THE DRONE
PRINCIPLE
A man was
told that there were two men inside one of the houses down the street who were
planning to do him harm. He also was aware that inside some of the other houses
were women and children who were not part of these two men. But the threatened
man made a very large bomb, walked over to the row of houses where he thought
the two men might be, and he threw the bomb in the midst of those houses. The
two men that sought to do him harm were killed, but so was everyone in several
adjacent homes which had women and children.
When
someone asked the man how he could do such a thing and still follow Jesus the
man replied that he did not pretend to follow Jesus. “How could I say I follow
Jesus and do what I did”?
That man
was correct. No person or nation could claim to follow Jesus and drop bombs in
a neighborhood hoping to kill someone but realizing others would die as well.
“Well,” you
ask, “What are we supposed to do”?
If you are
a follower of Jesus you are supposed to pray, share Jesus with your enemies and
love them, and in the end…well…you might just have to die. The Jesus you say
you follow did just that.
Every time you write a post like this I get such a strong sense of the cosmic battle going on over your keyboard that I'm impelled to pray for your protection.
ReplyDeleteThank you. After the Spirit illuminates you it seems so simple.
ReplyDeleteIt is incredible that we are so blind to what is going on around us, and can't step back and take a look at the whole picture.
ReplyDeleteIt's so easy to, from a comfortable perch, condemn the world and it's systems and our government, and the increased crime, and increased wickedness. But, it's true. This post stirs my conscience that we, as tax-paying citizens of countries who perform these things, like drone exercises, and all secretive ops that accidentally kill innocents, is necessary if we want to keep living like this. In our flesh, we try not to think about what needs to get done so we can live like this. We don't want to feel that guilt about how we got this way; to live freely, abundantly, with vehicles, good paying jobs, warm homes, affordable nice things, hobbies, entertainment, travel, and nice plush seats in a heated or air-conditioned church, everything the flesh desires.
We never ask, at what price? I don't ever recall hearing a pastor ask us to, in a literal sense, stand way back and look at how we came to become so rich, as first-world nations. They don't talk about the history of how stronger men rode on the backs of others. We enjoy the fruit of some poor weak families' labour - from China. Everything we touch or own, has been made by someone terribly impoverished, or thrown to the curb.
We live in comfort, have, acquire, get promoted, richer, in a system that encourages involving our militaries in foreign conflicts, where young people on both sides die and there are always innocent casualties.
What I don't understand, is how did the church get so calloused and arrogant self-entitled that it can't see the whole picture. It complains, whines, verbally attacks, blames, judges, even attacks passive christians. It feels righteous in it's abortion/homosexual/anti-gun ban issues, while it doesn't see how it(the church) sits in the comforts of the belly of a world system. A world system, like all world systems, that must take defensive actions and perform things that our Savior would never have done. And when He returns, He will conquer wickedness, but He is God. His followers are only to aspire to be like Him as the Lamb of God, not as the Lion, when He returns as the Lion.
All citizens of the world are stuck in this world system. And we, as christians, should remember that we are all guilty (by association) that we enjoy good fortune or opportunities because of another person's labour. I hear conservative political christians bashing those who are on welfare, or on food stamps, and they like to stereotype those who don't work. But they don't fully realize that they, who are strong, fit, genetically healthy, have supportive family structure, succeed, not only because they have such a great work ethic, but because they are riding on the wave of sacrifices that others generations made. And the present generations in Asia who work in factories for cents a day give arrogant westerners things they could never have if they had been born elsewhere.
I see a group of christians (7th Church of Revelation) who have need of nothing. They believe they accomplished their own wealth and success. They give no glory to God. They think their success is given to them because they are special, or because they live in a divinely appointed chosen nation. But Satan, the great liar, tells them they are being blessed; so they keep thinking these blessings are God-given, and have been blinded that these blessings are none other than Satan's tools to keep them believing they are a higher grade of christian than anyone else. I think that's the great delusion. The falling away, the Great Apostasy.
Good word. It is no secret that we aquired this land by annihilating the Indians, and then used millions of slaves to increase our net worth. And today, if we even get the hint that our "lifestyle" might be threatened, we are not adverse to using violence that include women and childern as collateral damage.
ReplyDeleteIf that is the way of Jesus than there must be another book He wrote somewhere.
Thank you all for your prayers for my family. The Lord is working, I can see it. How? The struggles my sons and husband are now facing. My youngest Cory, he wanted to be in the military. I prayed, begged, and gave him Scripture and the Lord is pulling on him ever so hard. His conscience is being convicted. He talks to me more now, and he is not so defensive when I inject the Word into our conversations. But he struggles with the reality that being a solider is not Biblical and he said, "Mom, are you sure that we are not supposed to go to war?" I said Cory, no, we are not." We are to love our enemies. He said, "Mom, I can't go after a man who is hurting my wife?" "If he attacks me, I can't defend myself?" I didn't know what to say! How do I answer that?
ReplyDeleteIt was easy to tell him no to war, but how do I answer those questions? War is war whether fought on foreign soil or here on your own. I am at a loss on how to answer him on that.
Cherie c.
Cherie, the answer, in my opinion, is to encourage your son to focus more diligently on Christ, His words and His deeds.
DeleteIntroduce him to Mathew 6:33 and inform him that Lord Jesus Christ is the commander of heaven and earth. He is the true King.
Then take him to Mathew 5 to learn what the Prince of Peace blesses. Encourage him to refocus his thinking on these verses. Only if he decides to trust and obey what God gives His blessing to can God start leading him on that wondrous challenge of trusting Him for his safety and welfare .
2 Corinthians 10:4
We use God's mighty weapons ( His Word), not worldly weapons (guns), to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning...
Really going deep to the soul today Pastor. I am dealing with the flu and I don't know if I can handle all this. =D
ReplyDeletePraise God for it though.
Cherie c.
Anonymous 1:01 PM mentions laborers in China. What is really tragic for us is that our brothers and sisters in Jesus are being imprisoned for their faith in that country and are being used as slave labor so we can buy stuff cheap. Is this an unavoidable and horrid compromise? Beyond prayer and limiting buying pretty much anything what else can we do?
ReplyDeleteI used to pray at night, "Thank you, God, for my home and my bed; now I pray Thank you, God, that I feel convicted that I have a bed and a home and many do not. Thank God, that He is right on time; not slow, not too fast. right on time.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, your words found their mark. They are ever so true, humbling and convicting.
God is moving; you can see it and hear it and feel it and it is a mighty thing, indeed. So many are coming to the same conclusions at the same time.
Lift high the name of Jesus that all men might be drawn to him!
Cherie : When we are sick and the doctor prescribes medicine do we take all the pills at once? No, we take them one at a time. The war issue is for mature believers and there are many who love Jesus in the military.
ReplyDeleteI suggest your son needs to climb a few hills before he can understand such things. Prayer is best at this point. Force feeding is mostly counter productive even when what we say is true.
Thank you Pastor, thank you Reine, your words are so true. I do not argue, or force feed as I have found this to be counterproductive. He, Praise God, has been coming to me. Reine, I will tell him about Matt 6:33.
ReplyDeletePastor, you said there are military people who love the Lord; how then can they do what they do that will take a life? I don't think I understand. If the person who pushes the button to launch a drone who loves the Lord, how can they launch that drone knowing what it will do? Please forgive me if I don't understand. Who would willing go into the military knowing the Gospel?
your sister in Christ Jesus
Cherie c.
They are still blind to their sin as once were we. Have faith and patience.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cheri c. for your question and Pastor Frueh for your answer. Just what I needed to know right now.
ReplyDelete