12 Mar Gracism (Galatians 3:28) [Part 2]
News flash…our culture can be wrong! Recently scientists have been studying the “science of love”. They have found that when two people are in love certain substances (dopamine, noraphenine and pheromones) are released in the body when a couple falls in love. Apparently this lasts for about six months to three years. This explains why a young couple can stay up all night and talk and kiss for two hours without coming up for air!
Seriously, I don’t know how much substance this data actually has but it looks like Hollywood has bought into this idea of love. After all, it’s about only six months to three years that they trade in their spouse for a new model! Biblically, we know love to be much more than the release of chemicals in the brain. “Agape” (the Greek word for love) is much more than chemicals and feelings, and can be described more accurately by the word “commitment”. Agape is a choice not a feeling, an action not a chemical. Yet our culture, through media and celebrities, has bought into this idea that love is something you can fall in and out of, and therefore we can change spouses like we do socks!
Obviously culture can be wrong! If it can be wrong about love, then it can be wrong about other things as well! Let’s not get our ides, thoughts and concepts from our culture, let’s get our ideas, thoughts and concepts from the Word of God!
Last week we began our discussion on “Gracism” and we shared with you three of “10 Conditions to Create a Color Blind Cross”:
1) Remember it’s not about color, it’s about division (Matt. 12:26)
2) Recognize the Bible is color blind (Gal. 3:28)
3) Acknowledge the power of social conditioning (Acts 10:11-16)
This week let’s continue…
4) Don’t discriminate or segregate, but celebrate!
“Discrimination” defined is denying someone the right to have. “Segregation” defined is denying someone the right to belong. In other words, the mindset is “You can have a car, a job, a house or a church, and I can’t discriminate against that, however, you can’t belong.” “You can have all that as long as you do it over there.” Or “If you must do it here, I’ll keep you at an emotional distance.” What a sinful thought process!
Remember this, Jesus died so you could both have and belong!
5) Remember the three most important words to break down barriers, “Help me understand!”
I remember many years ago when I took a team of teens to Guatemala. Our group was predominantly white and the group we were with was predominantly black. At first there was very little interaction between the groups. As we traveled, our bus broke down and eventually our barriers did too. As we sat by the roadside waiting for our bus to be repaired, I went over to the African American pastor and struck up a conversation. After awhile, I simply asked him, “Why do you think churches in America are predominantly white or predominantly black?” In other words, “help me understand”. The conversation that ensued was the beginning of barriers being broken down between our groups. That trip, our group led over 1,000 people to Jesus!
Most people act prejudice because they simply don’t understand.
6) Faithfulness knows no color (II Tim. 2:2).
Color should never limit or determine another man’s destiny! Faithfulness or lack thereof should limit or determine another man’s destiny. Here the Bible tells us, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
I placed two African Americans in our church as the co-chairs of a newly formed men’s ministry. When I did so, I did not look at their color but their faithfulness! Remember this, stop whining about not doing as much as you could, and start winning with doing as much as you should! Win with faithfulness!
7) Prejudice is a two-way street.
When we were still in Knoxville, I had one of my dearest friends in ministry come and visit us. He happens to be a black man. He was interested in looking at cars and so together we drove to a car lot. I waited as the salesman walked right by my friend, ignoring him and walking directly to me. I promptly told the salesman to serve my friend as he was the one looking to buy a car!
On the other hand, I’ve had African American people in my church tell me that they have experienced pressure not to come to Joy Church because I am a “white pastor”. That’s funny, I didn’t realize I was a “white pastor”, I just thought I was a pastor! Prejudice is ugly no matter which side of the street it’s on!
8) Be sensitive, but not hyper-sensitive.
It’s important to watch what you say and how you say it (see James 3:1), but let’s not walk on eggshells around each other. Not everything means something. Learn to overlook insults (see Proverbs 19:11), learn to laugh at life and people, and don’t be “P.C.”…be J.C….Jesus Christ!
9) Let’s get to the bottom line!
O.k., here we go! This one is the acid test to see if you are still dealing with some prejudice. Can my white kid marry your black kid? Can your brown kid marry that yellow kid, etc. etc? Don’t mistake me, I’m not talking about this in general terms. In other words, you think it’s alright for that to take place in society. I’m talking about can your brown kid marry my white kid and vice versa?
If the answer is no…you are still dealing with prejudice! “Yes, but Pastor, what about Leviticus 19:19 that tells us not to ‘mingle seed’?” This is clearly referring to not allowing in principle a giraffe to intermingle with an elephant, or a pig to intermingle with a horse, etc. This is clearly not referring to a black cat getting together with a white cat! It’s only prejudice people who take the scripture out of context in order to justify a cultural custom!
10) Watch “Remember the Titans” movie.
This secular movie illustrated the power of unity. Can you imagine what the church of Jesus Christ could do if we came together in the same fashion! C’mon, let’s sing it together, “Ebony and Ivory, together we’ll live in harmony.”
God is prejudice towards one color…the color red because it represents the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ! The same blood shed to set us free from all prejudice! After all, this is not social activism, this is Jesus activism!