I was recently reviewing some old Bible study lessons I had written. Some were for a men's breakfast I attended for 2 years while living in California. Going through them, I felt my teaching improved over time. That's expected; practice makes perfect. But I did feel my last one was my best.
The scripture was from the Sermon on the Mount.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48
I started by talking about my family's participation in a church prayer vigil the previous weekend. As a family, we spent 1 hour in our church's chapel praying for the church. We started by singing songs. Everyone in the family picked one song we sang. My youngest son who was 2 picked Bah Bah Black Sheep. We then listed out all the things in the church we wanted to pray for. When we were discussing the nursery, my oldest daughter said we should pray for things like bouncy seats or things the little children might like. I thought,
hold on, we got more important things going on in the nursery than to pray for bouncy seats! But in thinking about the purpose of prayer, my daughter understood it better than me.
I then introduced the specific passage by saying “My name is Clinton and I am in the business of hating our enemies,” as I am in the military. I punted on the specific contradiction with that by saying we would not tackle the issue of Christianity and the military that week, though any Christian in the military should be able to answer the question “how can you be a Christian and in the military” as our business is killing.
I then moved into breaking apart the passage. Jesus opens with saying that we had heard taught ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ I then sought to prove that the concept of hating your enemy wasn't some old testament teaching that Jesus was revising by citing a few passages from the old testament.
When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back.
When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free.
Exodus 23:4-5
If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.
Proverbs 25:21-22
Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble, or else the Lord will see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from them.
Proverbs 24:17-18
I noted that the writer of the proverbs seems to indicate that the Lord is in a position where he can judge. To show why we weren't in that position, I used scripture showing that we were once enemies of God.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Romans 5:6-11
I then discussed how love is a verb. One will have to decide how you love your enemies, but it is more than just saying, “I love my enemies.”
Jesus then says to pray for those who persecute you.
I talked about how the night of September 11, 2001, I went to Breakaway, a college Bible study at Texas A&M. Instead of a normal lesson, the leader said that we would break into prayer groups. In small groups of 3 or 4, he led us in praying for the victims, their families, our country, our leaders, our military. He then ended it with having us pray for the attackers. I had zero desire to pray for them. But I did. And I left feeling better for it.
I gave current examples of who was persecuting Christians around the world. We then went around the group, praying for those who persecuted the Church. We then left.
I liked it because it had the least amount of teaching, but focused on the application and immediately used the application.
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, even while in Bible study.
