“If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility”. –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Our nation, right now, is more divided over political issues than ever before. Whether or not Judge Kavanaugh should be confirmed to the Supreme Court has divided us more than ever into 2 competing tribes, the Democrats or Republicans. The resulting rage and anger can lead us to perilous consequences, and I challenge all Christians to back away from strictly partisan views and think about what God has taught us and how he wants us to react and live.

Our small group is studying a book by Mark Batterson called “Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”. One of his chapters caught my imagination with the title “The Tribe of the Transplanted”. It actually was a phrase associated with human heart transplant recipients. Batterson says “Studies suggest that the heart secrets its own brain-like hormones and has cellular memory. Heart transplant recipients don’t just receive a new organ, they receive cellular memories”. Charles Siebert observed that such recipients are often changed people, and have new sensory responses, cravings, and habits. Thus, the “Tribe of the Transplanted”.

What an amazing term to describe who Christians are! When we trust in Jesus , God gives us a new heart, the heart of Jesus. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19 (NIV) With this spiritually transplanted heart, we can now begin to see people and events the way Jesus sees them. Although we will still fail from time to time, God softens our hardened hearts, and enables them to break for the things that break the heart of Jesus! No longer are we Democrats or Republicans only; we now belong to a far superior tribe, the people of God’s eternal Kingdom, the “Tribe of the Transplanted”!

SO, HOW ARE WE IN THIS NEW TRIBE TO REACT AND LIVE IN OUR BROKEN, DIVIDED CULTURE OF HEARDENED HEARTS?

1) WATCH YOUR WORDS!
James says the tongue is “an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the image of God. Out of the same mouth produce blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be”.-James 3: 8-9
Jesus said, But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. Matthew 15:18-19 (NIV)
Remember, God loves ALL people, of both political “tribes”. Jesus died for ALL our sins, and his desire is to bring redemption to all who will accept his offer of free grace and a new heart. Our political system today is set up so one side wins, the other loses. God doesn’t want anyone to “lose”; his desire is that everyone has a chance at redemption & new a new heart and life in Jesus! People’s lives, reputations, families, and friendships are being destroyed, and hearts are being hardened and calloused on each side. All this is being fueled by harsh, inflammatory words on both sides! Jesus warned us:
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ (empty-headed) is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. – Matthew 5:22 (NIV)
If this is true, then a lot of politicians, pundits, and commentators are in serious danger of judgement! But before we condemn them, how is our language? Is it seasoned with grace, forgiveness, and compassion, or we are too easily caught up in the rage of our culture?

2) BE CAREFUL HOW YOU JUDGE!
Jesus warned us: 1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.- Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)
Let’s face it; we may never fully know the truth in this or any other situation in life. Even with new hearts, desiring to see the world like Jesus, we are still influenced by our own biases and sinfulness. Jesus is NOT saying we shouldn’t judge people or situations, but to do it humbly, fearfully, and always remembering our own failings. Remember Peter having a well-intentioned but false agenda, and being called “Satan” by Jesus? (Matthew 16:21-23)
THE GOOD NEW IS: Jesus knows our hearts, thoughts, and motives completely, and no one can escape his ultimate judgement. Ultimately, no one will “get away with” anything before God, and true justice will be served in God’s time. Many on both sides will be angry and feel justice was not done here, but we need to remember that true justice and vengeance belongs to God, not us.

SO WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO? JUST GIVE UP BECAUSE EVEN OUR JUDGEMENT IS CLOUDED BY SIN AND BIAS?
DOES GOD GIVE US SOME BIBLICAL TOOLS AND PRINCIPLES TO HELP US MAKE HEALTHY JUDGEMENTS IN LIFE? ASOLUTELY!! THEY ARE:

3) EVIDENCE AND EYEWITNESSES MATTER!
The cornerstone of our faith is the physical resurrection of Jesus. If that didn’t happen, Paul says we are pitiful fools to believe any of it then. The Roman, Greek, and Jewish cultures of that time would have thought a physical resurrection of a dead body to be repulsive or impossible. But, the gospel writers said Jesus appeared to over 500 eyewitnesses, who could be contacted to verify their experience right then! Without them, Christianity would have been deemed a made-up dream that would have died in a few years.
Both the Old & New Testaments encourage us to have “2 or 3 witnesses” in dealing with any conflict situation (Deuteronomy 19:15-19, Matthew 18:15-18) It is especially important in the Matthew passage to remember conflict resolution was done to restore the person to fellowship in the church, not to demean or hurt them! Our goal should never be to tear down or destroy another to “win”; or goal is to bring healing, forgiveness, redemption, and a new heart through Jesus.

4) JUDGE OTHERS BY THE FRUIT, OR CONSISTENT ACTIONS IN THEIR TOTAL LIFE!
Jesus said:
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. – Matthew 7:15-20 (NIV)

Jesus is saying that our day in, day out words and actions are a true reflection of what is in our heart. Although we all slip up once in a while, who you really are in character comes out in your words, actions, and your influence on others. Those who live with you, work and socialize with you know you best, and know your flaws and your redeeming qualities. Jesus is saying if you really want to judge someone, look at the reflection of their life in their friends and what they have done consistently. We all know people who consistently lie, hurt others, and are self-centered, and we know people who say and do encouraging and positive things that help others. This is a major Biblical factor in dealing with accusations that seem be out of sync with what we know of a person’s normal character and actions.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS, WHAT TRIBE TO YOU REALLY WANT TO IDENTIFY WITH?
Do we really think the Democrats or the Republicans are God’s ultimate answer to saving the world and bringing God’s Kingdom to fruition? Seriously, with this slimy cesspool we’ve witnessed recently?
I’ve heard people say that God ordained Donald Trump to be President (or for others, Barack Obama before him), so that they could somehow initiate God’s plan. Certainly God always wishes human leaders to benefit their people. But come on, brothers & sisters, do we really picture God pacing back and forth, wringing his hands over who the next President or Supreme Court justice is, or which side “wins” the mid-term election?

NO!! God has already sent Jesus to die for us, and through the gift of his resurrection gives us the opportunity to be forgiven, get a new heart reflecting Jesus, and become brothers and sisters in his eternal Kingdom! And no, his plan is not ultimately to use politics or even the wealth and influence of America.
His plan was to establish a new tribe of people, with newly implanted hearts of flesh, that would live and act more and more like Jesus. He called that tribe the Church! And he gave us a mission to share this good news with others, and live sacrificially, loving as Jesus loved us. That’s the plan: simple, powerful, profound, and life-altering!

I would suggest we all be proactive for the Kingdom by :
– Vote and pray for honest, caring politicians, and encourage all parties to get back to positive ideas to really help people. We all live in this place together, and as messy as government is, it can still make life a little better for all.
– Pray for your enemies and those that persecute you! It may or may not change them, but it will soften your heart and give you compassion towards them rather than anger.
– Support and be active in missions and groups that aid the poor and suffering and bring God’s redemption and justice, showing what God’s Kingdom is really like.
– Pray for hurting people you know, and look for ways to share the healing power of Jesus with them.
– Whenever you can, share the good news of Jesus’ offer of forgiveness, grace, and new life!
– As imperfect as we still are, let us ask Jesus to help us see the world as he sees it, and speak and live as people who have been given a new heart, filled with grace, love, and mercy. As Paul would remind us,
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

CJ and I recently went on a trip to Alaska, spending one week on land and one week on a cruise ship. It is a huge and spectacular state, truly the “Last Frontier”, full of amazing mountains, lakes, rivers, and great wildlife! We saw several moose up close, a large bear, and many other animals as well as beautiful flowers, thanks to nearly 20 hours of sunlight. If you can see it in your lifetime, it is well worth the trip!

In the middle of our first week, we got disturbing news about a long-time, dear friend named Ken. He had a stroke about a year ago, and the last time we saw him he appeared to be making wonderful progress toward recovery. But he had since gotten much worse, and his wife messaged us that he had been diagnosed with stage-4 lung cancer & was coming home to hospice care. We were broken-hearted to hear this, and I really hoped I would be able to visit Ken once more when we returned and talk and pray with him and thank him for his friendship and courageous faith. But on the 2nd week of our trip, after being off the internet for several days, we discovered Ken had died and that we would also miss the funeral! I had some of the same thoughts many of you may have had in similar circumstances. How can I enjoy this beautiful trip now, knowing that Ken’s wife and family are hurting and heart-broken back home? All the great food, entertainment, and breath-taking scenery suddenly seemed pretty insignificant in comparison to losing a wonderful friend. And, very selfishly, I must confess that I was a little angry that God had allowed Ken to come to Him before I had a chance to see him one more time. (I know, it’s petty thinking, but I go there once in a while!)

But then God did something wonderful! He reminded me who Ken is, who I am, and who all us are who have put our faith in Jesus!
In 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (NIV) Paul says:
1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Here are some pretty significant questions that may help us remember who we are in Jesus:

1) Do you see yourself as an eternal soul, just living temporarily in this “tent” of a body?
If true, do you think of yourself as getting old & worn out? Do you in the “baby boomer” generation act like “old curmudgeons”?
OR, do you use each day to grow your soul close to God & others, seeing your life as just the beginning of an eternal adventure in God’s vast universe?
As surely as I look at this computer screen, I have complete assurance that my friend Ken IS alive NOW, maybe more than ever, in the very presence of God! And note, he is not there because he was a great guy (which he was!); Ken is there because he trusted in the death and resurrection of Jesus, receiving forgiveness for his sinfulness, and accepting the free gift of eternal, amazing life that Jesus offers to everyone.

This thought leads us to an even more amazing question:

2) Do we remember, biblically, that most of eternity will be spent on a new earth, not in heaven?
Revelation 21:1-5 (NIV)
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Even most Christians don’t understand this! Yes, when we die in the Lord now, we go to heaven temporarily to be with God. But the Bible teaches that soon Jesus will judge the earth, then create a new heaven and earth, and that we will then have new, immortal, resurrection bodies and live with God on the new earth! Jesus came to earth to reverse the effects of sin, and restore us to a pure, wonderful relationship with God, each other, and with creation!
We were created to be “earth people!” And we will someday live in a new earth, maybe very much like this one, except without any sin and all the destructive effects of sin. And, God will come down out of heaven and live with us, all the time!

3) Do you really want to live forever? More significantly, do you want to live forever on a new earth, WITH GOD?
I don’t think we can begin to imagine life on this “new earth”, and having God actually dwell with us! We will have new bodies that won’t get sick or die. There will be nations and diverse races of people, but we won’t hate or fight anymore, because sin will be banished from this new place! In many ways, it is like a “do over” of the way God intended us to live originally in the Garden of Eden!
Maybe there will be a new, improved Alaska, where we go time & time again to enjoy with God! And with our new bodies, maybe can actually climb the mountains and kayak the beautiful rivers without getting tired.
I’m hoping there will be amazing golf courses on the new earth, and we will enjoy playing even if we aren’t that good. My friend Ken was a great golfer, and I really hope we have a chance to play many new rounds on the new earth!

Does this sound like a place you want to live, forever? Can you imagine living in the very presence of God, and praising him for his amazing love for us and for the beautiful world he created for us to live in?
The Bible tells us we have all have a choice to accept Jesus’ offer of forgiveness for our sin, and trust him to with our lives and our future. Just pray today and ask him to forgive your sins, trust him with your life now and for the future, and he promises that his own Holy Spirit will then dwell within us and help us become more like him, inheriting this new life and world in his presence!
But, the Bible also teaches that we can choose NOT to accept his offer! We can choose to be our own “god” and live our own life without him. And if we choose that route, Jesus says he will honor that choice and we will be separated from him and the new earth forever, and will be living in an eternal Hell with those who also choose that route!
Now, knowing the 2 choices, it seems like a pretty easy, “no brainer” decision to be with Jesus forever. But Jesus said many won’t make that choice. I pray that you will choose Jesus’ free offer of an eternal, amazing life with him on the “new earth”! I look forward to seeing you there and enjoying the wonderful life God offers us all.
Choose wisely!

Most of us might argue that we “bless” people because we don’t curse or swear much, anyway. But in reality, most of us probably curse other people almost as much as we bless others (and perhaps more, for some folks)! To bless someone is not just a trite and polite saying that we do when somebody sneezes: “Bless you!” In Biblical understanding, blessing & cursing are the two ways we can treat others. To bless someone is to project good into the life of another. We must think and feel and will good to someone else. A real blessing comes from our soul to theirs, and confirms that they are valuable because they are a human being made in the image of God! A curse is just the opposite. We curse someone when our words or actions belittle them, make them feel insignificant, and wish hurt, evil, and destruction on them.

In James Chapter 3, he warns us of the dangers of cursing others with our words:
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. – James 3:9-10 (NIV)
Jesus also warns of the destructive habit of cursing, and how serious such angry words are in God’s judgement:
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. – Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV)
Here, Jesus is suggesting insults, angry outbursts, and calling others a fool to be in the same realm in God’s eyes as actual murder!

Whoa! Most of our politicians, news media, celebrities, college professors, and even you and I are in deep trouble with God because of the way we speak to each other and demean each other in our culture today! We live in a “cursive” society, where each “tribe” tries to win and feel significant by demeaning, degrading, and being outright hostile to the other tribes that have different views than they do. And to our shame, even Christians and churches get caught up in a cursing mentality instead of a blessing attitude!

In his book “Soul Keeping”, author John Ortberg says our souls crave blessing, both from God and other people. And, we were designed to bless God and then to bless others who are made in His image. He also reminds us that each day, in every encounter with others, we have a chance to either bless that person or curse them! He points to the Old Testament blessing God had for Israel as a model for how we are to bless God and each other. In Numbers 6:22-27, it says:
24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. – Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV)
I remember our church youth group using this blessing to close our meetings. We would cross our arms & then hold the hands of the person next to you and repeat this. (I think the arm crossing was mostly to stand closer to the girls/or guys!) I really doubt any of us thought much about the significance of what this blessing really is saying! God desires goodness in our life, and wants to protect us from evil. For God’s face to shine upon us is for his very glory and power to shine upon us, and he wants to give us his gifts of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. God wants to look directly into our face in such a way that we feel his peace and assurance! (It reminds me as a grandparent when our small grandchildren look at us. They are sometimes vulnerable and afraid, and the last thing we would dream of doing is to look mean or judgmental to them, so we smile and laugh and assure that they are fine and everything is going to be okay! And they feel blessed, and so do we.)

How do we get back to that feeling of blessing as adults? How do we begin to change our culture from one of anger & vitriol to one of grace and peace, truly wishing the best for each other?
Well, it’s never going to happen with one tribe winning and the other losing! The answer is not progressive ideas, nor conservative ideas. The answer is to begin living the way God designed us to live with each other, and that involves a radical transformation in how we view and treat each other!

Jesus taught us:
27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. – Luke 6:27-36 (ESV)

This an extremely radical lifestyle that goes way beyond any political or social solution offered today!
None of us can respond like this every single time, but with God’s help through the power of his Holy Spirit in us, we can respond more and more like this and begin to live as Jesus calls us to. This is the way of Jesus, and it is exactly how he approached an evil and sinful world. Politics doesn’t promote this; education doesn’t teach this. This is pure Christianity at its best, and this is what Jesus is calling his people to!

Notice 2 main points that Jesus makes:
1) Don’t just treat people this way who already love you and agree with you (your tribe)!
As Jesus says, everybody does that anyway! So what? That strategy isn’t changing anything, and it can actually lead to more division and hatred.
2) Jesus’ core challenge: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who abuse you!
If we do this, the first thing that happens is it changes us and our attitude towards those we dislike! And then, it at least offers an opportunity for our “enemies” to stop and think about their reaction also. Sometimes people are so shocked an even embarrassed when they receive forgiveness, mercy, and grace that they don’t deserve, they actually change their attitudes as well!

Again, do you bless or curse people on a daily basis?
Let’s challenge each other:
– every time we hear someone who we disagree with or who angers us, choose to pray for them and wish them the best God desires for them
– make a conscious effort to bless every person you encounter each day by your words, your attitude, and your actions

May we all learn to bless others, and see God work in our lives to change us and the world that we encounter!
May God “bless” you all with His grace and peace!

Part I:
Billy Graham was a hero to me early in my life. When I first discerned a call to ministry, I foolishly tried to copy his style as a preacher. Of course I’m not him and I had to be me, but I did admire his humility, integrity, and faithfulness to the gospel message, all things I could strive to emulate. What made Billy Graham so powerful and effective is that he focused on the simple, yet profound message of the gospel. He could reach Presidents, Kings & Queens, the poor, the rich, people of every nation and race because he understood the universality of the gospel message. It’s estimated that over 210 million people heard the gospel through Billy Graham, more than any other person in world history. Part of what made Billy so effective was he understood the gospel was all about Jesus, not about him! The answer to our deepest needs comes through Jesus, not any preacher or church. As a matter of fact, Billy Graham would tell you today that he is in God’s presence in Heaven today not because he was good, but because he was forgiven of his sinfulness and given a new heart and life by Jesus’ work for us on the cross.

So what is the gospel message? Is it try harder, be a good person, treat each other better, give to the poor? Nope! The true gospel is “good news”, but it’s so radical and counter-cultural that it offends many and seems like foolishness to others!
It begins with biblical teaching that we are all sinners! (Now I know that in our easily triggered and offended society, that stops some from listening right now.) But, we fail to understand the depth of sin in our lives at our own peril! Sin, biblically, is a “dis-ease of our soul” that affects everything about us. The Bible says God breathed his Spirit, “breath”, or life, into us, and we became living souls. It may help to think of your soul (who YOU are) as similar to a computer “operating system”, integrating your mind, heart, will, and present body into one entity. We were originally designed so that our souls were spiritually connected to God, and all these parts of us worked in harmony with God and we would be healthy, fulfilled people who would joyously live with God forever in an amazing world created for us! Unfortunately, because of the rebellion and sinful choice of Adam and Eve, all humans were infected with sin and the result was banishment from God’s presence and the resulting curse of death, both spiritual and physical. That’s the bad news of sin.

God’s love and grace! The “good news” is that God still loves us in spite of our sin and rebellion against him, and desires for us to be reunited with him! 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.- John 3:16 (NIV)
The penalty for sin under God is death. So God came to earth in the form of his Son, Jesus, to die in our place and take that curse on himself. Jesus died on the cross, a perfect, sinless God/human, taking our punishment, and that offers us the opportunity to be forgiven of our sinfulness and have a restored, new relationship with God. The word for this free gift from God is GRACE, and the Bible says we are saved by God’s grace if we put our trust in Jesus and accept what he did for us on the cross! God desires for EVERYONE to be saved from sin, but he allows us the ability to make that choice ourselves, by faith. If we choose not to trust in Jesus, we will remain forever separated from God and will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Sadly, the Bible seems to indicate many, if not most, will not make the choice to follow Jesus. It is literally a life or death choice we all face; as they say in an Indiana Jones movie scene, “Choose wisely”!
This is the simple gospel choice Billy Graham offered to over 200 million people. It’s the same offer to everybody, because we are all sinful and there is nothing you can do on your own to earn God’s forgiveness. You can’t save yourself by good works. But the good news is, Jesus has already done it all for you, you just have to trust in Him by faith to receive his salvation.
And the final chapter of God’s gospel story is even more amazing! Jesus promised that he would return to us and create a new heaven and earth, and that all who trust in him would live with him in this new Kingdom of Heaven on the new earth! And here there will be no sin with its devastating effects such as pain, suffering, death, hatred, etc. It will be a reversal of our sin-devastated world and a restoration of how we were supposed to be and live in his presence!

Part II:
So, what does any of this have to do with gun control? As Christians, we need to view gun control or anything else people do in light of God’s view of humanity and the effects of sin. The Bible says we will live in a world under the effects of sin and evil until Jesus comes back to fully create his new Kingdom of believers. All killing, hatred, mistrust, division, tribalism, pain, suffering, etc. is ultimately a result of sin in our lives and a world suffering under the results of that sin. So, from a human standpoint, any solution to help alleviate the results of sin, even temporarily, can be helpful. Well-intentioned people can find ways through gun discussion or anything else to maybe make life better, fairer, safer ,and more enjoyable while we live here. But from God’s eternal perspective, that won’t begin to solve the root cause. It’s like putting a band-aid on a patient with terminal cancer. It might feel like you have “done something” and you might feel better for awhile, but it won’t stop the cancer.

So, what are we supposed to do? I would suggest 2 things. The first may seem weird and “other-wordly” to some, but it’s necessary to know this before we know why we need to do the second thing.

1) Understand that there is a spiritual battle for our souls in this world!
Jesus makes it very clear, as does the whole Bible, that there is an evil, created being called Satan that rebelled against God and desires to destroy your soul and keep you from God’s offer of grace and salvation. Peter warns us “ 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings”.- 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV) The Bible makes it clear that Satan wants to deceive us by making sin look good and appealing, and wants to do anything to keep you from trusting God. He will distract us by making us mistrust and hate each other, blame each other for all that’s wrong, and cause division. (It seems like he’s doing a pretty good job in our society!)

2) We are called to live in a radically different, Holy Spirit empowered way of thinking and acting that is totally counter-cultural to the way our sinful world thinks and operates!
Why? Jesus wants us to give others at least a “glimpse” in this world of what he intends for the next, sinless and perfect world. And he wants to use us, if we actually attempt to live this way, to stir the souls of others to something better and help them make the choice to cross over into Jesus’ Kingdom and new life.
So, what kind of life are we talking about here? Well, remember what Jesus told us in what has been called the “Sermon on the Mount?” Here’s a few challenging passages:
Matthew 5:21-26 (NIV)
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 5:38-48 (NIV)
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I know this is pretty tough stuff, and can only begin to be lived out with this help of God’s Spirit. How are you doing?
Have you made the decision to trust your life to Jesus and receive his forgiveness and the offer to enter into new life in his Kingdom?
And if so, are you letting him change and redeem your soul?
Are you praying for those who dislike you, and for those you dislike and don’t trust?
Are you asking God to help you forgive others as he has forgiven you?
Are you trying to live humbly, simply, and with integrity?
Are you slowly seeing your soul, who you really are, changing and beginning to think and act more like Jesus?
The Christian journey is hard, but God promises to dwell within us and lead us down the path.
Choose wisely, live boldly and radically!
And as Billy Graham would exhort, fully trust in Jesus and live with joy and assurance!