terrorism

Please note this session looks at so-called Islamic terrorism, although not exclusively. But we do not believe that all Muslims are terrorists. We only share this in the light of recent events. We abhor any kind of alienation or violence against Muslim people and believe we are called to share God's love and light. This may create conflict in itself. But followers of Jesus must love everyone.

As ever, there is a whole load of content. I pray it it helps, guides and inspires you.

The subject headings:

Intro - God bringing good - How do we respond in love to Muslims - God is with us so we need not fear - We have a hope in Jesus - Time of Silence - Video Clips - Why is there terrorism (including 2 very useful links) - Is there terrorism in the Bible - Terrorism and making the most of every day - Does God allow terrorism - How do we react as Christians

So here we go...

Update - July 22nd 2005

After another terrorist attempt on London, we have seen evidence of God's power and the prayers of God's people yet again. Many editorials in newspapers ran stories claiming how lucky London had been to escape new bombings, a way of thinking backed up by a senior Anti-Terrorist Squad source who said to the Daily Mirror: "We've had an amazingly lucky escape. If these bombs had worked we'd have had absolute carnage." Other papers claimed this was miraculous. They are, of course, right. Why did these bombings fail? I believe answer comes down to the practical side of the potential killers not being ready. But the real reason lies in the prayer of God's people. I believe that is an absolute undeniable fact. This is proof that prayer works and a challenge for us to not cease in prayer as 1 Thessalonians 5.17 encourages us. Please continue to pray.

INTRO

This session has been designed in response to the terrorist attacks on London in July 2005. Please be patient with us as this is developed. This has been posted up in time for people to use in their youth work in the week after the attacks.

The main definition of terrorism by the Britannica is: "the systematic use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective."

In this session we'll look at 7 Questions, many of which people are asking already. Note that at least one victim of the bombing remarked how many people were praying and crying out to God. I know full well that despite this atrocity, much good has and will come out of it. We need to be there, as a spiritual nurses, doctors and paramedics. Ready to answer the questions that a broken and hurting world is asking.

God bringing good from the situation

There has been posted on the BBC online news site the story of a woman who felt compelled to pray, got off a train (which was subsequently attacked) and got on the bus downstairs (on the bus that was blown up). Her life was spared. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4669793.stm

We also know that churches in London have been supporting people and opened their doors. Of course, the amazing Salvation Army were there / are there too. To comfort, support and be a friendly face for those that need them. For a pic of the Sally Army go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4660563.stm and navigate to slide 14 of 16.

We also know that many people were praying - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4675881.stm

After the 2 minute silence on Thurs July 14, we had a series of incredible testimonies and pictures - from the BBC website - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4682803.stm - my 2 favourites (that really moved me, slide 2/9 and slide 3/9) come with these words:

Peter Gould: "Here's a picture during today's two-minute silence at Northfields station on the Piccadilly Line in west London. There was a short service during which people sang The Lord's My Shepherd and Amazing Grace, and recited the Lord's Prayer."

And

Mike Wainwright: "The silence was impeccably observed by a huge crowd who stood in the road outside Aldgate tube station. The silence was followed by the singing of "Abide With Me" by the St Botolph's choir. It was very emotional.

Question - what other good do YOU know that has come from this?

Question - what kinds of questions are people asking after this attack and what answers do we have as Christians?

How do we help to reach and show God's love to young Muslims?

Maybe this is something you need to discuss and think about in your own community.

One person's suggestions --> inclusion - equality - fairness - reaching out to them.

We know that God is with us so we do not need to fear

If we have personally accepted Jesus as being in charge and over our life.

Read out this passage from Isaiah 41.11-15 and personalise it for you, your nation, your city:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you," declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff.

Now go to Psalm 91 and read that, making it personal. You may want to do a Powerpoint presentation with these verses, with images behind, to help people meditate on the words. Psalm 91 from Bible Gateway.

We have a hope in Jesus

Romans 5.1-5: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:18-20: Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Ephesians 4:4-5: There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism..

Colossians 1:27: To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

1 Thessalonians 5:8: But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

1 Timothy 6:17: Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Time of Silence

Don't start with a time of silence and reflection but include this as part of your session. Play some music and encourage people to ask God to speak to them, help them, guide them, change them - so that we can be salt and light (Matthew 5.13-16). Pray for our nation (1 Timothy 2.1-3), that all terrorists would be revealed to the authorities (Psalm 129.5-6), that God would destroy the evil in them (Psalm 55.9a) and that their hearts would be changed (John 3.16). Pray for protection in the spiritual realms over the UK and your city / town (Ephesians 6). Pray for God's will to be done, his kingdom to come (Matthew 6.10).

Video Clips

Unless you have a good video engineer, it may not be good to show clips of the terror. However, you may want to show clips from DVDs - such as the Incredibles - making the point that evil can be turned to good.

Or do a compilation of the Cross with emotional music to show that Jesus suffered the ultimate terror and pain - for us. Thank you Jesus.

Why is there terrorism?

Firstly, we live in a fallen world. A world that was perfectly created by God (Garden of Eden, Genesis 1-2), was corrupted when man and woman disobeyed God and went their own way in Genesis 3. So we live in a world of broken-ness, where people have been rejecting God and Jesus ever since.

Secondly, people use evil to get their own way. This is quite clear and has been from the beginning of time. In Genesis 4.8 we read, "Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him." So right from the very first family, there has been murder, jealousy and broken-ness.

Isaiah 59. 6-7: ..their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways.

Thirdly, desperate people do some desperate things. I do not understand the situation in Israel and Palestine fully. I do believe Israel are still God's people and pray for them and the peace of Jerusalem. However, there is no doubt that there has been evil and oppression committed against the Palestinian people that has driven some of them to terrorist acts. Though I cannot condone or agree with it in any way. It is amazing that today, the nation of Israel is still central in world affairs. We must pray for wisdom in this area. Remember that while the Israelis do commit horrendous acts, they are also under threat (and always have been) from the entire Muslim world.

We also hear stats that many young Muslims are unemployed and discontented. However, many people have felt discontented before and didn't undertake suicide bombings. So there is an increased work of evil in some people's lives.

Fourthly, terrorism can work. When there were bombings in Madrid in 2004, the people and government changed and then withdrew their troops from Iraq. We have also seen in Northern Ireland that members of the IRA, or supporters at the least - have now got political positions. We also know that the Americans are talking to some of the terrorist groups in Iraq.

Fifthly, there has been terrorist acts in the name of religion the world over. We only have to look around the globe and back into history to see this.

So we know that not all terrorism is committed by those claiming to represent Islam. We have seen many other terrorist acts from separatist groups (IRA, ETA and others) in many countries. There have also been many acts in the name of religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, across Asia especially. Even in the name of Christianity during some of the Crusades. However, the Muslim community is now recognising that there are radicals within their community, just as groups such as the British National Party are extreme within the white community.

Sixthly, many people believe that the Iraq War itself has led those nations involved to be more at risk of terrorism. That may well be true, but every nation in the West is at risk, as raids across Europe have consistently shown.

Finally, and very importantly, from a Muslim perspective. Some Muslims feel marginalised, others are against the Iraq war, many believe that there have been double standards in UK foreign policy, with the Israel - Palestine situation being a major issue. How do we respond to this? Some of the more extreme beliefs reveal that killing non-Muslims is OK, and even further that killing anyone in the cause of Islam is right.

On the flipside there is the belief within Islam that martyrdom will immediately cleanse them of their sin, lead them into heaven where they will have 72 virgins - for an excellent study visit - The Guardian. So, looking at the British suicide bombings for example (and other ones in Iraq, Palestine etc), this may have been a factor.

- - - A great page to find out a bit more on this topic from Muslims themselves CAN BE FOUND HERE

Is there terrorism in the Bible?

Deuteronomy 7.1-2: When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you- and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.

Deuteronomy 20:10-17: When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.

However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God.

Is there terrorism in the Bible? No. Like anything, taken out of context it would appear that way. Remember that these incidents are Old Testament events and are therefore pre Jesus and his complete work on the Cross. This is before what we call the 'new covenant' - that we can be made right with God through accepting Jesus.

Cities and all the inhabitants were sometimes destroyed in the Old Testament, so that false gods were not worshipped and so Gentile women did not corrupt the men to worship false gods. So God had to have a strategy to deal with this, as harsh as it may seem to use today.

We also read these words from Jesus in Matthew 5.30: And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

And again in Matthew 18.9: And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

So the principle we look at when we see the Old Testament passages, is about God trying to help his people keep themselves pure, keeping them from contamination. This is an action against sin and not against people directly. In the Old Testament, where there were laws, God had his people clear out nations who were evil - so that the area and sometimes even the people could be 'redeemed' (made right with God). God cannot look on sin. The New Testament equivalent is Jesus on the Cross. At the Cross, Jesus died for our sins so now we can be made right with God.

Jesus tells us to cut off sin - or whatever causes it - a body part. But he doesn't mean physically hack your arm off. This is a metaphor showing us the seriousness of sin - and telling us to completely cut it out of our lives. How do we do this? James 4.7 has the answer: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. So, we submit to God, then we are able to resist the devil, then he will flee from us.

Terrorism and making the most of every day

The events in London confirm to us that life is fragile and short. Psalm 39.5 says: You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath.

So we are to make the most of life and live for Christ. We must also make the most of every opportunity that comes our way to share the Gospel in word, in love and in action.

1 Ephesians 5:16: making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

2 Colossians 4:5: Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

So we must be wise in how we live, in how we interact and relate to people. We must not forget about each other and our life of discipleship personally:

Galatians 6.9-10: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

God allowing acts of terror?

God is not evil. Yet there are times where God seemingly allows evil, to achieve his purposes. Don't agree with me? Think about the murder and brutal abuse of Jesus on the Cross. Something we could point to as being evil. However, this was allowed by God, as part of God's plan.

Take a corporate read through Isaiah 66 with your group... This is a message of warning, of judgement - but also of hope and glory for God's people. Encourage yourself and do not fear.

Is this God's judgement on London? No I don't think so, but it is a wake up call to all of us. Let us hear the laments of prophets such as Isaiah and take action, pray and love people in our nation. Let's commit to intercede before God for our nation. Only Jesus is the answer.

How do we react to terrorism as Christians?

* 1. Forgiveness - love your enemy

Matthew 5.38-48: "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' (quoting Exodus 21.24). But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 26.51-54: With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear."Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" Luke 22.51: But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.

Even at the Cross, we hear the words of Jesus, asking forgiveness for those who crucified him in Luke 23.34: Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

1 Corinthians 1.18: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Romans 12.9-21: Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

* 2. Prayer - share testimonies and stories to encourage

Maybe this would be a good time to go round the room (or prime people before) to give stories and testimonies of God answering prayer.

I heard a good story at my church - about when a lady and her husband were climbing in Snowdonia. While trying to get down the hill fast to meet a friend, she tripped, grabbed her husband and they rolled down the hill out of control. This was made worse by the fact that the lady has a condition that makes her weak. She cried out to God to help them and suddenly received a massive burst of strength, completely stopping her and her husband falling. They sat up and looked down. They had finished 1 metre from a 60ft vertical drop.

Or if we are talking about prayer in war. There is a regiment of US troops that have been in Iraq. During their tour of duty, people committed to pray for them. Not a single one of them was killed during this period, unheard of. That's the power of prayer.

Bible verses around prayer - give out Bibles and then get people find verses about prayer and write them down. Then feed back.

* 3. Take the fight to the enemy. But remember this is not about blood or killing.

Remember that Ephesians teaches this in Ephesians 6.12: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Jesus also said this in Matthew 5.21-22 where we see an even stricter standard Jesus calls us to: "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

However, there were times where Jesus went on the verbal attack..

Matthew 23.27-28: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

There was even a time where righteous Godly anger, led Jesus to take action..

John 2.14-18: In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me." (quoting Psalm 69.9)

* 4. Evangelism. This is a broken and fallen world that needs Jesus. And Jesus chooses to use us more often than not !!

Challenge - how far are you going / prepared to go to share the Gospel. What can you do this week. Encourage people to do something, ask God for opportunities.

 

Feed back next week and hold each other to account !