CRCF\u201d\u201d5-15-11<\/p>\n
Introduction<\/p>\n
Extremists\u201d\u00a6our world is chock full of them!<\/p>\n
And there are all sorts of extremists, aren\u201d\u2122t there?<\/p>\n
Here are just a few. (Slides)<\/p>\n
Some folks take THIS approach to extremists\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n
\u201cExterminate the Extremists\u201d\u201d\u00a6which really makes them no different than the other extremists, right?<\/p>\n
Do you consider YOURSELF to be an extremist?<\/p>\n
Check out what Martin Luther King, Jr. said\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be\u201d\u00a6\u201d<\/p>\n
This morning, I want to show you some stuff in Acts and a couple of other places that, I believe, make it clear that we are to be\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n
Grace Extremists
\nActs 7-9<\/p>\n
Our grace and forgiveness of others must be as extreme as the grace
\nand forgiveness of Jesus Himself!<\/p>\n
Acts 7:57-60 (NLT)
\n57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
\n59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, \u201cLord Jesus, receive my spirit.\u201d 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, \u201cLord, don\u201d\u2122t charge them with this sin!\u201d And with that, he died.
\nOur grace and forgiveness of others must be as extreme as the grace
\nand forgiveness of Jesus Himself!<\/p>\n
Claiborne<\/p>\n
Stephen, in the beautiful words of extreme grace, cries out to God on behalf of those who are killing him\u201d\u00a6a prayer that brings redemption. It is a prayer that converts evil rather than destroys evildoers.
\n(Irresistible Revolution, 272)<\/p>\n
Matthew 5:43-45 (NLT)<\/p>\n
43 \u201cYou have heard the law that says, \u201d\u02dcLove your neighbor\u201d\u2122 and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.<\/p>\n
Contrary to popular, Christian opinion in America, our goal is NOT to rid the world of evil.<\/p>\n
Check out this billboard. What\u201d\u2122s kinda sad to me is that we really do need to be reminded that God expects us to love our neighbor, even our enemies\u201d\u201djust as He has done through Jesus Christ!<\/p>\n
Our goal is to transform the world by the power of enemy-love!<\/p>\n
Nothing shows the world Who God is like enemy-love! Enemy-love is the Gospel!<\/p>\n
Our grace and forgiveness of others must be as extreme as the grace
\nand forgiveness of Jesus Himself!<\/p>\n
Acts 8:1-3 (NLT)
\n1 Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.
\nA great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2 (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) 3 But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.<\/p>\n
But what does God end up doing with this guy Saul?
\nActs 9:1-19 (NLT)
\n1 Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord\u201d\u2122s followers. So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them\u201d\u201dboth men and women\u201d\u201dback to Jerusalem in chains.
\n3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, \u201cSaul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?\u201d
\n5 \u201cWho are you, lord?\u201d Saul asked.
\nAnd the voice replied, \u201cI am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.\u201d
\n7 The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone\u201d\u2122s voice but saw no one! 8 Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. 9 He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.
\n10 Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, \u201cAnanias!\u201d
\n\u201cYes, Lord!\u201d he replied.
\n11 The Lord said, \u201cGo over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. 12 I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.\u201d
\n13 \u201cBut Lord,\u201d exclaimed Ananias, \u201cI\u201d\u2122ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! 14 And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.\u201d
\n15 But the Lord said, \u201cGo, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. 16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name\u201d\u2122s sake.\u201d
\n17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, \u201cBrother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.\u201d 18 Instantly something like scales fell from Saul\u201d\u2122s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. 19 Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.
\nOur grace and forgiveness of others must be as extreme as the grace
\nand forgiveness of Jesus Himself!<\/p>\n
Claiborne<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a6if we believe terrorists are beyond redemption, we can rip out half of our New Testament, since it was written by a converted terrorist who became an extremist for grace. (272)<\/p>\n
Paul, a former terrorist, would later write\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n
Romans 5:8-10 (NLT)<\/p>\n
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God\u201d\u2122s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God\u201d\u2122s judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our grace and forgiveness of others must be as extreme as the grace
\nand forgiveness of Jesus Himself!<\/p>\n
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n
To our most bitter opponents we say: \u201cThrow us in jail and we will still love you. Bomb our houses and threaten our children and we will still love you. Beat us and leave us half dead and we will still love you. But be ye assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer. One day we shall so appeal to your hearts and conscience that we shall win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory\u201d.<\/p>\n
Contrary to popular, Christian opinion in America, our goal is NOT to rid the world of evil.<\/p>\n
Our goal is to transform the world by the power of enemy-love!<\/p>\n
Nothing shows the world Who God is like enemy-love! Enemy-love is the Gospel!<\/p>\n
Walter Wink<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a6evil can be opposed without being mirrored\u201d\u00a6oppressors can be resisted without being emulated\u201d\u00a6enemies can be neutralized without being destroyed.<\/p>\n
Dostoevsky<\/p>\n
Always decide to use humble love. If you resolve on that, once and for all, you may subdue the whole world. Loving humility is marvelously strong, the strongest of all things, and there is nothing else like it. (The Brothers Karamazov)<\/p>\n
Contrary to popular, Christian opinion in America, our goal is NOT to rid the world of evil.<\/p>\n
Our goal is to transform the world by the power of enemy-love!<\/p>\n
Nothing shows the world Who God is like enemy-love! Enemy-love is the Gospel!<\/p>\n
Our grace and forgiveness of others must be as extreme as the grace
\nand forgiveness of Jesus Himself!<\/p>\n
Donna (artist who drew this picture)<\/p>\n
My drawing is called EXTREME GRACE. Why? Because God\u201d\u2122s grace IS extreme. Webster\u201d\u2122s definition of extreme is this: Going to great or exaggerated lengths, exceeding the ordinary, usual or expected, an extreme measure. When God sent Jesus to save us he did so in EXTREME MEASURE. Why? Because that\u201d\u2122s how much he loves us. We will never fathom the depth of our Father\u201d\u2122s love while here on earth. We can imagine and dream, but we won\u201d\u2122t fully get it until we are with him in eternity. For that- I am anxious!<\/p>\n
Our grace and forgiveness of others must be as extreme as the grace
\nand forgiveness of Jesus Himself!<\/p>\n
And so practically\u201d\u00a6we must love EVERY PERSON\u201d\u00a6from our friends to our enemies, from the easy-to-love to the most aggravating, from those who love us to those who hate us\u201d\u00a6well\u201d\u00a6it\u201d\u2122s actually like this last slide, isn\u201d\u2122t it? (\u201cI love\u201d\u00a6\u201d Slide)<\/p>\n
Romans 12:19-21 (NLT)<\/p>\n
Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, \u201d\u02dcI will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,\u201d\u2122 says the Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures say: \u201d\u02dcIf your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.\u201d\u2122 Don\u201d\u2122t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.<\/p>\n
What does that look like practically?<\/p>\n
Shane Claiborne tells this story:<\/p>\n
\u201cOne unforgettable night was St. Rafael\u201d\u2122s cathedral in Baghdad, where once again I was reminded of the God of extreme grace. We sang familiar tunes, and the priest got up to give the homily. He had just served six months in prison for his faithfulness to the gospel. What would his message be, at such a crucial moment?
\nHe told the true story of a woman whose son and husband were killed by a police officer. Eventually they caught the police officer and dragged him before the court. In court, as the judge considered the sentence of the police officer, the woman spoke boldly: \u201d\u02dcHe took my family away from me, and I still have a lot of love to give, and he needs to know what love and grace feel like\u201d\u201dso I think he should have to come to my home in the slums, twice a month, and spend time with me, so that I can be a mother to him, so that I can embrace him, and he can know that my forgiveness is real.\u201d\u2122 We all sat silently, struck dumb by grace. The priest urged us all to love our enemies.\u201d
\n(Irresistible Revolution, 276-277)<\/p>\n
Our grace and forgiveness of others must be as extreme as the grace
\nand forgiveness of Jesus Himself!<\/p>\n
Communion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CRCF\u201d\u201d5-15-11 Introduction Extremists\u201d\u00a6our world is chock full of them! And there are all sorts of extremists, aren\u201d\u2122t there? Here are just a few. (Slides) Some folks take THIS approach to extremists\u201d\u00a6 \u201cExterminate the Extremists\u201d\u201d\u00a6which really makes them no different than … Continue reading