They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies. [Psalm 139:20-22 (NLT)]
Satan is the personal enemy of Christ. [Watchman Nee]
When writing about enemies earlier this week, I couldn’t think of anyone with whom I interact who qualifies as an enemy. But, when I broadened my search and considered the various people Satan uses in his evil schemes against God, I realized I have several—some whose names I know and others whose names I don’t. When they become Satan’s agents, they become God’s enemies, and, if they are God’s enemies, shouldn’t they be mine? So, who are they?
The first set of enemies is easy to identify. Candidly admitting to be Jesus haters, they are the ones who consciously and openly oppose Christ. While some merely hate with their words, others oppress, intimidate, and threaten Christ’s followers. While systemic persecution is not a problem for Christians in North America, it is in many parts of the world. According to Open Doors, more than 388 million Christians “face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.” 1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide, 1 in 5 are persecuted in Africa, and 2 in 5 are persecuted in Asia! Those who openly oppose Jesus or persecute our brothers and sisters for their faith in Christ are as much our enemies are they are God’s!
Because they don’t openly oppose Jesus, God’s other enemies are harder to identify; some may even call themselves Christians. Nevertheless, their rotten fruit makes them enemies of God as they do Satan’s work by planting weeds in God’s fields. More than 3,400 years ago God told us that we are to love Him wholly and completely and love our neighbors as ourselves. 2,700 years ago, the prophet Micah told us that God wants us to love kindness, to do justice, and to walk humbly with God. [6:8] But, instead of looking outward and loving God wholly and then loving their fellow man, these enemies of God look inward. Loving only themselves, they focus on their goals and desires while using and abusing others along the way. Self-centered, they are filled with selfish ambition, arrogance, pride, and self-absorption. Words like justice, sacrifice, restraint, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, uprightness, righteousness, truth, and humility aren’t in their vocabulary. Their disregard for their fellow man, God’s creation, and God’s word makes them God’s enemies, as well as mine.
Since they “come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves,” [Mat 7:15] the false teachers are equally difficult to spot. After calling them “deceitful workers disguised as Christ’s apostles,” Paul warned the Corinthians that, “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” [2 Cor 11:13-15] Unlike a spy who furtively passes secrets to the enemy, these false teachers openly spew the enemy’s lies to the people. They are the impostors who are in it for the money, the abusers who are in it for themselves, and the “ticklers” whose feel-good messages entertain and flatter but don’t correct or challenge. These enemies of God reinterpret or edit Scripture to their own liking, claim special knowledge or revelation, or dispute the Bible’s authority. They often distort Scripture by mixing in just enough truth and Bible verses to make it sound right to those who don’t know better. As enemies of Christ’s church, they are as much my enemy as they are God’s!
When writing about God’s enemies, David wasn’t writing about his personal enemies. He was writing about people who, with evil intent, deliberately and maliciously defy the Lord—people who hate the Lord whether they admit it or not! Disapproving of their conduct and disgusted with their behavior, he detested them and wanted nothing to do with them. Since our devotion to the Lord excludes any loyalty to those who oppose him, we must do the same. Earlier, I was mistaken when I said I had no enemies. While I don’t know all of their names, I do know that they are God’s enemies and, if they are God’s enemies, they are mine!
Like many of the psalms, Psalm 136 opens with words of thanksgiving. Beginning with creation, this beautiful psalm reviews God’s goodness in regard to his people and encourages them to praise Him for his merciful and steadfast love. Where it differs from the other psalms of thanksgiving is that every line is followed by a refrain of “His faithful love endures forever.” From those first three verses, it continues giving thanks “to him who alone does mighty miracles. … who made the heavens so skillfully. … who placed the earth among the waters. … who made the heavenly lights … the sun to rule the day… and the moon and stars to rule the night,” with its refrain following each verse. The next 13 verses recount Israel’s’ history…bringing them out of Egypt, parting the Red Sea, leading his people through the wilderness, defeating Pharaoh’s army, striking down powerful kings, and giving the land to Israel. Psalm 136 tells us that life is neither random nor meaningless; we are not here accidentally. Our lives are meticulously planned and intelligently designed.
Since her church attendance is limited to Christmas and Easter, with an occasional funeral or wedding thrown in, a neighbor describes herself as being a “Birth and Resurrectionist.” People like her are often categorized as “nominal” or “non-practicing” Christians. Granted, church attendance is not the litmus test for Christianity. Nevertheless, lack of church attendance indicates a lack of commitment and a token or non-practicing faith. While such people identify as “Christians,” their Christianity is a more a matter of culture, habit, or tradition than one of faith, creed, and rebirth.
During his second missionary journey, Paul spent 18-months establishing the church in Corinth before returning to Jerusalem. In 53 AD, he set off on his third mission and ended up in Ephesus. Upon receiving disturbing reports of immorality among Corinthian believers, Paul wrote to them. After a delegation from Corinth arrived with a letter containing a series of questions for him and another group visited the evangelist with reports of divisiveness in Corinth’s church, Paul replied to them with the letter we know as 1 Corinthians. Although Paul’s epistle was written to correct such things as errors in doctrine, divisiveness within the church, a sectarian spirit, and sexual immorality, this rebuke to a troubled church has one of the most beautiful chapters in the Bible: 1 Corinthians 13.
While creativity is encouraged in both cooking and prayer, there are certain procedures for both that should be followed to ensure good results. For example, before a cook even begins, his work surface, utensils, and hands should be clean. In prayer, instead of starting with clean bowls and spoons, we should start with a forgiving heart and wash off any resentment or anger.
Martha, the elder sister of Lazarus and Mary, was chided by Jesus when she complained about her sister not helping with dinner preparations. Her fault, however, was in her fretfulness and reproach more than the work she was doing. She had more than a dozen hungry men to feed but, wanting to be the proper hostess, Martha’s preparations probably were more elaborate than necessary. Could it be that she’d become more interested in impressing her dinner guest than knowing Him? “Worried and upset by many things” that night, she lost sight of Jesus. Praiseworthy service must never obscure our view of the Lord!
