October 22, 2001
TOGETHER:
Hard times provide ideal opportunity to share faith
___If Christians ever have had a better opportunity for witness than now, it would be hard to imagine.
___People are struggling to put their lives back together following the unforgettable events of Sept. 11. Fears may grow deeper, uncertainties more unsettling and fury more intense before we get through this dark time in our nation's life.
___People are watching to see if the Christian faith we profess really gives comfort, courage and hope in these circumstances. Does our Lord's command to love our neighbor apply to the Muslim family down the street, the Arab immigrants in our school, the people who look like strangers to us? Is our language and attitude so harsh and "over the top" that people wonder, "How can that come out of a heart that is supposed to love Jesus?"
CHARLES WADE
Executive Director
BGCT Executive Board
___We can fight a war to deal with terrorism. We can protect our people from harm. We can call the world to a new determination to remove terrorist acts from the list of acceptable behaviors and terrorists from their hiding places. We can bring to justice those who give support to or participate in terrorism. And if we do all these things with careful planning and without hatred, we can both defend our country and protect the soul of our country as well.
___This is a time when we hear the words of Jesus with a special kind of attention: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).
___If we go after terrorists out of hatred and rage, we will make mistakes, and our fury will work against us. But if we are determined to protect free societies and their citizens from intimidation and violence by holding terrorists accountable for their actions, then we can act with a fierce resolve that can win a lasting peace.
___If our commitment is to stop terrorism from claiming more lives and destroying the integrity of a free society, then we also will work hard at strengthening those who alleviate suffering and who seek justice and opportunity for all the people in every land. Just because it is very difficult, that does not excuse us.
___If Christians can be voices of reason and compassion, if we can love America without hating those who have unjustly attacked us, if we can be the presence of Christ wherever we go, then the glory of the gospel, the amazing grace of God, the salvation Jesus died to bring to every person, and the power of the Holy Spirit to make us more than we naturally could be will shine through.
___And God will use that to open the hearts and minds of people everywhere to his great love for them.
___Jesus said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21).
___Jesus is the first missionary. God sent him into the world. That means the way we do missions ought to be the way Jesus did missions. He gave himself sacrificially. He gave himself with great compassion. He was absolutely obedient to the will of the Father. He was clear about the judgment against sin and lives that love darkness, but he came not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:16-21).
___In that text, we have our true marching orders. Jesus shows us the way.
___We are loved.
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