loving our neighbor

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To Love a Terrorist?

As I write this post, the news channels are inundating our senses with the latest on the suspects from the Boston Marathon bombing. Ever efficient, reporters from every media outlet have descended on the Boston, Massachusetts area, in order that we might know every single gritty detail of the tragedy making front page headlines.

On my part, my heart goes out to those who were injured and the families who are also in the process of planning funerals for their loved ones.

However, there are a few things with which I am struggling. Please bear with me as I point out some deficiencies in what we are seeing and hearing played out in front of us. This article is not meant to demean the suffering of those injured or the grief of the families of those killed in anyway.

BeslanrosesFirst, let’s consider a little history lesson. The media has already found out that the suspects are of Chechen heritage. During the breakup of the USSR in the early 1990’s, Chechnya became its own self-proclaimed republic, but during the second war with Russia, it was brought back under control of the Russian Federation. The predominant religion of Chechnya is and remains Islam. Down through the last twenty plus years of fighting between Chechnya and Russia, we have heard of the extremist and separatist movements within the country as well as the acts of terrorism that have been perpetrated upon neighboring countries. The most notable was when a group of terrorists (which included Chechen nationals) took over an elementary school and eventually killed 334 children and staff before being killed.

Secondly, many within the Muslim communities of America are frightened right now because they fear that this will reflect on their heritage and their so-called peace-loving religion. In fact, before the media even found out about the current suspects, they were interviewing members and leaders of the Muslim community, who in turn stated that as soon as they heard of the bombing that they were hoping that the bombers were not of the Islamic faith. This is always of great interest to me because the Quran (Koran, etc) allows for the subjugation and killing of infidels.

I found it interesting that the media was able to find the father of the two current suspects overseas. In a recorded interview he commented that if his sons were killed in the manhunt that “all hell would break loose” upon those who killed them. Hmmmmm, doesn’t sound very peace-loving to me?

Why would the Muslims be afraid that a follower of Islam would seek to follow the dictates of his conscience and of what are considered to be the holy writings of this religion? Islam has long built a slavish following by the use of a bloody sword across great swathes of Asia and Africa. Many in the media and our government would have us to believe Islam a peace-loving religion and that extremists, separatists, and terrorists are a rare breed that just uses the Quran and Islam as a means to justify their killing and mayhem. Yet, this is not rare.

TROPIslam enslaves over a billion people in the world. Women live in fear and bondage across many countries in Asia and Africa. Christians are being slaughtered in a vain attempt to stop the growth of Biblical Christianity from spreading in many countries on these two continents.

Third, despite the fact that the current suspects are Muslim, I have yet to read of any Muslim leaders giving interviews condemning the killing of innocent civilians. In fact, I cannot recall any interviews given by Muslim leaders living here in the “Great Satan” called America casting condemnation against the brutalities of their fellow brethren around the world. While they sit here and enjoy every privilege and protection afforded natural-born US citizens, their caustic and hateful rhetoric against America continues to grow month after month.

It is to the point now that our government finds itself in a similar situation to countries in Europe that have a new breed of terrorists – home grown ones. These are people who were born here, raised here all their lives, sound just like us, played American sports, gained great educations, lived the American dream, etc.

Why is this? Very simply because their religion permits whatever means is necessary in order to enslave the people of the world to the dictates of Islam. If you don’t believe that this is the underlying intent and purpose of the religion of Islam, then I invite you to take a trip over to Africa or Asia. Proclaim at the border of a country whose laws are based on the religion of Islam that you are Bible believing Christian and a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Or, just wait until you arrive at a local marketplace. Stand and proclaim boldly that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven and find out what happens.

Another reason you will not hear any condemnation and that we will continue to see an increase of terrorism is that those who adhere to Islam are not Americans first, they are Muslims first. This is not surprising for this is the way of many religions. A Catholic is expected to give allegiance to Catholicism, a Buddhist to the tenets of Buddhism, and a Hindu to the teachings of Hinduism. Even true biblical Christianity believes and teaches this. We sing, “This world is not our home and we are just passing through.” We claim that we are but pilgrims and sojourners passing through and that our primary allegiance is to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The difference though is that biblical Christianity cannot and NEVER has been able to gain converts through the use of force. A person does not become a true believer in Christ at the point of a sword.

Sadly, I am not convinced that we have seen the end of terrorism here in America. I believe it will continue and we may very well see more acts of terror and in larger scale. As long as our country fails to admit the realities of the ideologies that separate many Americans from those in the Muslim faith, no direct action will ever be forthcoming. Muslim terrorists will continue to infiltrate our country and civilians will lose their lives while the media and the government attempt to put whatever spin they can on the situation in order to keep the gullible public from knowing the truth, and also to keep them from thinking that there is an enemy that has been permitted to reside in our midst.

Now, having stated a few facts about Islam, the question for us is what can we do about this problem? No, I am not referring to picking up guns or swords and beginning another crusade against all foreigners who hold to Islam. The problem is much larger than winning a few battles, and it will not end even if all the current haters of America were killed by our troops and bombs overseas. Another batch of haters would soon arise and the war would begin again.

The biggest issue by far is how we we as true Christians approach these people who are our neighbors. Do we ignore them and hope they will one day “go back to where they came from?” In a recent post, I shared a few thoughts about who is our neighbor, and I am convinced that Muslims are also our neighbors. We should go out of our way to not only see them as a neighbor, but to also seek to show them the grace and love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts.

Reality hurts when we realize that we are not that far removed from those who seek to use terrorism to further their cause. Currently, we have troops in several different countries. They have been killing enemy forces but there have also been many confirmed civilians killed by our forces. If we had enemy troops here in America who were killing innocent civilians, I am certain that we would also probably revolt against such invasions of tyranny. Yet, our government somehow thinks that it is above the laws and protection that it imposes on its own people yet denies to the civilian populations of other sovereign countries.

Regardless of what our government is doing and the anger that they fueling in other lands and in the hearts of those who hold to a religion other than Christianity, again, the question is – what are we doing?

Do we fuel our minds on the news that talks about how “at least 3 dead” but fail to give one moment of concern for the killed civilians in foreign lands who are going directly to hell without having heard the gospel even once? These were husbands, wives, brothers, and sisters of somebody just as were the victims of those in the Boston Marathon bombing. We weep for those we do not know because they were Americans, but fail to weep for those killed because they are lost and bound for a Christ-less eternity.

Few probably wonder what difference it might have made if those who came here looking for a new life of freedom had found the open arms of biblical Christians waiting to welcome them. I myself have to wonder what difference it would make if I spent as much time not only praying for their salvation but also showing the truth of John 3:16 instead of fueling the depravity of my own heart with the gory details of how one more Muslim killed some civilians. Again, this is not meant in anyway to demean the heartache being suffered by the families in Boston.

This post is simply an attempt for us who are Christians to give some consideration as to what should be our priorities. Either we believe that Christ came into the world to save sinners, or we believe by our actions that He only came into the world to save Westerners and especially white Americans!

Yes, without a doubt, Islam is a bloody religion. More will continue to die and some will sacrifice their own lives in order to obtain a reward that is not going to be awaiting them. However, Christianity is a religion that should be showing forth that Christ has provided forgiveness to our own hearts. We as true believers should be spending much time showing to the world that we are able to forgive those who do wrong against us, that we are striving each day to learn to love our neighbors, and that our goal is to fulfill the second greatest commandment given by Christ.

We must stop hating people because they hate the policies and practices of the American government. We must show them that the real reason we can love them is because we have been forgiven for our sins that are no less or no greater than the ones they have committed. Our faith, not the flawed policies of our government, must dictate the direction of our hearts and our actions. If this world is not our home, then our marching orders proceed from our Commander-in-Chief through the pages of the Holy Scriptures.

Loving those who come from a background of terrorism will never be easy, but the real enemy is NOT Islam. The real enemy is not an Iraqi, an Iranian, or an Afghani. The real enemy is the enemy of our souls – the evil one, Satan himself. As long as he blinds the hearts and minds of unbelievers (either American or foreign), there will be no peace. However, when the Holy Spirit makes a man or a woman a new creation in Christ, all the old things will pass away and all things will become new.

To conclude, I am saddened not only for the families who are suffering, but also for the families of the suspected terrorists. They will never have the hope of hearing their loved ones have placed their faith in Christ. Yes, they chose their own deceptive path, but the reality of hell still awaits them. Judgment Day has arrived for them when they take their last breath. In the meantime, I have to wonder how many true believers these men may have met, and further, how many of them spent time praying for these individuals or even seeking to show them the love of Christ.

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Who is My Neighbor?

In Luke 10:25-37, a young lawyer approaches the Lord Jesus Christ and asks how he may inherit eternal life. The Messiah knowing all things asks the young man what the law says is necessary. Interestingly enough, the lawyer responds with the correct answer, namely, one should first love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, and mind. He concludes by remembering that he is also to love his neighbor as himself. Christ acknowledges the answer with the rejoinder that if the lawyer does this then he will live.

Had the story ended there, we might have concluded that the lawyer was well on his way to being a true believer. But the next section reveals the real problem within the heart of the young man. Instead of accepting the words of Jesus, he continues by asking, “But who is my neighbor?” Luke the physician reveals an interesting note under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The lawyer asks this because he seeks to justify himself. In other words, he wants to be able to pick and choose who he accepts as his neighbor.

good-samaritan-came-to-him

The Lord then relates one of the most famous parables to reiterate to this young man steeped in the law of Moses what it meant to love your neighbor. In the end, Jesus brings the man to the point where he has to acknowledge that the person who is the true neighbor is the one who is willing to step outside his own comfort zone to reach out to those who are in need. A true neighbor is also the person who is willing to help those who cannot help themselves or even reciprocate.

So, how can we apply this to our own lives? I am glad you asked. Let me see if I can share some of my thoughts about the process of finding out both who are neighbor may be and also what kind of neighbor we are being.

dirty water

It is easy for many to get misty-eyed when they see the need for clean water in Africa, or the need for better medicine at the orphanages in Central America, or the need for massive food supplies to be delivered to the starving masses in Darfur in western Sudan. There is nothing wrong with this, and is actually quite commendable. Unfortunately, there are some who would see pictures of babies with bloated bellies and would simply turn a blind eye just like the priest and the Levite did to the poor man who had been robbed.

However, in this age where social justice is the buzzword on the lips of many, including pastors and churches, I am afraid that we have relegated our vision to just seeing neighbors as being those who are far away in other lands. In our desire to overcome our own feelings of guilt about having been born in America, we seek to fulfill the commands of Christ to love our neighbor by showering the poor parts of the world with money.

Again, there is nothing wrong with helping those who are much less fortunate than ourselves. The danger comes when we seek to justify ourselves because of what we have given and NOT because of what we must be doing. It is much easier to give money to dig a well than it is to go overseas and dig the well yourself. It is much easier to give “x” amount of money to feed the hungry than it is to fix plates of sandwiches and go help in a homeless shelter. It is also easier to send money than it is to travel abroad and be forced to look into the eyes of hundred of children that you cannot possibly feed and then sit down with your family to enjoy a nice meal simply because you have been blessed with the resources to buy good food.

On another vein of social justice, we can even find ourselves taking up certain causes that anger or provoke us such as abortion or the death penalty or socialized medicine or whatever. We attack those who are not like us or do not agree with us, and we are driven with the idea that we must get everybody else to love their neighbor by holding a sign or railing on the internet or posting videos, etc.

In reality, we have failed to recognize our own failures to keep the law of God and that is to love our neighbor as ourselves. There is no third command to love ourselves. The New Testament assumes that we do this very well.

While these aspects of concern may show that we live like the Good Samaritan and try to help those who are downtrodden, I am afraid that we have often forgotten that the Samaritans were the people right next door to the Jews. They were not on “the other side of the pond.” These were two groups of people who would see each other, sometimes on a weekly or monthly basis just walking up and down the dusty roads of Judea and Samaria.

In my own life, I have found it easier to see my neighbor as the “foreign mission field.” Our family has had the privilege of serving in ministry on three continents, but I wonder how much effort I have spent or how much effort do I spend or even how much effort am I willing to spend in order to show that I desire in my heart to fulfill both of the greatest commandments?

Within my local confines, I have neighbors who are Roman Catholic, or Mormon, or some other cult. I have neighbors who do not go to church and may not recognize the name of Jesus Christ apart from its usage as a curse word. It is quite probable that in my desire to see abortion outlawed that I have overlooked those who may be hurting from past sin within my community. We live in a country that prides itself on the saying that every man’s home is his castle. We step inside after a long day at the office, close the gates, raise the drawbridge, fill the moat with water and alligators, raise the flag on the ramparts, and then retire to our living room or lounge to watch the latest sitcoms. After a great amount of time wasted in frivolous activity, we peek out our windows and dare the world to invade our spaces.

I am convinced that we have failed in recognizing that our neighbors are neighbors not just because they live on either side of our brick and mortar homes. They are neighbors because they are in need of help just as much as those who live in Third World countries. The couple next door may not need food or assistance in paying for their clean water, but if they do not know the Lord, they are in grave danger. They have been systematically robbed by the designs of the evil one. Their homes have been attacked and assaulted by humanistic philosophy and vain traditions of men.

Dear reader, our neighbors are just like the man lying on the side of the road to Jericho. They need to be helped. They do not need, nor do they want, us to look down our noses with the air of religiosity as though we are accomplishing great things for the Lord because we send a small part of our resources overseas. These neighbors need to know that we are about more than helping out at a shelter, or picketing an abortion clinic, or railing on the world in whatever way makes us feel good about ourselves. All we are doing is acting like the young lawyer and trying to justify ourselves.

Our neighbors need us to let down our guard. We must learn to be approachable in a way that we can be ready to give an answer to any who ask of the reason of the hope that is in us, AND to do so in a way that shows a heart and a life that is filled by meekness and fear.

Too often, many who claim to know Christ think that they are fulfilling the Great Commission by sending stuff or by relegating the actual work to the pastor, elders, or missionaries. The truth is that each one of us are called to obey Christ. Every true believer must seek to be a servant to others just as the Good Samaritan did to the Jew who fell on hard times on the road to Jericho.

It is interesting to note that we are never told what the reaction was of the man who was robbed. The reason is not really relevant, because the Samaritan was going to help out whether it was appreciated or not. The man who was robbed might have turned right around after getting better and started belitting those dogs, those heathen, those Samaritans again. The Good Samaritan took it upon himself to help the man, bind his wounds, took him to an inn, paid for his medical care, and even promised to return and pay more money if that is what it took to get the man better. There was no cause nor desire on the part of the Samaritan for reciprocity. We are not even told that the man he helped thanked him for all he had done.

Today, I want to encourage each of you to think about our own lives. If we are doing nothing, then we must seek forgiveness from our Savior for not fulfilling the second of the greatest commandments. Maybe we are doing a little but have forgotten about the neighbor beside us. Again, we must remember that those around us are in far greater need than a meal or clean water. They are dying. Their house is burning down very quickly and soon they will face eternity. We have the words of life that can bring hope and to sit inside our little castles and let others throw out the life preservers is a great sin.

It is time that we stop attempting to justify who we are, who are neighbors may be, and simply learn to love the world around us just as Christ did when He walked this Earth. We all have neighbors, and our ultimate privilege and responsibility is to look beyond our own pettiness and selfish ambitions and see how we can learn and act upon the principles found in the account of the Good Samaritan.

The Savior closed out His teaching session by asking the lawyer who of the three (priest, Levite, or Samaritan) was a true neighbor. The lawyer responded that it was the one who showed mercy. The greatest show of mercy that we can do to others is to reveal to them that Jesus Christ is alive, to reveal to them that He alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and then to reveal to them that our love is genuine for them and we do not desire for them to face the wrath of a thrice-holy God when they pass from this life into the next.