It’s great to live again in a city with professional sports franchises, and here we are in the center of Smashville! Tonight at dinner with friends from church we were talking about the fun, excitement, and overall energy which the Nashville Predators bring to the metro area. Our city loves its sports, and our people love their teams, and that’s as it should be.
But today I want to unpack another subject which has been on my mind and heart: how can we love in such a hateful world?
I know that sounds a bit dramatic, friends. Perhaps I’m painting with too broad a brushstroke, and I’m open to your correction, but I am increasingly disturbed by what I perceive to be the all-or-nothing nature of public discourse in America. Expressed another way: “If you and I agree on everything, then we can be friends, but if your opinion at any point collides with mine, then I will have to make sure that you are silenced.” From my point of view, that attitude is about as close to non-love as we can get.
Have we forgotten that we all bear, and so we therefore all share, the image of God? Even those who vehemently oppose us have been endowed with intrinsic dignity and worth. Though the whole world may fail to see this glorious reality, followers of Christ have no excuse.
Have we forgotten the doctrine of general revelation? Other perspectives are critical as we search for the truth, because our selfish humanness prods all of us to misperceive some facts while glossing over other facts which may feel presently inconvenient. Sometimes the perspectives I least appreciate are the ones I most need, as they help me see my own blindspots, prejudices, and idols.
Have we forgotten the notion of common grace? We cultivate widespread civility only when we demonstrate respect and kindness toward all people. As best we can, we want to love like God loves. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made (Psalm 145:9). We who claim to know Christ ought to lead by love.
Have we forgotten the values of free speech and diversity of opinion? You and I have something to learn from the whole of humanity. Surely we’re not so proud that we can’t take a step back from the turmoil of today’s social and political climate long enough to thank God that not everybody thinks like us!
So how do we free ourselves from this destructive pattern of thinking and behavior? Here’s where my proposed “smash” comes in …
S. Set yourself free from tribal urges. Cable news and social media soundbites can’t feed our souls, but they can feed the monster of our self-righteous anger. Don’t let that happen. Anchor yourself, again and again, in your most important identity: your identity in Christ.
M. Make grace amazing again. Jesus has told us some strange things. We’re to love our enemies. We’re to pray for those who persecute us. And He has led us by example, for that is exactly how Jesus dealt with those who nailed Him to a cross. Ultimately, it was our sin that drove those nails, so you and I must love as we’ve been so lavishly loved.
A. Aim higher. It’s easy to get caught up in “cancel culture,” but you and I are called to the exact opposite: we’re called to edify and encourage! Your simple acts and words of kindness will speak volumes into this climate of bitterness and rage. We’re on the narrow road, so let’s live each day with profound gratitude and joy that cause others to look up.
S. Stay in the Word, and stick with the Word. That’s where the difference really lies, friends. Garbage in, garbage out. Goodness in, goodness out. Both are true. Which will it be for us? This is a great time to commit Scripture to memory. The Bible is the only Word that can illumine the otherwise murky path before us in a relentlessly unforgiving season such as this.
H. Hold your fire. And I’m not just referring to avoiding inappropriate responses to those with whom we disagree, but I’m referring to actively fanning the flames of our own spiritual passion. You and I desperately need the Holy Spirit! It is only the Spirit of the resurrected Christ who can keep us loving God and loving others at a time when love seems to be yet another supply-chain casualty.
Perhaps we will see our Sovereign Lord use His people to turn this tide of worldly disrespect and disdain into something shockingly heavenly and beautiful. We should pray for nothing less. Revival in the church always means good things for the culture, and we sure could use God’s good things here and now.
By grace alone,
Pastor Charles
“The Holy Spirit acts through a medium, the Word of God, and through an agent, the man of God;” (A.J. Gordon)