Kindness

Are you waiting on the world to change?

Have you heard the lyrics of John Mayer's song "Waiting on the World to Change"?

"Me and all my friends, we're all misunderstood.

They say we stand for nothing and there's no way we ever could.

Now we see everything that's going wrong with the world and those who lead it.

We just feel like we don't have the means to rise above and beat it.

So we keep waiting, waiting on the world to change."

Pretty strong words, wouldn't you agree? How many of you find yourself just waiting on the world to change? Waiting on the violence to change? Your spouse to change? Your boyfriend/girlfriend? Your kids? Your government? Your boss? Your coworkers? Your neighbors? Your family? How many of you feel you don't have the means to rise above, to take a stand, and beat things back?

Passivity isn't a viable solution.

Waiting sounds like a pretty good strategy, but how is that working for you? Passivity isn't a viable solution. Passivity is accepting the status quo. Passivity is permitting all that is to remain. If you really feel things need to change, how is passivity a solution? What does waiting achieve?

God would have us take a more active posture toward our world. For your viewing pleasure, here is the list of the fruits of the Spirit, once more. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

Last week I explained how all these fruit are relational qualities. But notice how they are also active qualities. They aren't emotions or feelings. They are proactive, transformative postures that we can take in relationships. We can project love into relationships. We can project joy, peace, patience, and kindness. The fruit equate to redemptive responses we can make, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to other people.

Can you think of anything that would transform a relationship more than love, peace, patience, and kindness? We know this in principle, but what do we often do? We hate. We kill. We destroy. We divide. We label. We look for shortcuts. We become the aggressor, the evil doer, who believes the means justify the ends. How often do we trust the fruits of the Spirit to powerfully transform relationships? Do we put greater trust in these fruit than we put in our sin?

What choices do we have with regard to relationships?

How many relationships have been completely ruined because of our sinful responses? We think we only have two choices. We think that one choice is to sin. The other choice is passivity, waiting on the world to change. But actually, we have a third choice. It's to exercise and demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit!

We can resort to sin, or we can bring love... joy... peace... patience... kindness to bear on relationships! Have you ever tried? This morning our focus is on the power of kindness to change our world. We don't have to wait for people to change. Through the Holy Spirit, we have the means to rise up and bring change and beat back evil.

What would you do in these situations?

Ghassan Thomas leads one of the few public churches that emerged in Baghdad after Saddam Hussein was toppled. His congregation erected a sign on their building that said "Jesus is the light of the world." But one day his church was raided by bandits who left behind a threatening message on a piece of cardboard which said, "Jesus is not the light of the world, Allah is, and you have been warned. The Islamic Shiite Party." Shiites, Christians, and Jews have been killing one another for centuries. What would you do if you were that pastor?

Throughout 2012 alone, in a barrio in São Paulo, Brazil there have been 622 homicides. Every day over 300 armed robberies occur in the city. Gang members ruthlessly guard their turf, turning their automatic weapons on rival gang members and outsiders. They have guns galore, but the slaughter between drug lords is escalating. Some missionaries were traveling in Sao Paulo recently when armed bandits seized them. What would you do?

On October 2, 2006, a gunman named Charles Carl Roberts IV took hostages at a school. He shot ten girls aged 6–13, fatally wounding five, before committing suicide. If it were your daughter who was killed, how would you respond?

In the Bronx, 31 year old Julio Diaz stopped at a diner on his way home from work to grab a quick bite to eat. As Diaz stepped off the train and onto the subway platform, a teenager ran up to him, pulled out a knife, and demanded that he hand over his wallet. It's your move. What do you do?

In downtown Indianapolis, officers received a call about a shabbily dressed homeless man in his fifties. They'd had run-ins with him before. He's a nuisance. You are the arresting officer. What do you do?

Jay was the kindest boy growing up, but then he rebelled. First came the late nights, then the parties, then alcohol and drugs. Soon after came tattoos, piercings, and body modifications. Jay's clothes became rags, his money ran out, and he'd begun neglecting his own health and safety. His girlfriend Michelle, who was now living with him, was equally bad news. What's a parent to do?

Let me summarize. A pastor is threatened, a missionary is captured, a daughter is murdered, a robbery is in progress, a homeless man is making a disturbance, and a prodigal is sowing his wild oats.

Where do we put our faith?

In Old Testament times, the people of God put their faith in horses and chariots, and in daggers and swords. There were times when Jesus' disciples were tempted to do the same. Like us, they lived in an evil culture. It was their impulse to return evil for evil. You didn't go anywhere without your sword. But is there something that comes more naturally to the Christian than shooting from the hip? All this talk among Christians about guns, is that the Spirit talking or the flesh?

Jesus lived in a culture even more violent than ours. God could have sent legions of angels to violently purge the earth of his enemies, but what did God do instead? What does the Bible say? In Acts 10:38 (NIV) that Jesus, "went about doing good." The world is filled with evil and chronically ungrateful people. But what does the Bible say about God?

In Luke 6:35 (NIV) Jesus tells us how God is, "kind to the ungrateful and wicked." Matthew 5:45 (NIV) even says, "He (God) causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and send rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." In Jonah 4:2 (NIV) we're told how God is, "a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."

Titus 3:4-5 (NIV) describes how in Christ, "the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he (God) saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." Romans 2:4 (NIV) says, "Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?"

The Spirit enables us to do that which isn't natural to us.

Violence comes naturally to us-- returning evil for evil, insult for insult, and injury for injury. But the Spirit enables us to do that which isn't natural to us, but that is nonetheless redemptive.

In Luke 6:35 (NIV) Jesus commands us, "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything in return." Remember when the Christian gospel was to kill them kindness instead of killing them with guns? It is true that God destroys his enemies. But how does God destroy his enemies? He destroys his enemies with kindness, by making people like us his friends. Jesus was a friend of sinners.

God created us to bear the fruit of the Spirit, not live in the flesh. Remember the acts of the sinful nature in Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV)? "Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like."

God didn't create us for any of these things! Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Galatians 6:9 commands us to never grow weary in doing good.

Romans 12:10-21 (NIV) tells us, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Responses to evil that demonstrate kindness.

Ghassan Thomas was terrified by the threatening message which said, "Jesus is not the light of the world, Allah is, and you have been warned. The Islamic Shiite Party." In response, Pastor Ghassan loaded a van with children's gifts and medical supplies-- which were in critically short supply following the American invasion-- and drove to the headquarters of the Islamic Shiite Party. After presenting the gifts and supplies to the sheikh, Ghassan told the leader, "Christians have love for you, because our God is a God of love." He then asked permission to read from the Bible. Ghassan turned to Jesus' words in John 8, "I am the light of the world." He then showed the cardboard note to the sheikh. Astounded by pastor's love, the Muslim leaders apologized. "This will not happen again," the sheikh vowed. "You are my brother. If anyone comes to kill you, it will be my neck first." The sheikh later attended Pastor Thomas's ordination service.

In a violent barrio of São Paulo, Brazil a young mission team was captured by foot soldiers who were laden with automatic weapons. But then their leader noticed one of their t-shirts, which had the logo of a local church. He broke out in a big smile. "O, evangelicos!'' he called out, giving them hugs. Over the years, their church had cared for the children of the barrio, and now they were joyfully welcomed.

On October 2, 2006, a gunman named Charles Carl Roberts IV took hostages and shot ten girls aged 6–13, killing five, before committing suicide in a one-room Amish schoolhouse. You know the story! Despite her anguish and pain, a mother of one of the girls accepted the heart-wrenching tragedy of losing a child by offering forgiveness to the killer, and even showing kindness and compassion to the killer's widow and children. It was an act of Amish grace.

In the Bronx, 31 year old Julio Diaz stopped at a diner on his way home from work to grab a quick bite to eat, only to confronted by a teenager wielding a knife, demanding his wallet. As the teen ran away, Diaz called out, "If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm." The boy stopped in his tracks, shocked. Diaz explained that it was quite clear the teen needed money, so he told him to keep the wallet, take his coat, and if he wanted, grab a bite to eat with Diaz. The boy was too shocked to say no. As the two ate dinner at Diaz's favorite diner, the teen marveled over how many dishwashers and waitresses offered Diaz a wave or a friendly word. He figured that Diaz owned the place. When the boy shared his observation, Diaz smiled and said, "Haven't you been taught that you should be nice to everybody?" "Yeah," the teen replied, "but I didn't think people actually behaved that way."

In downtown Indianapolis, two burly police officers respond to a shabbily dressed homeless man in his fifties. Weak and shivering, they had him sprawled on the hood of their patrol cars, his arms at his sides. But the older of the two officers was stooped over in front of the man-- his partner watching intently. At first it appeared they were frisking the man, but to the amazement of many, the officer was bent over tying the man's boot laces because the homeless man was in such bad shape he couldn't do it for himself. As the officer put one dirty boot on his own pant leg and then the other, his young partner softly talked to the man, trying to determine what kind of help he needed.

Michelle Attaway moved in with her boyfriend, Jay, for a life of drugs and partying. She assumed Jay's parents would turn their backs on them in disgust. So it was a bit shocking when Jay and Michelle were instead invited over for dinner.

"I was incredulous because I knew that Jay's parents were "normal" people, the kind who crossed to the other side of the street when they saw us. Not only that, Jay had told me that they were religious. Yet sure enough, we were invited to dinner, and the thought of a good meal eventually convinced me to go.

To my surprise, Jay's parents welcomed us warmly into their home. As we sat down to eat, I was painfully aware that my appearance-- torn clothing, tattoos, and a dozen body piercings-- clashed with the elegantly decorated table. Yet his folks treated us with friendly respect-- even asking whether we wanted to play Scrabble afterward! I was bewildered by their kindness.

Over the next few months, Jay's mom continued to contact us. Sometimes she brought a sack of groceries to our place and other times she wrote letters that quoted Bible verses, saying she was praying for us. We'd read the letters aloud to our friends and have a good laugh. "Your mom must be crazy!" I'd chuckle. But the laughter couldn't mask the emptiness I felt inside, and our lifestyle of partying and drug use only got worse.

Once, after a week long drug party, Jay and I became aware of the spiritual darkness in our lives. We were very scared and called his parents, who immediately came over with their pastor and some friends. Though we fully expected to receive criticism and disapproval, these "church people" simply stepped over the trash on the floor, looked past the ugly death and skull posters on the wall (we even had a black paper bat hanging from the ceiling), shoved aside drug paraphernalia, and began counseling us and praying for us. I was deeply touched by their love and acceptance. I'd been stuck in a downward spiral of depression and despair, and when I heard that God could give me a brand new life through Jesus Christ, I bowed my head and turned everything over to him.

Equally moved, Jay prayed as well. From that moment, we knew our lives needed to change. Realizing it wasn't right for us to be living together outside of marriage, Jay proposed to me that very day. After a hippie-style wedding-- outdoors and barefooted-- Jay and I began attending my in-laws' church. I noticed a sharp contrast between our untrustworthy friends and the reliable love of the church members. That was the kind of love I wanted to receive, and wanted to show to others.

I joined the church's women's group, but as the only married teenager, I felt out of place and unable to relate to the other ladies. I couldn't understand their excitement over getting out the hot glue gun and making dried flower arrangements. Nevertheless, they didn't give up on me. They invited me to weekly Bible studies and fun times at the park.

Nearly every day Jay and I were gifted with some form of love and acceptance from our fellow church members. As we struggled financially, we'd find anonymous checks in the mail or sacks of food on our doorstep. Once, a new set of soft flannel sheets turned up on our front porch. We read our Bibles and attended a study group. As my relationship with God steadily deepened, I began to yearn for the opportunity to share his love with kids who were as troubled as I'd once been. So Jay and I began to volunteer with the youth ministry, working with teens living on the streets. Talking with those lost kids in their dirty, torn clothing reminded me how, at a needy time in my life, genuine Christian love had looked beyond appearances to a heart that needed Christ. And it cemented my determination to show that same unconditional love to others.

Do we wait on the world to change?

Do we wait on the world to change? Or do we change the world through God's loving kindness? If what you've been doing isn't working, why not give God's way a try?