The Power of Love (and our love of power)

Circuit

Build a simple circuit. Add something to one side. Then to the other. And again…

Then BREAK the circuit.

[Don’t explain.]

Scripture Reading

Matthew 5:38–39 CEB

38 “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.39 But I say to you that you must not oppose those who want to hurt you. If people slap you on your right cheek, you must turn the left cheek to them as well.

Matthew 5:40–42 CEB

40 When they wish to haul you to court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. 41 When they force you to go one mile, go with them two. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t refuse those who wish to borrow from you.

Matthew 5:43–45 (CEB)

43 “You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you 45 so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven.

This is one of those teachings of Jesus in which he really raises the bar.

I mean have you tried loving your neighbour? (It’s really hard.)

But here, Jesus says, “yeah, not just your neighbour, you need to love your enemies as well.”

Seriously, Jesus?

(Can we take the sign down now? “Live and love like Jesus...” sounded nice until I realized what Jesus actually said. And did.)

In Jesus life and teaching, he both said and demonstrated the evil can only be overcome through the power of suffering love. In fact, in Jesus, we see that God demonstrating power looks like Jesus on a Roman cross.

The cross isn’t Jesus’ failure to overthrow evil, it’s the coronation of a King who brings revolution by being the circuit breaker of evil. And He calls us to do the same. The break the circuits that otherwise will just keep demanding more and more. More violence. More retribution. More revenge. More death. More destruction.

ENOUGH!

Command: Love you neighbour.

Response: Who is my neighbour?

Command: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Response: Who is my enemy?

Immediate thoughts might include, “Oh, this guy!” or “Her” or some famous villain or political figure who you dislike, or a boss or person you work or study with.

Or, you might think, “I don’t think I have any enemies.”

Inner enemies?

Interpersonal enemies?

Former friends. Someone you’ve fallen out with. Someone who has hurt you.

Or “Not-your-friends” - those people who are in your life, but who you would really prefer to keep outside of your life. Those not-your-friends who you would really like to keep as not-your-friends.

Or ??

Inter-group enemies?

As Canadians?

We don’t have a long list of national enemies. Maybe a few frenemies…?

But mercifully, we have been short on agressors and oppressors. Actually, we’ve managed to cover the oppressing in house for the most part.

But we are part of other groups… so what about those? What about as a church? Or within our denomination, the CBWC?

ABTS October 2023 Newsletter

MEC 2023, held between the 25th and 27th of September, was the first Consultation since the pandemic to be held primarily in-person, with online elements made available through Zoom to those who could not make it to Lebanon for the three-day Consultation. It continued the work started by our Peacemaking team in 2022. Since 2019, our Peacemaking team has been working alongside a collaborative group of pastors to develop a Biblical and contextual approach to peacemaking that applies to Arab culture. The theory they devel-oped was presented during MEC 2022, at the end of which a call was sent out to Arab church leaders who wanted to be trained to apply these theories in their home countries. 13 leaders from Sudan, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and the Gulf answered the call. In February, these 13 leaders came to ABTS where they were trained in the theory and went back home to begin peacemaking initiatives of their own.

In this year’s Consultation, these leaders came back with feedback on what worked and what didn’t work in the initiatives they started. They shared intimate experiences of hurt and healing and how the Lord worked amid conflict to bring restoration. Their stories guided workshop conversations where participants were able to share their own personal experiences with conflict and struggle. And, with all the difficulties that the region has been experiencing lately – including the war in Sudan and the earthquakes in Syria and Morocco – the Consultation created an opportunity for many to share their hurts, take practical steps towards peace, and begin journeys of healing with the Lord.

The Consultation ended with a synthesis of the discussions that helped us gain further insight into the challenges and possibilities for peacemaking ministries across the globe. We thank the Lord for what He is doing through our Consultation and our peacemaking ministry and pray that He continues to spread a culture of peace in the region through the Arab Church. With what is currently happening in the region, we are re- minded for the desperate need for God’s peace in a world filled with evil and injustice. Our prayer is that His peace that transcends all understanding fills the hearts of those who seek Him even in the midst of a cruel war.

What do we tend to do when we encounter enemies? How can we overcome evil? What does peace-making look like in the face of evil? Is Jesus’ teaching a little “out of touch”?

Shari Ellington’s blogpost: Layers of Peace: Highlights from the 2023 Middle East Consultation at ABTS

Intergroup Peace might include peace between different ethnic groups, different religious groups or church denominations, or even groups within the same church that may have some kind of conflict. At least two speakers mentioned having been part of meaningful ongoing meetings between leaders from different evangelical denominations, in Egypt and in Lebanon. Here and in other sessions we began to consider what can help to develop a culture of peace in the church. Beyond the church, Bread and Salt is a peacemaking initiative that began in Lebanon in 2016, where youth from Christian and Muslim faith traditions share a bite to eat and come together for social action, while having a safe space to share their thoughts about faith and life, journey toward inner healing, and seek reconciliation with people different from themselves. Similarly, we heard from Nabila, via video from Sudan, of “Benatna Ishrah,” translating roughly to “Among us there is Understanding,” where 8 different groups of 5 Muslims and 5 Christians – a total of 80 young women over three years — have come together with a facilitator to be trained in peacemaking by having peaceful conversation, getting to know people different from themselves, and doing social action together for their community. Biblical principles we considered for Intergroup Peace included Respect, Honesty, and the importance of Confrontation done prayerfully and wisely.

For Interpersonal Peace, as well, we were challenged to not let issues fester between individuals in the family, the church, or any other relationship, and reminded among other things that there is “No reconciliation without confrontation.” Somewhat surprisingly for a conference on peace, “confrontation” became a theme throughout these days, both in teachings and in the touching case studies that were shared. But it’s not really so surprising once one realizes that the purpose of confrontation done well is not to explode at others in arguments (nor to accuse or blame anyone), but rather to develop courage and skills to lovingly, carefully, and prayerfully face issues that already exist, inviting the Holy Spirit to pour out grace and healing for full reconciliation between people. An attendee from the UK offered the phrase, “I want to give you a ‘supportive challenge’” as one way he has learned to initiate confrontation. Pastor Moufid from Lebanon shared biblical advice that included key steps before confrontation, such as seeking wise advice (Prov 12:15), praying for the person (Prov 5:44), forgiving them before you confront them, remembering to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44), and being sure to take personal responsibility. In a comment on the final day his wife, Jessy, who had also been one of our speakers, emphasized that those of us who aren’t used to practicing healthy confrontation may switch from one extreme to the other and explode all our frustrations at the other person. Instead, we must learn the skill of measured, wise, respectful, and prayerful confrontation done in love and in reliance on the Holy Spirit.

Inner Peace clearly can be a helpful foundation toward each of the above layers of peace. It is also something God can give us even in the midst of external trials. In our biblical focus talk on Inner Peace, Bassem Melki read Philippians 4:7 and asked us to consider how, why, and when we have tended to experience this “peace of God, which transcends all understanding.” He also recommended reading the short book of Habakkuk as an excellent example of being emotionally honest with God, then moving toward healing, victory, and an inner peace that allows us to still rejoice even if we haven’t yet seen reality change – because we have encountered God. Our case studies on inner peace included groups in Sudan and in Syria – places where external peace was not plentiful. In fact, hearing from Habil in Sudan we learned that the Ambassador of Peace groups he was leading had to stop suddenly when war broke out. As he shared this (via video, since he could not travel due to the conflict) bombing was audible in the background of his recording. And yet he expressed that he personally has experienced inner peace from God during these difficult times. Meanwhile, Pastor Mazen from Syria shared about the layers of difficulty people in his community had already faced – war, pandemic, economic trials – before the February earthquakes shook away their security and peace even further. But he saw God meeting people when his church team arrived to check on them, as “Jesus sent someone to care.” These and many others of the case studies didn’t just stick to the “official” layer of peace on that day’s schedule, but highlighted the interwoven strands of Inner, Interpersonal, and Group healing.

What about us? What about here?

Of course, we’re thinking about the Middle East these days. It’s hard not to think about it.

But it’s not just “those folks in the Middle East” who are called to love their enemies.

What about us?

“Evil feeds on fear of evil and this is how evil gains power. What would happen if we don’t give it power?” Jon Hand

“Hitting them back keeps evil in circulation.” JH

Turn the other cheek - if you were fighting someone of the same class you would use the palm or fist.

If they hit you a second time, they hit you as an equal.

Evil can hurt us, can make life uncomfortable and difficult and even unlikely. But our power is ours to give. Jesus is saying, turn the other cheek. Don’t give evil your power by retaliating.

class injustice (v 40)

Someone who is poor now owes someone who is rich.

Political power over held by the Romans

Jesus says, if they make you carry their pack 1.6 km as a slave, carry it a second mile as a free person, out of generosity.

A brilliant act of resistance.

Creative. Revolutionary.

Evil is like a circuit. In order to overcome evil, LOVE is the circuit breaker.

Romans 12:9–21 (NIV)

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Overcome evil with good.

Matthew 5:43–45 CEB

43 “You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you 45 so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous.