Zion E-News (1-9-2020)
Over the last week, tensions have been high between the United States and Iran. Many people are anxious wondering what might happen next. Some are drawing lines and taking sides, calling those who disagree un-American and such. Like many of you, I am not an expert on Middle East politics and their many conflicts, nor am I an expert on military tactics and strategies. So, I have been doing a lot of listening to simply understand. I am listening to our missionaries in the Middle East, aid workers on the ground, our military leaders and our President. It is better to listen and seek to understand than to speak in haste and simply add to the confusion and divisions some try to exploit in our country.
And, as your pastor, it is my responsibility to help all of us think about and engage our world from a Christian perspective. The church has thought about war and violence and the proper Christian response for over 2,000 years. Seeing the growing desire for armed revolt in his day, Jesus urged his followers to turn the other cheek and to love their enemies. Listening to these commands of Jesus, most of the early church took a stance of non-violent pacifism. They would defy governing authorities when their commands violated the commands of God, but they did not engage in violence.
As time went on and Christianity became not only more acceptable in the Roman Empire, but also more influential in the Empire, the church thought deeply about the role of violence in maintaining the peace within the Empire and in defending the Empire from attack. Recognizing the role of government in defending the country and the peace in Romans 13, they developed what has become known as the “Just War” theory.
Originally developed by Augustine and reaching its final form in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Just War theory establishes several criteria for when to go to war and how to go to war. Following are my summary of these principles:
- There must be a just cause to go to war, such as self defense or defending the innocent or preventing genocide.
- The war must prevent more harm and suffering than the war will cause. It must be proportionate to the evil it is confronting. As a silly example, if someone shoots you with a spitwad, you should not shoot back with a .45. The response is not proportionate to the harm done by the spitwad.
- The motives for going to war need to be in alignment with the Christian command to love. We cannot go to war for personal, nationalistic or politic ends.
- Only proper authorities can go to war. The Congress can declare war against Canada as one example, but the governor of Michigan or the president of a condo association cannot.
- There has to be a reasonable chance of the war leading to eventual peace. If there is no hope of bringing peace through the war then the war is not just.
- Finally, all other options must be exhausted before choosing violence. Diplomatic negotiations, economic pressures, and so forth must be exhausted before choosing to go to war.
- Once a war has begun Just War theory provides two primary limits in war: harm to non-combatants must be avoided whenever possible and can never be the intention of an act and the likely harm to non-combatants must be proportionate to the military gain.
Of course, even when people try to follow these principles, debates still remain. As an example, one long standing debate has been focused on the rightness of dropping the two atomic bombs on Japan to end WW2. Was it worth killing hundreds of thousands of civilians to protect the lives of thousands of soldiers? Seventy years later there is still some debate. War creates many difficult ethical issues for us as Christians that are not easily resolved. Ultimately, we all rest on the grace of our God as we do our best to be faithful to Christ in a dangerous and messy world.
There is one thing we can do and one thing we should not do to be faithful in this messy world. First, we should never celebrate the death of an image bearer of God. We must let the gospel that God so loved the world shape how we think about and treat the people God loves. All people, even our enemies, are loved by God and he grieves all death. So should we.
Ands secondly, we should all be praying for peace, for protection for all those affected by war, especially non-combatants (civilians) caught in the crossfire of a war they did not choose, in addition to praying for those serving in our nation’s military.
Connect to God
Have you ever waited for a new movie to come out only to be disappointed when you finally get to see the movie? Or, picked up a book by your favorite author only to discover this book is a spy novel and not a romantic story or vice versa? Or more seriously, started a new job that did not live up to the company’s sales pitch? We all have times in life when something we have anticipated does not quite match up to our expectations. The same is true for John the Baptist who came to prepare the way for the Messiah to bring God’s judgment and wrath, but then Jesus came humbling preaching about grace and restoration. John had to adjust his expectations to match the reality of God. We all do. This morning we meet Jesus at the Jordan River as he comes to be baptized among a sea of sinful humanity.
If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.
Grow in Community
Ruth Kuipers went to be with her Lord and Savior on Monday, January 6. Ruth was a charter member of Zion. Visitation will be held at Cook Funeral Home in Grandville at 3:00PM on Friday, January 10 followed by the funeral service at 4:00PM. Please pray for peace and comfort for her family during this difficult time.
A Memorial Service for Jackie Kolkman, also a charter member, will be held at Sunset Manor on February 29 at 10:00AM.
This week Sunday, our Middle School class will meet again from 4:30 to 5:30. As a reminder, there will be food, pop, and some great discussions about God and life. If you have a Middle Schooler, we would love to see them!
Serve the World
Jibit Asha sent a year end update on their ministries in Nepal recently, following are some highlights and a couple of prayer requests:
- Each of our church planters shared the gospel through Christmas celebration. Many of them did open-air outreach. More than 1000 people heard the Gospel directly.
- Some of our church planters are under the police radar due to their aggressive outreach and Gospel sharing.
- People are receiving Christ and coming to faith regularly. Around 10 people have received Christ, four have taken baptism, more are ready for the baptism. This all took place last month.
- Planters are reaching out new places and starting new fellowships. At least 3 new fellowship has started due to outreach. New fellowships are in need of spaces to meet.
- Extreme cold in Nepal has made life hard in many parts of the country. Remember for the planters’ good and safe health. Help is needed to provide basic warm blankets for these poor people.
Together, we are making a difference in our community in the name of Jesus. Thank you.
Administrative Details
We continue to thank God for his provision of all of our needs and for the generous support of our congregation with their time, talent, and treasures.
Fiscal Year to date budget: $354,938.24
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $338,379.72
