We Have Been Commanded To Love (And Show Grace)

A week or so ago, I read an article about the popular Christian hip-hop artiste Lecrae. In the article he spoke about the criticism he had received from fellow Christians concerning his interactions with secular artistes. They even accused him of selling out because he went on tour with Wu-Tang Clan. The criticism left him feeling frustrated and sad. Just this week, Bart Millard the lead singer of the Christian group Mercy Me also faced similar criticism for daring to complement Ellen DeGeneres on her performance while hosting the Oscars. He had earlier faced a similar firestorm when he complimented Bruno Mars on his half time performance at the Super Bowl earlier this year. I think we need to deal with this legalistic spirit.

First of all, there are very few jobs on the planet that are “godly” in nature. Every job we do is secular because we live in a secular work. However we are called to bring a Christian mind set to whatever we do. I’m sure most people would gladly tell me that as a lawyer I’m headed for the hottest part of hell. The usual reasons given for this assertion is that lawyers are liars, we bleed people dry, we are heartless, blah blah blah. That is just the opinion of some people based on certain experiences but certainly not an experience with me. Someone has to be a lawyer, someone has to be a musician, someone has to be an actor. As long as what you do is legal and ethical, what matters most are the values you bring to what you do.

Secondly, we should be able to make a distinction between what people do in their personal lives and the ethics and values they bring to their work. Values like hard work competence, vision, drive. A man might be an adulterer and a wife beater which makes him a terrible person but yet a great artiste who creates great work. I probably shouldn’t say this but I will. There were a lot of scandals that surrounded Michael Jackson while he was alive. While nothing was ever proved in a court of law, I’m sure that most people believe some or all of the allegations are true. While we might not approve of whatever we think he was, it does not detract from the fact that he was the foremost entertainer of his age who not only had vision but was hard working and dedicated.

Thirdly, once we have separated the personal from the professional life, we should realise that there is nothing wrong with appreciating a professional performance. Let me explain. Let’s say you got accused of a crime or a misdemeanour and you didn’t have the presence of mind to choose a Christian lawyer whose lifestyle you approved of. The lawyer is able to get you acquitted thanks to his expertise and drive and drive and competence, we all know that you’re going to pay his bill. But are you saying that you’re not going to be gracious enough to say a simple “Thank you” to him just because he smokes and you don’t approve of that? Are you going to just walk away with a frown on your face because he is not a “good” person? By complementing Ellen DeGeneres and Bruno Mars he was simply appreciating their professional competence that they brought to their work. It was not a blanket endorsement of their work, their lifestyle or the message of their jokes or lyrics. Really, it wasn’t.

In the article, Lecrae explained that he moved to Atlanta because fellow rappers Ludacris and Kendrick Lamar live there. He’s there not because he wants anything from them but because he wants to influence them for the kingdom. Jesus said we are to be a light and to be salt. Light and salt are only effective when they are in contact with what they seek to illuminate or preserve. How can we influence people for God if we kept away from them as sinners, unwashed and unlovable? We were once like that yet Jesus called out to us even in our sin. How can we influence them when we can’t even be nice to them because we think they hate us? Hate never changed hate. Only love can do that. We have received a commandment to love even those that hate us. How can we expect to receive grace when we do not offer it to others? Jesus said God’s rain falls on both the godly and the ungodly.

Oh, and one last thing. It is totally ungracious and un-Christ like to accuse a fellow Christian of haven fallen from grace. Jesus said only a servant’s master has the right to judge him. We are no one’s master. If we feel that someone has strayed from the path, it is our Christian duty to pray for them. Not accuse. How do expect people to love Jesus when we can’t love each other? Jesus said it is through love that people will know we are his disciples. However it seems we don’t want to love. Because love is hard work and we don’t want to do hard work. We’d rather point the finger. That’s easier to do and much more fun.    

  

JC Cruz is the author of DECEPTIO published by WestBowPress, a division of Thomas Nelson publishers, http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU000194087/Deceptio.aspx and LOST, BUT FOUND available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPLLEUQ/. You can follow him on Twitter @Cruz_JCReal.