Of Riots and Revivals

 

Monday, February 8, 2021

The same thing happened in Iconium.  Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers.  Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas.   But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord.  And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders.  But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them.  Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.  Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them.  When the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lycaonia—to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area.  And there they preached the Good News.  Acts 14:1-7

Those who propose change usually get the same response from those who oppose change…a riot, or a revival.  It is often said that the apostle Paul always started one of those, but, most often, it was both!  Such is the nature of what Jesus intended for the Good News of God’s Kingdom.

“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth!  I came not to bring peace, but a sword.  ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  Matthew 10:34-35

Some will take Jesus’ words out of context to sanctify unholy ambitions, such as what drove the riot at D.C.’s Capitol last month.  That aside, there is always a sense of division that comes with proclaiming Christ.  That division line is a fault that opens whenever the truth is preached.  It opens a clearly-defined chasm between the camps of faith and unbelief.  To those who recognize their sinfulness and need of a savior, faith springs like wildflowers in the desert after a sudden downpour.  To those who are resistant to bowing to any other than themselves, it brings anger, more resistance, and riot.  When the Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed those are the only two choices – faith gladly received, or independence and rejection of the Sovereign nature of Almighty God:  it’s either a revival or a riot!

And that happened everywhere Paul and the other believers faithfully delivered the message, some would believe, and some would pick up stones to bludgeon the messengers. 

It’s still that way.

And, what of the lasting result of such a Gospel?  That is also predictable.  The result is unity…in two opposing camps.

What?  How can you speak of unity and opposition?

It’s simple, light is unified with light, and the same is true of darkness.  To those who follow the light of Christ, they do not dwell with darkness.  Evil cannot exist with good; neither can cold be hot.  Just like two children on the playground’s see-saw will be either up or down, but not both!  Those who live and walk-in faith, clinging to Christ alone, will never settle for the darkness of this world’s ways.

It’s either (say it with me) revival…or…riot!

For You Today

Bringing it down to a personal level, if you want revival – the rebirth of life – within your own soul, there must be a riot against the darkness.  It’s called repentance, turning away from the darkness, and turning-to the light of Jesus Christ’s love, His gift of grace offered to us on the cross. 

When you remember that, and embrace that, you look to the light, and away from the darkness.  That’s the kind of division Jesus came to bring.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image: via Wikimedia Commons Art UK, Public Domain,    Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

For another post on Revival see We Have Met the Enemy and He is Us and Revival, Please

 

When "Saying Nothing" Isn't an Option

[i]

                                                                                                Friday, September 30, 2016

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.  Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.  Stop being angry!  Turn from your rage!  Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.  For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.  Psalm 37:7-9^(NLT)

Recent and increasing outbreaks of violent confrontations that end in death for black persons are more than a cell phone video phenomenon.  It is a sign of just how grossly-divided Cain and Abel can get.  

Our culture may congratulate itself on granting “rights” to everyone, because we are the land of the free; but if that is so, why the rage?  Why is it that the African-American community feels so disenfranchised and powerless…so much so that the push-back turns deadly?

I wish I knew.  And I wish I had a pill for fixing that would actually work.

I’m white because that is how I was born, and I grew up in the lower middle class.  I’m not a political-science guru, but I watch what happens; I listen and think, long before I get involved.  So, I’m an introverted observer who cares that all people be treated fairly, and do have not a clue as to how to make that happen. 

But, because I don’t want to be complicit in the perpetuation of racism, for me the idea of saying nothing is hardly an option.

The key is to not say too little or too much, neither too softly nor too loudly; many a well-intentioned word, because of anger or impatience, has turned evil because it was not carefully spoken as the truth in love[ii].  As the Psalmist cautions we must stop our anger and turn from our rage, even in the midst of racial outrageousness we witness on the evening news.

Outrage and anger speak from both sides of the firing line.  Black Lives Matter has a strong case against unwarranted brutal treatment at the hands of those charged with the responsibility of protecting people and their rights.  Blue Lives Matter correctly defends the innocence of officers acting appropriately in bad situations.  Some, on both sides, have touched-off more violence with hasty intemperate words. 

It is a flaming mess!

God’s Word cautions us not to take vengeance. [iii]  That is God’s purview, and we are not good at it.  The Psalmist tells us to trust God to do whatever “punishing” needs doing.

But that still doesn’t speak to what we must do in speaking against the evil of racism which threatens to destroy both those who are targets of racial bias, and those who unwisely give racism an undeserved validity with their rage and violent pushback.

Dr. Martin Luther King was a pacifist without question.  If there was to be a protest marking the unfair treatment of people, he was ready to do so without the kind of rage we see boiling-over in our streets today. 

Of course Dr. King was human with all the potential for error and sin that each of us possesses – but I believe he got this right.  We cannot let rage and anger destroy us…and that’s what it will do if we don’t dial it back!

For You Today

Take time to get to know someone with whom you disagree; you might find more common ground than you ever imagined!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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NOTES

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[i] Title Image: By Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, via Wikimedia Commons

[ii] Ephesians 4:15

[iii] Romans 12:19

Compassionate Riots

Rescuers pulled a teenager out of the rubble in Nepal's capital today, five days after an earthquake struck. CreditNavesh Chitrakar/Reuters[1]   

Friday, May 1, 2015

One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city.  Proverbs 16:32 (NLT)

Workers are fighting around the clock in Nepal to extract trapped people from collapsed buildings.  A teenage boy was pulled from the rubble Wednesday and the watching crowd broke out in cheers and applause.  It was a compassionate riot!

The Nepalese people are thankful amidst tragedy.

Meanwhile different riots breaking-out in Baltimore, marches and demonstrations in Washington and New York are a spectacle of quite another tone….there is anger.

In the middle of an American tragedy – the death of persons in the custody of police – American forbearance is all but forgotten.

What is the difference between what is happening in Nepal, and what is going on in America from Ferguson to Washington?  It is the distance between anger and compassion. 

Both anger and compassion are strong emotions, and they are separated by light years in cause and effect. Anger tends to destroy when unchecked (as in the street rioting and looting we saw on Baltimore streets this week.)

But sometimes they are connected.  Sometimes anger is driven by compassion, as in the national response in America after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  Compassion for lost souls always evokes anger, and rightfully, when it is caused by power grabs and oppression.

But there is almost nothing more obscene than rioting and looting when the (supposed) provocation is righteous anger over oppression.  This goes far beyond two wrongs not making a right; there’s nothing noble or epically-righteous about breaking into a mall to steal toilet paper or a TV. 

It’s simply the release of emotion over pent-up frustration.  It’s making somebody…anybody pay for the hurt we feel over injustice.

In our culture American anger comes too quickly these days.  We are becoming the new caricature of people who claim to be peace-loving, and can’t wait to provoke a good riot.

Whatever happened to the virtues of patience and due process?  A mob can be mighty, but uncontrolled temper can destroy quicker than most anything.

Here’s a bit of advice for all of us from the old Preacher, Solomon (a pretty smart guy) who said:

Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.  Ecclesiastes 7:9 (NLT)

For You Today

If you’re itching to join in the fight against something, let me suggest fighting the terrible losses in Nepal.  They could use a hand.

You might want to check out resources before you send a check to help in Nepal.  Here is the United Methodist website with information on what we’re doing, and what we’ve already sent to help.

If you already know that and are ready to donate, go here; join a compassionate riot!

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[1] Title image:  Reuters