Kingdom Revival Truth

Posted on FaceBook, Jun 1, 2020

GOOD MORNING, KINGDOM!

Part of REVIVAL entails being bold in proclaiming Truth, especially on days like yesterday, Pentecost Sunday. Within a 15 minute span yesterday morning, I heard two pastors talk about being bold Christians in speaking up on recent events that have rocked the world. Both pastors were driven to deliver a passionate plea from the heart, inspired by the Holy Spirit. One, Pastor Bil Cornelius from Church Unlimited, is white. The other, Pastor Don Leavell, Corpus Christi Christian Fellowship, is black. I only mention skin color to set the stage for what is to come. The color of skin is irrelevant, as Paul tells us in Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Paul is not saying there are no longer any Jews or Greeks, slaves or freemen, male or female. It’s just that because of our salvation, those distinctions are irrelevant. We are members of the same body, not exactly alike. We have different functions but we are all equal. As we often tell our GriefShare participants, nobody can rank one’s loss as greater or lesser than another’s loss. Each loss is uniquely their own. And as we tell both the GriefShare and DivorceCare participants, the fact that they have lost a loved one or are divorced or separated, does not define them. They are James, who has lost his wife or Becky, who happens to be divorced. They are first and foremost James or Becky, a child of God’s. A person whose eyes no longer function as well as they originally did (near- or far-sighted for example) is not redefined as a person, nor does it change the function of the eyes. The eyes are still a member of the body, whose function is to allow the person to see the world around them. When eyes begin to fail, other senses may be called upon to compensate. Hearing, smell, touch can take up the slack of not being able to see as well.

After 40 years of living under the military lifestyle, then another 18 years working with Walmart, diversity had been ingrained deeply into me. I can truly say I can’t remember any time where I was affected by the color of another person’s skin. My daughter, in high school a number of years ago, approached me one day, saying that she really liked a classmate and they were wanting to date. She wanted to know what I thought about it, since the young man was black. I told her my number one concern was HER happiness. I then asked her if she was strong enough to accept that she might lose friends because of her decision. She said that wouldn’t happen because everyone loved her and the young man. I responded that it might be true for each of them, but some friends would not be able to accept the two of them together. Her response was, “If that happens, then they weren’t real friends, and it would be their loss.” They started dating and she did lose some friends. They eventually married and had 4 beautiful boys together over a 12 year span before the marriage fell apart. She later remarried and had a fifth beautiful boy.

I have witnessed both first- and second-hand the prejudices and discriminations they have endured over the years, especially when they came to Kentucky to visit us. Despite all that, I cannot even begin to understand the anguish and pain brought about by a small segment of our society. Just like despite the fact I was in law enforcement for 20 years, I can’t understand what was going through the mind of that police officer as events unfolded at warp speed. But this I know. There is such a thing as abusive force. There are a couple absolutes I have adhered to. One is there is never a time when a man should ever use force against a woman. Never! And only the minimal amount of force necessary to control any situation can be used by law enforcement. Deadly force can only be used as an extreme last resort, under limited circumstances. Not all cops are bad. There are those that squeak through batteries of psychological testing, just as bad apples squeak through into all professions (teachers, judicial, religious, government, etc.) Just as most protestors are not criminal looters, etc. As believers, we must be the light of Christ, speaking up, not in condemnation or judgement, but in the same manner as Christ himself did. We must speak in all kindness, proclaim Truth, not partake of loose tongues, adding fuel to the fires. AND PRAY! For peace, wisdom, common sense. Work together as one body of Christ. Follow His will and guidance. Scriptures throughout the New Testament tell us to love one another, even our enemies. Jesus not only has the Answer, He is the Answer.

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (Ephesians 4:31-5:1)

Be Blessed!