June 14, 2015
Let us love in deed and truth!
One of the favorite past times of some in the congregation is to
go target shooting. Matter of fact, two
of our members compete in target competitions.
I enjoy target shooting as well with both handguns, rifles and shotguns. While in college my best friend whose Dad
reloaded both shotgun and rifle would invite me over and we would shoot for
hours and our sore shoulders would be proof of a good time. When shooting there would always be a target,
whether pie tins, pencils or if we wanted proof the paper targets. When we would use paper targets they were meant
as a means for focus, both for the shooter to concentrate on and for after one
was done shooting to see if we could hit what we were aiming at, whether clays
with shotgun or orange targets for rifle.
When we would go and get the target it was very clear if we had ‘hit the
mark’ or missed. This was before I wore
glasses full-time and I was a pretty good shot.
Unlike target practice, Christians who want to tell what Jesus
Christ has done, don’t have a clear ‘target’ when it comes to the opportunity
we have to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the main message of love. Last week we heard clearly three important
words, and I repeat them today, because as I said last week, we need to daily
hear them. “God is love”! Since God is love we have the opportunity to
love one another. But this is a
challenge no matter if you are retired mechanic, school teacher, husband or
housewife, a farmer, someone who works in an office, a parent or a child. Loving others is hard work. So hard of work is ‘love’ that some people
don’t even try. They relegate relationships
to things they will do later or only with select people, because it requires
‘work’.
In the church at-large, we are not immune to not wanting to have
the ‘talk’. There have been many times
and situations in the history of the church at large and Emmanuel that a ‘talk’
or simple phone call or conversation would have resolved the issue and changed
the direction of not only the chat, but ultimately the direction of the
church.
Because of the belief that God is love and doesn’t give us a
‘cognitive recalibration’, Christians at times chose the path of least
resistance of not engaging when someone either gossips or spreads a falsehood. And we the church have paid for this, from
the time of Constantine when he legalized Christianity to today. When we take the path of least resistance or
say things in a tone, but are hurtful, we destroy the potential and possibility
of having the trust needed between brother’s and sisters in Christ.
What occurs is that the society we live in, therefore says, ‘I want
nothing to do with being a Christian’, because Christians are hypocrites,
gossips and what occurs is that Christians lose credibility. Society says, ‘they talk about God and
forgiveness, but don’t treat people decently, I want nothing to do with organized
religion’. A recent Barna poll stated
that “51% of North American Christians…possess attitudes and actions that are
more like the Pharisees than they are like Christ.” [Carey Niewhof “The Top 10
Things Pharisees Say Today”, July 1, 2014]
We cannot dispute polls, but how can we Christians and especially the
church respond? How can we respond and
emulate the love of Christ for all of mankind?
First, we can even though the world hates us as John says, still
love in deed and truth. We are called to
love as God first loved us and gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. When we love unconditionally and without
spreading gossip or heresay we then can place our head on the pillow at night knowing
we have loved not just in thought, but clearly in word and deed.
Second, we can tell the truth in love, but without the attitude
and tone. Just as when sworn in at the
court when we are called to testify, we can make the pledge to in love for God
and our fellow man. We can keep tone out
of our voice. So easy do we lapse into a
tone, that all of us need to talk to the person next to us as if we are talking
to Jesus, the author of our faith. When
we do this our conversations, attitudes and tones will be transformed. And our conversations will be joyous and
loving and emulate God’s desire for us to tell the truth in love.
And finally, we can firmly believe we are following what God is
calling us to accomplish for His Glory.
Loving our neighbors as ourselves, loving by leading lives of honor and
integrity we honor God more fully and honor Him and the sacrifice of His Son
Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. We
then both in deed and truth and by our tone can be clearly heard, understood
and feel love from and for each other.
When we love each other we then change not only the trajectory of
our conversations, we change our relationship and clearly emulate what Jesus
Christ showed us on the Cross of Calvary.
In today’s world we need more of this, not just here in Goodland,
Kansas, but all around the world. One
example of loving in spite of circumstance was related recently in an article I
read.
With recent events in the Middle East and the continued threat of
ISIS a story was shared by Jim Denison of the true impact of love by a
Christian. Denison tells of an ISIS
fighter who enjoyed killing Christians. This
isn’t any ordinary story, but one that shows how the love of Christians can and
does pay eternal dividends. Denison
writes:
“An ISIS fighter who says he "enjoyed killing
Christians" has told missionaries that he has been having dreams of a man
in white. The man told him, "You are killing my people."
Before the fighter murdered one Christian, the believer said, "I know you
will kill me, but I give to you my Bible." He killed the Christian,
then took his Bible and began to read it. Jesus appeared to him again,
calling him to become a Christian. Now the man is asking missionaries how
he can become a follower of Christ and be discipled.Muslims the world over are having such dreams of Jesus. God is miraculously at work around the world”. [“ISIS Fighter Who Enjoyed Killing Christians Dreams of Jesus” Jim Denison, June 9, 2015]
God is at work in our world today.
God is at work right here in Goodland and especially here at
Emmanuel. When we ‘love in deed and
truth’, God uses us to change people.
God can use each and every one of us to change the world. Let’s be the agents of change and allow God
to use us as His missionaries to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ message is simple that He
came lived among us, died on the Cross and rose from the dead in order that all
could have eternal life out of His great love for all of mankind. Including all of us gathered here today who
believe God loves us and we can ‘love in deed and truth.’ AMEN.
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