duped

i must admit, i'm a news junkie.  i like to know what is going on in the world.  however, in recent years, i've noticed a trend among the news media.  sensationalism is now the name of the game.  there has always been an element of it in the news, because newspapers and news organizations are all about selling stories, but recently, it seems to have gotten worse.  everything is doom and gloom, and it is driving tensions in society up.  part of it is the widespread access of news.  before, news was relegated to the local populus, and relatively contained in the local community and spread through the hometown newspaper.  sure, there were those stories that would transcend the local outlets to a national stage, such as mass murders, stock market fluctuations, wars, etc.  however, local crimes rarely made headlines outside of the town where they were committed.  today, however, with the internet's broad reach, a seemingly small event can reach fever pitch within hours.  it seems every little world event is leading to world war three, every crime is evidence of societal anarchy, and every group out there that believes different is a radical group that is ready to kill us.

this has led to an interesting phenomenon within society.  articles and stories that used to be benign, thanks to sensationalism are now breeding fear and hate.  the average american now sees isis everywhere they turn.  racial tensions are supposedly at an all-time high and we are on the verge of a race war.  the government is turning into an orwellian big brother entity, and is a threat to everyone.  this all breeds fear, and fear left unchecked, turns to hate.  don't believe me?  ask the average person how they feel about snakes and they will respond, "i hate snakes!"  i know people that will almost cause a wreck trying to run over a snake crossing the road, regardless of what kind it is.  i've heard comments of, "the only good snake is a dead snake."  however, when a person knows a little about snakes, that fear subsides, and the desire to kill every snake turns into the desire to kill the venomous ones.  when a person knows more about them, even the desire to kill the venomous ones goes away.  it's all about understanding.  think about the tangible things you fear, whether it be clowns, spiders, bugs, homeless people, etc., and then compare them to things that you may not like, but don't necessarily fear.  significantly different, right?

now, let's translate that to those who identify themselves as CHRIST-followers.  we have been duped by the enemy, who is the author of fear and hate, into buying into his scare tactics and hate-mongering.  we are told hundreds of times in Scripture to not fear, but we let our fear get the best of us.  we fear the government, because it's taking away our comfort factor and compare it to nazi germany, expecting any day to have to wear cross labels identifying ourselves.  we fear those of a different religion than us, stating that all muslims are terrorists ready to chop our heads off, or all wiccans are satan worshippers sacrificing children in creepy midnight ceremonies.  we fear those of a different race than us, seeing them as a threat trying to gain power and oppress us or cause harm to us, even going so far as to twist Scripture to make our race the chosen race (here's a litmus test:  what color was Jesus?  white?  black?  something else?  or does it matter?)  we fear those of the lgbt lot, claiming that they are all pedophiles out to assault us and convert us to become like them.  we fear, we misunderstand, we avoid, we dislike, we loathe, we hate.  yes, we hate.

the fact of the matter is, that as CHRIST-followers, we are called to love all, including those we count as our enemies.  we are called to not fear those that can harm us, but instead to fear God.  did you know that in the days of the early church, martyrdom was considered to be such a high calling that CHRIST-followers would intentionally go up to Roman guards and tell them they were going to hell and were tools of Satan just so they could be imprisoned or martyred for their faith?  it got to the point to where the leaders of the church had to step in and say, "hey, we get what you're doing, but you gotta stop.  that's not what we are called to do!"  now, we run from persecution and hide from it and try to make laws to protect ourselves from it, when we are promised the exact opposite in Scripture.  here's a question for you, how are you going to share the gospel with somebody if you fear them or hate them?  we end up being like jonah, looking down on those evil ninevites, saying, "ok, God.  do Your thing.  judge them!  kill them!  rid the earth of them!  i did my job and told them, so now you need to do Your job and smite them, oh mighty Smiter!"

in order to get past our fears, we need to first trust God.  because fear shows a lack of trust in God.  a pastor friend once told me, "never let the fear of what could happen, stop you from doing what should happen."  we need the boldness of the disciples when they stood in front of the sanhedrin, after Jesus' resurrection, and pointed their fingers in the faces of those who just had their CHRIST crucified and said, "we represent CHRIST, whom you crucified! (emphasis mine)"  but to have that, we need to trust God.  and not just trust Him to make everything comfortable for us.  we need to trust that He has a plan whether we are successful, whether we are struggling, whether we have freedom, whether we are thrown in jail, or even if we are tortured and killed.  His plan is always perfect, and our trust should not be based on when things go the way we think they should.

another way to get past our fears is to seek to understand.  much in the same way a person can get over their fear of snakes by learning about them and spending time around them, we can do the same thing with people we fear.  i have friends that are muslim, and believe it or not, not a single one has said that they want to chop off my head!  we have lively discussions on religion, and there are things we agree to disagree on, but they are quick to tell me that they readily condemn the things that the radicals are doing.  and before we are too quick to look at their quran and say, "look at the evil things it commands them to do!" we have to remember some of the similar things that were commanded in the old testament that are part of our Scriptures.  oh, and while i'm on the subject, allah is the arabic translation for God, the same God that abraham worshiped.  it is not their "name" for God.  they may see Him differently, but when they say allah, it is no different from us calling Him God in our english language (surprise, surprise, God is not His name!)  sure, muslims are lost without accepting CHRIST as Lord, and not just recognizing Him as a prophet, but unless we get over our fear and distrust of them, we can never open those doors for dialogue that can lead to a conversation on saving faith and the person of CHRIST.  i also know people and counsel people who are professing wiccans.  they recognize that i am a CHRISTian chaplain, yet they still come to me.  why?  because they see me as someone who doesn't judge them, and i ask questions about their faith and why they believe what they believe, instead of a wholesale condemning of them (which is a great way to open up a conversation about CHRIST and the gospel.)  sure, they worship a false god, but how many of us did the same before we were redeemed by CHRIST?  there are those that are homosexuals that come to me for counseling, and did you know that not a single one of them has made a pass at me or hit on me?  and they know that i disagree with their lifestyle, the same as i disagree with the sailor who is living with their boyfriend/girlfriend to see if they are compatible for marriage.  they also know that i cannot counsel them in terms of relationship issues, but i can help them with other life problems that they are having, because Scripture contains practical advice for every day problems, including anger, depression, anxiety, fear, etc.

fear is a problem, but the biggest problem i see is when those who claim to be CHRIST-followers hate those that they fear.  1 john 4:18 says that there is no fear in love, and perfect love drives out all fear.  but there is fear in hate, and fear leads to hate.  there are those who profess to know CHRIST that would gladly like to see those they disagree with eradicated.  they are the embodiment of jonah, pronouncing their own judgment on the sinners, ignoring the fact that they have been forgiven themselves.  they want to put all the gays in a colony, like lepers (yes, i have heard somebody say that).  they want to export all the muslims back to their heathen lands and let them kill each other.  they want to force the government to stop passing all these heathen laws and get back to "in God we trust," whether it's true or not.  (coincidentally, did you notice that the phrase is on our money, which is more of a god to most people than the one true God.  irony?)

it's time for us as CHRIST-followers to stop being scared of our own shadows, like timid little church mice, scurrying away from the cat.  we need to rid ourselves of the hate that has infected us like a cancer, as Scripture says, if any many hates another, the love of CHRIST is not in him.  we need to put on the full armor of God, and be ready to stand up for our CHRIST and His truth, even if it means we are ridiculed, fined, hauled off to jail, or killed.  we are to be subject to the authorities that God has placed over us, but we also are to be subject first to CHRIST.  that means speaking the truth in love, and since there is no fear in love, it also means with boldness.  however, don't mistake that boldness for arrogance or pride.  we are to speak it with humility and be as gentle as doves, but wise as serpents.  are you afraid?  it is said that what we speak loudest against, is either what we fear the most or struggle with the most.  so be honest with yourself.  what do you fear?  and is that fear driving you to hate?  if so, remember these words of the Saviour, "do not fear, for I have overcome the world!"