Loving Our Enemies, Is Impossible
Friday October 22, 1999
ICM Monterrey
David Pettitt, Pastor
Translated from Spanish by David Pettitt
First Reading: Romans 12:9-22
Reading from the Gospels: Luke 6:27-36
Both of our scripture readings this evening, advised us to: Love Our Enemies. And yet, the title of this message suggests, just the opposite. Loving Our Enemies, Is Impossible!
Jesus [our teacher], literally gave His whole self, to redeem the world. As He departed, Jesus commissioned us [through the disciples] to continue His unfinished work. Jesus left us with a legacy to complete.
This legacy includes healing broken-ness... confronting evil... liberating the oppressed... AND, Jesus also told us to do what to some seems is the Impossible: He told us... He never asked us... He never said, "Pretty Please"... Jesus simply said to: Love Our Enemies!
Together, we [each of us combined] represents the church... we form the Body OR the Christ, in our world today. We are His disciples [teachers] and ambassadors [representatives] of the here and now. Seventy days from now, we will officially enter into the 21st Century. How will this impact our lives? Are we ready and what kind of legacy are we establishing? Will we still find it Impossible to Love Our Enemies... as we enter the new millennium?
What do you suppose is Our Role in carrying out the Work and the Will of Christ in the world today? For example, it is obvious that God directed several people [through the leading of the Holy Spirit], to begin this church. Our immediate challenge is ministering to the gay and lesbian community in Mexico’s third most populated city.
Most of the people God has entrusted us with, are not aware of God’s Unconditional Love. What an awesome responsibility... What an awesome challenge... What an awesome Blessing God is trying to give to these people... AND to each of us!
We are reminded in Luke 12:48b - "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."
When we know and understand what our Mission for God is... When we are confident of who we are individually or collectively... And when we are able to let go of all those things that prevent us from accomplishing our intended mission... then, and only then, will we become present to participate in completing the legacy Jesus began and has entrusted us to continue.
Jesus taught us how to change the way we see ourselves and the way we see others. He humbled Himself when He washed the disciples feet. This was something only the lowest level of enslaved person was supposed to do.
When our self-esteem is healthy and in a good balance, we can become available for others, no matter what the cost is. It is easy for us to get distracted and caught up in all kinds of activities.
So, it is understandable why we might feel like we have so little time to commit to this ministry.
Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern God’s Perfect Will... for your life."
Another cost, may involve the impossible task of: Loving Our Enemies... Jesus often told us to love our neighbors. The original intent of this word was, someone close to us. This implies something so much easier to accomplish than the other command Jesus left us... Love Your Enemies!
Luke recorded in the gospel we heard read earlier; "Do to others, as you would have them do to you." Further down he said; "If you only love those who love you, what credit is this to you?"
When I first came to Monterrey, I met with Mariaurora and she told me; "David, if you are serious about starting a church here, you fist need to know the enemy." This statement haunted me for weeks... then one day, I realized that the enemy was not a WHO, but a WHAT. I discovered that our number one enemy is Ignorance... Not the government or society... not our employers... not even our family or friends... but Ignorance! Ignorance was and is... Our Real Enemy!
Recently, a select panel of historians got together to choose the 100 people who most changed the world in the past millennium. The number one person they felt had made the biggest impact in the past one thousand years... was Johannes Gutenberg. This is the person who invented the technique of printing with moveable type. This single invention, started with an idea to make information available to the whole world in a printed form.
Information... healthy, reliable, truthful information could eliminate the real enemy... Ignorance! Often we can get so distracted by negative comments made by idle persons... people who either do not understand the mission of our work, or who might be jealous of our results. This too, is a form of Ignorance.
Just because I work full time for the Lord, does not mean that even someone like me, will not be distracted as well. I have to keep reminding myself of Mariaurora’s original statement... "you have to know the enemy"... and we should all be working to eliminate that which tries to defeat us.
Now when I start hearing undeserved negative comments, I move my attention and my focus to something positive. I try focusing on all the positive things that we have already accomplished. All the lives which have been saved [both spiritually and physically] or changed in a positive way.
I also try focusing on all those courageous pioneers who came before us. I am reminded of what an even higher price they paid. I am able to stand here before you because of the strength of so many... most of whom, I have never even met.
And then I remember all those who have not yet heard the Good News that Jesus came to give us. The Good News that each of us is a Child of God and that each of us has a place at the table. After all, everyone deserves the same opportunity as we have had. Experiencing God’s Unconditional Love is what this work is all about. It is all about continuing the legacy.
This too may seem like an Impossible thing to do... and yet, Jesus would not have asked us to do it, if it were impossible. To accomplish this, we must continue to remember what are the enemies and what are the risks.
If there are people who have held you back from participating at the level God needs you to participate... face the person or persons you feel have become this stumbling block. We can no longer afford to pay this incredible price. It is time to take back the power we have given away to someone else.
The risk is also too high... The risk of not participating in continuing the legacy that Jesus started, so long ago. Each time we become distracted, someone suffers. Each time we get distracted, someone remains in the darkness, just that much longer. Each time we get distracted, the real enemy... the Enemy of Ignorance is allowed to continue depriving people of the truth. The truth which each of us so fortunately discovered.
Loving an enemy is impossible... Loving an enemy is impossible, because once you begin to love your enemy, this person [or thing], is no longer your enemy!
Embracing, Understanding, and Acknowledging our Real Enemy, is a matter of replacing those things which are not true, with the truth! And Jesus said, "You will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free."
My prayer for each of us tonight, is that each of us remember that we are part of a legacy... a legacy started by Jesus and passed down through the ages to us. We each have a decision to make... the decision is how will we participate in the continuing of this legacy... what will we leave for those who will come after us...
I leave you with these two simple [but profound] questions:
If not now... then when?
If not you... then who?
Amen and Amen!
The author of this material is Rev. David Pettitt, pastor of the MCC in Monterrey, Mexico.
