We could answer the question of the title with simply, “Because Jesus commanded us to!” But even a humble follower of Jesus may wish to know why He commanded this. Why is loving our enemies so important? What benefit comes from Let me share what obedience to this puzzling and difficult command has done for me. Because I am a passionate communicator of all I believe is important, I’ve always had my share of critics. As I have said in humor, “I may be often wrong, but I’m never in doubt!” My fervor and firmness can come across as anger.
In the past some in the media labeled me “God’s angry man.” Photographers sent to cover my speaking events would try to find me with an angry expression on my face as though as I was a radical Ayatollah or terrorist. The pictures were often found on the front pages of newspapers and magazines, or connected to an article covering the event where I spoke.
Lightheartedly from the platform I would look at the photographers from the news agencies and tell them, “I want to make your job easier because I know what you are looking for.” I would then begin to make distorted, angry expressions and gestures that would cause them to laugh so hard they could hardly hold their camera still.
While I was able to laugh with them about it, their accusations that I was anger-filled were actually correct. I found myself living with anger that bordered on rage because of the lifelessness and indifference I witnessed in so many churches around the country. I was also angry over the fact that I found it extremely difficult to get churches of the same denomination, and especially those of separate sectarian views, to come together for even the most meaningful cause: winning people to Christ.
Too often they wanted to know who was going to get the credit, who was going to be in the counseling area, or which church would get the most members and greatest benefit from the evangelistic crusade. I found that very disturbing and in my youth and immaturity would attack what I perceived to be damaging to the cause of Christ and the Christian witness.
Understand, I was speaking truth in this case, because God truly does hate dissension, division and strife in his church. He hates spiritual indifference among his people. I would tell them that the New Testament Christians were so excited about what they had seen and heard that even those who threatened to arrest them could not stop them. The apostles told their persecutors in Acts 4, “We can’t help but speak what we’ve seen and heard.”
My approach was wrong, however, because I did it in anger and with little expression of love and compassion. And those media critics of mine, who mostly just wanted to tear me down, were actually pointing out something I needed to hear. Rather than being inspirational, I was simply attacking in anger. I am sure many Christian friends tried to tell me, but it was my enemies in the secular media who got my attention.
When I finally recognized the anger, I took it to God and He did a deep and transforming work in my life. God used my human enemies to lead me to examine my own heart and allow Him to change it to a broken heart for everything that concerns Him.
Since then I have become a very compassionate confronter. I have not lost boldness or firmness when making a point, and I remain passionate about what I believe. But nowadays it saddens me when my passion comes across as rage. I am seeking to always be on guard and clear, to no longer be carried by anger, but by love and with all my heart to live as soft, yielded clay in the hands of God, who is seeking to press and shape Christ into my life.
I strive to remember He will use critics and enemies to help chisel away at rough places in my life. God uses their abrasiveness to help hone my life into a keen cutting edge for God’s kingdom purpose. I have learned to love those I disagree with. I am also learning to speak the truth in love not just to those who will agree, but to those who sharply disagree with me. I am finding open doors because such meetings can have a positive effect on both sides.
If only there were more of this. Too many times I have watched in church settings and denominational gatherings the greatest animosity and fiercest of arguments flare up because each side sees themselves as sole guardians of the truth, and the other side as irredeemably bent on mischief, ignorance or both.
We see it in churches, and in political campaigns — public figures on a “seek and destroy” mission, rather than a mission to “seek and find” the necessary answers. This shouldn’t come as a shock. Until the church sets the proper example, we shouldn’t be surprised we don’t see meaningful dialogue in the political arena.
The problem isn’t new, of course. The New Testament church limited their ability to learn from the greatest teachers because they had divided foolishly, saying, “I am of Paul” or “I am of Peter.” Christians can only come together around Christ.
We must also remember that when the truth is spoken in love, it does sometimes come in the form of strong and necessary rebuke. Don’t mistake a person speaking with authority as lacking love. Paul rebuked Simon Peter to his face just as Jesus did, and then he shared it in writing not only with the church, but in the Bible for the whole world to read. And Peter — that great lion of the faith — had the humility to listen and learn.
What can we learn from this? Speaking the truth in love is important, but just as important is the student yielded to God’s purpose, humble in spirit. All creation speaks clearly to those with eyes to see and ears to hear!
May God help us each to yield our lives to the power and pressure of God’s shaping hands, whether from His fingers or filtered through the others, even our enemies.
I should add that I am encouraged to see this prayer being answered, as I witness great progress on the part of church leaders and the faith community to reach across denominational lines. The Stream itself is one such manifestation of this. Another example, and an inspiration for what became The Stream, was the Under God INDIVISIBLE conference.
Today, many years after my opponents in the secular media called me out for my anger, I find myself a mediator among diverse groups to find common ground to address and correct many of our common problems. And good things are happening. God’s transforming power is released when we speak the truth in love, and when that truth finds humble and receptive hearts.
Differences will persist, and iron will never sharpen iron if we simply pretend those differences don’t exist. But while holding fast to truth and to our right convictions, may we also fulfill the great commandments: to love God above all, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, even the neighbor who considers himself our enemy.
