“You have heard that it was said,
‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, LOVE your enemies,
BLESS those who curse you, DO GOOD to those who hate you and
PRAY for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
“That you MAY BE SONS OF YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN;
For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good
And sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
(Matthew 5.43-45)

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born in Bethlehem during the reign of the “HERODES” known as being among the great terrorists of the early Christian era, who did not want to hear of a PRINCE OF PEACE being born in Israel nor the MESSENGERS OF PEACE (His disciples) sent by Him, nor from the DIVINE PROMISE OF THE GIFT OF PEACE to his Church (John 14:27).

From the North to the South and from East to West, we Christians from around the world have become accustomed to organizing “MARCHES FOR PEACE” every year, but also “ECUMENICAL PRAYER MEETINGS FOR PEACE”. Unfortunately, in the light of the Holy Bible, all this is seen as a loss because it is clear that the more we do it, the more the ‘enemies of peace’ gain strength and succeed in their projects. The question now is: WHERE IS THE REAL ERROR?

The Lord Jesus Christ is very clear on this subject, and reminds us of His order under these four points:
– LOVING our enemies
– BLESSING those who curse us
– DOING GOOD to those who hate us
– PRAYING for those who spitefully use us and persecute us.

Am I crazy, I, who preach that we must LOVE the enemies of humanity, BLESS the destructors of life, DO WELL to disrupters of peace and PRAY for the disciples of darkness. But am I really crazy, I, who read the Bible without distorting it, the same Bible you own since you believed in Christ? Do you believe in her canonical authority?

Let me humbly illustrate this message with THE CROSS and its FOUR POLES:
– The first pole is the root which fixes the CROSS firmly in the ground. This pole I call: PRAYER. In these times of the end when evil seems to be triumphing, Christ recommends us the following: “Watch ye at all times, that ye may have strength to escape all these things that shall come, and to stand before the Son of man “(Luke 21:36). But how should we pray in the midst of this destructive storm inflicted on us by terrorism? The Apostle Peter reveals to us the plan of God for these times, a plan for which we should all PRAY: “… not willing that any should be perish” (II Peter 3: 9 – Including the Terrorists). Are you among those who pray according to this command or are you praying that they may perish?

– The second pole is the head of the CROSS which symbolizes here the origin and the destiny of its mission, which is, LOVE. Christ calls us to exercise the Ministry of LOVE in a negative world. LOVE must make a difference. Christ came for this and it is this sublime mission that He entrusted to Christian believers. Selfish that we are! We refuse LOVE to our terrorist enemies until they come to claim it through bloodshed!

– The third pole is that of the right arm of the CROSS, the symbol of Christ sitting at the right hand of God (Mark 14:26, 16:19). The life of the believer can have meaning in this world only if it is A SOURCE OF BLESSING to all without exception. Shall we continue refusing the blessing to those who curse us while God our Father is blessing each of them with his beautiful sun and abundant rain?

– The fourth pole is that of the left arm of the CROSS. Christ speaks of his left hand as the abode reserved for the GOATS, for those who rejected his teaching to doing good. And the Apostle Paul teaches that the preaching of the CROSS is foolishness. Yes, foolishness, because the Cross came not to condemn but to SAVE. SALVATION is the greatest GOOD God has given to the sinful man who could not see Him and live (Exodus 33:20), but who can do so today through Christ (John 14: 9). To the sinful man, to Moses the terrorist who killed the Egyptian and did not repent of it, God has set ready a temporary CLEFT in the Rock, in the left arm of the CROSS, and covers it with his hand to protect him from perishing) by telling him: “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.” (Exodus 33:19).

Christians, why are we refusing the MESSAGE OF SALVATION (the greatest GOOD given by God to men) to the enemies of the Gospel of salvation? No, let us not stop our programs of proclaiming the Gospel in all the languages ​​to all the nations of the earth by all means. Now is the time to do so more than ever. Now is the time to expand the ministry of intercession for terrorists around the world. Please, wake up and put your hand to your pocket to support the ministry more than ever before. Stop making of your gigantic churches built 2, 3, 4, 5 centuries ago TOURISM PLACES! No, Jesus Christ is totally against that vision, for He wants to make of them rather GREAT CENTERS OF A GREAT AWAKENING OF PRAYER for those who persecute his Church. Are you willing to start TODAY? I mean, NOW? Will you accept the humble contribution of our young African intercessional missionaries who would like to come and help you launch this great project? Please, take action NOW. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

Contact us:
EPISCOPAL FREE CHURCH-PROVINCE OF BURUNDI
Bishop Dr. Justin Baransananikiye
President
P.O. Box 197 Gitega (Burundi)
Tel: (+257)79 877 097
Email: baransajust@gmail.com
SKYPE: Justin Baransananikiye
Website: http://iprayforyou.worthyofpraise.org