Guest Post: Mercy And Forgiveness by A Friend of Mine

A friend of mine wrote this. I thought it was good and asked if I could post it to this blog. He did not desire attribution. I started a series on practical spiritual warfare tactics, and more posts will come. We need an understanding of mercy and forgiveness and I do not consider myself an authority on forgiveness, so I will let my friend discuss it.

I have had a thought in my mind lately about how, as Christians, how we die is a greater witness than how we live. I think my friend hits on that topic pretty well.

I have seen the movie my friend refers to, "Paul: Apostle of Christ" starring Jim Caviezel as Luke. It is very good. It's available on Pure Flix. I copied this from a pdf, so any formatting errors are mine from pasting into Blogger's editor and trying to fix the line breaks. The post begins below:

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One of my earliest memories of Sunday School was the story of Jesus’ arrest at Gethsemane. I remember feeling the frustration at the disciples as they could not stay awake while Jesus prayed but when Judas came to arrest Him, things got a bit more interesting:

John 18:10

 “Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the High Priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear…”

I remember thinking to myself, “Yes! Fight for Jesus! Don’t let them arrest Him!”

Luke 22:51

 ‘But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And He touched the man’s ear and healed him.’

Really?!?! No fight to defend Jesus? 

This attitude permeated much of my younger life. I wanted to be militant in my defense of Jesus and Christianity but couldn’t understand why even the Apostles didn’t defend themselves when arrested or the people didn’t stop them from being arrested.

Acts Chapter 4 - Peter and John before the Sanhedrin.

Acts 7:54-59 - The stoning of Stephen

 Acts 8:1-3 - Persecution and scattering of the church

 Acts 12 - King Herod persecuting the Christians and arresting them, James killed by the sword

Throughout the entire New Testament you read about the persecutions that had been levied against Christians but not a single uprising, no defense, not even a scuffle.

I couldn’t understand why, if they truly believed Jesus to be the Son of God, that He died for our sins, was resurrected and ascended into heaven, why weren’t they much more adamant about protecting themselves and ensuring they were able to worship without persecution? After all, Israel was charged by God to take back their homeland after leaving Egypt, were they not? 

What changed with Jesus’ coming? Why does God allow Christians to continue to be persecuted to this day throughout the world?

In my youth, I had agreed with the original concept of the Crusades: to defend the faith. I wanted to be able to take a stand against those that were defiling churches, burning Bibles, desecrating and removing crosses and generally make sure the world knew not to mess with Christians. Whether it was from respect for our worship or fear of Christians pushing back, I wanted to make sure the persecutions of Christians came to an end.

I continually struggled with the reasons why. I tried to find any scrap of evidence in the Bible where God gave us a license to defend ourselves against the persecution.

I found not one verse.

I watched the movie Paul - Apostle of Christ with Jim Caviezel as Luke and James Faulkner as Paul. There was a scene where a boy who had been living in the Christian community in Rome had been brutalized and killed by Roman soldiers while he was returning from running a message. Several of the younger men in the community, angered by the senseless killing, decided to take up arms and fight back against the Romans; even going to the extent to try to free Paul from prison and ultimately to overthrow Nero.

While not supported in scripture, I can imagine there have been others who have had the same inclination; the same thought; the same desire to serve justice on those who seek to stamp out Christianity.

In the movie, when the armed resistance tries to convince Paul that he should leave with them. James Faulkner responds to their statements that he will die in prison with,

“You say you come in His name, but it is clear you do not know Him.”

What does it mean to “know Him”?

I started going back through the Gospels and reading what Jesus had to say when confronted by the Pharisees, Sadducees and Sanhedrin. Each time Jesus was challenged, He responded with the authority of God, yet in humility. He rebuked them, but the impact was not the force of His speaking but the truth of His words and the knowledge he possessed as the Son of God.

This was a man who, at the age of 12, was in the temple listening to the teachers and asking them questions:

Luke 2:47

 “Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers.”

2 Have you been in a situation where you knew, without a doubt, the correct answer to a question but waited patiently for your turn to answer? Calmly waiting to be called on. In no hurry whatsoever. Humbly waiting for your turn.

It is that confidence in knowing you have the right answer. It is that very same confidence that we need to have in what we know about God’s Plan and His sacrifice for us that we need to cling to. But that confidence can only come when we put our trust in God.

That is simply a taste as to what it must have been like. Jesus knows the Law of God. He knows the scriptures. For the teachers and scholars to be attacking Him during his ministry and for Him to show such restraint and humility and to provide the answers to their questions and accusations.

He also knew the prophesy: that He would be hung on a cross, that His blood would be shed to cleanse our sins, and that He would die and in three days be resurrected.

Matthew 26:53

 “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”

Again, in my youth, I always wanted Jesus to call upon God for those angels to protect Him and save Him. 

But Matthew 26:54 tells us why Jesus did not call upon His Father:

“But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

Jesus knew why He wouldn’t call upon His Father. He knew exactly what was going to happen to Him in the coming hours: the torture, the humiliation, the pain and suffering. But He also knew why the prophesy had to be fulfilled. He had to fulfill the prophesy out of His love for us. For God’s love for us. For our salvation, the cleansing of our souls from the sin that taints us all by the shedding of his blood. To finally wash away that taint so we will be with Him in heaven for eternity.

John 14:2-3

 “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

3 So we know why Jesus endured the suffering and anguish. But are we asked to suffer the persecution for the same reason?

Colossians 2:15 - Paul writes:

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

Jesus Christ has already triumphed over every enemy. God has already won! Christ’s death and resurrection was the final blow.

Philippians 1:21 - Paul says:

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

The last part of that verse I think we all have an idea of what that means. 

“To die is gain”

That simply means we will be with Jesus for eternity when we leave this earth. How joyous is that? But what are we to do in the meantime while we are still here?

Philippians 1:23-24

 “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”

Paul is simply saying that while it would be easier to be with Christ in eternity, there is still much work to be done here on earth. As long as he remains here, it is better for other Christians for him to continue God’s work: spreading the Good News, letting the world know that Jesus Christ has conquered all, helping to bring His flock closer to Him.

But why must we endure the persecutions and endure them without without fighting back?

As James Faulkner says in Paul - Apostle of Christ, “Christ has already triumphed over every enemy by the cross.”

There is no need for us to fight back. This life is temporary and our trust in God, to truly believe that Jesus is God’s only son who had been sacrificed for us, that His blood was shed to cleanse us of our sins, and that He rose again and has ascended into heaven, is the key to having that confidence. and that confidence and trust in God is what enables us to endure the persecution.

4 2 Corinthians 4:18 - Paul states:

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Many have given their lives in service to Jesus Christ: Stephen, Paul, Peter, James, etc. The list goes on.

Perhaps the simplest way of putting it is simply that;

“It doesn’t matter.”

Mark 8:35

 “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their lifer me and for the gospel will save it.”

Perhaps the best direct lessons we can learn are from Jesus on the cross and Stephen:

Luke 23:34

 “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’”

Acts 7:59-60

 “While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.”

To truly love your fellow man enough to understand that those committing the persecution are as lost as any can be and they are the ones who really need to come to Christ is the real tragedy.

Luke 15:4

 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”

The pain God feels at losing any of His sheep is far greater than any pain we can endure here in this life. Those who are persecuting us are just as lost. To be blinded by such hatred is to be truly lost and they may never be found. Forgiveness for those who persecute us is probably the best show of mercy that we can provide them; even if it is the last act we are able to perform in this life. 

5 James 2:12-13 - James writes:

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement.”

As God has shown us mercy, so should we all for others; especially those who perpetrate the worst against us. For us to show mercy, is for us to forgive others as God has forgiven us. 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 - Paul writes:

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Our strength begins with our weaknesses. Our weaknesses make Christ’s power perfect. It is Christ’s power that gives us strength.

Let not your human pride control you. When they attack you, it is the human pride that is wounded and wants to fight back. Lay aside your human pride and let your Christian soul absorb the slings and arrows that cannot harm you. For it is Christ’s work that we are called to do, and it is Christ’s work which satan continually attempts to thwart.

Find that confidence that knowing the answer provides. That confidence will grant you the peace through Christ that you will require to endure to the end.

Job- An Alternate Timeline?

Job came up in my church small group today. I've done quite a bit of study on Job. I once took a "Wisdom Literature" class at a non-accredited Bible college that required reading Job in several translations. Yes, I'm a Bible college dropout.

I've never attempted to compare myself to Job. Job was innocent; I seem to have worked pretty hard to get into the trouble I do. For instance, my wife is in the process of divorcing me.

So Job starts out with the "Sons of God" presenting themselves before the throne. Satan is among them. God points out his servant Job. Satan says it would be really easy for Job to curse God. God gives Satan permission. In Chapter 2, Satan ups the ante, and God goes along with it.

In Chapter 3, Job's three friends come from an apparent distance to mourn with him. It says they sat there quietly for 7 days. Then in Chapter 4, Job opens his mouth and wails about how it would have been better had he never been born.

Most of the book is Job's friends' attempts to tell Job "Now, you just wait a minute here!" They each take an attempt, and Job responds, and it escalates. Finally, them and Job run out of things to say, and Elihu opens his verbose mouth (can somebody please shut Elihu up?) and rambles on for 5 chapters.

Then God shows up, and takes Job on a "tour" of exactly where he fits into the grand scheme of things. Job attempts in Chapter 40 to admit he's talking out of turn, but God continues on the tour of majesty. Job repents. God restores Job double what he once had.

It's a great book.

But I've always been left wondering something.

What if Job's friends, rather than start rebuking him after Chapters 4 and 5, tried something different?

What if one of them just gave Job a hug, and told him "It's cool, Job. We'll get you through this"?

The problem with suffering and advice is, most of us are Job's friends. Hey, don't knock them. They traveled far to sit with him in mourning. Those are pretty good friends. They didn't start arguing with him until Job wailed that he should never have been born. Then they tried to defend against his thinking. And Job got defensive, and it escalated. But they were trying to be faithful to what they understood about God.

I notice when I'm in suffering, sometimes other believers become my enemies. Sure, they think they're defending God. They think they're helping. But they're not.

When I lost my job in 2010, somebody at church actually asked me "You know you can find jobs in the paper, right?" It took all my willpower not to sarcastically reply (pardon my French) "No shit! I'm in my late 30's, and nobody ever told me THERE ARE JOBS IN THE NEWSPAPER!"

Just like my divorce. I've been married 12 years. And other Christians, who just find out, come in with "You have to fight for your marriage!" I want to ask "Oh, really? Where were you 5 years ago? That advice would have made all the difference. Why did nobody else share with me this sacred advice?" It's as if I haven't been fighting, and praying, and seeking counsel, and reading books like "Love and Respect", "Sacred Marriage", and other big named and lesser names tomes. Nope, just bouncing around like a ping pong ball in a clothes dryer. Never even occurred to me to pray, you'd think based on the advice of most evangelical Christians.

Others advise me to get "The Love Dare" and run it. Like I haven't already. You do know Fireproof was just a movie, right? And even at that, not based on a true story?

Romans 12:15 says "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep". Would the story of Job have come out differently if his friends, rather than challenging his rant, decided to weep with him?

What Are They Thinking?- When A Church Tries To Get You Back

My wife and I have left a couple churches over the last 10 years. The first church is the one I came to Christ in, and we stayed with them for eight years, long after we stopped feeling like we belonged there. The second church we stopped going to because I had to move to Virginia to work, and my wife didn't feel like "part of the family".

The first church, I was ready to lead us away, but for some reason my wife felt like she should keep going there. During the decline of our being part of that church, she stopped going entirely. She went during the week to work on the church pantry, throwing out all the expired food that was brought in (another "What The Heck Are They Thinking?" topic). I only went to church when I had to run the computer or sound board. Otherwise I didn't bother going. I would slip in the back, do what I had to do, and leave.

I found it odd that other members of the church would tell us they hadn't seen us in months and they "missed us". Right. You have our phone numbers. If you missed us so much, why haven't you called? We haven't called you because we know you invited everybody else but us to your childrens' last two birthdays and we can take a hint.

Inevitably, a church will go through the rolls to see who hasn't been to church in a while. They they "reach out" to you in a method that one wonders if the church isn't on some drugs they didn't share while you worshipped with them. You'll get a postcard that says something like "We missed you! Why don't you come to our Christmas program! It'll be fun!"

And that's what I want to ask about. When you leave a church because you don't feel like you belong there, what missing part of the brain prevents pastors, elders, and secretaries from thinking "Maybe they don't feel like valued parts of the family anymore? Is treating them the same way we would treat seekers from the community really the best way to do it?"

Somehow, I doubt most churches ever spend that much brainpower on the subject. They just continue on with whatever they're doing. "I don't know what's wrong with them. We invited them to see our Christmas program. How rude for not coming!"

To all the pastors, elders, church secretaries, and anybody else who wonders why people left your church and won't come back, why don't you try this:

"Hi! We haven't seen you in a while. Why doesn't your family come over for dinner? We'd love to see you again. No, you don't have to bring anything. We've got it". I would respond to that. I'll show up for food. But when I leave a church because we've long since been passed over for friendship and fellowship by the rest of the members, I don't give a sheep dropping about your Christmas or VBS program.

Does Every Detail In Scripture Have To "Apply To Us Today"?

In my small group, we finished off a study of Ephesians. My group leader asked us what we thought about Paul asking people not to pray that he be let out of prison.

I responded by setting the context. I said that Paul asked in Acts, as a Roman citizen, to appeal his case to Caesar. Caesar at that point was Nero. I talked about how Paul must have laid the Gospel onto Nero at least as hard as he did on the leaders in Judea.

Then my group leader asked "So how does that apply to us today?"

I opened my mouth to ask "Does it have to?" before I shut it down.

I didn't shut it down because I thought I was wrong. I often do quiet down in small group (those who know me may have a hard time believing it) because I realize not everyone has the same perspective I do. And I have a lifetime of study ahead of me.

The study then turned to "God's will for our lives", where I also kept quiet. Partly because that wasn't the forum for my thoughts, partly because I'd run my mouth enough in that small group session, and partly because I've already shared what I think about "God's will for MOST of our lives" in there.

So back to the main question that launched this post: does every last piece of Scripture have to "apply to us today"? I think a bunch of it does. But I don't think all of it does. I think parts of it are meant for us to say "Wow! I can't believe God did that!" without us also asking "So, like, when is God going to do that for me?" Otherwise, I have a long list of people who need their teeth broken in their mouths.

Nehemiah From the Perspective of Male Leadership

This is a cross post. I originally wrote this on my main blog, The Stand Up Philosopher, about three years ago. I've been thinking about bringing this blog back. People have read it and told me they like my writing. I'm going to kick off the relaunch of Christian Family Life with this repost, then I'll post a series of Proverbs that helped me several years ago while I was dealing with some anger and boundary issues. This was originally posted January 29, 2009. I'm no longer a member of that church for various reasons, one of which being distance.
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My church is going to start a new men’s group. It’s proven to be a real challenge as we are a “freeway church”, that is, our membership is pretty well spread out. We’re not a community church where our membership generally lives nearby. My house is currently about 10 miles from the church, and if we sell and move into my in-laws’, I’ll be 20 miles out. Some people come from even farther. We’re also incredibly busy. Trying to find a date and time for a men’s group to meet has been difficult. I can’t do breakfast meetings because I get to work at 6:30 AM. We finally settled on Thursday afternoon, with our first meeting being today. We’ll see how it goes.

In preparation for our first meeting, I read the book of Nehemiah from the perspective of male leadership. For the past several weeks our pastors have been preaching from Nehemiah. Several things stood out to me during this read. For one thing, Nehemiah considered Jerusalem as a reproach with the walls down. Putting the walls back up would make the city no longer a reproach. I have to wonder if there is anything I can draw from that. Is a person, a family, a church, a group, a society, etc. a reproach with a broken wall, a lack of boundaries, or no form of defensive security and self-containment? Is there a broader application? I don’t like to over-spiritualize or allegorize parts of the Bible for which neither was intended, but in many cases there is a deeper message. I don’t have the answer now, but I do plan to study this.