am i willing to forgive?
Racial unity not only requires repentance, it also requires forgiveness. Forgiveness from a Christian standpoint requires us to extend grace and release others from their wrongs. No one says that it’s easy. But it is a necessary component required for unity to occur.
Forgiveness is a gift we receive and offer. Just as God forgave us through Christ, we are called to forgive others. It’s not about condoning wrongdoing but about releasing the burden of resentment. Colossians 3:13 reminds to “bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” It doesn’t mean that the person is innocent of the wrong done. It’s about releasing the burden of resentment that you, the offended, carry with you.
the need for submission
Unity within The Church, the Body of Christ, demands intentional willingness to submit to one another. The present day Church in many ways has struggled with this, especially in the area of racial unity. The apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians provides valuable insights on this topic. In Ephesians 5:21, he writes “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
service: a necessary component of racial unity
When we talk about Racial Unity in the Church, several traits are required. They include patience, submission, and even humility. But what about service? As Christians, we are called to love one another and actively serve in unity. We are called to “serve one another humbly in love (Galatians 5:13).”
sacrifice- a necessary component of racial unity
Racial unity requires more than mere words; it demands sacrificial actions. As Christians, we are called to follow Christ’s example of selflessness. Scripture tells us that Christ “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2).” We are called to walk in the way of love just as He did.
president’s day and godly authority
On Monday, our nation will observe Presidents’ Day. This holiday gives us an opportunity to honor the role and office of President in our country. It also serves as an opportunity to reflect how we as Christians can pray for those who represent us as citizen servants in government matters.
seeing things through god’s eyes
Racial unity can occur when the Church begins to see things the way God does. Consider this passage from Isaiah 55:8:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Using Jesus As our example
Racial Unity happens when we follow Jesus, our ultimate example. His life, teachings, and sacrificial love provide a blueprint for how we should live.
In Matthew 22:16, the Pharisees were plotting against Jesus and were going to try to trap Him in his words. In an attempt to appease Jesus, they say to Him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.” Little did they know they were providing a blueprint for the present day Church.
The Holy Spirit Shows Us the truth
Jesus left us the Spirit of Truth (Holy Spirit) to lead and guide us into all truth (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit speaks under Christ’s authority. If racial unity is occur, we need the absolute truth. In an age of fake news, conspiracies, people living their own truth, alternate facts, and the questioning of reality, we need now more than ever the Holy Spirit to show us THE truth.
Do I love me more?
We are compelled by God to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39). But what happens when we love ourselves more than we love others? This is a sign of pride. Regrettably, we find this in the Church, and this pride has impacted the racial divide we experience most Sunday mornings.
SITTING AT THE WRONG LUNCH TABLE
In her book Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria? (New York: Basic, 1997), psychologist Beverly Daniel Tatum discusses the concept of racial identity development. First published nearly 25 years ago, she sought to help readers understand the impact of historic and modern racism on the development of one’s identity. For the school aged, this was demonstrated by where you sat during lunch time. Because of historic segregation, discrimination, and cultural differences, it was common to find Black students sitting together at lunch time since they were commonly rejected by most of their White counterparts. I personally remember experiencing segregation then and now.
BUT WHY, GOD?
During the summer months, my church participates in a Bible reading series, and it was during this summer’s reading in the prophets that I came across the book of Jeremiah in a new light. Jeremiah (also known as the weeping prophet) was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah. He served in this role from the time of King Josiah through the time of King Zedekiah, serving over 40 years in that role. What’s very interesting about the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament is that it gives us a glimpse into the personal life struggles of the prophet Jeremiah.
the pride of jonah
Anyone who’s been in church long enough has probably heard the story of Jonah and the fish that swallowed him. As the story goes, God tells Jonah to deliver a message to the people in the city of Nineveh. But Jonah doesn’t want to. He attempts to run from this responsibility. He gets on a boat heading in the other direction hoping to get away. But then God allows a storm to come that could have sunk the boat that he was in.
Jesus and hind parts
How can the Church resolve to coming together and solving the Racial Unity dilemma? By using Jesus as our example. Makes sense, right? Seems simple. “Sam you’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. And what does that have to do with Jesus and hind parts?” Keep reading.
dumbo listening
Dumbo the Elephant from the popular Disney cartoon featured an elephant who could fly because of his amazingly large elephant ears. In a world filled with constant noise, it’s hard at times to hear people where they are. With controversial topics like race, We Christians tend to disregard the need for listening. The truth of the matter is that we should practice “dumbo listening.” What do I mean? I mean that our ears should be so big that they overshadow everything else, including our mouths.
freedom and anger
I find myself in a quandary around this time each year. On one hand, there’s freedom. I’m free. I’m so grateful for that. On the other hand, freedom has not always been in my ancestral history here in the America. And as such, there is an opportunity for anger to exist. Freedom and anger: a dangerous concoction of emotions. When not appropriately managed, anger is a complex emotion that can easily lead to sin.
how you say it…
When dealing with Racial Unity in the Church and the issues that accompany the topic, how you respond may be just as or even more important than what you say. That’s because the tone and quality of our responses can have as significant an impact on what we’re saying as the words themselves.
Making every effort…
We’re called as Christians to “make every effort to live in peace with everyone” wherever possible (Hebrews 12:14-15). This applies to the racial divide existing in the Church as well. Other passages share similar messages, like Romans 12:18 encouraging us live at peace with others “if possible, so far as it depends on you.” Likewise, Isaiah 26:2 reminds that we will be in perfect peace if our minds stay and rely on God. But how are we supposed to make every effort when it feels like we’re incapable, or it seems as though it’s outside of our scope?
why we’re not here…
Well, here we are. The opportunity to do this ministry at a deeper level has recently been presented, and I’d like to take this opportunity to dive deeper into sharing with you the purpose of this ministry. Lots of questions come my direction when I share with those at my church and within the Body of Christ what this ministry is all about. But a majority of the questions coming at me have to do with why this ministry is NOT here. With this being the case, I’d love to take the opportunity to share with you in further detail why we’re not here.