Thursday, January 31, 2008
Integration or Separation?
Lionel's articles regarding this issue as well. 1 & 2
These figures above may bring back horrid memories to some. To others like myself, probably not as offensive since I grew up after this era. These pictures above are referencing a term that was used offensively used throughout history over the past 200 years and made more popular within the last century. There are many stories on the history of this term one says that the origins of the word “Sambo” stem from an occurrence believed to be at the height of the British Empire. An unknown slave ship had docked in the then-popular Morecambe Bay area to buy various sundry items; once back at sea it was noticed that a black member of the ship’s staff had been left ashore. This man’s name was Sambo; shunned by the people of Morecambe, he was made to live out the remainder of his days on the outskirts of the villages at that time. To this day there is a monument known as ‘Sambo’s Grave” on the coast of the Lancashire village of Heysham. The term “Sambo” has its origin from the Spanish word “nzambu” which means monkey. The Royal Spanish Academy gives the origin from a Latin word which in modern Spanish means “bow-legged.”
About 1600 years prior to this event we see a great man name Apostle Peter. Apostle Peter was one of the 12 and some would claim the most influential of the Apostles. In Acts 10 we see Peter receives a special revelation from God and is placed in a trance. What he learns from this trance from God is that this Gospel that he had been commissioned to preach was not just for Jews but for all nations also created by God. In this we see God demolishing the ignorant presuppositions that were put in place by his Jewish culture. It was a unlawful(Acts 10:28) thing for a Jew to dine with a gentile regardless of the circumstance. In other words we can only imagine how doing this command from God made his flesh feel. We catch a glimpse of this when Peter says in verse 14, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” Wait a minute!! Did Peter just openly disobey Our Lord? Thank God for His grace!! Peter was a bold man. He must have forgotten what happened in Acts 5 right?
Furthermore we see Peter being obedient for 1) To the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19and 2) To the command just received from God the Father. What happens? Peter preaches the unadulterated Gospel and I guess we can step into the Charismatic dialect and say he saw “A mighty move of God.” The Gentiles received the Holy Spirit and secondly they were baptized. Shortly after this wonderful act of God we see the Judaizers coming on the scene in Acts 11. Peter does not withhold his special revelation from God and informs them of the great news. It would appear based on the disappointment that the Judaizers had with Peter that possibly they had some type of relationship with Peter before or after Christ’ ascension but that could be a incorrect speculation.
Peter does not relent and dishes a double scoop of the Gospel to the Judaizers as well. From this passage in Acts it would certainly appear that the Judaizers were OK with this great news. They say, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” Somewhere in this or thereafter Paul exposes some further insight in Galatians 2:11-21. I am unsure of the chronological order here but it would appear that this sin committed by Peter in Galatia was done after Acts 15-The Jerusalem Council. During this meeting among Paul and others, Paul states in verse 8, “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us them. This is not Supersessionism or Replacement Theology rather it simply states that all of God’s elect throughout time have been saved the same way-By Faith.
It is horrible to think of how some of our ancestors were treated but just as they fought for us to be considered humans and to vote, they also fought so that we can be integrated and not separated. I used the Sambo figure above because many people say they are Christian’s but cannot let go(forgive) of the past. They hold Sambo and slavery issues as a grudge towards there brother or sister in Christ and allow it hinder their spiritual growth. In our day we don’t see the sovereignty of God in slavery as being similar to Joseph and him forgiving his brothers. We miss the purpose of God in the things he does throughout history. Joseph says, “Genesis 45:5 Do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 45:8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God, and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.At times in my dealing with blacks and whites I see the animosity they hold to in their dealings with their Christian brethren which is a direct opposition to scripture and definitely not Christ-like. Similar to how Peter was acting when after he recieved the revelation from God. How much more should we act in accordance with scripture since we have the completed Canon.
If God calls you to sit amongst people who don’t look like you-SO WHAT!! So the worship is different-Maybe you have opposition at home. You-my friend have been commissioned to follow the LAMB not your comfort. God causes us to do things at times that does not coincide with our feelings or our regular dealings. When God saved me I heard His voice and followed and will continue to follow wherever HE leads me. The Gospel is all that matters and all that will ever matter-without it we have absolutely nothing. As Lionel stated in an earlier post-”stop complaining about your situation(which is sin by the was Phil 2:14) and GOD may have called you to be that “Catalyst” for a while.
1) How much are you willing to compromise your Biblical convictions for the sake of being comfortable?
2) Did God only call you to save a certain race or to preach the Gospel to all nations?
3) Are there any benefits to learning how to mingle with other cultures and can that help you be a better witness for the Kingdom of God?
4) Would this help us become all things to all men that we might by all means save some?
Ponder these things if you consider yourself a Christian. We are to emulate the attributes of Christ in all we do. Search for a Biblical church and don’t be locked in on finding a particular race of people. The only people you should be concered about being in fellowship with are your brothers in sisters in Christ in which you share the same blood-that of Christ.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Brittany Williams
Isaiah 45:5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; 7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.
Some links for the story here here and here.
My cousin 21 years old was killed last week in a random shooting(in the head) in Omaha Nebraska. For those of you who don't know I used to live in Omaha and a large majority of my family still resides there. Brittany Williams and I went to church for years together although I did not talk to her much since I've been, older I was shocked at her death. Her Funeral is tomorrow January 29/2008. Please pray for my family during this time and pray that people who are lost would be saved and turn to their only hope-that is Christ and Christ alone!!
We see a lot of death nowadays and have pretty much as people become accustomed to it so much so that we don't feel sorrow about people dying until it hits close to home. I personally stopped watching the news when I was around 14 years old. It really sickened me and I just did not have a yearning to hear about the madness in this world. At a young age I always have had an interest in the things I did not know. Questions such as; where to people go when they die? Where did God come from? How should we view death? Is God Sovereign in death and suffering?
I would like to delve into a Biblical view of death and see what God says about it. Personally I view death as a beautiful thing regardless of how it happens. Let me clarify myself here. Death is only beautiful for the believer and for the non-believer it is the worst thing beyond our imagination. Let us look at 2 Corinthians 5:11 (Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. ) Other translations say (Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord), I particularly like that phrasing a little better. This is somewhat hard to say when we look into Hebrews 11 and see people like Isaiah being sawn in two by a wooden saw-OUCH!!! But in the Psalms it says, Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints. I would love to get into the history of what the means in context but I believe that would take us into an entirely different direction.
I would encourage the reading of this entire passage-it is such a great hope. Paul begins to speak of how we know that our earthly bodies are only temporal but we are searching for a house in heaven not made by human hands. Paul is speaking about when Daniel also spoke of this long time before this. He says our bodies continue to groan until we are finally completely fulfilled in Christ at his Second Advent. Romans 8:23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. He also says in verse 9-So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. Do you make it your goal to please the Bishop and Overseer of your soul, Christ Jesus?
And here-15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
This is just a wonderful passage of scripture. I am so amazed of the treasures we find in scripture and the more I get to know Him the more I begin to delight in Him. How is your relationship with Christ? Stagnant? Non-existent? Do you take the grace of God for a license to sin? Do you act as if you think Death will never come to you? Assess your walk with Christ in light of His Word. I recall going to so many churches where the children and adults alike hear a sermon on sin and how their sin is disgusting to God but get in their car after church and bob there heads to the music in which people sing about the very things they just got through hearing about-SIN. Boastful Pride of life, Lust of flesh, and lust of the eyes. Or your tongue-does it reflect Christ? Is Christ in YOU? Do you have a changed heart as mentioned in verse 17? Do you have any evidence or fruit of your conversion?
These are good questions-do not think that you could not have been the victim? I can hear people saying, "oh yeah you're right" But are you going to let these questions resonate in your mind for more than a couple of hours? Probably not but I hope so!! Death has a 1 to 1 ratio and only one has escaped it and if you are not putting your hope and faith in Christ and forsaking your fake Christian life of filthy righteousness-my friend YOU will face the terror of the Lord!! This is pretty near and dear to my heart because I used to be one of those church goers who had the act down, but in reality I did not have a changed heart and a changed life. I believe this is something that really needs to be wrestled with by all who profess to know Christ. Don't get me wrong here, it is a sad thing anytime someone so young gets killed in that manner, but in comparison to the terror of the Lord-it is a small thing. Everyone will die one day and that is how it has always been since the fall of Adam and will always be until Christ returns for His church. Christ has not promised we will not have trials and quite honestly He says the exact opposite. We just have to keep a eternal perspective in absolutely everything.
God is totally sovereign in absolutely everything. This is hard to believe during times like these but it is Biblical Truth. GOD is surprised by nothing. My prayer is that when things happen like this that it will make people really examine themselves and not to just look at life from a temporal perspective but let us be heavenly minded in all things-Knowing the Terror of the Lord-we try to persuade men. In Christ Alone
