Love Amidst a World of Hate

Lately, I've become aware that we live in a world that is filling with hate. Our brothers and sisters are being slaughtered and each time I turn on the news, it seems there is more tragedy at the hand of man. (Bringing back memories of Cain and Abel anyone?) Sure, there are the feel-good fillers about the elderly reaching the 100 year plus milestone and celebrations of human dedication and triumph in sport and ingenuity, but on the whole I often get more depressed by the state of our world and wonder what kind of world my children will grow up in.

The articles  "Does Islam Inevitably Lead to Violence" (Caleb Greggson) and "The FAQS: Islamic State Beheads 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya" (Joe Carter) over at the Gospel Coalition, made me grow in awareness of the causes of some of these tragic killings and I also became more aware of the tough call for us as Christians to be filled with love, instead of fear and hate. 

As we read through the book of 1 John, we quickly see the theme of love emerge. We can be struck by the love the Father has lavished on us in 1 John 3:1 and are reminded to love God (1 John 4:7) rather than the things of the world (1 John 2:15-17).  John then writes that we will be known by our love:

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so love us, we also ought to love one another. no one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." (1 John 4:7-12).

Did you catch that? We love because God first loved us, seen most evidently in his gift of Jesus. We then will be known as a child of God because of God's love being lived out in our lives (1 John 5:1). In God's Kingdom, it is love that overcomes the dark evils of the world (1 John 5:4) and most specifically, the love through Jesus and belief in him (1 John 5:4-5). You see, our faith and love in Jesus cannot be taken from us, it is a light that is ever-shining. We are not of this world and so no matter what comes, our love for Jesus radiating out of us through our joy and hope and assurance of faith cannot be suppressed. 

It is helpful to be reminded that our world looks dark, because it is: "We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." (1 John 5:19). It is also good to remember that as children of God, we have knowledge of the true light in Jesus and can grow more and more to know him and become like him, "we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ."(1 John 5:20). Let us remember "He is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20 b) and so we are to love and hope in him. We are to keep ourselves from the love of the things of this world and be filled with love for the world as it is in darkness and needs to be illuminated with the love of Jesus. We also have hope: one day we will be enveloped in this love tangibly, as we are reunited with him and the rest of our family. Oh the depth of his love, and the sweet sweet mercy and grace shown through our glorious Saviour!




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An Aged Martyr

“86 years have I have served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?”

Polycarp’s Martyrdom (ca. 69-ca. 155)
I like to people watch when I get the chance- watching an expression cross a person's face, viewing a film that poignantly speaks of this thing we call 'life', sinking my teeth into a book with strong characters. All these opportunities give me time to pause and consider the millions of people living across this earth and the different lives they live. These days, I am usually found watching my two little children and marvelling at God's handiwork in their lives. I also wonder about who they will grow to be.  My almost 3 year old daughter is becoming more aware of the concept of 'time' in life. Her birthday is rapidly approaching and her mind is taking in what a birthday actually is and what it means to get a year older. The other day after running into an elderly friend, my little lady looked at my and stated most emphatically, "I don't think G- is a baby". I concurred with a smile: It had been 70 or so years since our dear family friend had been a baby! Age is such an interesting thing for a small child to understand. This made me think- how do I want to look back on these years I am to live? I hope that if I reach 70+ years on this earth, I may be lots wiser, more patient and more in love with our Precious Saviour Jesus!Polycarp, is one of the earliest martyrs we have documented eye-witness accounts of outside the New Testament. At 86 years of age, I would also make a guess that he is perhaps one of the oldest. He is thought of to be the last surviving Christian who learnt directly from the Apostle John and was a leader of the Church in Smyrna. In the account below, we read of his courageous martyr:

"In the popular mind, the early church was above all else a noble army of martyrs. In many ways it was, and none was more noble than Polycarp, the aged bishop of Smyrna in western Asia Minor.The authorities brought the highly respected pastor into the crowded arena, prepared to shove him to the lions- but only reluctantly. They much preferred a denial of the charge against him. He was a Christian."Simply swear by Caesar," the governor pled."I am a Christian," said Polycarp. "If you want to know what that is, set a day and listen.""Persuade the people," answered the governor. Polycarp said, "I would explain to you, but not to them""Then I'll throw you to the beasts.""Bring on your beasts," said Polycarp."If you scorn the beasts, I'll have you burned.""You try to frighten me with the fire that burns for an hour, and you forget the fire of hell that never goes out."The governor called to the people, "Polycarp says he is a Christian." Then the mob let loose. "This is the teacher of Asia," they shouted, "the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods."So Polycarp, praying that his death would be an acceptable sacrifice, was burned at the stake.The scene is real. It did happen."- Excerpt from B. L. Shelley¹

In another account, when Polycarp was told if he recanted he would have his life spared, he replied, "For eighty-six years I have served him, and he has done me no evil. How could I curse my king, who saved me?"². As he was tied to the stake, we read "... he looked up and prayed out loud: "Lord Sovereign God ... I thank you that you have deemed me worthy of this moment, so that, jointly with your martyrs, I may have a share in the cup of Christ... For this... I bless and glorify you. Amen."³ 
As I imagine myself a silent "people watcher" of this man Polycarp, I am amazed at the strength his faith and God gave him. I imagine the lines of laughter etched around his mouth, the wisdom of age showing in his hair, the slight stoop signalling a long-lived life. Yet this man is not telling a story to a grandchild sitting on his knee, he is standing in front of an angry mob, who are calling for his excruciating death. Polycarp considers the opinion of his Saviour King higher than that of the people in front of him. With assurance of his salvation (1 John 5:11-13), he considers it an honour to be martyred alongside Christ. Not only does he not waver in his faith, he so greatly comprehends God's richness of grace (Ephesians 2:1-7) that Polycarp asks for an opportunity to share his faith with the governor. 
How quick I am to miss an opportunity to share my love for Jesus with a friend, fearing their response! How often I think more highly of other people's opinions over that of my Saviour! I so easily lose sight of the temporal nature of this world, getting caught up in the day to day and forget that eternity is just around the corner. In these moments, may I remember Paul's example, "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." Ephesians 3:8-11.

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1 B. L. Shelley, Church History in Plain Language, 1995, p.37, Word Publishing^↩
2 J.L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity Vol.1, 2010, p.54, HarperOne:NY^↩
3 J.L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity Vol.1, 2010, p.54, HarperOne:NY^↩

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Peter's Pursuit of God

The Apostle Peter has been on my mind lately. As I have thought through Biblical characters who pursued God, Peter is one who comes frequently to mind. Perhaps I relate to his impulsive nature (see for example John 13:6-9 or John 18:10-11), his misled desire to be acknowledged and esteemed for what he has done (see Matthew 19:27-28) or the fear Peter shows at standing up in a hostile crowd for Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75), even though Jesus predicted this would be Peter's reaction (Matthew 26:30-35).

But I think the thing I love most about the account of Peter's pursuit of God in the New Testament, is that it is a journey of sanctification. Peter doesn't stay as this somewhat unruly fisherman. The Holy Spirit enters Peter at Pentecost and Peter immediately begins to preach with power and conviction, bearing witness to the Truth in Jesus' fulfilment of Scripture (Acts 2:14-41). Peter then goes on to become one of the leaders of the church of Jerusalem. This is supported by historians, "Of the apostles, Peter and John seem to have been foremost, for Acts gives several indications of this, and they are two of the "pillars" to whom Paul refers in Galatians 2:9." (Justo. L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity Vol. 1, 2010, p.28)

In the corporate prayer time we have as a church, prayers yesterday were filled with us fervently pleading for strength, endurance and  deliverance for our brothers and sisters who are currently under sever persecution in Iraq and Syria. There is also the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa and cases of it appearing around the world. In these distressing times, we can take comfort in Peter's pursuit of God and see the Holy Spirit's sanctification of him. 

In 1 Peter 1:6-9, we read "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." As I read this, I earnestly desire to love Jesus, though I do not see him and to believe in him and rejoice with an inexpressible joy. 

Peter went on to impact the church greatly. He learnt from his denial of Jesus and followed Jesus to the cross. Historically, it is affirmed that "...Peter was in Rome, that he suffered martyrdom in that city during Nero's persecution. On these points, several writers of the first and second centuries seem to agree. We are also told that he was crucified- according to one version, upside-down- and this seems to be implied by the otherwise obscure words in John 21:18-19" (Justo. L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity Vol. 1, 2010, p.36).

As the time in which we live grows in public persecution for Christians, may we not waver in our faith. With eternity in the forefront of our minds, an inexpressible love for Jesus in our hearts, and a growing knowledge of the Word of God encouraging and equipping us, "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."(Hebrews 12:1b-2). 

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