BLESS AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO HATE YOU

In the last two blogs we briefly looked at 1 Peter 3:8. A large portion of Peter’s message encouraged young churches to remain faithful during a time of severe persecution. The apostle reminded the churches of five qualities that he knew they needed to embrace if they were going to survive the difficult time they were in.

I believe Peter’s message is just as important for us as it was for them. The church today is being persecuted and it will intensify in the days ahead. I just saw a report that the state of Kentucky is not allowing pastors who serve as counselors in their youth facilities to say that homosexuality is a sin. In both Canada and England, pastors can be arrested for saying that the practice of homosexuality is a sin.

In 1 Peter 3:9, the apostle instructed the church in how to respond to persecution. “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you might obtain a blessing”.

 Peter was there when Jesus delivered what has become known as The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said, “I say to you ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’” (Matthew 5:44). Peter was teaching the same truth to a new generation of Christ followers. Paul also taught the same when he said, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them” (Romans 12:14).

I find it extremely challenging to “love my enemies.” How about you? Have you thought this through? Does Jesus mean that we should love the terrorists who are killing Christians? And are we supposed to bless them?

Before I give you the answer that I have arrived at for this command, let me try to unpack 1 Peter 3:9 a bit.

The Pharisees had taught the Jewish people about giving “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But Jesus said, “No, love your enemies and pray for them,” and that’s what Peter and Paul were teaching the young church.

The word evil in this verse is speaking of morally objectionable behavior and the word reviling speaks of abusive words that are meant to damage a person’s reputation.

What does it mean “to bless” those that persecute you? The word blessing means to “invoke divine favor, often implying a positive disposition or kind action toward the recipient.” Now that’s a mouthful, isn’t it? By the Lord, we have been given the authority to bless people.

The challenge in this for me is to bless people who hate me, who dislike me, who lie about me. I have found it to be releasing to my spirit to pray for and bless that itinerant preacher who has told lies about me to a number of pastors that we know in common. And through this trial I have found that I can pray for those who are my enemies, and I can bless them — and as I do, I get blessed.

So Jesus, Peter and Paul are all speaking to us today as we look around at a world that is becoming increasingly chaotic and antagonistic toward Christ followers. They are saying, “Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult but, instead, bless them and pray for them because to this you were called.”

Let me finish with the story of Stephen, who was one of the men chosen to be a deacon in the first church.

“And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8).

Stephen was being greatly used of God, which brought him to the attention of some of those who hated the new church. They were going to great lengths to stop the spreading of the gospel. Eventually they lied about Stephen and he was arrested and taken before the High Priest to be judged.

Acts 7:2-53 is Stephen’s sermon to the High Priest and his accusers. The sermon caused an uproar among Stephen’s accusers and they cast him out of the city and began to stone him.

Stephen’s response to being stoned was, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). This was a form of a blessing. It would have been easy for Stephen to curse them and say, “Lord, judge them for what they are doing and send them all to hell” — but he didn’t. Instead, he blessed them and asked the Lord to have mercy on them.

One of the Pharisees who witnessed and encouraged Stephen’s death was the man who later became the Apostle Paul (see Acts 7:58 and 8:1).

Isn’t it interesting that the next time we hear of Saul he is on his way to Damascus to attack the church there? But on the road to Syria he had an encounter with the Lord Jesus and was converted.

I believe that the manner in which Stephen died and Stephen’s blessing had a great impact on Saul. That blessing subsequently assisted in opening the door for the worst terrorist of the day to become a Christ follower!

“Bless, love and pray for those who curse you and despitefully use you” (my paraphrase).