The Race Divide

Martin Luther King Jr. said, "At 11:00 on Sunday when we stand and sing Christ has no east or west, we stand at the most segregated hour in this nation."

This statement was true then and it's still true today. God's Word tells us that "There is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:28. So, if God's Word teaches us that in Him we are the same, why do we have such a race divide in the church?

The reason for my questions is because of what I'm seeing in our political world. As many of you know there is a good chance that the Democrat nominee for President could be Obama. It would be the first time, according to polls, that a black man would be a legitimate front runner to win. Before I get into my thoughts on the subject I want to say that I don't have a problem with someone of another race being the leader of our country. However, with the stuff that's coming out of the Obama camp it seems that we are dividing race more than uniting our country.

Many of you have already heard the statements of his pastor. You have heard his church's stance. You have heard the words of Obama. And the reason that I'm sharing all of this today is because I'm tired of race being an issue. Over recent years we have states making apologies for slavery. We find leaders of our country bowing down to affirmative action. When the fact of the matter is our country, and our churches, have made great strides when it comes to the race divide.

I have to ask if we will ever see a black man who can run for president without making race or slavery an issue? Will we ever see a woman run for president without making gender or women's rights an issue? It seems as though our quest for equality has come up short. Rather than creating unity we are dividing our nation and further dividing our churches. That's one of the reasons that I don't use the term African-American, Chinese-American, or the like. There was a time in our country when the people who came over for freedom and a greater opportunity of life wanted be known as American's and nothing else.

The majority of people in this country have come from a line of immigrants. Irish, Scottish, German, Polish, etc. Have we forgotten that this country was formed primarily by group of men who came from England? But how often do you hear the phrase English-American? Yes, our country has endured some tremendous growing pains. Our churches have had to endure some changes as well. But I wonder if we will ever be able to overcome our past. I wonder if we will ever be able to judge men and women "based upon the content of their character rather than the color of their skin" as Dr. King envisioned.

It's sad to think that we have people running for the "highest" office in the land who continue to play race, gender, and class warfare cards. It's sad to think that we still have pastors who think it's necessary to continue to divide and segregate. Jesus died for all. His blood was shed for humanity. Don't talk to me about "White Christianity" when our faith has it's roots in the middle east. This may shock you but Jesus wasn't white. Jesus wasn't black. Jesus - in his earthly form - looked like the Jewish people of His time. The Bible said that He came to His own but they did not receive Him.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ points to a time when all nations, tribes, and languages are gathered around the throne of God bringing praise to Him. Why can't we do that today? Why are our churches so divided? Why is our country still so divided? We in the church of Jesus Christ should be under one banner - Jesus Christ. We in this nation should be under one banner - the flag of the United States. I think it's time that we start trying to bring this country together. But it will never happen if all we can do is look backwards. It's also time to bring our churches together. All churches that lay claim to faith in Jesus Christ have one mission. That mission is to bring the lost to Christ.

It's time for the churches of this nation to intensify our prayers. We need to pray for the scars of racial division to be healed. We need to pray for the unity of all believers. We will never affect the division of our country if we will not deal with the division in our churches. We must remember that we are all one in Christ Jesus. Amen.

I Must Be Fair

Yesterday I shared something of a rant with you over the omission of Jesus' name on American Idol. Well, I must be fair. Last night during the elimination episode the contestants once again sang "Shout to the Lord", however this time they did not take Jesus out of the song.

I don't know the reason for the change (my blog cannot accept credit), but I was glad to see and hear it. This song was written with the understanding of who Jesus Christ is. He is the reason for the song. I was glad to hear His name back in the song.

It's really a very interesting topic. One night they intentionally leave His name out of the song. The next night they put His name back in! This is what I call riding the fence. It's a commitment to not being committed. Last I checked fence riding was not a professional sport but there are a lot of pro's involved. I wonder how many people sing about Jesus on Sunday but dare not speak His name on Monday?

In case you haven't noticed I will always try to make a spiritual application. Why? Because I believe that the lessons we learn in the natural world can be applied to the spiritual part of our lives. American Idol does not lay claim to being pleasing to God. However, we as believers do. I don't expect American Idol to bring praise to God, but a follower of Christ should.

Jesus said, "For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Matthew 8:38. When I hear these words it sounds as though Jesus is speaking directly to this generation. These are very piercing words. The problem with many people is that we are too busy trying to sing two different songs. We are trying to sing the song of the world while at the same time singing the song of the Lord. We are trying to sing good songs that are pleasing to men while also trying to sing songs that are pleasing to God.

The Bible teaches us that this world is at emnity with God. That is, this world fights against God and the knowledge of Him. We are not to love this world. However, we easily get caught up in the snares of this world. What happened on American Idol the last couple of days is a visual illustration of Sunday Christianity. Once again I want to say that I don't expect American Idol to be about Christ. This is a message to those who call themselves Christians. When given the opportunity will you speak, sing, or even preach the name of Christ. Or are you going to do everything but speak His name?

Thanks to American Idol for putting Jesus back into the song. And for the record last night's performance was much better. Jesus makes the difference. To the believer I say: Keep Jesus at the center of your song. Don't change the words because you will change the meaning. Jesus should be the central figure in all you do. He is our Strength, our Shelter, our Lord. Jesus makes the difference.

Take Note Of What You Give

Last night on "Idol Gives Back" there were some very interesting performances. It truly has become a star-studded event. Among the celebrities were Brad Pitt, Miley Cyrus, and Robin Williams. This fundraiser over the last couple of years has raised some serious money to help with needs all over the world.

This season for American Idol has been interesting when it comes to song choices. There have been several songs performed with refrences to Jesus. Dolly Parton performed "Jesus and Gravity", the Clark Brothers performed "This Little Light of Mine", the idol contestants themselves have performed various numbers with reference to God, and last night the contestants as a group sang "Shout to the Lord". However, their performance was different from the original song.

Unless you are familiar with the song you may not have noticed the clear omission of the name of Jesus. Yes, during the last performance of the night, Jesus' name was deleted from one of the greatest praise songs of all times. The performance was safe, the vocals were o.k., the song choice was perfect, but I did not like the arrangement. Why? Because it failed to connect with the true power of the song. Shout to the Lord has been sung in many churches over the years, concerts, and conferences. It is one of those songs that is anointed of God. But last night the Anointed One was cast out.

Please understand that I always take note of Jesus' name when it occurs. This season on Idol Jesus has come up time and time again, but it's usually through the song of a guest performer. And in the closing moments of last night's fundraiser "political correctness" took over. Interesting that you can sing about a Shepherd, Comforter, Tower of Refuge, Strength, and Savior; but Jesus cannot be uttered in a song that is clearly about Him.

Don't get me wrong...I don't expect American Idol to preach the gospel. But please, please, PLEASE don't intentionally remove Him. This is why I say that the song was just o.k. and the performance was safe. It lacked the power that the original song always held. It lacked the conviction that was intended when it was written. And I'm a firm believer that it was because Jesus was taken out of the song.

You see Jesus is what separates true faith from ecuminical faith. Ecuminical faith is all inclusive - universal. Jesus is Lord. American Idol simply pandered to the policy of not offending any non-Christians in the audience. I also found it interesting that after the performance, at the end of the show, Ben Stiller came out and did some little comedy skit where they had to bleep out portions of his monologue. That's how the enemy gets our attention off of God. I guess he was afraid that even without the mention of Jesus' name the song was just too much to handle.

They wouldn't say it so I will... "My Jesus, my Savior, Lord there is none like You!!! My Comfort, my Shelter, Tower of Refuge and Strength. Let every breath, all that I am, never cease to worship You." Notice the difference? It's amazing what Jesus will do for a song, but even more amazing what He will do for you.

I'm grateful for Idol Gives Back. I think it's important for people in that kind of position to use their influences for the greater good of man. But take note of what you give. Make sure that you give God His rightful place in all things.

Still Gotta Praise Him

I experienced something this week with my daugther that was a first. Haley is our oldest and has always been a very mature little girl. She's very smart - almost too smart at times. Last August she was very sick with some type of stomach thing. Since that time she constantly complains about her stomach hurting and thinking she's going to "throw-up".

We finally decided that it was time to do something. After talking to her doctor they wanted to run some tests. The tests were simple enough. They had her drink some barium and took pictures of her digestive system to make sure everything looked normal.

As I was explaining to Haley everything she would have to do she became very concerned. You have to understand Haley...she doesn't like anything to do with doctors, medicine, or tests. It's all we can do to get her tested for strep. It was during that conversation that Haley looked at me and said, "What if it's cancer?" Not the words I expected to hear from my 10 year old. She then said, "I don't know why God made me this way..." Something else I did not expect to hear from my 10 year old. But it got me to thinking.

How often do we fail to praise God for the good things and then immediately blame Him for the bad? Job gives up a wonderful example of how to handle life's difficulties. His wife had just given him some bad advice. He said to her, "Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" I love that verse. Talk about great perspective. Should we expect anything less? This is the same man who said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

My point is whether we are experiencing the great blessings of life or the great distresses of life - God is worthy of praise. In fact, I'm a firm believer that God enjoys the sacrifice of praise over the required praise of His people. The praise of the broken carries more weight than the praise of the whole. Please understand that God enjoys all praise. But praise from the valley has a little different tone than the praise from the mountain top.

The good news with Haley, so far, is that the pictures looked fine. We have not spoken with the doctors but the initial reports were good. Praise God! But I have to remember the words of Henry Blackaby during these times. "We must place everything against the backdrop of the cross." In other words, we must always view things from the perspective that God loves us unconditionally. And regardless of whether the report is good or bad, it does not change the love of God toward us.

The Bible teaches us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. However, we live in a sin sick world. Our bodies often pay the price. Cancer is a reality, sickness is a reality, and pain is a reality. Even in the midst of these things God's character never changes. He is still worthy of praise.

I don't know your situation in life, but God's situation is still the same. He is still seated on the thone. He is still in absolute control. He's still God. We still gotta praise Him. He's worthy. I want you to remember that praise to God is not dependent upon what we experience but upon who He is. Praise Him today even if you have to muster the strength to do so. Find reason to rejoice today in Him. If for no other reason than the fact that you are saved from your sin. He's worthy!

A Good Read

The following is an excerpt from "Streams in the Desert" by L.B. Cowman. "Steams in the Desert has 366 daily devotional readings.

"I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what He will say to me." Habakkuk 2:1

"Without watchful expectation on our part, what is the sense in waiting on God for help? There will be no help without it. If we ever fail to receive strength and protection from Him, it is because we have not been looking for it...

There is an old saying: 'They who watch for the providence of God will never lack the providence of God to watch for.' And we could turn the saying around as well and say, 'They who never watch for the providence of God will never have the providence of God to watch for.' Unless you put the water jars out when it rains, you will never collect the water.

We need to be more businesslike and use common sense with God in claiming His promises. If a man were to go to the bank several times a day, lay his check at the teller's window, and then pick it up and leave without cashing it, it would not be long before the bank would have him ordered from the premises.

People who go to the bank have a purpose in mind. They present their check, receive their cash, and then leave, having transacted real business. They do not lay their check on the counter, discuss the beauty of the signature, and point out the lovely design on it. No, they want to receive money for their check and will not be satisfied without it...

Unfortunately, a great many people also play at praying. They do not expect God to give them an answer, so they simply squander their prayer time. Our Heavenly Father desires us to transact real business with Him in our praying." - Charles H. Spurgeon