours that God does not like. If we think that good works are the key to getting into heaven, we are blinded by our sense of our own goodness and we can’t see the goodness of God’s grace-hence the reference to the blind eye in Matthew 20:15.

If we start asking ourselves who deserves to be forgiven, we soon find out that the answer is no one. No matter how hard we work, we can’t be “good enough.” The good news of the Gospel is that what can’t be obtained by good works, Christ gives to us as a gift of grace. God forgives us and frees us from the mistakes of the past. We are all put on a new and level horizon. No one is higher than anyone else. We sit at the round table. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Why climb the stairway to heaven when God takes us right to the top floor in an elevator?

 

Bibliography

1.      Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

2.      Chuck Queen, “Living with Gratitude.” Retrieved from www.day1.org

3.      Rev. Dr. Luke Bouman, “A Question of Fairness.” Retrieved from www.treeoflifelutheran.org

4.      The Rev. Edward Markquart, “Wages and Gifts.” Retrieved from www.sermonsfromseattle.com

5.      The Rev. Dr. Michael Foss, “The Generosity of God.” Retrieved from www.day1.org

6.      Gracia Grindal, “Your God is Too Nice.” Retrieved from www.religion-online.org

7.      Exegesis for Matthew 20:1-16. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

 

 

 

Acts 16:25-40 The Life-Saving Power of Faith

Acts 16:25-40 is the story of how God can take the bad circumstances of our lives and use them for good. Paul and Silas had just cast out the demons who were occupying the servant girl, but her owners had them put in jail. The servant girl was a sorcerer who made money for her owners, and when Paul and Silas cast out her demons, her owners lost their source of income. As a result, the owners had Paul and Silas thrown into jail.

Were Paul and Silas mad because of their predicament? No, because they sang hymns of praise to God. They might not have felt like praising, but they had learned to walk by faith and not by feelings. They weren’t angry with God about what happened. Instead, they praised God in the midst of their circumstances, and in return God rewarded them by freeing them from jail.

Paul and Silas did not flee from the jail after the earthquake. If they had fled, the jailer would have been held responsible for their escape and would have been put to death. Paul and Silas saved the jailer’s life both literally and spiritually. Rather than running for their lives, they saw an opportunity to save a lost soul.  

In the midst of their suffering, Paul and Silas experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit. It filled their hearts with so much joy and praise that they started singing. In response, the Holy Spirit freed them from their physical captivity just like it frees us from spiritual captivity. The Holy Spirit, working through Paul and Silas, freed the jailer and his family from their spiritual captivity.

Once Paul and Silas were freed and vindicated by the Holy Spirit, they sought freedom and vindication from the authorities. Paul wanted public vindication so that the Philippians would see him for who he really was. If they had seen him as a troublemaker and a lawbreaker, it would have hindered the growth of the church in Philippi. If we want to see people grow in their faith, and if we want to see our churches grow, we have to let people see us for who we really are as Christians. They need to see that we are not a threat to them, just like Paul wanted the Romans to see that Christianity was not a threat to them.

Paul was concerned about his reputation with the Philippians because he did not want a negative reputation to hinder the development of the church in Philippi. He knew that people were watching him to see if his faith was real. People are also watching us to see if our faith is real. The world is always looking for opportunities to discredit Christians. The world looks for people such as false teachers and Christian hypocrites. When we reflect Christ’s love and power in our lives, evangelism will be a fruitful part of our lives. People will see that our Christian deeds and love will back up our Christian words.  

This was a powerful experience for the jailer. He saw an opportunity to save his own soul. He became concerned about the state of his spiritual life, especially as he prepared to send himself into eternity by preparing to kill himself when he thought that the prisoners had escaped during the earthquake. He likely knew that he was unfit to stand before the ultimate judge (God) because of his sin. A similar experience happens when people who are dying repent. In both cases, the answer to the question “What must I do to be saved?” is simple-“Believe in Jesus, and be saved.”

The jailer and his family believed, and they were saved. They did not have to do any good works or start going to church first or study the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit frees everyone so that they can use all things to his glory. In other words, we are free to use all of our talents and resources to do God’s work in our world, including singing our own songs.

During World War II, many soldiers “got religion” while in their foxholes under enemy fire. Because many of those “foxhole conversions” were not genuine, some people become skeptical of anyone who professes Christianity under stressful circumstances. Yet there are many, including the Philippian jailer, who will testify that some “foxhole conversions” are genuine. We must be sensitive to God when we are under stress. He might be using that very situation to help us get out lives into perspective.

Paul, Silas and the jailer trusted in God in their circumstances because they knew that God would solve their problems. God can solve our problems as well if we put our trust in him. When we allow him to rule our lives, he will set us free from all of our prisons. Christian prisoners witness to their faith just like Paul and Silas witnessed to their faith while they were in jail. Even if we are persecuted for the sake of the Gospel, God can free us from that prison by making us a powerful testimony of God’s love. 

As I mentioned earlier, Paul and Silas likely did not feel like praising God when they were in jail, but they learned to walk by faith and not by feelings. Paul commands us to do the same thing. He commands us to walk by faith and not by feelings. If we do, we will know joy and peace in the midst of our pain. God will unlock the chains of depression and hopelessness. We will be free to rejoice in the Lord and worship freely as we walk through the trials of life.

 

Bibliography

 

1.      Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing, 2013)

2.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.

3.      Jamieson, R.; Fawcett, A.R. and Brown, D.: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Oak Harbour, WA: Logos Research Systems Inc.; 1997)

4.      Ogilvie, L.J. and Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 28: Acts (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983)

5.      Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NKJV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2005)

6.      Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2010)

7.     Os Hillman, “They’re Always Watching and Listening.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

 

War or Peace

In 1930, a movie was made about World War I called “All Quiet on the Western Front”. In one scene, some American soldiers were talking. One soldier asked, “Where do wars come from anyway?” Another replied, “Well, one country gets mad at another country, and they start fighting.” The first soldier asked, “Do you mean that one piece of land gets mad at another piece of land?” “No,” the other replied, “the PEOPLE of one country get mad at the PEOPLE of the other” The first soldier picked up his rifle and started walking away. When asked where he was going, he said, “I’m going home. I’m not mad at anybody”.

Don’t you wish it was that easy? Don’t you wish we could just walk away from war? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. The Christian is the pacifist way. Pacifists claim to be peace-makers, but sometimes being a peace-maker means going to war. The great Roman military expert Vegetius wrote, “If you want peace, prepare for war”. (Ancient Languages - English to Latin phrase translation help) 

Since 3600 BC, the world has known only 292 years of peace. During this time there have been 14,351 wars, large and small, in which 3.64 billion people have been killed. The value of property destroyed would pay for a golden belt around the world 97.2 miles wide and 33 feet thick. Since 650 BC there have also been 1656 arms races. Of those, only 16 have not ended in war. The remainder ended in the economic collapse of the countries involved. (Anderson)  

No one wants war. Pacifists believe that if we prepare for war, we will get war. In their view, the only way to achieve peace is to eliminate the causes of war, but sometimes this means going to war.  Sometimes war is the only way to get rid of dictators and terrorists like Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Hussein and bin Laden. The goal of pacifists is admirable and in fact we must try to avoid war is possible, but sometimes war is necessary and inevitable. Sooner or later war destroys those who resort to it, especially with nuclear weapons.

True pacifists believe in fighting with the weapons of the Holy Spirit. The pacifist position has always been a respected minority position among Christians. Jesus was not a pacifist. Just look at what he did to the moneychangers in the temple! Some interpreters of the Bible understand Luke 22:35-36 to mean that Jesus encouraged people to carry swords for self-defense and protection (ESV Study Bible, 2006). That may explain why Peter was able to cut off the soldier’s ear in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before Christ was crucified. (Fox, 2000) 

The Old Testament gives several examples of situations where war is necessary-even desirable. A good example is in 2 Maccabees 15: 1-6, a passage about being attacked on the Sabbath. War is something that can be learned, just as peace can be learned. Peace comes when all sides experience the freedom to be whole, creative and participating in decisions that affect their destiny. Peacemaking does NOT mean obtaining security at someone else’s expense. Pope Paul VI said it well. “If you want peace, work for justice”. (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation). On some occasions working for justice means literally fighting for justice.

The New Testament ethic for individuals differs from the mandate for national leaders. Individuals are called to “turn the other cheek”, but Romans 13:4 calls a national leader “God’s servant, an angel of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer”. If there were no enforcers of justice, chaos would prevail. War is always a tragedy, but occasionally the alternatives are worse than war. Paul urges us in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 to ask God to give wisdom to all those in authority so that even corrupt leaders will work for peace.  

A just war must follow St. Augustine’s guidelines:

 

1.      It must be declared by a legitimate authority

2.      It must be carried out with the right intention-for example, to restore justice or to fight Satan and his evil followers.

3.      It must be approved as a last resort

4.      It must be waged on the basis of proportionality. That is, the good to be accomplished must be greater than the suffering and killing that will be unleashed

5.      There must be a reasonable chance of success.

6.      It must be waged with all the moderation possible. In other words, it must follow the rules of The Hague and Geneva Conventions. Civilians and POWs are to be protected as much as possible. (Henry, 2006) In other words, non-combatants are to be spared the destruction of war as much as possible and they are not to be directly and intentionally attacked.

War is hell. It might be necessary at times, but it is not “good”. It has been a necessary evil since the beginning of time, and it is a necessary evil today. We find strength not in our weapons, but in our faith in God.  God prefers peace, but he often sends his people into war. He does so under three conditions:

1.      To liberate oppressed people.

2.      To punish evildoers

3.      To defend themselves

Is God against war and military people? No. Is pacifism the right way for Christians? Not necessarily. Is the violence of war ever acceptable? (Fox, 2000) Yes. Is there a time to go to war that is right? Yes. As the apostle Paul wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:8, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. “ (Eccl 3:1-8 (KJV))

As I mentioned earlier, on rare occasions the alternatives to war are worse than war. Surely no reasonable person believes the world would have been better if Hitler had not been defeated. In fact, many historians believe that if the British and French had intervened in 1936 when Hitler illegally occupied the Rhineland, World War II could have been prevented. The League of Nations was unwilling to enforce its own mandate, and the League died.

A more modern example occurred in 1991 when Europeans tried to solve the problems in Yugoslavia without American help. But when the situation in Kosovo degenerated into genocide, no other nation was willing to act without American help. The U.S.-led coalition stopped the genocide and brought war criminals to justice.

The great German Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer was a pacifist at the beginning of World War II, but before the war ended, he was part of a failed plot to assassinate Hitler. The Gestapo imprisoned him. He died at age 39 on a Nazi gallows at the Flossenberg concentration camp, stripped of clothes and dignity. Bonheoffer paid the ultimate price while realizing that the only way to stop Hitler was by tyrannicide-the death of a tyrant (Gunkell).

We are to resist evil in ALL of its forms. Jesus encourages us to go on the attack against Satan and his evil forces. That’s why we fight people like Hitler and bin Laden. Behind every evil dictator who would destroy freedom, behind every evil force that would bring fear into the hearts of people is the evil one- SATAN. Peace at any price is not peace-it is appeasement. War is simply enforcing a law by protecting yourself, your fellow citizens and all freedom-loving people with great numbers from those who would destroy you and them. An enemy who follows Satan will destroy us unless we defend ourselves. War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest thing. We must pray that God will use war to bring salvation and freedom to many.  

How should we treat our enemies?

One day long ago, when things were looking darkest for the free world, Adolph Hitler addressed a large audience in Germany. In the front row sat a man of pronounced Semitic appearance. Following his address, Hitler came down from the platform, walked up to this man and said, “While I was speaking, you were laughing. What were you laughing about?” The man replied, “I wasn’t laughing. I was thinking”. “What were you thinking about?” asked Hitler.

“I was thinking about my people, the Jews, and that you are not the first man who didn’t like us. A long time ago, there was another man who didn’t like us. His name was Pharaoh, and he put heavy burdens on us down there in Egypt. But for years we Jews have had a feast called Passover, and at that feast we have a little three-cornered cake and we eat that cake in memory of Pharaoh”.

“Years later there was another man who didn’t like us.  His name was Haman and he did his best to get rid of all the Jews throughout the realm of King Ahasuerus. But for years we Jews have had another feast called the feast of Purim and at that feast we have a little four-cornered cake and we eat that cake in memory of Haman”.

“And while you were up there speaking, sir, I was sitting here thinking and wondering what kind of a cake we were going to eat to remember you by”. (Henry, 2006)

The Jewish man had a point. We must love our enemies if at all possible, but sometimes we need to heed the words of an old Irish blessing that goes like this. “May God bless those who love us, and those who do not love us, may He turn their hearts. If he does not turn their hearts, May he turn their ankles so we may know them by their limping.”  

Some of you may remember a song that Kenny Rogers recorded several years ago called “The Coward of the County”. The song is about a fellow who was able to follow Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek”, until evil was so strong that he had to retaliate, as shown in the following lines:

Twenty years of crawling were bottled up inside him.
He wasn't holding nothing back -- he let 'em have it all.
When Tommy left the bar room, not a Gatlin boy was standing.
He said, "This one's for Becky”, as he watched the last one fall.

(and I heard him say,)

"I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you've done
I walk away from trouble when I can
Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek,
And papa, I should hope you understand --
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man".
(Wheeler, 1979)

Peace comes through power, especially God’s peace. It guides us through the storms of life, especially war, terrorism and crime. It is there to comfort and strengthen us. It gives us the power to come together with our fellow man to create hope and healing, especially in times of despair. It comes to us in the deepest, darkest and most depressing times in our lives and creates goodness and hope from the ashes of the situation we are in. In a letter sent to members of the World Council of Churches in 2005, the General Secretary, Rev. Samuel Kobia stated, “We believe that for Christians, it is appropriate to join the concern and desire of humanity for peace and non-violence by applying their most consistent way of intervening in world affairs, that is, by prayer” (Mavunduse, 2005)

Peace also begins with us. This can often be hard to do, especially when someone has been nasty to us. It takes maturity, experience and wisdom to realize that peace (or lack of it) is about stuff (who has it, who wants it, and what people will do to get it). If we push for peace, we have to stand for it, no matter what. The road to peace is not easy, but we must stick with it as far as humanly possible because the benefits far outweigh the costs which must be paid. (Sentamu, 2006)

Peace is a matter of embracing Christ’s message of reconciliation, of coming together. It requires letting go of some of the things we hold dear. The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu summed up the requirements for peace best:

         

If there is to be peace in the world,

There must be peace in the nations.

 

If there is to be peace in the nations,

There must be peace in the cities.

 

If there is to be peace in the cities,

There must be peace between neighbours.

 

If there is to be peace between neighbours,

There must be peace in the home.

 

If there is to be peace in the home,

There must be peace in the heart. (Keating, 2007)

Bibliography

Ancient Languages - English to Latin phrase translation help. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2009, from All Experts.com: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Ancient-Languages-2210/English-Latin-phrase-translation-3.htm

Anderson, N. (n.d.). The World's Peace. Retrieved from Daily in Christ: www.crosswalk.com

Bible, E. S. (2006). Luke 22:35-36. Bible Explorer .

Fox, L. (2000, May). A Christian Perspective of Self Defense. Retrieved February 25, 2009, from Foxven.com: www.foxven.com/s-self.html

Gunkell, C. (n.d.). Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from eSermons.com: http://www.esermons.com/theResultsPage.asp?user_id=31971

Henry, R. J. (2006). A Time for War-A Time for Peace. Retrieved 2007, from SermonSearch.com: www.sermonsearch.com

Keating, D. (2007, December). Reflections on Life and Faith. Retrieved from Seems Lilke God: www.seemslikegod.org

Mavunduse, D. (2005, September). Churches urged to pray for peace.

Sentamu, T. M. (2006, August). Archbishop ends fast with call for new efforts for a sustainable peace in Middle East. Anglican Communion News Service .

VI, P. P. (1998-2009). Peace Quotes. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from Nuclear Age Peace Foundation: http://www.wagingpeace.org/menu/issues/peace-&-war/start/peace-quotes/index.htm

Wheeler, R. B. (Composer). (1979). The Coward of the County. [K. Rogers, Performer] Nashville, Tennessee, USA.