B E H I N D / T H E / B A R

So what will you be doing this weekend when the Neo Nazis come to town. According to local media the National Socialist Movement will be downtown Chattanooga this Saturday afternoon, to discuss “internal business.”  They have a reputation of coming to cities and inciting protests, and hate speech.  Some people have planned counter protests. Others have urged businesses downtown to close.

Here’s  what I plan to do when the Neo-Nazis come to town:  The same thing I would do any other day in my life.  Love God and love my neighbor.  In fact I’ll be making final preparations to gather later tomorrow night with another group of people at Saturday Church, to exalt the name of Jesus, and declare His grace and mercy. To show God’s unconditional love to some of the very people these rebel rousers hate.  In short we will  not to be overcome with evil, but we will overcome evil with good.

You know why?

Because we don’t have time to be distracted by this kind of foolishness or any other similar type of foolishness for that matter.  Too many Christians get sucked into drama so easily.  Too often when someone disagrees with us or promotes a belief system that contradicts  ours, we get offended, even angry, and feel like we need to take up arms, head to the streets, LET OUR VOICES BE HEARD!!!! Don’t get me wrong there are times when this is necessary.  But rather than be sucked into the drama that is intended to distract us from being about our Fathers business; (loving Him, loving others) we should do everything in our power to stay on task – Love Him more.  Love others more.

So, yeah the Neo-Nazis are coming to town, and a day or two later they’ll be gone. So maybe the more important question is, “What will you do after the Neo-Nazis come to town?”    As for me, I’ll still be right here in my city, doing my part to advance a more powerful movement than that of the NSM.   A movement to see His Kingdom come, His will be done in Chattanooga as it is in Heaven.

I pray that while they are here, that they experience that Kingdom.  That they experience a love like they have never experienced before.  That cold hate filled hearts will encounter something in this city that they haven’t experienced in any other city; the powerful love of God.  That more than ever we will be the the reflection of Jesus – the day the Neo-Nazis come to town.