Last Friday, I
watched in horror the terrorist attacks on Paris. I had flashbacks to the
horror of 14 years ago when terrorists attacked our own nation- America. I
think it’s hard to disagree that this will be a decades-long struggle with
radical Islamists.
I am not looking to give you some political ideology or what I believe would be a great military strategy in the fight against terrorism. Rather, I want to give you some Biblical advice on how we, as Christ-followers, respond in the midst of painful times.
The things I am sharing have come from a blog I read last weekend from someone I respect highly. His name is Ed Stetzer, and his advice on a Christian response to terrorism is spot-on. Specifically, as it relates to what took place in Paris, he says:
1) Pray. Pray for families. Pray for Paris (which we did on Sunday in our church services).
He then adds: Pray for Muslims. Pray for our enemies. It is not easy, but it is our
calling.
2) Love the hurting. Even where we sit, we can love the French and “weep with those who
weep” (Romans 12:15). It was the French newspaper, Le Monde, that said in the
aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, “We are all Americans now.” Well, today, we are all
Parisians.
3) Love our enemies. This is what makes the Christian faith unique. President Obama
said it well, “This is an attack on all of humanity.” When you let that sink in, you would
have to admit that love is not our natural feeling, but love is what we are called to
anyway. (Read and contemplate Matthew 5:43-45.)
After the events of last weekend, when a ‘love your enemies’ response is hard to come by
or when memories of 14 years ago resurface, we have to do more than give lip service to
the things I’ve listed above. We have to make a commitment to resist certain things.
There are three things we should not do as Christians:
1) We should not hate. Our human nature wants to hate those who destroy so many lives.
We feel an anger towards an evil we cannot control. But the truth is, we are people who
live with hope and live with a mission. We cannot hate a people and reach a people at
the same time. Pray that your heart is protected from hate.
2) We should not take out anger on refugees. The immigrants streaming across Europe
are trying to escape radical Islamists; they are not the enemy. Of course, we need better
security knowing that terrorists may very well try to infiltrate such refugees, but most
refugees want to protect their families. Don’t start placing blame or drawing
conclusions on innocent people who need protection.
3) We should not call for war with Islam. What do I mean? I do not think that interfaith
cooperation is helpful, but multi-faith understanding can be. I do not believe Muslims
and Christians pray to the same God, but all people need Jesus including Hindus,
Muslims, and Atheists. That is the part that makes us Evangelicals.
I want to see Muslims come to Christ (just as they want to win me to Islam), and we can’t do that by going to war with a billion people. The vast majority of Muslims are not terrorists. As I said at the beginning- I’m not writing about the appropriate government response- I’m writing about the Christ-followers’ response.
Let’s make sure the responses have been tempered by the fruit of the Spirit instead of human emotion. Don’t get caught up in debates and anger. Let us remember that ‘God is in control’.
Blessings,
I am not looking to give you some political ideology or what I believe would be a great military strategy in the fight against terrorism. Rather, I want to give you some Biblical advice on how we, as Christ-followers, respond in the midst of painful times.
The things I am sharing have come from a blog I read last weekend from someone I respect highly. His name is Ed Stetzer, and his advice on a Christian response to terrorism is spot-on. Specifically, as it relates to what took place in Paris, he says:
1) Pray. Pray for families. Pray for Paris (which we did on Sunday in our church services).
He then adds: Pray for Muslims. Pray for our enemies. It is not easy, but it is our
calling.
2) Love the hurting. Even where we sit, we can love the French and “weep with those who
weep” (Romans 12:15). It was the French newspaper, Le Monde, that said in the
aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, “We are all Americans now.” Well, today, we are all
Parisians.
3) Love our enemies. This is what makes the Christian faith unique. President Obama
said it well, “This is an attack on all of humanity.” When you let that sink in, you would
have to admit that love is not our natural feeling, but love is what we are called to
anyway. (Read and contemplate Matthew 5:43-45.)
After the events of last weekend, when a ‘love your enemies’ response is hard to come by
or when memories of 14 years ago resurface, we have to do more than give lip service to
the things I’ve listed above. We have to make a commitment to resist certain things.
There are three things we should not do as Christians:
1) We should not hate. Our human nature wants to hate those who destroy so many lives.
We feel an anger towards an evil we cannot control. But the truth is, we are people who
live with hope and live with a mission. We cannot hate a people and reach a people at
the same time. Pray that your heart is protected from hate.
2) We should not take out anger on refugees. The immigrants streaming across Europe
are trying to escape radical Islamists; they are not the enemy. Of course, we need better
security knowing that terrorists may very well try to infiltrate such refugees, but most
refugees want to protect their families. Don’t start placing blame or drawing
conclusions on innocent people who need protection.
3) We should not call for war with Islam. What do I mean? I do not think that interfaith
cooperation is helpful, but multi-faith understanding can be. I do not believe Muslims
and Christians pray to the same God, but all people need Jesus including Hindus,
Muslims, and Atheists. That is the part that makes us Evangelicals.
I want to see Muslims come to Christ (just as they want to win me to Islam), and we can’t do that by going to war with a billion people. The vast majority of Muslims are not terrorists. As I said at the beginning- I’m not writing about the appropriate government response- I’m writing about the Christ-followers’ response.
Let’s make sure the responses have been tempered by the fruit of the Spirit instead of human emotion. Don’t get caught up in debates and anger. Let us remember that ‘God is in control’.
Blessings,
P.S. Are you content? Why? Why not? What would make you content? More money? A better job? How can I be content and happy? Answers to these questions and much, much more are headed your way this Sunday at 9:15 and 11:00.
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