Loving Your Enemies

In our own time, maybe no one has seen the social aspects of God’s Kingdom on earth quite like Martin Luther King, Jr.

He stood toe to toe with the house of evil. He insisted in a number of his speeches that the key to the future was a certain “maladjustment…” In 1961, Dr. King gave the commencement address at Lincoln University, in which he talked about “The American Dream,” and he said this, “There are certain things within our social order to which I am proud to be maladjusted and to which I call upon all people of good will to be maladjusted. If you will allow the preacher in me to come out now, let me say to you that I never did intend to adjust to the evils of segregation and discrimination. I never did intend to adjust myself to religious bigotry. I never did intend to adjust myself to economic conditions that will take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few.  I never did intend to adjust myself to the madness of militarism, and the self-defeating effects of physical violence. And I call upon all people of good will to be maladjusted, because it may well be that the salvation of the world lies in the hands of the maladjusted.”

He ended that speech by saying, “Let us be as maladjusted as Jesus of Nazareth, who could look into the eyes of the men and women of His generation and cry out, ‘Love your enemies! Bless them that curse you! Pray for them that despitefully use you!”

Has the world changed at all since Jesus came? Dr. King said YES – things can and should and will be different – and he lived his life accordingly! f we as Christians believe that – then we must live accordingly! I’m NOT sayin’ we all need to run around actin’ like we’ve slipped a cog and that WE need to be in straightjackets! But I AM sayin’ that if we really believe Jesus is Lord and King, and has already defeated evil, we gotta start actin’ like we’re part of the winning team!

I started our worship service on Pentecost by reminding you of what happens when the Holy Spirit of God works in the world thru us. Some really cool – really crazy things happen in the world when we start actin’ like Jesus! Here’s the list I used, “Barriers are broken, communities are formed, opposites are reconciled, unity is established, disease is cured, addiction is broken, cities are renewed, races are reconciled, hope is established, and people are blessed.” Think about how wonderful life could be if we acted like we believe Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords!  Has the world changed at all since Jesus came? I say “YES…!” Has the kingdom of God really come among us in the form of the Holy Spirit of God…? Again, I say “YES…!” Think about how incredible our world would be, if we were all as “crazy” as Jesus!

Pastor Corey Jenkins

Sidney First United Methodist Church