Who Are Our Enemies?

Philippians 3:17-20: Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before, and now say again with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. The mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.

          Living in America in 2007, it is hard to identify people we would consider enemies of Christ. We can openly worship in any church we choose.  We can decorate our homes with religious holiday decorations. OK, so we fight the occasional battle with the minority who object to a football coach who kneels in prayer before a start of a game, or insists that the manger be removed from the town square, but we are hardly persecuted for our beliefs. Maybe we can say that Moslem extremists are enemies of Christ, but even they proclaim an objection to “western society and values” rather than Christianity itself.

     So who are the enemies of the cross of Christ in America today?

     Paul writes that the enemies of Christ are those with their stomach as their god, and with their mind on earthly things. I think we all fall into that category at times.

     Consider how animals are driven by the need to hunt / gather and eat.  Babies cry for food and comfort. Children go to school to learn, so that they might get into a good university, and ultimately earn a comfortable living with plenty of food, shelter and care. Adults strive for better paying jobs so that their lives may become, in varying degrees, above poverty, secure, or downright luxurious. All these are a necessary part of being human, and only corrupt us when we become obsessed with them, or abuse or neglect others in seeking what we need or want.

     Our stomach can be our god when we obey our “gut” rather than our spirit.  Often times, what feels good, is not good for us or those we love.  We can become obsessed with trying to gain admiration from our peers, and forget that God loves us as we are, and this is far more important. Human instinct tells us to horde what we possess, while the spirit tells us to share and let go of our earthly possessions. Our gut may tell us to lash out in retaliation when somebody hurts us, but Jesus tells us to forgive.

Give us the strength we need to fight your enemies, O Lord. Keep our eyes focused on heaven rather than earth. Amen.