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.
First, you should understand that we aren’t here to promote any personal agenda. There are no secret motives, no twisted schemes, no political, sociological, or Jedi mind games that are being played here. I take sharing God’s Word through this class very seriously. I am constantly asking the Holy Spirit to guide us through this material, ensuring that we move ourselves and our flesh out of the way so that God can be fully glorified with what is presented.
We’re also not here to CAUSE anyone to feel guilty, or to belittle anyone, to judge you, or make you feel unsafe. That’s not why we’re here. Now, that doesn’t mean you won’t feel uncomfortable. There are times where you SHOULD feel uncomfortable. There are also times where you will feel convicted or guilty with what’s shared through this ministry because of the Holy Spirit’s moving in your life. I encourage you to embrace this move.
Consider John 16:8 when Jesus tells his disciples about the coming Holy Spirit. He says,
“And when he [The Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:”
We see another example of this after the Holy Spirit fell on the 120 in the upper room. There were many witnesses in Acts 2. When Peter finishes his discourse explaining what happened and why, Acts 2:37 states the onlookers were, “cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘brothers, what shall we do?’” If this happens with what you learn from this ministry, this is good. It means the Holy Spirit is able to work in you as He should. But otherwise, nothing we say has the intent of making you feel or seem less than the image bearer God made you to be.
This ministry is not here to make you feel good about yourself, or to prove that you’re RIGHT. Some view this ministry and the material we provide looking for ways to validate themselves and their viewpoints. All in all, everything you see and hear being taught should be rooted in Scripture and truth, and we will constantly look to God’s word for guidance and seek the truth in all matters. But some of what you see here may be in alignment with what you believe; other times it may not. We have to ultimately ask if what we DO believe (or feel) lines up with Scripture, since Scripture is the foundation of this class. However, proving you are correct or making any of us feel good is not the purpose of this ministry.
Lastly, we’re not hear to help you prove that you’re not a racist. Now, this statement might seem a little funny to some. But in my ministry experience it has become pretty evident that this validation is needed. “It’s everybody ELSE that has this problem. There’s nothing wrong with ME; IT’S THEM! I’m here so I can go back and tell them how wrong they are.” Maybe that’s you. I encourage you to be on guard for this thinking.
Now I get it; NO one, absolutely NO one wants to put on the label of racist. But let’s be honest: if the sin of racism didn’t exist, then the Church as we know it would not have even a hint of racial division. There would be no need for this ministry, and YOU wouldn’t be reading this, right? We should consider the sin of racism as a sin that Jesus paid the price for. And when we confess our sins, according to 1 John 1:9, Jesus is FAITHFUL and JUST to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness as we commit to living more and more for Him and less like the world.
So with this understanding, hopefully you get the gist of why we’re NOT here. There aren’t any agendas (besides accomplishing our vision/mission/values). We’re not aiming to belittle, judge, or cause any undue harm, as you should always be able to trust this ministry with the messaging provided. That’s our commitment to you. But we also aren’t here to make YOU feel good, to make you feel right, or to prove that you’re not a racist. Our aim is to let Jesus do the work as He uses us to racially unify the Church and allow us to play a role in Bringing The Church Together.