How many of you have enemies? Can you describe your enemy? Maybe he is the one who hates you and is openly hostile toward you. On the other hand, maybe he is the one who says bad things about you, wanting to see you fall or get hurt, the whole while pretending to be your friend.
To me, the worst kinds of enemies are those who are hard to recognize until the Lord reveals them. Your enemies can be your neighbors, your colleagues, or people in the church. Often, my enemies try to come around me to see what I am doing, hoping that I will fall.
Yes, street preachers have a lot of enemies. They have more enemies than the average Christian. If you preach the truth in love, then enemies will surround you.
Through the Cross, God shows us how to love our enemies, and we are to follow His example. God has been teaching me how to love my enemies in my preaching and in my life. I want to share some of these lessons with you.
The Lord brought Matt 5:44 to my mind during a confrontation with my enemy. The Holy Spirit taught me saying, “I don’t want you to miss the reward.” I believe the Bible speaks a lot about rewards. Christ is my exceedingly great reward. The Lord has shown me that the reward of having more of Him could be greater, if I would only love my enemies.
Mat 5:44-46 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?
I do not yet have the love that this verse is talking about. I need that kind of love; We need that kind of love. Let’s pray for this kind of love. This love only comes by being filled with the Holy Spirit, because God is love, and God has given Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit that we might have the supernatural ability to love our enemies.
I desire the reward. I want more of Christ. I want to please God. I want to show Him my love. I want to change as He shows me how I need to change. I want to be the best preacher, the best example, the best disciple, the best son. I want to grow and change from glory to glory. I desire to love my enemies as Christ loved me when I was His enemy. I do not want to preach the same way I preached yesterday. I need the power of the Holy Spirit to respond in love to my enemies, because my enemies surround me. So how do I do it, how do I bless them that curse me?
The word “bless” means to "to praise, celebrate with praises." The exhortation is to bless those who mistreat us by returning kindness and love to them. In other words, we are to “speak them good."
Paul uses the same word (eulogeō) in Ephesians 1:3 when referring to God "who hath blessed us." The verb is present imperative, which commands a habitual action. We are to be constantly blessing.
Jesus told us to bless our enemies, to return kindness and love to those who mistreat us or say harsh words to us. I like to rebuke those who say bad things to me. I like to tell them that they will burn in HELL. I can be hasty in my temper. I can get irritated, responding in harshness and with a severe rebuke. God wants me to be calm and humble, responding in gentleness and blessing, so that I might receive the reward.
Luke 6:27,28 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
This is my desire. I pray that my responses to my enemies would be a blessing on them, and that I would pray for them. After all, that is how Christ responded to those who said bad things about Him.
1Peter 2:23 who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
This is how I want to responded to my enemies, whether that is while street preaching or in the Church, being cornered by wolves in sheep’s clothing. I will confess to you, I can not do this with out being filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to bless my enemies. I need the Holy Spirit.
Rom 12:20,21 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
In the past I have been overcome by evil and have said things to people I regret. I am thankful to my Savior for His forgiveness and His faithfulness to change me into His image. His mercy endures forever! By His gentleness, He has made me great!
I encourage all street preachers to leave the vengeance to God. He will repay in an infinitely better and wiser way than our having the last word.
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Deu 7:10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him; he will repay him to his face.
Deu 32:41 If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.
You would think that I would have leaned this lesson after all that I have been through preaching on the streets, but I thank the Lord Christ, my Savior, that He has not let me go or given up on me. He was faithful and patient to teach me this lesson. Until Christ is formed in us, I hope that we will bear with one another as He has borne with me.
I want to be teachable and lead by the Spirit of the living God. I don’t want to miss the blessing. I have been called to inherit a blessing.
1Pe 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
Let us be like Christ and Paul in that when they were reviled, they blessed.
1Co 4:12 And labor, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
I Hope to get to preach with you on the streets.
God Bless,
Kevin
