For All Intents And Purposes

“For through the Son everything was created, both in the heavenly realm and on the earth, all that is seen and all that is unseen. Every seat of power, realm of government, principality, and authority—it was all created through him and for his purpose!” – Coplossians 1:16.

Moana is the story of a Polynesian princess desperate to leave her small island in search of something greater. She is “called” to the sea countless times throughout her life, but her attempts to explore are continually thwarted by her father’s demands for her to stay home and rule her people. The ocean is calling her, chose her, to fix what was broken in the land—a calling her parents didn’t know about. As Moana struggles to find her identity and fulfill her destiny her island is overcome with a curse, Moana embarks on her first journey across the sea, confronting spear-throwing coconut people and egotistical, shape-shifting demigods to fulfill her purpose. 

The Colossians Bible verse above is about purpose. This verse makes it clear that our purpose is ultimately God’s.  This doesn’t mean we are devoid of purpose… in fact, our purpose is for Him.  1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”

Wow. If we know Jesus, we are chosen, royal, holy… his very own possession. And what is the purpose of these privileges and why do we get this privilege?  As Christ-followers, our main purpose is to glorify God and to point others to Christ through our love.

While we all share the purpose of glorifying the Lord in all we do, we do each have a unique way of living out that purpose. For example, Moses brought glory to God by stepping out in faith and leading the Israelites out of slavery. Paul lived a life of rejecting Jesus and persecuting Christians.  Then, God used that part of Paul’s past to turn him into a powerfully effective teacher and missionary.

There is a sense of purpose that God has planted in each and every one of us, and we can’t separate ourselves from it. Your purpose in life is an important part of who you are; it gives you meaning and helps you understand why you are here. It is the beginning of who you are destined to become, the influence you are destined to have, and the dreams you are destined to fulfill.

God has a daily blueprint for your life that He is unfolding before you. Nobody else can fulfill your specific purpose. The Lord’s specific purpose for your life has a twofold nature: It will further His kingdom on earth, and it will transform you. Not only will you grow closer to Him as you rely on His ability, but discovering your purpose will make your life more fulfilling.  

Discussion Questions:

  1. How could He use your experiences, strengths, and weaknesses to accomplish His purpose for your life? 
  2. What impact do you think God wants you to make with your life? How does he want you to contribute to making Panama City or your area a better place?

More Than A Hashtag#

“We can go deeper to understand ourselves not only as members of one race against another but as fellow citizens with a common dream for our future, hopes for our children, and commitments to a better nation. In the end, we can and must shed ourselves of the racial divisions that have bound and separated us, and find our dignity together as the children of God all made in the image of the One who loves us all.” — Jim Wallis in America’s Original Sin

The issue of race has been thrust center-stage and has created a backlash against inequality that still exists in our society today. It has created a great deal of conversation. By engaging in dialogue, we can all enhance our understanding of the role that race plays in our lives, and we can join together in working to combat racism in all its forms. We cannot be a church that is true to the demands of the Gospel if we do not root out racism and love and respect all human beings, regardless of their race, language, or ethnic heritage.

Resisting racism means examining our basic instincts and assumptions about race. How do these assumptions shape our daily lives? What are our fears about people of other races? In what ways do we act differently when we drive through certain neighborhoods? How do we carry ourselves in situations where we interact with people of other races? Are we able to see Jesus in people whose skin color is different from ours or whose language is different from ours?

Combating racism also means that we need to develop a healthy appreciation of racial diversity. Developing this appreciation for diversity requires that we find regular opportunities to speak and work with people of races other than our own. We need to listen to each other’s stories, work together, identify common goals, and stand on common ground. By doing so, we can begin to realize the kind of unity that reflects God’s presence in our midst.

My prayer is that we will not minimize, justify, rationalize, or ignore the inequality happening around us. It is my invitation and fervent wish that every Christian will work in making the local church the “salt and light” for the world through its efforts to fight racism and promote racial diversity and civility. Let us make the church a place of welcoming and learning, a place of encounter and dialogue among peoples of all races and cultures. By doing so, we will make God’s love more present.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What was your number one takeaway from the More Than A Hashtag# series?    
  2. What can we do to change some of our assumptions about race?  

Let’s Talk

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” Martin Luther King Jr.  

When the issue of race comes up, it’s often in the context of a negative or heavy conversation. Tensions rise. Joy fades. The conversation limps on, if at all, as a conversation we have to deal with, not one we get to work through. Should it be that way?

As Christians, we engage in conversation about many important issues. But there is one conversation we are reluctant to have…race. We have probably tried and found it uncomfortable and/or awkward. When we get together with family we don’t want to talk about politics; or our relative’s past issues or problems that we don’t want to rehash; or our aunt’s gout; the money our cousin owes us. But at the top of the list is race. Well-intentioned people think that slavery was abolished over 150 years ago, we have had a black president, so race is no longer an issue that we need to talk about. But that is wrong.

We need to talk about racism because everyone else is. Christians need a place at the table. We have a powerful perspective. Armed with God’s Word, Jesus’ example, the Spirit’s leading—we have a lot to bring to the table. We need to talk because God has spoken. When God speaks it should silence all other voices.

Many of us lived our whole life in mostly white neighborhoods, attended mostly white schools, teachers were mostly white, attended a majority white church; this is the world we know.  We need to step out of that world. The more we engage in conversations about race, the more we will understand how racism is ongoing in the current era and how it continues to impact people of color.

We must invite into dialogue those we ordinarily would not seek out. We must work to form relationships with those we might not regularly meet. Only by forging authentic relationships can we truly see each other as Christ sees us. This is an ongoing work that may never be done in our lifetime; it’s been around for hundreds of years, and it doesn’t go away overnight. The work is a lifelong, continual effort.  

Let’s start today.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you comfortable having conversations on race? If not, why not? 
  2. How can having these conversations help us spiritually?  

Love One Another In All Our Diversity

“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their colour.” and “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty, and there is strength.” – Maya Angelou. 

Have you ever sat down and, in a moment of reflection, asked, “why am I a Christian?” You might answer that question by saying, “following Jesus gives me the purpose, identity, and freedom I’ve been searching for―and far more than I have ever imagined.” OK. But the next question probably would be, “how well am I doing as a Christian?” That answer would take some reflection. God commands us to get right in a relationship with Him, each other, and God’s creation. Are we doing all we need to do to have the right relationships, to love the people around us? That means we need to love each other despite our differences.  

God has made us in different ways. Diversity was, is, and will be His creation. Instead of minimizing or ignoring our differences altogether, we should celebrate them. We should treasure the kaleidoscope of skin colors, tribes, ethnicities and the God they reflect. To downplay our differences or ignore relationships and communities we experience is to rob ourselves of joy. God has seen fit to make people different colors. Why would we see fit to downplay, or diminish these differences?

Our hunger for the things of God unites us. We all have different appetites, different allergies, different tastes, but sustenance is what we crave. The bread of life; Jesus, our cornerstone. And in His house, there’s room enough for us all. Ephesians 2:19-22 (MSG) says, “That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.”

Do you have someone in your community that you don’t look like, talk like, share beliefs with, celebrate the same holidays, or have a different political view than you? Take time to celebrate that diversity – knowing that God loves and is present in all cultures and people.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How does love one another connect with racial reconciliation in your mind?
  2. What can we do this week to embrace diversity?  

Choose Your Words Wisely

“You must determine if a tree is good or rotten. You can recognize good trees by their delicious fruit. But if you find rotten fruit, you can be certain that the tree is rotten. The fruit defines the tree. But you who are known as the Pharisees are rotten to the core! You’ve been poisoned by the nature of a venomous snake. How can your words be good and trustworthy if you are rotten within? For what has been stored up in your hearts will be heard in the overflow of your words! “When virtue is stored within, the hearts of good and upright people will produce good fruit. But when evil is hidden within, those who are evil will produce evil fruit. You can be sure of this: when the day of judgment comes, everyone will be held accountable for every careless word he has spoken. Your very words will be used as evidence against you, and your words will declare you either innocent or guilty.“ – Matthew 12:33-3 (TPT).

Sadly, we seem to be living in an increasingly uncivil environment. From presidential politics to random internet comments, there seems to be more rude, demeaning, insulting, and aggressive language and behavior in our society than in the past. But this devotional is not political, nor does it have anything to do with our First Amendment right of “Freedom of Speech.” It has one purpose and one purpose only. How do we talk to each other in a Christ-honoring way? 

As followers of Jesus, we must understand the impact of our words. In the Matthew 12 passage above, we see that civility flows out of character. The Pharisees were on a mission to tear Jesus down. They tried to entrap Him at the beginning of chapter 12 by charging His disciples with unlawful action for eating a little grain out of the field on the Sabbath, the day set aside for worship and rest in the Jewish culture.

Beginning in verse 22, Jesus heals a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute, and rather than rejoicing and being amazed like everyone else, the Pharisees are not happy. The crowd was saying,” Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?” (vs 23) The religious leaders respond in verse 24: “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.” 

Jesus continues in verse 33 to speak about the reality of words. With this teaching, we once again see the eloquence of Jesus. Jesus teaches us our conversations reveal our character. From our hearts, we will either speak words of truth and love or we will speak words that are either untrue or words that are true but not loving. Verse 34 (TPT) says, “…For what has been stored up in your hearts will be heard in the overflow of your words! Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”

This not an easy discipline to apply to our lives. But nothing is impossible with God. It’s a daily practice. Yes, we will mess up at times. But we need to learn and keep moving forward. The most important thing to remember is that our words have one purpose: to glorify God. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. Read James 3:2-6: What are different ways you can use your words to give life instead of destroying it?
  2. Read Luke 6:45. If a stranger listened to everything you said for an entire day, what conclusions would they come to about what’s in your heart? What would they determine is your purpose in life? Would they hear evidence of a growing relationship with God?

What Happened To Civility?

“Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.” – I Peter 3:8-9. 

The level of civility in our culture is dropping like a rock. Whether it’s TV talk shows or online comments on news sites and social media, we seem to have lost the ability to discuss an issue calmly and logically. We talk less about the real problems and more about the differences we have with an individual or group of people. I am a republican. I am a democrat. I am a socialist. I am black. I am white. I am Asian. The incivility increases day by day. We think more about our rebuttal then about understanding the other person. We make statements of opinion rather than asking questions to try and understand.

We get a sense of what public engagement looks like in the 1 Peter passage above. We will encounter angry, uncivil people who want attention or want power or want revenge for the wrong they perceive was done to them, real or imagined. But Peter is telling us not to play their game. He wants us to play Jesus’ game instead, being civil and experience blessing. This was at the heart of the civil disobedience of Mahatma Ghandi in India and of the black Christian leaders of the civil rights movement here in the U.S. 

Matthew 5:9 (TPT) says, “How blessed you are when you make peace! For then you will be recognized as a true child of God.” Want to be a child of God in a fractured world? Get out in your neighborhood, in your workplace, in your politics, and be Jesus; but do it His way. Engaging in public life with civility and with radical love. This is our calling.

Sigh. Doesn’t sound easy, does it? When someone does us wrong, it is not human nature to return their wrong with as much love and blessing and forgiveness as it takes to change their life for the better. It would seem better to vent our anger, or forget about it and move on. But Jesus calls for a different kind of engagement, though, to look evil in the eye and love the people who are uncivil to us. This is not turning tail and running when we face contentious people. It’s just choosing a different way of engaging, one that looks like Jesus, promoting peace and blessing.

And the best part is it works. When we engage in life with peacemaking love, we’re more likely to change a bitter heart. We’re more likely to secure justice for ourselves or someone else. And we’re guaranteed to show a violent, bitter world what Jesus looks like.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you see civility as passive or action oriented? 
  2. What can you do this week to show the Jesus version of civility in an uncivil war?   

A Decade of Holiness

“So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:13-16.  

Last month we completed a sermon series entitled Decade of Impact: With the new decade rolling in, it is exciting to think about what the next ten years – triumphs and new discoveries that will make us stronger Christians as a result. The series delved into preparing for the next decade so you will be the person God intended you to be at the end of 2029.

We are all preparing for something all the time. The question is what are we preparing for?  What are our goals? Certainly one of our goals should be to pursue holiness. 

The Bible has a lot to say on the subject. Psalm 14:2-3 says, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one.” And in Isaiah 64:6, we read, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.” What hope do we possibly have of becoming holy like God?

Fortunately, holiness is not just based on our own efforts at being good. Holiness is who we are based on our relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then the Bible says that you have been given a new heart. A new person has replaced the old person. We are holy because of our position in Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:10 says it like this, “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”

We have been made holy… not because we follow a bunch of rules of things to do and not to do. It is not because we exhausted ourselves trying to be a spouse or parent or a better person. It is because of Jesus Christ. But even though our position as a child of God is secure when we accept Him as Savior, it is still important how we conduct our lives. We must continue to live in a pure and Holy way that pleases and honors our Father in heaven.

 Discussion Questions:

  1. Does living a holy and pure life seem impossible? Does that mean marriage is impossible as well?
  2. What is the hardest part of living a holy life? 

Repentance

“So keep coming to him who is the Living Stone—though he was rejected and discarded by men but chosen by God and is priceless in God’s sight. Come and be his “living stones”who are continually being assembled into a sanctuary for God. For now you serve as holy priests, offering up spiritual sacrifices that he readily accepts through Jesus Christ. –  psalm 133:1. 

The church participated in the sin of slavery and thus contributed to the generational effects of prejudice, segregation, and violence. But acknowledging the wrongs of the past is only the first step toward genuine repentance, reconciliation, and healing. As individual Christians and as the church, we should try to address the racial wrongs that continue today and to lift up and be guided by those who are most in need, who are impacted by racial injustice and racial prejudice. 

Once we have acknowledged what happened to the best of our ability, we must consider our attitudes and actions. Search your heart and soul to see where there might be prejudice, discriminatory feelings, or even racist behavior. Ask yourself where it’s implicit. Where is it explicit? What do you need to let go of? We must attempt to be as honest with ourselves as much as possible and repent of any sin that we discover. Briefly defined, repentance is turning away from sin and self and looking to God for forgiveness and salvation. One example in the Bible is the story of Zacchaeus in Luke, chapter 19. 

For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

There is a difference between regret and repentance. A deep rift in a marriage isn’t solved by buying flowers. As kind a gesture as that is, what needs to happen is change. Regret buys flowers. Repentance confesses and seeks to change. Regret says “I’m sorry.” Repentance risks being hurt by saying, “please forgive me.” 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”

Repentance carries with it the idea of changing; changing your mind, changing your attitude, changing your ways. It’s not a fickle change of mind, but rather a transformation of outlook, an entirely new way of seeing things. It is a change of direction. We turn around. When we find the sin of racism in any way, we go in the opposite direction, like Zacchaeus. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you know if repentance is real? What does genuine repentance look like?
  2. What can you do this week to take up a posture of faith and genuine repentance?  

The Shadow of Racism

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” — Nelson Mandela.  

Racism has many layers. It continues to exist with us despite good intentions. The question is where do we go from here? What do we need to look at that we haven’t noticed? What are possible subtle ways of perpetuating racism, layers that might not enter our minds, or stay in the shadows as we struggle to understand why we think and act the way we do? Sometimes we don’t think deeply enough about the issues for which we stand. Some of the layers (or symptoms) of racism include:

Employment: Let’s say you are an employer and you’ve solicited resumes. There are no pictures on them, just their education and experience, accomplishments, and credentials. You have four in front of you that have been vetted and are virtually identical in quality. You look at their names: two sound black, two sound white. Who are you going to call for the interview? Do you privately make an assessment of worth, value, capability, or likability based on names—even though the resumes are the same?

Dating and Marriage: You see a black man with a white woman on a date. Or they are married. How do you viscerally feel about it? Good or bad, neutral or biased, positive or negative? In God’s eyes, it’s not an interracial thing at all. It’s just two human beings whom He created for relationship with Him and with each other. 

Assumptions: Four black high school students were going door-to-door to raise money for their football team in Wynne, Arkansas. One minute they were laughing and talking to each other, and the next minute they were on the ground in a stranger’s front yard with their hands behind their backs, while a white woman with a handgun ordered them to stay put. Before she even went out with her gun, she had already called the police. He had the children stand up, and they explained they were selling discount cards for their school athletic program. When she was asked why she pulled the gun on them, she said it was because all four boys were black and that area was white.

Pseudo-Acceptance: Another way of demonstrating shadow racism is through pseudo-acceptance. As one woman from Africa said to me, “Racism is if you invite me to a party but don’t invite me to dance with you.” Meaning, you didn’t truly invite me in to be involved or engaged.  It is as hurtful to be in a room as the only black person and be shut out or not engaged.

Family Life: One last area where shadow racism can manifest itself is in our home life. What do your children hear you say? What do they see you do? How are you shaping their thinking, their perspectives? Does a viewpoint toward people of color come out as you drive, walk through a mall, or watch the news?

Discussion Questions:

  1. Which of the five do you think is easiest to fall into doing? 
  2. What do we need to this week to eliminate the shadows (Symptoms) of racism?  

The Evil of Racism

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” – 1 John 4:20 (NIV) 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech at The Hungry Club Forum in Atlanta on May 10, 1967. The address was on the three major evils that were endangering the gains that black Americans were making. The three major evils were the evil of racism, the evil of poverty, and the evil of war. Racism is still an evil today, some 54 years later. Dr. King acknowledged in the speech that “..there has been some progress, and I would not want to overlook that” but went on to add “we must face the fact that we still have much to do in the area of race relations.”

Americans have been turning to organizations, education, famous personalities, and, ultimately, the government to address the on-going racial divide in our nation. Yet racial tensions have not abated. The church believes that the only solution powerful enough to bring about racial reconciliation and harmony is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is this gospel that announces that, through His blood, Jesus has demolished the dividing wall that separates humanity along racial lines and has brought all ethnicities together as brothers and sisters into one body—the church. It requires believers to do the hard work of renewing our minds by replacing old ways of thinking with gospel ways of thinking.  

It is tough to turn on the media and be bombarded with images of evil, violence, hatred, and racism. It makes you wonder whether we truly realize that systemic racism is still an active part of our culture. It also makes you wonder when the evil of racism and the polarization, division, and injustices will ever end? In earthly kingdoms, it will not. Only when Christ returns will there finally be true justice and peace for every race, tribe, tongue, and person. When Christ returns, there will be harmony among mankind. That will be a truly remarkable day. 

In the meantime, how do we as Christians, respond to the evil of racism? The first step is to ask God to identify any pride and prejudices, big or small, in our hearts. Why? Because racism is rooted in pride. And the danger with pride is how quickly it can take root in our lives without warning, which turn into jealousy, bitterness, prejudice, and even racism.

The apostle John put it simply: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.” To be a part of the solution, we need to ask that God align our hearts and minds with His. In a world filled with hate and anger, pray that God’s love will overcome the evil that is racism. Following and loving Jesus is the best place to start.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you see as the role of the church in overcoming racism in our community?  
  2. What role can we play in destroying the evil that is racism?