Nine years ago life as we knew it in the US was changed. The radical Muslim attack on US soil against innocent bystanders proved to us that we are vulnerable to attacks in ways that have changed war as we know it. No one can rehash what happened that day without intense emotions that affect you on some deep level. The whole nation gathered together in the restoration of New York City and in the lives of people around the world. The anthem that arose out of this terrible tragedy was “We Will Never Forget”; and we haven’t.
In light of the anniversary of 9/11 and the mosque being built near ground zero this year, the country has been bombarded with news about a pastor in Florida wanting to burn a Qur’an as a protest against the Muslims building their victory Mosque. This is not how we are going to advance the gospel of Jesus and it is not how we should “never forget” 9/11 or stand against a Mosque being built in an inappropriate spot. (Note: Our intent is not to condemn this pastor, although we believe his actions have been foolish and reckless, and it’s not to say we have no issue with the mosque being built at ground zero, because we do). We want to point Christians back to what we were created for; to display the beauty and worth of Jesus to a lost and dying world. This should be our anthem as Christians. This should be the source of our standing against the status quo. This should be at the root of all of our actions; an insatiable desire to find joy in Christ alone as we display His beauty and His worth to a world that slanders His beauty and mocks His worth.
Maybe we should adopt the saying that goes like this: “We will never forget what Jesus said to Peter”. Do you remember those words that Jesus spoke with an emphatic tone? “Peter, put away your sword! Put it away! No more of this!” (See Matthew 26:52 & Luke 22:31) Or maybe we should adopt this phrase for what Paul says in Ephesians 6:12: “We will never forget who our enemy is.” “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Now don’t take this the wrong way; we are not advocating complete pacifism. What we are saying is that we should remember who the real enemy is. The radical Muslim terrorists have nothing on “the cosmic powers over this present darkness”. We should be blowing the horn on the great deceiver more than we are on the weak terrorist who can only take a life.
We are not big fans of the phrase “What Would Jesus Do” (WWJD), but it is important to see how Jesus responded to his present day enemies who sought world domination and despised His people group. The most sacred place for a Jew is the Temple on the Temple Mount; it has been for over 3,000 years. That is where they worship the one true God over all other gods and they have and will give their lives to preserve and protect the Temple.
During Jesus’ time, the Romans were the world power and controlled the entire region of the Jews, even the Temple. The Romans built a structure connected to the north wall of the Temple called the Fortress of Antonia; a super imposing battle station with four towers that was over one hundred feet tall so that Roman guards had a clear view of anything that went on in the sacred Temple area. The Romans also built their fortress there for a reminder that screamed, “WE WON”!
We can use this as a historical parallel to the so called “Victory Mosque” near ground zero that’s flooding the media and causing the world to ask, “Is it right or wrong?” and “What should we do?”. The media has asked almost everyone all over the world what they would do, and yet, it’s not been reported or asked once, “What would Jesus do?” So, let’s leave aside all debates to the media and seek the answer to the crucial question, “What did Jesus do?” (WDJD) and how did He act toward the Romans and their battle station.
We must add that the Jews were looking for a Messiah to overtake the Romans so they could declare “WE WON”! We all remember their disappointment when Jesus had another plan. Jesus never mentions the Fortress of Antonia. But He does say some nice and noble things about Roman soldiers and He healed his servants too. One thing for sure, He never shakes his mighty rhetorical fist at the Romans “VICTORY TOWER”. Instead, he saved His attacks for those who were operating businesses in the Jewish Temple, His Father’s house. He called them robbers and turned over their tables and then said, “this place is on it’s way down and I’m gonna rebuild it in three days.” It’s as if Jesus shrugs his shoulders at the Roman’s fortress and said “let’s be concerned about more important things; such as being about the Father’s business loving people, meeting their needs and loving those who hate you, persecute you, abuse you and want to kill you.” Then, to top it all off and to the surprise of the 12 disciples, He gave away His battle plan. He said, “I’m going to let the enemy kill me, then I will rise again to life, then we can see, GOD WON!”, and when he was dying He said “Father, forgive them because they have no clue to what they are really doing”. So, WDJD?…He showed them love and gave His life for them, that’s WJD.
So for this year’s anniversary of 9/11 and in light of the mosque debate, the anthem that should flood our hearts is this: “We will never forget what we were created for and who our enemy is.” We battle against the evil spiritual forces of the heavenly realms and they love the fact that Christians get more passionate about standing for or against a pastor with bad judgment or terrorists who want to kill Americans more than they do about displaying the beauty and worth of Jesus in word and deed. So, we will never forget what Jesus taught and how He lived among those who were foolish and those who wanted to kill him. May we all never forget. Lastly, if you want to raise hell, then raise it over the fact that “Christian” denominations are abandoning the truth of Scripture to cater their beliefs over what they feel is true, right and just...that’s worth the fight! God bless you and may God continue to bless America!
As christians we are taught by Jesus to die for what we believe, not fight for it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I love the point of this blog and historical context. I think our flesh battles with this. We forget our enemy is the one behind all of this confusion. If we humble ourselves in prayer....then God will guide our actions. That way we can display his glory the way he wants.
ReplyDeleteGreat post M and J!!!
ReplyDeleteBut what I really want to raise hell about is the fact that not only have denominations abandoned the truth of scripture, they and non denominations, have changed it in the past to be what we have today! As I look at the teachings that have come from so called "counsels," somewhere along the line of history..the men who translated the scriptures took those same things up and said it was "sacred texts". The "authority" of the scriptures was no longer about the true nature of God, as it was about the authority structure of man controlling what people believed and how! And WHO was qualified to make that known! Thus..we have "Contemporary Christian Religion". When you look at Islamic beliefs, they are pretty close to the institutional church system we have in place today. There is such a mixture of law and grace, Old Testament and New, and if you were to ask most "christians" what they believe today...most of them don't even know because they have not searched it out for themselves...just like good muslims. They follow dogma that someone has taught them to believe. Like the Inner Circle of Islam....with an outer circle of believers...this is what we have in christianity today so often. And the new progressive church falls into the same trap...teaching for doctrines..the commandments of men or what men WANT to believe about God. So...what is the remedy for the situation we have at hand? " Study to show yourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth".. As long as christians do not take this seriously for themselves to study the scriptures for themselves...we will continue to have confusion and take up ams against one another and against others. And this isn't just in denominations. It is everywhere in Christiandom. Today I watched a video showing how Islam and Catholicism are nearly twin religions! the only difference is the saviour.
WDJD? He loved His enemies. He cared for the everyday people in everyday places. He kept women/multitudes, from being abused by the Pharisees. He held little children who were put out to be orphaned. He spoke against religion and practiced love. He said His kingdom was not of this world and that was the reason he did't fight. He taught people to put love on the top of their list... BUT..He did also speak out against the false shepherds publicly when they were in error. He pointed out NOT to follow their evil practices. He did all this in LOVE. What often looks like love to us, doesn't to God. Therefore...we can still speak of the beauty of Christ while denouncing a pastor who encourages unbiblical actions. Jesus was the advancer of His gospel and He said some disturbing things about people. IN LOVE, but also in TRUTH. He was always warning the people and His followers to "come out from among them". Somehow, we have to do that while doing the other. The trick is to do them both at the same time. It will not be popular and it may get us slandered and persecuted but that will bring His glory in the long run. The task at hand is not easy, but it is simple. I think you did a great job with this post...but let us not forget all the above...Jesus did it all and was still about His Fathers business. We must listen to His voice and hear what the Father is saying. We must be aware of what the Father is doing, as was Jesus. And that may take some different twists and turns. " Let us encourage one another while it is still day. The night cometh when no one can work"...
Blessings and peace to a wonderful father and Son.