Naylor Community Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Revelation
2:1-5
Revelation
2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These
are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks
among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your
perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have
tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown
weary.
4
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5
Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If
you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
-- this was a week marked by anger
and violence – as I’m sure you all know, Charlie Kirk, an influential right-wing
activist and close ally of Donald Trump, was murdered while he spoke to a
gathering of students at a university in Utah
-- I came home Wednesday to the
breaking news on TV and social media accounts that were filled with information
and commentary about the event – I watched for a few moments and popped on
Twitter and Reddit to see what was going on there -- but to be honest, I did
not know who Charlie Kirk was – I didn’t know what he stood for – I didn’t know
anything about him – I didn’t understand this national response to his passing
-- I had heard his name and ran
across it on political posts – I knew he was conservative and aligned with MAGA
and had something to do with Turning Point USA – but other than that, I didn’t
know anything about him – good or bad
-- I looked him up after the event
to get an idea of who he was – and although I disagree with many of his
political stances and cultural commentaries – my heart breaks for his death and
especially for his wife and his two young children that he left behind – I
grieve for them, just as I grieve for the kids who were killed in a Colorado
school that same day – just as I grieve for the people in Gaza, as they suffer
the brutality of war and are experiencing horrors that we simply cannot imagine
-- I grieve for this world – and my
heart breaks because of all the violence and pain and the wars and rumors of
war that we see today – this is not the way it should be – and I join with God’s
people in praying for His will to be done – for His peace to come – for His
Kingdom to be made manifest – on earth as it is in Heaven
-- grief is normal – it is natural –
it is sharing God’s heart and God’s love for all His people in times of
violence and injustice and hurt
-- but that is not what I want to
talk about today – instead, I want us to consider the other thing that marked
this week besides grief – and that was the anger that roiled out through
political messages and especially social media
-- I have never seen nor heard such
hatred and vitriol and harsh language in the news and on social media and from
the lips of our elected officials as I did this week – I understand that
Charlie Kirk’s death was a shock to many – and I know now that he was much
admired and much loved by many in this country – but that is not an excuse for
the hatred that poured across our media this week
-- I have a good friend that I have
known for over 40 years – I know him to be a man of God – he works as an
administrator in a local church – I have served with him on the Walk to Emmaus and
on the Chrysalis weekends multiple times – we’re friends in real life and
friends on Facebook
-- and when his response to the
death of Charlie Kirk came across my Facebook feed, I was dumbfounded – it was
so hate-filled – it was so horrific – accusing one political party and everyone
who belonged to that political party of being evil atheists and satanists and
pedophiles and everything else you can imagine – he called for all of them to
be hunted down and prosecuted for the death of Charlie Kirk, even though this
senseless act of violence was perpetrated by a lone gunman
-- when I read that post from him, I
just couldn’t believe it -- and I’m not just singling my friend out – he was
not the only one that posted such dangerous and rash messages on social media –
my Twitter and Reddit and Facebook feeds were incredible this week – they were
heart-breaking – as people on both sides expressed their feelings in ways that were
not acceptable
– I can understand the world reacting harshly
to the news of Charlie Kirk’s death or the death of a similar well-loved and
well-liked person from either side of the political and cultural spectrum – I can
understand the world castigating others and pouring out hatred and vitriol on those
who don’t agree with them because of acts like this
-- they can’t help themselves – this is
all they know – they don’t have the love and the peace of Christ in their
hearts – they are not led by Christ but by the god of this age, who rejoices
when violence and hatred and injustice reign
– but that is not the way of Christ – and that
is not to be the way of Christians
– we – the people of God – the people
saved by the grace and mercy of God and forgiven for our sins through the very
body and blood of Christ sacrificed on the cross of Calvary for us – filled with
His presence and sealed with His Holy Spirit – we should never have hate-filled
words and messages on our lips or on our tongues – this is not right – this is
not the way of Jesus
-- when we consider the Book of Revelation
and especially Christ’s letters to the seven churches, there are many who
contend that the churches in our day most closely resemble the church of
Laodicea – the church that was rebuked by Jesus for being lukewarm – neither hot
nor cold – a church that did not have true love or true deeds but was marked by
self-sufficiency and self-justification
-- and while there is some truth in that
and we can see that in our churches today as we turn a blind eye to the cries
for help from those outside the church while focusing on ourselves, I think
that we can rightly say that we also share a heritage with the church at
Ephesus
-- Look back at Revelation 2:1-3
Revelation
2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These
are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks
among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your
perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have
tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown
weary.
-- I believe the church at Ephesus
represented the first generation of believers who founded communities based on
the apostles’ direct teachings – they were counter-cultural – they were
counter-religious for their day
-- where other religions were based on
works and appearance and power – the early church reflected the teachings of
Jesus and the apostles, and sought to live out the example that Jesus had left
for them – they tried to live holy and good lives in pagan cultures – they lived
in grace and mercy with one another and worked hard and persevered against evil
and injustice – they held to the faith and stayed true to the doctrines and
teachings of Jesus – they endured hardships and suffered greatly for their
faith
-- and we can certainly say that there are
many churches and communities of faith in our world and our country today that
look like this – who stand firm for the faith and who try to live right and
righteous lives for Christ
-- but there’s more to being a Christian
than that – on the night that Jesus was betrayed – as He was pouring out His
heart to His disciples in the Upper Room before He left them for the cross,
Jesus gave them one final command and prayed to the Father one final prayer on
their behalf
-- in John 13:34-35, Jesus said, “A new
command I give you: Love one another. As
I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another.”
-- Jesus called this a “new command,” but
really it was not new, for the disciples had heard it before – in response to
the question, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”, Jesus responded
in Matthew 22:37-40, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind. This
is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law
and the Prophets hang on these two commandments”
– and in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus
had commanded that our love extend even to our enemies – In Matthew 5:44-48,
Jesus said, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to
rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not
even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what
are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect,
therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
-- so, the disciples had heard this
command to love one another before – but in this context and this setting, this
was a new command because this was to be the governing commandment in their
lives from now on – they were to love everyone, even their enemies – their lives
were to reflect the love that Christ had for them – and they were to be known
by that love
-- this new command was a new way of life –
and because of Jesus’ atoning death on the cross and our empowerment through
the presence of the Holy Spirit – we would be able to live in love as Jesus did
– not loving as the world loved – but loving as Christ Himself – loving one
another – even our enemies – as Jesus loved them
-- and when Jesus prayed in John 17:22-23
that His disciples and the church would be one, just as Jesus and the Father
would be one, it was love that was to be what united them and bound them
together – not doctrine – not deeds – not adhering to a written standard of faith
– but love
-- it all comes down to love – that is the
message – that is the command – love is to be who we are – love is to be how
the world knows us – love is to be what defines us as Christians
-- and that’s why it’s so heart-breaking
to read Jesus’ rebuke of the church of Ephesus here in Revelation 2 – look back
at verse 4-5
Revelation
2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5
Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If
you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
-- this church – this church that we would
look at and think is the best example of who we could be – this church that was
in the world doing good things and holding firm to the truth of the gospel and
standing up for righteousness in the world – who persevered through sufferings
and trials and temptations – this church had a problem – it had lost its love
-- it had forsaken the love it had at
first – it had gotten so wrapped up in doing what was right and teaching what
was right that it forgot the underlying foundation that it stood on – it forgot
the command to love one another as Jesus loved us
-- this is what I saw this week – this is
what I heard this week – from politicians and elected officials – from the
mainstream media – and especially on social media
-- like I said, we can understand a lack
of love coming from the world and from those who don’t know Christ – but I saw
this same lack of love coming from Christians and those who proclaim the name
of Christ every day
-- the one thing about social media that
is so bad is the anonymity of it – Twitter and Reddit and Instagram and all the
other social media sites bring with them anonymity – on these feeds, you don’t
know most of the people who are posting – you don’t know the groups that are
speaking – and you have to be aware of that – and you have to know that some of
the posts are not real, but generated by bots or automated accounts simply to spread
misinformation and dissension for their own nefarious purposes
-- if you are on those sites – if you absorb
the posts on those sites – even filtered through the site’s algorithm that
feeds you what you want to see – know that you are getting the messages and thoughts
from both Christians and the world – and just because someone claims to be a
Christian, doesn’t mean they are
-- Facebook is a little different, because
there you are supposed to only see posts from “friends” – and friends is in
quotes – people that you know and that you trust and that you have allowed to
speak into your life
-- and that’s why my friend’s post
shook me so badly – because I know him – I know his heart – I know him to be a
man of God – but the emotions of Wednesday overcame him and he allowed the
enemy to speak hatred and vitriol and dissension in a way that shouldn’t have
occurred – and certainly, shouldn’t have been made public in such a forum
-- he forgot his first love – he forgot
Jesus’ command to love one another as Jesus loved us
-- unfortunately, my friend wasn’t
the only one – I read post after post on various social media sites and saw
message after message from politicians and elected officials castigating those from
other political parties and those who did not agree with their opinions on
cultural and social issues – to the point where some were even calling for
violence and persecution against those on the left – not because they had done
anything – but simply because of what they believed
-- that is wrong – that should not
happen – we expect this from the world – but this should never be the response
of a person who calls themselves a Christian – who has been saved through the
love and grace and mercy of Jesus Christ
-- as Christians, we are supposed to
be known for one thing and one thing only – not deeds – not righteousness – not
holding to right doctrine – Jesus said we are to be known for our love – and it
is in this love and through this love that we are to be united and one with
each other
-- that is the way – and that should
be how Christians respond to horrific acts of violence and injustice – whether they
are perpetrated against someone on your side of the political or social
spectrum or on the other – violence and hatred and vitriol are never acceptable
responses for Christians
-- in Romans 12:2, we are told, “Do
not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind – then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good,
pleasing, and perfect will”
-- for too long, we in the church
have allowed politics to mold us and shape us far more than the word of God –
we reflect the politics of this country more than we reflect the character and nature
and love of Christ – to the point where we equate being a Christian with being
a patriotic American
-- to this, I can only say, “No, No,
No” – we are not to be conformed to the pattern of this world – we are not to
imitate this world – we are not to reflect the social and cultural and
political values of this world – we are to be in this world but not of this
world
-- as Christians, we are members of
the Kingdom of God – we are citizens of the King – and we should reflect His
values and His nature in this world today – we should reflect and live out His
love in the world today
-- we are not to be conformed to the
pattern of this world, but to be transformed into the people that God has
called us to be through the renewing of our minds – this is the way – this is
who we should be
-- turn over to 1 Corinthians 13 and
we’ll try to wrap this up – we’re all familiar with 1 Corinthians 13 – it’s a common
passage for us to read at weddings – the “Love Chapter”, we call it
– but when the Apostle Paul penned these
words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they were not reserved for
newlyweds – they were for the church – they were for life -- they were for us
to hear and to live out in our lives as we seek to love one another as Jesus
loved us
-- look with me now at 1 Corinthians
13:4-8a
1
Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight
in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.
8
Love never fails.
-- the Bible tells us that God is
love – and Jesus prayed that we would be one with each other and one with Him –
that we would be united in His love – that we would love one another and even
love our enemies – as He loved us
-- what does that mean? – what does
that look like? – How do we do that?
-- God tells us right here – this is
the way we are to live – this is the way we are to respond to those who
disagree with us – this is the way we are to respond to troubles and trials –
to violence and crime and wars and injustice – this is the way we are to love
-- Jesus calls us to love one another
by being patient – by being kind – by not envying – not boasting – by not being
proud, but humble
-- the love we are called to is not
dishonest nor dishonoring – it is not self-seeking – it is not easily angered –
it keeps no record of wrongs
-- true love remembers the depths
from which Christ pulled us and the glory to which He brought us and calls us
to do the same – to easily forgive – to easily show love to everyone
-- our love should never delight in
evil – whether that is the evil of a gunman who takes the life of another for
no reason or whether that is the evil that comes from our lips in response to
events like this – our love should rejoice with the truth – and speak the good
news of Christ to all
-- it is the love of Christ in us
that protects us, that always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres –
this love never fails
-- this love is what we are called
to show to one another – in word, and in deed, and in thought
-- in 2006, Charles Roberts went
into a one-room Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and took
the children hostage -- eventually killing five girls between the ages of 6 and
13 before he committed suicide
-- for weeks, the nation was
fascinated with this story -- not so much the horrific story of the events in
the schoolhouse, but the story of how the Amish parents and the Amish community
responded to the Roberts family in the aftermath of the event
-- how would you have responded? --
what if it was your family -- your children -- your grandchildren -- that were
killed? -- I shudder to think what the response of my heart might be
-- but the Amish responded with love
in such a way that the world could not understand – they responded with the
love that Christ calls us to in His command to love one another
-- immediately after the shooting, Jack
Meyer, a member of the Brethren community living near the Amish in Lancaster
County, explained: "I don't think there's anybody here that wants to do
anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss
in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these
acts." [Wikipedia: Amish School Shooting]
-- hours after the shooting, members
of the Amish community visited Roberts' widow, parents, and in-laws and
extended forgiveness to them -- "One Amish man held Roberts' sobbing
father in his arms, reportedly for as long as an hour, to comfort him" and
30 members of the Amish community actually attended the funeral of the man who
had killed their children
-- Marie Roberts, the widow of the
killer, wrote a letter to her Amish neighbors thanking them for their
forgiveness, grace, mercy, and love -- She wrote, "Your love for our
family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Gifts you've
given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion
has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world,
and for this we sincerely thank you."[Wikipedia: Amish School Shooting]
-- this is the way – this is the
command – this is what we are to do – love one another as I have loved you
-- before I close, let me leave you
with some recommendations on what to do – practical things you can do outside
of following the commands of Christ and the call to love as He commands in 1
Corinthians 13
-- first, when something horrific
happens, like the assassination of Charlie Kirk this week – if it does not
personally affect you and threaten you or your family or your immediate
community – if you are not in danger at
the moment -- then let me strongly urge you to take a moment and detach
yourself from the event
-- take a pause – stay off media –
don’t look at the news and their 24-hour doom-casting – and especially, stay
off social media – for at least 24 hours
-- give it time – give the nation
time to get past the raw emotions of the event – most of the time, the
immediate news that comes out and the immediate emotional posts that follow
events like this are not accurate and are too emotionally based to be reliable –
give it time before you let yourself be affected by the news and the social
media posts
-- second, before you post anything,
think about it – take a moment – write it – take a break – get a drink of water
– let it sit for a while – and then go back to it and read what you wrote – let
someone else read it, too, and ask them what they think
-- do not react and respond
immediately to anything you read or hear or see – don’t let your emotions and
your thoughts rule you – but take every thought captive to Christ and ask
yourself these things about your post or your email before you hit the share
button:
1)
Is it helpful -- physically, spiritually, and mentally? -- 1 Corinthians
6:12 says, "Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is
beneficial"
2)
Does it bring me under its power?
-- the second part of 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, "Everything is
permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything"
3)
Does it hurt others? -- 1 Corinthians 8:13 says, "Therefore, if
what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so
that I will not cause him to fall"
4)
Does it glorify God? -- 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you
eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
-- I believe that a lot of the posts
and comments that were shared by Christians in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s
death were emotional reactions in the moment – I pray that these thoughts and
the hateful comments and posts that I saw do not reflect the true hearts and
natures of these people who claim to know Christ
-- it is always better to take a
moment and formulate a plan and a thought and then to respond with grace rather
than just share something hurtful and hateful as an instant reaction to the
event
-- I promise – I’m going to wrap
this up right now
-- earlier this week, I shared a
story from Sean Dietrich on Facebook about an experience he had while walking
the Camino de Santiago pilgrim’s trail – he met an older gentleman in a
restaurant after a long day’s walking – and this man shared with him a story
unlike any he had ever heard
-- this man said that when he was in
his 40s, he had suffered a massive stroke and died – he said that he left his
body and watched as the paramedics rushed him to the hospital – and then he was
caught up to a place of whiteness – of just white light that enveloped
everything
-- allow me to quote Sean’s post to
you:
“The old man spoke
of the family members he was reunited with. He told of the movie-like review of
his earthly life’s events. He spoke about meeting God, who, as it turns out,
was nothing like he expected, and did not resemble Charleton Heston.
But mostly, the
little man described an overwhelming, awe-inducing, bone-crushingly intense
realization of love. Everything is made of love, he explained. Love is the
atomic matter of life itself.
Love, the man
said, is the glue that binds all things. Love inside, outside, above, below,
everywhere.
Love before us.
Love behind us. Love on our right. Love on our left. Love is the empty space
between objects. Love, love, love. There is no death, only love. Even our
mistakes are somehow made of love.
By the end of his
story, our small group of dusty pilgrims was listening with slack jaws. The
priest was staring into his empty beer glass.
“I was given a
choice,” the old man said. “I was told that if I came back, life would be hard
for me because of my stroke. I was told there would be pain. But I chose to
leave that realm, and come back.”
“Why?” said the young woman beside me.
“Why would you ever leave?”
The old man
smiled. “Oh, ma petite. Because I have a message to share.”
“What message?”
the priest asked.
The old man smiled
again. “You just heard it.””
-- whether the old man’s story was
true or not – whether he really died and went to heaven and experienced what he
said he did is irrelevant – because his message stands alone
-- the Bible agrees with him – love is
the glue that binds all things – love before us – love behind us – love on our
right – love on our left – love, love, love
-- God is love – and we are called
to love one another as He has loved us – to love everyone – even our enemies – even
those who don’t agree with us politically – even those who are different from
us culturally and socially
-- love one another – love that person
that is woke – love the person that is ultra maga and a Trump supporter – love the
person that is a lukewarm moderate – love the person that is politically disengaged
– love the person that doesn’t look like you – that doesn’t believe what you
believe – that doesn’t stand for what you think is right
-- love them just as Jesus loved everyone
and went to the cross for everyone – no matter how great a sinner they were –
love them in that same way
-- love, love, love
-- to quote the great philosophers
of old from Liverpool, “All we need is love – dum-de-dum-de-dum—all we need is
love”
-- let us pray
