The Egyptian Church Bombings and the Early Christians

A little over a week ago on Palm Sunday, around 50 people were murdered when two bombs were detonated at Christian Coptic churches in Egypt. Responsibility for this horrific act was quickly claimed by the Islamic State, who vowed to spill rivers of blood from countless other followers of Jesus.

Two of the most common emotional reactions to unspeakably tragic events like this are anger and fear. We have to be careful with both emotions because though the Bible does give room for times when these attitudes of the heart are appropriate, they are frequently labeled as sinful and often lead to unholy actions.

For instance, James writes this about anger in 1:19-20, “Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

In Luke 12:4-9, Jesus gives a masterful explanation of the difference between holy and worldly fear. “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.”

There is a time and place for holy indignation and we should approach every situation with a fear of the Lord, however, I have experienced the destructive consequences of anger and anxiety far more than I would like to admit. If I was an Egyptian Christian, I’m sure those emotions would be tempting me to act in ways I would later regret. After all, it’s only human to try to overcome evil with evil.

But when I read about atrocities like the Egyptian church bombings, my mind always travels back to the early Christians. They faced unconscionable forms of persecution. So, how would they respond to a situation like this?

First, they would write apologetic letters to the governing authorities to help increase understanding and dispel rumors around the country about the Christian faith.

The Christians, O King … know and trust in God, the Creator of heaven and of earth, in whom and from whom are all things, to whom there is no other god as companion, from whom they received commandments which they engraved upon their minds and observe in hope and expectation of the world which is to come. … They comfort their oppressors and make them their friends. They do good to their enemies. … From now on, let the tongues of those who utter vanity and harass the Christians be silent; and in the future let them speak the truth. – Aristides 125CE, ANF Vol. 9, p. 443, 445 [CD-ROM]
 


Second, the early Christians would continue to faithfully follow the simple words of Christ, believing that the more persecution they faced, the more the power of the gospel would be unleashed.

We who were filled with war, and mutual slaughter, and every wickedness, have each through the whole earth changed our warlike weapons — our swords into ploughshares, and our spears into implements of tillage — and we cultivate piety, righteousness, philanthropy, faith, and hope, which we have from the Father Himself through Him who was crucified. … Now it is evident that no one can terrify or subdue us who have believed in Jesus over all the world. For it is plain that, though beheaded, and crucified, and thrown to wild beasts, and chains, and fire, and all other kinds of torture, we do not give up our confession; but the more such things happen, the more do others and in larger numbers become faithful, and worshippers of God through the name of Jesus. – Justin Martyr 160CE, ANF Vol. 1, p. 413, [CD-ROM]

Finally, as described in the Martyrdom of Polycarp, the early Christians believed that the power of prayer could transform enemies of the gospel into sons of the living God.

So when he (Polycarp) heard that they (the arresting soldiers) had come, he went down and spoke with them. And as those that were present marveled at his age and constancy, some of them said. “Was so much effort made to capture such a venerable man?” Immediately then, in that very hour, he ordered that something to eat and drink should be set before them, as much indeed as they cared for, while he pleaded with them to allow him an hour to pray without disturbance. And on their giving him leave, he stood and prayed, being full of the grace of God, so that he could not cease for two full hours, to the astonishment of them that heard him, insomuch that many began to repent that they had come forth against so godly and venerable an old man. – Martyrdom of Polycarp 135CE, ANF Vol. 1, p. 68 [CD-ROM]

The early Christians show us that we neither have to resort to worldly anger nor fear when faced with persecution. There is always another way. There is the way of the misunderstood King who rode a young donkey into Jerusalem a week before He was crucified. It may not be safe, but it transforms enemies into brothers.  

“How Do You Become A True Christian?”

After preaching a chapel service for a local Christian school, a student approached me and asked, “How do you become a true Christian?” What a great question, right?

I began by explaining that we must get first things first. Jesus gave His entire life for us. When we repent of our sins and give our lives to Him, He pours His life into us through the Holy Spirit. We are reborn from above with Jesus’ life flowing through us. As we walk with Him by faith each day, He begins to transform us to be more like Him in our thoughts, desires, dreams and actions.

The next step, I told the young man, is to find an older Christian man that is passionate about following Jesus. I urged him to ask if they can meet up on a regular basis so the man can mentor him in the basics of Christian life. Finally, I encouraged the student to pass on what he learns in his walk with Jesus to his siblings and friends.

I thought I had given the young man a fairly solid reply. However, I soon realized that I had not addressed his actual point of interest. He told me that he has been in the Church for many years, and has come across so many hypocritical Christians. I asked for some clarification, so he gave me an example of what he believed a genuine Christian looks like.

The young man said that he recently saw the movie, Hacksaw Ridge (which is based on a true story), and was inspired by the main character’s integrity and desire to live out the simple words of Christ. Hacksaw Ridge tells the story of WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa but refused to kill people, and eventually became the first Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Doss believed that the Sermon on the Mount is not merely a high and lofty ideal Christians are to aspire to, but are not actually called to live out. No. Doss believed that followers of Jesus are actually supposed to follow Jesus’ lead. Though Private Doss’ approach to the simple words of Christ may seem novel or exceptional to modern Christians, in many ways he would just be considered a normal Christian in the first 300 years of the Church.

Aristides is one of those Ante-Nicene Christians. His 2^nd century letter to Emperor Hadrian is one of many apologetic works that reveals how the early Christians’ steadfast adherence to the red letters of Jesus is powerful evidence of the validity the gospel message.

The Christians, O King, went about and searched, and they have found the truth. As I have learned from their writings, they have come nearer to the truth and genuine knowledge than the rest of the nations. For they know and trust in God, the Creator of heaven and of earth, in whom and from whom are all things. …

Therefore, they do not commit adultery or fornication. They do not bear false witness. … They do not worship idols made in the likeness of man. Whatever they would not wish others to do to them, they do not do to others. They do not eat food consecrated to idols, for they are pure. They comfort their oppressors and make them their friends. They do good to their enemies. … Falsehood is not found among them, and they love one another. From widows they do not turn away their esteem, and they deliver the orphan from him who treats him harshly. 
And he who has, gives to him who has not, without boasting. 
… They follow the commandments of their Christ with much care, living justly and seriously, just as the Lord their God commanded them. – Aristides 125CE, Volume 9, p. 443-444 [CD-ROM]

How many Christians like that have you met throughout your life? How many Christians have you met that seriously seek to follow the commands in the Sermon on the Mount? I’m guessing if you’re a typical American Christian, you probably haven’t run into a lot of them. And yet, if you were alive in the first three centuries of the Church, that type of Christian would basically be all you encountered.

So, why do Christians today often look very different from the fathers of our faith? Francis Chan says it quite well:

“When I was a kid we would play follow the leader. … We would play outside and one guy would flap his wings, and so you’d do the same thing. It’s so crazy but in the Church we’ve twisted things around, and follow Jesus is different than follow the leader. With follow Jesus you just have to do something in your heart that no one sees. …

We all played Simon says, right? Simon says pat your head, and that’s what you do. But Jesus says is a totally different game. If Jesus says pat your head, you just memorize it. Jesus says go into the world and make disciples of all nations, and you get that memorized. It doesn’t make sense." – Francis Chan

The early Christians took Jesus simply and seriously, and so they ended up looking a lot like their leader. Christian academia over the last several centuries has influenced our leaders to feel justified in paying lip service rather than life service to our Lord.

How do you become a true Christian? Follow the Leader. It may be hard and scary to do, but it really is that simple.

There is a war going on for the souls of men. We need more Christians with the conviction of Private Doss to stand for Christ so that the eyes of unbelievers would be turned from darkness to light, and from the dominion of Satan to God. May we encourage one another to faithfully follow Jesus.

Grace Pt. 9. Grace for Enemies

One morning as I was mowing my lawn, a young mockingbird began to repeatedly dive-bomb at my head. Naturally, my initial reaction was to find an old badminton racket to scare off the birdie. It was to no avail.

Mockingbirds are thugs. They often make me wish they weren’t the State bird of Texas so I could take one out to teach the others a lesson. But that morning as I was swinging into the air, and no doubt giving my neighbors a good laugh, words of Jesus began to come to mind.

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. … If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. … But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.” – Luke 6:27-28, 32-33, 35

Could these values work with a thuggish mockingbird? It was worth a shot.

I went inside and got some pieces of bread. With the lawnmower not running, I went over where he was perched, whistled, dropped a couple large crumbs and went back to mowing. The young mockingbird never went for the breadcrumbs, but it immediately stopped dive-bombing at me.

Over the last month or so, that mockingbird has become quite friendly. I can recognize it by a particular set of markings on its chest. It comes out every time I mow, and will often perch just a foot or two away from me. The little guy once flew over and stood on the handle of my lawnmower while it was shut off and I was right beside it looking at something on the ground. We shared a moment together as it just hung out there for about a minute.

The early Christians didn’t view the command to love our enemies as hyperbole, they understood it as an imperative and one of the most effective methods of evangelism.

They comfort their oppressors and make them their friends. They do good to their enemies. … They follow the commandments of their Christ with much care, living justly and seriously, just as the Lord their God commanded them. – Aristides 125CE, Volume 1, p. 443-444 [CD-ROM]

Now we pray for our enemies and try to win those who hate us unjustly so that they too may live in accordance with Christ’s wonderful teachings, that they too may enter into the expectation, that they too may receive the same good things that we will receive from God, the ruler of the universe. – Justin Martyr 160CE (cited in Eberhard Arnold, The Early Christians in Their Own Words, fourth edition, p. 106.) 

I realize how difficult those words are to swallow. I really do. I’m a Texan, and Texans scoff at the idea of loving enemies. Texans don’t really do the whole turn the other cheek thing. If you slap a Texan on the right cheek, you may get fired upon, and it’ll probably be legal. That is the culture I’ve always lived in.

The way of Jesus, however, calls us to not regard anyone from a worldly point of view.

Instead of seeing enemies as threats to security and safety, we are called to view them as potential friends and family. And the more I've pondered Jesus’ sacrifice for all of humanity and the early Christians’ passion to see all people embrace Christ as Lord, the more my beliefs have changed.

I’m not against gun ownership, but I am for all human life. In all situations. From the womb to the tomb. For, as Jesus has demonstrated to us on the cross, the only way to stop cycles of violence is to absorb it. Not only does that method have the power to stop cycles of violence, it can turn mass-murderers into missionaries. 

Once again, though, I won’t pretend like loving and blessing enemies is an easy task. It’s usually an excruciating endeavor. But when it is done with sincerity, the power of the gospel is unleashed.

There was once a woman at a previous church I worked at who spread a vicious rumor about me designed to destroy my ministry and marriage. Eventually, she was found out, and admitted to what she did. I tried hard to keep it from affecting me, but to tell the truth, I was bitter toward her for a couple of years and we did not exactly get along.

Later on after I became the interim pastor of that church, the same lady began to feel overwhelmed by difficulties within her family. One Sunday as I was walking through the parking lot, I saw her weeping beside her car. I passed her by, but then was reprimanded by the Holy Spirit to go back and pray with her.

I had a brief argument with God, but then by grace submitted to His promptings and went outside. I told her I knew things were rough for her and her loved ones, and I was sorry. I put my arm around her shoulder and asked if I could pray for her. She said yes.

From that day forward, things were different between us. We didn’t instantly become best friends, but it wasn’t cold like before. She would give me give me hugs when we said hello. The power of the gospel was growing like a mustard seed.

It’s easy to love those who love us; that’s why Jesus says there’s no credit in it. Interestingly, the word ‘credit’ in Luke6:32 is charis. Grace. Real grace is unleashed when we depend on and imitate Jesus by loving our enemies. And Jesus promises real rewards for those who do.