LOVING THE UNLOVELY

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Don’t you wonder about the people who sought out Christ? Do you think they all were kind and loving or isn’t it reasonable to believe that, among the large crowds of people who clamored for His attention, there were more than a few who were unkind and maybe downright cruel?

The Bible makes one thing plain: pretty much all of them were out for themselves and didn’t care about the Person easing their suffering or what would happen to Him afterward.

The “many” that he cured were conspicuously absent at His trials and crucifixion.

This fact coupled with Jesus’ healing sessions brings to life a statement in Luke that reads, “for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men” (Luke 6:35).

In their commentary on the passage, Hendriksen & Kistemaker say, “The ungrateful are those who do not from the heart thank God for the blessings he bestows on them … They fail to complete the circle; that is, when blessings drop down from heaven upon them, they do not make any return in the form of humble praises rising from earth to heaven.”

But then Jesus said all of us were evil in His Sermon on the Mount (“If you, then, being evil…” — Matt. 7:11). 

You see where I’m going with this, right? As Christ’s followers, we’re asked to serve both the lovely and the unlovely. C. S. Lewis reminds us that, “with Christian morals ‘thy neighbor’ includes ‘thy enemy.’”

Now, when we imitate Christ in that way and are “merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36) to the unkind who are unbelievers and “bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just to please ourselves” (Rom. 15:1-3), there are two possible outcomes. One is that our acts of kindness are used by God to change their heart, lead them to Him, and ultimately alter the person’s eternal destination. Does that happen? You betcha.

For example, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Brian Johnson, the lead singer of the rock band AC/DC, talked about his upbringing in Dunston, England, which he described as “drab, hard, distant, and unwelcoming.” But when he was put into a different environment with a family that was loving and warm, he said “life there knocked the cruel out of you.”

The Jewish scholar Philip Holley had a similar experience while investigating Nazi war crimes, which made him so angry and depressed that he almost committed suicide. But when he read about a small village that showed courage and the love of God by rescuing 5,000 Jewish children during the holocaust, Holley described his internal breakthrough as “heart-cracking goodness.”

The other possibility, sadly, is that the expressions of help and love delivered have no change in the person’s heart whatsoever. Then, it’s not so much about them as it is about ourselves — God is using the same experiences His Son underwent with the heartless to uncomfortably mold us into His image.

On this point, it’s Lewis again who says: “Whenever we do good to another self, just because it is a self, made (like us) by God, and desiring its own happiness as we desire ours, we shall have learned to love it a little more or, at least, to dislike it less.”

What about us?

Let’s finish by switching gears and, instead of talking about us as caregivers to someone else, how about we chat about you and me being the patient?

If Christ doesn’t return in our lifetime, it’s going to happen to each of us. We’ll be the ones – hurting, unhappy, frustrated, and wishing for something better. How will we treat those around us at that time?

I know an elderly woman who has been a widow for decades now. If anyone asks me what a Christian is supposed to look like, I aim them at her. I check in on her from time to time and a few weeks back she wasn’t as prompt in getting back to me as usual. I got worried and pinged her again, and after a day or so I was relieved to see her come up on my caller-ID. I asked how she’d been and she said, “Oh Robin, this has been a hard summer for me.” But then she stopped abruptly and said, “But Robin, I’m content. I’m thankful for what I do have. I just want God to use me in any way He can.” Immediately, she then did a 180 and asked, “Now tell me about how you’re doing. How is Laura [my wife]? How are your girls? What’s new with them?” Having questioned me about myself and family for a while, she then moved on to God. “Tell me what new devotions you’re reading. How is your church? What is on your heart these days?” Having gotten answers on all those subjects, she wrapped up our call by saying, “Now let me pray for us” and did so by thanking God for our relationship and Christ who is our salvation. And yes, she’s like that with everyone.  

Do you know what’s the saddest thing I hear from those who minister to the mean and nasty that are dying? Sooner or later, they say, “I hate to say it, but right now, I’m not going to miss them when they’re gone.” Question: how do you think my widow friend who’s hurting right now will be remembered? Do you think she’ll be missed? She’ll be loved, missed, and remembered for who she is — an image bearer of Jesus. It’s my prayer that you and I can be filled by the Holy Spirit each day like she is so that, no matter our circumstances, we can be remembered the exact same way.   

This article has been adapted from an article by Robin Schumacher. He is an accomplished software executive and Christian apologist who has written many articles, authored and contributed to several Christian books

POWER IN KINDNESS AND LOVE

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Oscar Amaechina is president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, a group that seeks to take the Gospel and the love of Christ to African towns where people have never heard about Jesus and to make them realize that His return is imminent. Therefore, all hands must be on deck to evangelize the African continent in fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Amaechina told The Christian Post recently about a group of people he once encountered on a challenging mission field in Nigeria.

“We were ministering to people, and some people came to kill us. They confessed that they were there to kill us,” he said. “We saw them with their guns and machetes, and we believed that that was our last breath.”

Amaechina and those with him assumed they would face almost certain death — but then something incredible happened.

Rather than cower, beg, or panic, he and his fellow missionaries decided to do a kind act for the assailants. They provided them with food and resources, and it changed absolutely everything.

“We gave them rice, gave them spaghetti, gave them cream and soup … and they moved away from us,” he told The Post. “They returned, and one of their leaders spoke to us through an interpreter and said, ‘We were here to kill you. Since we are poor, no one has ever given us gifts, but because of these gifts, we want to become Christians.’”

So, not only did Amaechina and the group secure their survival, but they also saw those who came to kill them experience heart change and transformation. He said he “couldn’t believe it.”

“We led them to Christ. It was wonderful, it was awesome, and it was an eye-opener,” he said. “Since that day, we have never resisted showing kindness. There’s power in kindness and love. And that is what we believe in ministry.”

Amaechina’s story is a powerful reminder of the life change that is possible when Christians live out Jesus’ command to “love God and love others.”

POWER OF KINDNESS TO CHANGE THE WORLD

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With all the problems in the world, it’s good to know there are still Christians showing Jesus’ love with simple acts of kindness.

Steve Strang CEO of CHARISMA in his podcast today, interviews Convoy of Hope president and CEO Hal Donaldson. He shares how his organisation has stepped up during the pandemic to distribute more than 10 million meals to families who lost access to food and school lunch programs.

Steve states that he has known Hal since the early 1980’s, since Hal was a beginning journalist and Steve was working to get Charisma off the ground. Steve says, “It’s been great to see Hal develop as a leader over the years. The pivotal moment of his life came when he was given the opportunity to interview Mother Teresa in India, and she asked him what he was doing to help the poor. Her question shook him to the core, and he rose to the challenge it posed.”

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Hal experienced poverty firsthand as a teen after his father was killed in a car accident and there was no insurance to take care of the family. He also knows how he was affected by the kindness of a woman in the church who bought him a nice pair of tennis shoes.

It’s an amazing story, and Hal explains it much better so listen to his testimony on today’s podcast , and ask yourself what you are doing to make a difference in someone else’s life. One immediate way is to partner with Convoy of Hope, which you can do at the Convoy of Hope website convoyofhope.org.

WHAT WE CAN DO FOR OUR HEAVENLY FATHER

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True Religion
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
James 1:27
Last summer, former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow spent time ministering to children in an orphanage in the Philippines. It was a personal mission for Tim because he was born in the Philippines to missionary parents, and the orphanage had been started by his father, Bob Tebow.
tim_tebow_denver_sports_authority_field_2012-01-01Critics may blast Tim Tebow for his vocal faith, but it’s hard for them to criticise him when his Christianity goes to work caring for orphans in the Philippines.
Following Christ isn’t a popular path in today’s culture, and the world is quick to criticise us for being vocal or for our slightest faults or failures. But the world falls silent as we care for orphans, visit widows, feed the poor, rebuild communities after disasters, promote literacy, and provide clean drinking water for impoverished villages.

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us”   1 Peter 2:12, NIV.
Our authenticity as a follower of Christ is often judged more by our actions than our words.

The greatest thing a man can do for his Heavenly Father is to be kind to… His other children.
Henry Drummond

Film CINDERELLA presents KINDNESS as a SUPER POWER

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AMAZING the new film Cinderella which hits the theatres Friday has a great message.

From THE HUNGER GAMES’ Katniss Everdeen and DIVERGENT’s Tris Prior, to BRAVE’s Merida and FROZEN’s Anna and Elsa, Hollywood heroines seem to be on the rise. The formerly favored “damsel in distress” archetype has been successfully usurped by current depictions of strong-willed, strong-armed, independent women who can fend for themselves. Then along comes Cinderella…again…  The obvious question is hasn’t our culture grown out of princesses and happily ever after’s already?

If you watch the trailer for the new CINDERELLA movie, you will hear Cinderella’s mother tell her,

“I want to tell you a secret that will see you through all the trials that life can offer: Have courage, and be kind.”

Cinderella, as you know, was a young girl whose life was fraught with trials. She lost her mother at an early age. A year later, her father married a cruel woman with two equally nasty daughters of her own who forced Cinderella to be their servant. Each night after her chores, she would retire to a cold dank room and seek warmth from the fireplace, the cinders of which inspired her derisive nickname. When the Prince announced that he was hosting a ball in hopes of finding a wife there, Cinderella was left out, having been told by her stepsisters that maids were not invited. Despite the abuse, Cinderella continued to abide by her mother’s advice, which, in both the modern movie and the 18th-century story, was to be kind.

In this version of Cinderella, there was a decision to include Cinderella’s parents, Producer Allison Shearmur said, adding, “She is the way she is because she was loved as a child.” Branagh also said establishing a “family life [for Cinderella before her stepmother arrives] was important.”

Thus, when Cinderella is asked why she stays with her evil stepmother, even with the bad treatment she receives, Cinderella says she’s “keeping a promise to her mother” to stay and maintain the house they loved and be good and kind at everyone.

It was important for the filmmakers that they didn’t show Cinderella as the victim of her circumstances, but rather to have her see the world positively, for what it could be if only we strived to be good and kind. Branagh hopes that with a heroine who is good and kind, then “goodness can be reinvented.”

“Ken had a very clear point of view of what was important to him,” Shearmur added. “I remember the first time we met with him, he said, “Let’s make a story about kindness as a super power.’ When you think this is a guy who brought us THOR, you knew he understood the analogy he was making. In a time where female heroines, Katniss Everdeen in THE HUNGER GAMES and Tris in DIVERGENT, have a manifestation of their strength [that] is a lot more physical. . . this Cinderella in her self strength is internal.”

There is also a wonderful message of forgiveness in CINDERELLA that was very intentionally done by the filmmakers. Of course, such a message matches a Christian worldview.

Get the message around, encourage mothers to take their daughters to see Cinderella.