{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"5. When God Loves Your Enemies","description":"Think of someone you do not like.  A person who is difficult to be around.  Or maybe someone who is simply an enemy.  Do you have someone pictured in your mind? Now think about this: God loves them.  Not only does God love them, he wants what is best for them.  How does that make you feel?  It most certainly stirs up a lot of emotions; betrayal, hurt, anger and probably a myriad of others.  So what are we to do with these feelings?  How are we to respond? Two of Jesus' most difficult teachings are these: love your enemies & forgive those who sin against you.  Why would Jesus even teach these things?  He teaches them because at the very center of the Gospel is this powerful truth: Jesus loved and forgave his enemies.  If we are to be faithful followers of Jesus, we need to not only embrace his example, but we need to live it out in our own lives and for our enemies. At the conclusion of Jonah, there rests a powerful teaching as to why we are to forgive our enemies.  You see when we extend grace and forgiveness to our enemies, it changes us, it changes them, and most importantly, it connects us to God. Do you want to learn how?  Join us for the challenging conclusion of Jonah, the story of you.   ","author_name":"Iowa City Church Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/iowacitychurch.libsyn.com\/website","html":"