What To Do When the One You Are To Love Becomes Your Enemy

Sorry, it has been a while.  It's been one of those few months where it seems like life just gets in the way of writing.  I also have been writing in another blog I co-author called Iowa Seed Sowers.  Please check it out for news, evangelism events, and also ideas on how to reach the lost of Iowa and around the world.  Thanks for sticking with me and not giving up. 

With that being said, a few things have been on my mind lately, one of which is how to live and share the gospel in a world like today.  People today most definitely describes the people talked about in 2 Timothy 3:1-9.  These people are the most unloving of them all.  But Jesus commanded every Chrisitian to love thier enemy (Matthew 5:43-44; Luke 6:27).  But the problem that I run into is this...who is my enemy, and what do I do when the people I am trying to reach become my enemy? 

Who Is My Enemy?

I know that we as Christians obviously have enemies like Satan and his demons.  But if we look at the word enemy from Matthew 5:44 in a Strong's and Thayer's concordences, it takes on a more important meaning.  The word enemy litterally means:

A person who is hateful, actively hostile, and an adversary.  It is talked about as a person who is hostile toward the things of God.

So what this means is that those who oppose me on the street as I witness, those who try to stop me preaching, and those who are yelling and cursing at me are those who I am supposed to be loving.  So those who the bible says, "curse you, hate you, spitefully use you, and persecute you", I am supposed to love. 

How Am I To React... In Thought, Word, and Deed (Matthew 5:44)

The human knee-jerk reaction to a person yelling at me would be to yell back.  An eye for an eye...right?  But Jesus said to love these people.  So how do I go about doing that?  Lets look at some scripture to get a better understanding. 

Bless (Word)

Bless those who curse you.  What does it mean to bless?  It means to:

Speak well of, to consecrate a thing or person with God's blessing and prayer, to cause to prosper, make happy, and bestow blessings on.

Blessings here indicate more of spoken words and not action (which we will see next).  So when a person is cursing me out, I should respond with a sincere, "God bless you."

Do Good (Deed)

Do good to those who hate you. 
What does it mean to do good?  I can think of alot of things, but scripture says:

To do beutifully, finely, excellent, well.  To do things that are excellent, noteworthy, commendable, noble, and worthy of honor. 

So here it's putting your action to the blessings of your mouth.   We must not only love in tongue, but in deed and truth.  Some practical things we can do is buy them lunch, offer to help them in any way. 

Pray (thought)

Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you (Matthew 5:44).

Alot of times we may say the right thing, do the right thing, and then all there is left to do is pray.  I cannot change a person's heart, but I can lift him up in prayer to the one who can, and that's God. 

There are some times when I cannot say or do anything in the moment, or I'm not even near the person who is coming against me.  To spitefully use really means to threaten, unjustly accuse, or to insult and slander.  Most times when people sling insults they are behind your back and not to your face.  Look at the Apostle Paul and his dealings throughout his letters on how people accused him and slandered him before he got there and after he left.  They were cowards. 

But praying for people not only helps the one who is coming against me, but helps me, the one who is being persecuted.  When things are at their worst, and seems like there is no hope, a person can get bitter, angry, and want to seek revenge.  But it's hard to be bitter and angry towards a person who you are praying for.  It for the most part aligns my thinking with God's word. 

This has been a good reminder for me.  I always have to keep my heart in check and often site 2 Timothy 2:24-28 as a good example of what an evangelists heart needs to be when sharing the gospel with the lost, saving them from the ultimate enemy which is Satan himself. 

The Silver Bullet

In the old monster movies there were which seemed to be an invinceable foe, a monster that could not be killed. Then one day from studying old documents in a library, someone found out how to kill it. Like the warewolf, which once struck fear in the hearts of the townspeople there was now hope in that the enemy can be killed and the townspeople saved.

 Like the silver bullet for the warewolf, we as evangelists are looking for the silver bullet to bring down the moster of false religions like Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses one step at a time. For years I have been searching for the silver bullet to help young missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) find Christ so that when presented, they would come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil having been taken captive to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26).

For a long time I really believed that the silver bullet was a myth. But the thing is that there IS a silver bullet, and it was right under my nose the whole time. It was, and is, God's word, the Holy Bible.

God's word is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, seperating even the soul and spirit...(Hebrews 4:12).

We are to share the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

So I thought about this for a minute, what do the Mormons (LDS), and the JW's have in common, they are swayed in not reading God's word for themselves, if at all.  When talking with their missionaries, what do they want to teach you?  It's usually pamphlets, books, or even "another gospel" like the Book of Mormon.  It's never The Holy Bible.  Even when I was a Roman Catholic, I was told not to bother reading God's word, and when I did start reading it, I started to compare it to the Roman Catholic Catechism, and realized I could either be a Catholic, or a Christian, but not both. So, in keeping this blog post as short as possible, please watch this full documentary .

When trying to reach Mormons, JW's, or anyone for that matter, do yourself a favor and leave them with this...challenge them to read the bible like a child. To read it with an open mind, with no preconcieved ideas, and read it for what it is. God's word changes people. It changed me, my wife, and so many others. God bless.

What Easter Is Not...

My wife and I received this card today in the mail to celebrate the Easter holiday.  It is a very pretty card with lots of color and really cool writing.  Nice and pleasant things are written to the reader which is to promote a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.  And, oh yes, it's made by Hallmark with it's gold seal of approval on the back of the envelope.  But here is what it said...

From time to time-
and Easter's A good time-
It's nice to hear
that you're loved, admired, valued, thought about, and prayed for...
It's nice to know that people notice what a REALLY GOOD PERSON you are.
And you are REALLY.
Happy Easter
 

   If this card was written for a birthday or some special day like a new baby or a pay raise, I may have let it go.  May have. But it wasn't.  It was written for Easter to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  So why does this card bother me so much.  It defys everything about what Easter and the ressurrection stands for.  For here is the problem, if people are "good", then there would be no need for Christ be crucified, die, be burried, and risen.  Because if people are good enough, then there would be no need to be saved, and people would go to heaven free and clear because it would be deserved. 

The truth is that people are not good.  This is what the bible says about people who are left to themselves without God:

10 There is none righteous, no not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open tomb;
With thier tongues they have practiced deceit;
The poison of asps is under their lips;
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
15 Thier feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known. 
18 There is no fear of God before thier eyes.

- Romans 3:10-18 NASB

 

This is basically what God thinks of people left to their own devices, and in their own strength without God.  It is God's indictment against humanity taken from Psalm 14 and 53.  Verses 10-12 is man's character...evil, stupid, blind, useless, and deserters of God.  Verses  13-14 is against what man says with hurtful words full of lies.  Verses 15-18 is against what man does.  He is quick to injure and kill; pain and suffering are in his path and people don't know harmony and tranquility is.  Left to themselves, they will always be at war with God, without fear of Him before their eyes. 

The Epistle to the Romans is a great place to start for anyone.  Whether they are a new Christian, the hater of God, or someone in the middle.  Chapter 1 deals with the wrath of God against the wicked.  Chapter 2 deals with the wrath of God against the Jew and moral man, and Chapter 3 states that everyone is guilty before God...including the Christian apart from Christ's forgiveness (Romans 3:5-9).  The truth is no one is inncoent before God.  We ALL have fallen short of God's glory. 

But the beutiful thing about all of this is that even though we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). 

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
25 whom God displayed pubilaly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.  This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God, He passed over the sins previously committed;
26 for the demonstration I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

- Romans 3:23-26 NASB

 

Jesus was God's gift to us so that we can be justified in His sight, and we would have redemption and be with Him forever.  No one can boast in what only God is able to do.  God is the one who gave Christ to us.  It is by Christ that we are free from the curse of sin and death.  Praise God who is the only one who should be praised.  Thank the Lord for His mighty work in that even though we are all sinners deserving of hell, that He gave us an escape through His Son Jesus, so that He should recieve all glory.  Praise God and Happy Easter. 



 

 

 





Why I'm Not Catholic Anymore - The Pope and the Papacy 1

I could go into all the reasons why I believe that the Pope is not the mediator between God and man, nor is the head of the church...but Christ Himself.  This pretty much sums it up as to why I cannot believe that the Pope is the head of the church, nor me as a Christian. 

http://youtu.be/6C1ec1yu3m4

Why Can't I Just Be A Good Muslim?

One of the most strikingly opposing views that I know the Roman Catholic Church teaches is that you can be a good Muslim and still get to heaven…even though they do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, but only a good prophet.  I have to admit, when I shared this with some of my Catholic and ex-Catholic friends, they thought I was crazy. 

For sake of space and time I hyperlinked some of the core beliefs of Islam in the following for those reading this that may not know what Muslims believe, here is a comprehensive list courtesy of CARM.org. In order to be saved in Islam, a person MUST adhere to ALL (not some or even most) the five pillars of Islam which molds their thought, deeds, and society.  

The salvation of millions of Muslims is comprised in this one tiny paragraph in the Roman Catholic Catechism…paragraph 841:

The Church's relationship with the Muslims. "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day."

So, what is wrong with this?  Let’s make a list. 

ALLAH IS THIER CREATOR

For the Christian the creator is God the Father, along with Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Does the Muslim acknowledge the creator?  No.  They acknowledge Allah, who is NOT JEHOVAH GOD!!!

God as creator: Gen 1:1; Neh 9:6; Job 26:7; Psalm 102:25; Acts 14:15; Heb 11:3

Jesus as creator: John 1:3; 1 Cor 8:6; Eph 3:9; Col 1:16; Heb 1:1-2.

Holy Spirit as creator: Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13, 33:4; Psalm 104:30.

MUSLIMS PROFESS THIER FAITH IN MUHAMMAD

Do Muslims profess to hold the faith of Abraham?  No.  What was Abraham’s faith?  It was in Jehovah God.  For the Muslim, thier faith is in Muhammad, thier prophet.  With that being said, do Muslims adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day?  No.  Mankind’s judge on the last day according to the Bible will be Jesus Christ.  Do Muslims adore Jesus Christ?  No. 

Most Muslims and Christians are so opposing in views that they could be considered antonyms in comparison.  But for some reason the Roman Catholic Church has deemed them worthy of salvation.  For a Catholic, salvation is based on three things:  Praying to Mary, finishing all the sacrements, and doing good works.  Why then can a Muslim, who does not do any of these things get to go to heaven is beyond me.  It does not make sense.  I dove a little deeper into this claim and found some interesting things.  Some things that Muslims have in common with Catholics is thier belief in Mary, Pilgramages, doing good works to earn salvation, and world dominion.