As I prepared to teach my Sunday School class today, I had
an opportunity to reflect on a few conversations that I have been involved in lately.
One was a question posed by a pastor on Facebook. He was looking for a story of
healing connected with the anointing service that the Church of the Brethren
administers to those who ask for it. I asked for such a service during the
worst time of my depression. Another conversation (similar in nature) was the
question of using anti-depressants while holding to the belief that God can
heal us from depression. And in the final conversation, I told my story of
instantaneous healing of tonsillitis many years ago. All these conversations,
though closely related were with separate individuals.
The scripture for the Sunday School lesson tomorrow is from Acts. The story is about Stephen, standing before the Sanhedrin, giving his speech that eventually leads to his being stoned to death. As I reflected on my day of these conversations, I had some realizations of what has been in the news lately.
The news item is about a woman who has a conviction of faith to not issue marriage licenses to gay couples. She is deemed a "hero" by some Christians, and a "disgrace" by others. She is also called a bigot by many. So I posed the question to myself, "what would I do if I were her?" This led me to an even bigger question, "what does God want us to do in situations where our duty violates our faith?"
Whether or not I agree with her stand on gay marriage is immaterial. What matters is HOW I respond to situations based on my faith. If I oppose gay marriage, and find myself in a conflict between my civil duty (my job) and my faith, what am I going to do? In reality, the question is even bigger than that. Should we “fight” for our right to practice our faith without restriction? Should we just give in to public opinion? Should we keep quiet and “suffer”? Well, here’s what happened in this story: She chose to "fight" for her beliefs, which in turn created a situation that I believe damaged her message of Jesus' love. Let me explain that opinion. Rather than "fight", she could have chosen to "suffer" for her beliefs. What I mean by that is, she could have sacrificed her position, her job, her income, and resigned, stating that she could not uphold a law that violated her faith. It probably would have never made the news. But the impact on those few people, who witnessed her actions, may have had a tremendous change in their lives.
In the story I read in Acts about Stephen, he is asked to
defend himself against the charges brought against him (in other words, “fight”).
Instead, he makes a speech showing how the Christian movement was a
continuation of God's plan (out of the Jewish tradition) for the world, and not
a contradiction to it. In the process, he showed how his accusers were
violating God's will, which was entrusted to them. His speech was only heard by
the few who were present, but even after those few helped stone him, I believe
his words had to ring in their hearts and minds well after the fact, eventually
changing their lives to possibly accepting Jesus as the Christ.
Rather than constantly trying to preserve our "rights" as Christians against a government set on taking them away by "fighting", perhaps we need to live out our faith among those in our immediate influence. If they see God's love in us, and later see us suffer for expressing that love, our oppressors will be seen as the problem, not us. Those of us screaming about how we're being persecuted are seen as ignorant people who believe an outdated old book that contains racist, bigoted messages. What makes its way into the news might be the only encounter many people have with Christianity. And of course, it is all negative publicity. Is there any question as to why we are looked down on as Christians? So we scream even louder about how we are misunderstood and unfairly characterized, and all this screaming makes us look even more ignorant and paranoid. So how do we change it? I am going to suggest a different approach, try being quiet. As you read on, you will see what I mean.
Changing gears for a second, a government that does not have the support of its people cannot stand. "Fighting" against it only creates sides, either you are with us or against us. This is a "top down" approach. Fight the leaders to affect change that will trickle down. History shows us this approach never really works. When Christianity was mandated by a government, it didn’t change people’s hearts, though it may have changed some people’s actions. True change only comes when it affects people’s hearts. You cannot legislate this type of change. You can make non-Christian actions illegal, but you can only change behavior, not intent. To truly change someone’s heart, you need to make personal, one-on-one contact with them. That cannot be done at a high level, it can only be done at the grass roots. You have to get down on your knees and wash the other person’s feet. You have to enter their life and allow yourself to love them without reservation.
All this being said, let’s play out what I’m talking about. Let’s say you have affected many people’s lives by showing God’s love to them (As a Christian, I would hope we are all doing this.) You work a government job that requires you to issue marriage licenses. One day, gay marriage becomes legal and you are now required to issue those licenses. However, you believe this violates your faith, how do you respond? Well, if you fight and refuse to do so, you get hauled into court, speak your piece and get thrown into jail. A national controversy breaks out and some are with you and some are against you. Your co-workers can’t take your side because they can’t afford to lose their jobs. So they fear the power of the government that employs them. That government has the ability to throw them into jail beside you. (What follows is all speculation, but let’s see where it goes.) On the other hand, let’s say, you chose to quietly resign stating that you can’t do something that violates your faith. Since you have shown all your co-workers God’s love through your actions, your resignation will leave a HUGE imprint on their hearts and minds. They see that you are not only willing to talk the talk, but you are willing to walk the walk. They will see how deep your faith really runs. They know you NEED that job, but you are willing to give it up for something you believe that deeply about. They see that you trust God enough to take care of you to the point that you will walk away from a guaranteed paycheck, with only the trust that your God will provide for you. How many of their lives will be forever changed when they face difficult circumstances? Will they turn to God because of your example? We don’t know for sure, but I’m one who would hope that leadership by example is the strongest teacher.
I mentioned that a government cannot stand without the support of its people. In this scenario I painted, who will have the support of your co-workers, the government, or you? Your actions can plant the seeds that one day will turn people against the establishment when “true” persecution comes. If we are just “noisy”, the government will be glad to see us go. But if we changed lives, our persecutors will not be able to withstand a rebellion of their own making.
When we live by the law of love, we create change from the bottom up. Jesus never "fought" the government. He simply showed love to whomever he was around and the change that was created has not only lasted over 2000 years, it has perpetually grown and spread. Jesus’ love changed the people at the bottom. When that happens, change makes its way to the top. Sure, fighting can create change, but the change is only temporary. There is always someone bigger and stronger who will overpower the change. But when love is the weapon of choice, nothing is able to defeat it. So if you feel persecuted, live out your faith. Suffering may be the best way to effect change. “Fighting back” is the “expected” response. It’s so easy to say, “If I were them, I’d be fighting too”, and BOOM you are ignored! But to quietly suffer AND on top of that, show love to your oppressors, there is no way you can be ignored. Not only is it not expected, but it’s considered “insane”, but it is never going to be forgotten. And those who end up in difficult times, will remember your faith and perhaps accept Jesus as their savior, and begin a new life, because the seeds you planted began to grow and bear fruit. As a Christian, everyone is watching you. If you talk the talk AND walk the walk, people’s lives will be forever changed, whether you know it or not.
Rather than constantly trying to preserve our "rights" as Christians against a government set on taking them away by "fighting", perhaps we need to live out our faith among those in our immediate influence. If they see God's love in us, and later see us suffer for expressing that love, our oppressors will be seen as the problem, not us. Those of us screaming about how we're being persecuted are seen as ignorant people who believe an outdated old book that contains racist, bigoted messages. What makes its way into the news might be the only encounter many people have with Christianity. And of course, it is all negative publicity. Is there any question as to why we are looked down on as Christians? So we scream even louder about how we are misunderstood and unfairly characterized, and all this screaming makes us look even more ignorant and paranoid. So how do we change it? I am going to suggest a different approach, try being quiet. As you read on, you will see what I mean.
Changing gears for a second, a government that does not have the support of its people cannot stand. "Fighting" against it only creates sides, either you are with us or against us. This is a "top down" approach. Fight the leaders to affect change that will trickle down. History shows us this approach never really works. When Christianity was mandated by a government, it didn’t change people’s hearts, though it may have changed some people’s actions. True change only comes when it affects people’s hearts. You cannot legislate this type of change. You can make non-Christian actions illegal, but you can only change behavior, not intent. To truly change someone’s heart, you need to make personal, one-on-one contact with them. That cannot be done at a high level, it can only be done at the grass roots. You have to get down on your knees and wash the other person’s feet. You have to enter their life and allow yourself to love them without reservation.
All this being said, let’s play out what I’m talking about. Let’s say you have affected many people’s lives by showing God’s love to them (As a Christian, I would hope we are all doing this.) You work a government job that requires you to issue marriage licenses. One day, gay marriage becomes legal and you are now required to issue those licenses. However, you believe this violates your faith, how do you respond? Well, if you fight and refuse to do so, you get hauled into court, speak your piece and get thrown into jail. A national controversy breaks out and some are with you and some are against you. Your co-workers can’t take your side because they can’t afford to lose their jobs. So they fear the power of the government that employs them. That government has the ability to throw them into jail beside you. (What follows is all speculation, but let’s see where it goes.) On the other hand, let’s say, you chose to quietly resign stating that you can’t do something that violates your faith. Since you have shown all your co-workers God’s love through your actions, your resignation will leave a HUGE imprint on their hearts and minds. They see that you are not only willing to talk the talk, but you are willing to walk the walk. They will see how deep your faith really runs. They know you NEED that job, but you are willing to give it up for something you believe that deeply about. They see that you trust God enough to take care of you to the point that you will walk away from a guaranteed paycheck, with only the trust that your God will provide for you. How many of their lives will be forever changed when they face difficult circumstances? Will they turn to God because of your example? We don’t know for sure, but I’m one who would hope that leadership by example is the strongest teacher.
I mentioned that a government cannot stand without the support of its people. In this scenario I painted, who will have the support of your co-workers, the government, or you? Your actions can plant the seeds that one day will turn people against the establishment when “true” persecution comes. If we are just “noisy”, the government will be glad to see us go. But if we changed lives, our persecutors will not be able to withstand a rebellion of their own making.
When we live by the law of love, we create change from the bottom up. Jesus never "fought" the government. He simply showed love to whomever he was around and the change that was created has not only lasted over 2000 years, it has perpetually grown and spread. Jesus’ love changed the people at the bottom. When that happens, change makes its way to the top. Sure, fighting can create change, but the change is only temporary. There is always someone bigger and stronger who will overpower the change. But when love is the weapon of choice, nothing is able to defeat it. So if you feel persecuted, live out your faith. Suffering may be the best way to effect change. “Fighting back” is the “expected” response. It’s so easy to say, “If I were them, I’d be fighting too”, and BOOM you are ignored! But to quietly suffer AND on top of that, show love to your oppressors, there is no way you can be ignored. Not only is it not expected, but it’s considered “insane”, but it is never going to be forgotten. And those who end up in difficult times, will remember your faith and perhaps accept Jesus as their savior, and begin a new life, because the seeds you planted began to grow and bear fruit. As a Christian, everyone is watching you. If you talk the talk AND walk the walk, people’s lives will be forever changed, whether you know it or not.
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