WILL THEY KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS?

Daniel 11:2-35; 1 John 3:7-24; Psalm 122:1-9; Proverbs 29:1

“But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant. His army will take over the Temple fortress, pollute the sanctuary, put a stop to the daily sacrifices, and set up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration. He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him. Wise leaders will give instruction to many, but these teachers will die by fire and sword, or they will be jailed and robbed. During these persecutions, little help will arrive, and many who join them will not be sincere. And some of the wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come.”

“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.”

“Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.”

One of the first Christian songs I remember singing outside of actual Church services was They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love. Oh, for that to be the literal truth! Gathered together around a campfire with a guitar supporting our vocals, it was easy for every member of our youth group to feel safe and secure in that ideal. For the first time, some of us actually began to grasp how truly different Christians really are supposed to be from everybody else. We actually heard the call to a higher, purer lifestyle. We welcomed the challenge of trying to be closer and more loving toward each other, as well as toward the rest of the world. We were not afraid to be different, either, because we had each other to fall back on when times got tough. Even today, thinking back on that moment reminds me how special we felt then. There was nothing to intrude on our fellowship, no worries or gossip to tear us apart.

Ah, but we all grow up, don’t we? We grow up, and we change. The shining loyalties of childhood get divided, diluted and eventually dissipate. We have more to worry about as we mature, and we spend a heckuva lot more time doing it. We become more self-absorbed, with ample justification. The myriad challenges of adulthood dwarf anything we might have imagined in our younger, less sophisticated days. Some of us become genuinely frightened, no longer of mythical things that go bump in the night but of the far more real terrors of economic instability, mortality and responsibility, to name just a few. We need more support, but we become much more reluctant to ask for it, or to offer it.

The world around us (or, at least, our perception of it) changes, too, as we gain years. It becomes a place of testing and stress. We soon learn earth is not as safe a place to be as we once thought. We actually see those more dedicated to knocking down our sanctuaries than to building humanity up. No matter where Christianity flourishes, persecution and cynicism follow. The plain truth – one they did not tell us in Youth Group – is that the world simply cannot afford to leave Christians alone. Christians make non-Christians uncomfortable, however unintentionally. Their way of life is too disruptive to the “me first” mentality of our present age. The completeness the Spirit provides His followers illuminates the emptiness and materialism of the rest of humanity in a clear and unflattering light. The secular view suffers by comparison, as it offers no hope or help beyond the five senses. Deep inside, people know this. Humans realize we live in a present darkness without answers. The problem is, those without eyes set on eternity have little to look forward to at all, and it pains them to have their weaknesses revealed. It should be no surprise when they strike back, even when they do so violently.

Those who find their souls unsettled by the recognition of their own emptiness do have a choice, of course. They can accept Jesus and His Gospel as the new direction for their lives. However, it’s no secret that relatively few choose to respond to the call of Christ in that way. Instead, the normal response of the world to the things of God is to demean and persecute them. Personally, I suspect this is not an altogether intentional choice; it is an almost instinctive reaction that stems from the fact that we are fallen people in a broken world. As Jesus recognized over 2000 years ago, we honestly don’t know what we’re doing for the most part.

On the other hand, however, there are those who take aim at Christians with the specific intent of preying on them and eventually destroying them. Clearly, these folks are instruments of the Devil himself. They devour others in a vain attempt to fill the yawning emptiness the Lord of Darkness so easily manipulates inside them. It is against these would-be destroyers that Christians must be particularly unified as the Body of Christ.

God presents only one answer for all these varied issues, but when one is right, there is no need for others. The destroyer comes in many forms. Sometimes, that form is us. Nevertheless, the Father’s answer is always the same. We are designed and intended as His people to live, if at all, for each other. The Holy Spirit promises no miraculous rescues or interventions. He does not provide us with any obvious way out of our situation. Instead, the Lord just invites us to intensify our reliance upon, and our caring for, our brothers and sisters, fully anticipating this will lead to additional suffering by which we might be purified.

The Father’s Plan for His disciples is plain. “Let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” Seldom has there ever been such a double-edged invitation. Especially in light of what it may cost us during the End Times, it puts a whole new point on loving one’s neighbor as oneself. It comes down to this: either we are wiling to bet (more accurately, invest) our lives on Christ completely, or we really do not have any faith at all to speak of. These may be taken as harsh or unfeeling words by those who resist the implications of a love with limits or conditions. But for those who have the Spirit of God in them, their truth cannot be denied, however uncomfortable they may make us feel. Odds are, at some point in this life, each of us will have to decide which we love more: God, or what we call life. The message of the day is simple: our love is what makes Christians different. Only Love leads to eternity.