For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:12-13 Have you ever noticed, outrage is easy to come by? And for most sincere Christians, if we are not careful, outrage can become us. The world is broken; sin is doing a masterful job at painting all things wrong as right, and right things as "old fashioned and out of date." As a result, anything and everything can cause a caring person's blood to boil; and this pent-up rage is often found expressing itself in judgment and condemnation toward the very people Jesus wants you to love. Don't get me wrong, we are in war, the world is under siege. However, not every battle is ours to fight. Nor is every battle meant to be a battle in the first place. I think our enemy, the Devil, loves to keep us preoccupied and enraged over issues that, quite frankly, don't even matter. And because of this we have no energy, fight or vigor left to use on the battle fronts we should be fighting. I love this quote by Elizabeth Rundle Charles (often attributed to Martin Luther...see http://creation.com/battle-quote-not-luther) . . . "If I profess, with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition, every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christianity. Where the battle rages the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle-field besides is mere flight and disgrace to him if he flinches at that one point.” So that begs the question: "What is that little point where the battle rages?" Is our main battle with gay marriage advocates, transgender adventurers, cyber bullies, Josh Duggar, political conservatives or liberals, pastors on the Ashley Madison list, the soft-porn peddling celebrities, ISIS volunteers, or even abortion doctors? Where does our main battle lie? There are so many things to be outraged about that answering that question can be extremely difficult. I can look at the news headlines and begin there? No, too many things to choose from. Maybe I can follow the Facebook wall and look for the post that elicits the most controversy and rage and start there? No, I have never been a crowd follower. Or maybe, I can look for hints in Jesus' life? Jesus was a simple blue-collared Jew who lived during a period of history that was awash in corruption. Rome, the ruling empire of the day, was populated with pitiless tyrants who enjoyed exercising iron-fisted mastery over the poor peasants of Israel. It was a cruel time. The temple in Jerusalem, God's dwelling place among his people, was full of greedy merchants who saw the temple as a place to make easy money off a gullible crowd. Leprosy, disease, demon possession, prostitution, drunkenness were all real problems in Jesus' day. There were many things for Jesus to be outraged against. He had many causes to fight against where he could have formed a revolutionary coalition and fought. So, according to the scriptures, who or what did Jesus wage his battle against? What singular problem did he fight? That is a tough question because he was angry a number of times: He was mad at the Pharisees when they would use the Sabbath not to bless but to trap him. He was mad at the money-changers who used the temple to make money. He was mad at Peter when he rebuked Jesus. But his anger toward people was momentary. He didn't wage any long term battles against systems and specific groups of people. It is easy to say he was against the Jewish leaders, but he also reached out to many Scribes and Pharisees as well. Paul and Nicodemus to name a few. He loved money-changers and tax collectors; one named Matthew became his disciple. And even though he was angry at Peter, he eventually became the main leader of the early church. So it was never people Jesus waged war against, nor was it a system of government or systemic tyranny - - he hated something deeper and much more threatning. Listen to a conversation he had in the book of Matthew when he was discussing religious tradition and the washing of hands. In chapter 15:19-20 Jesus discusses the main battle-front: "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man." We can get caught up in so many things outside ourselves to fight. It is easy to be a crusader against groups of people, or systems of power and political platforms. But we will wear ourselves out if that is all we focus on. Yes, we need to voice our opinion when we see clear-cut corruption and oppression. We need to fight systemic evil when we can do something about it, but that isn't the world's main problem. It is much more simple and darker than that: It is purifying your own heart of sin. This is where the battle must begin. This is the fight I must wage! I love the story where the London Times put out a question to their readers: "What is wrong with the world?" And G. K. Chesterton the famous British novelist and Christian wrong back... “Dear Sir, I am. Yours, G.K. Chesterton.” I guess as a pastor, I am tired of hearing everyone blaming everything but themselves. If I begin working on me, my world might begin to change. Little by little, piece by piece. Sure I can be mad at Obama, but can't I also be mad at my unwillingness to pray for him which scripture commands me to do? Sure I can have fury toward Bruce Jenner, but isn't he is confused and lost and needing my prayers. All I am saying is that it is much easier to point the finger of blame than to curb my own lust, anger, sloth and slander. I need to fight me, I am the battle.
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