Keeping up with the news is a full-time job and many are walking away from the modern-day news cycle. According to journalist Amanda Ripley, writing for the Washington Post, over 42 percent of Americans say they actively avoid the news. She cites that, “part of the problem is today’s news is not designed for humans.” I think what she’s saying — and what we all feel — is that it is just too much to see and hear all the negativity, suffering, and injustices in our world.

I get it. It’s exhausting and can feel overwhelming. Think about what it is like for kids today. Teens in high school today have grown up in a time where school shootings have happened every single year they have been in school. This is normal for them.. but this is not normal. This is a result of the world’s brokenness.

In the past, the only poverty you knew about was the poverty you saw. The only natural disasters that affected you were local ones. The only divorces you knew about were the families you were in relationship with. Today, the quantity of negative news online and on tv can easily lead each of us to feel desensitized or helpless in solving the world’s problems. Rather than entering into the world’s injustices, I’ll admit it’s easier just to remove ourselves.

The problem with removing ourselves from the world’s injustices and pain is that we are Christians.

The Christian way is not to remove yourself from problems, but to enter into the world’s problems and bring the hope of Jesus.

How do we do this?

Sadly, for many, the answer is nothing more than to feel sorry for someone. Is that really compassion? The answer is no.

Slacktivism

“Slacktivism” is a relatively new term that combines “slacker” and “activism.” It is the practice of supporting a political or social cause that involves very little effort or commitment. Studies show that those who engage in particular causes on social media by clicking, liking, or sharing actually end up being less likely to donate time or money to the very cause they supposedly support.

Kris Kristofferson, who led a study for the University of British Columbia, states, “Our research shows that if people are able to declare support for a charity publicly in social media it can actually make them less likely to donate to the cause later on.”

I wonder if this hasn’t crept into the Church as well. The danger in our social-media-crazed world is that we often attribute feeling compassionate to actually being compassionate. But is feeling compassion enough?

The danger in our social-media-crazed world is that we often attribute feeling compassionate to actually being compassionate.

The Compassion of Jesus

As we study Jesus, the most common emotion attributed to Him is compassion. His compassion drew others to Him. In his book, One at a Time: The Unexpected Way God Wants to Use You to Change the World, author Kyle Idleman points out something that shows up time and time again when you examine the stories of Jesus’ compassion. He says, “The conjunction ‘and’ almost always follows His feeling of compassion.” Idleman then points out several stories where this happens. Here are a few:

• Matthew 14:14: Jesus had compassion on the multitude and healed all their sick.
• Matthew 15:32: Jesus had compassion on the crowd of 5,000 and miraculously fed them.
• Matthew 18:27: In telling a parable about a master who represents God, the master was filled with compassion for his servant and forgave him of his debt.
• Matthew 20:34: Jesus had compassion on two blind men and touched their eyes.
• Mark 1:41: Jesus was moved with compassion for a leper and healed him.
• Mark 6:34: Jesus had compassion on the crowd and began to teach them many things.
• Luke 7:13-15: When Jesus saw a woman grieving her dead son, He had compassion on her and raised her son from the dead.
• Luke 15:20: In telling a parable about the love of a father who represents God, the father had compassion on his lost son and ran to him and welcomed him home and threw a party for him.

So, what do we see in the life of Jesus as a servant?

True compassion is more than a feeling. The Oxford Dictionary claims that the opposite of compassion is indifference. To practice compassion means whatever is happening on your inside must elicit a response on the outside.

Returning to Idleman’s words, “The test of compassion is in the and.”

True compassion is a feeling followed by an action.

If we are to embody the way of Jesus as a servant, it is not enough for us to feel compassion toward the world’s injustices. Rather, we must act on it, or we prove to be no different from the ordinary person in the very world in which we are called to stand out.

I believe that many of us genuinely want to help those in need. Why do we struggle with this? I want to offer three reasons from my own life:

1. I don’t feel like my actions will make a difference.

Compassion fatigue comes from a never-ending news cycle that highlights injustice and negativity. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and forces me to ask some intrinsic questions:

• Where would I even start with so many injustices in the world?
• How do I choose who and when to help? If I help someone, aren’t there others who are worse off that need my help?
• If I help someone a little today, does that mean I’ll need to do more in the future?\

When I start down this line of thinking, many times I never actually do anything except feel sorry on the inside.

2. I believe someone else is more equipped to help.

Even when there is an opportunity to help someone in front of me, I may shrug it off and think that someone else will be better equipped to help, so I may pass by and depend on others.

I’m a big believer in finding out how each of us is uniquely gifted to make our biggest difference in this world. However, I can get so caught up in my “strengths” or “gifts” that I miss out on an opportunity to be obedient and serve the person in front of me. I must not believe the lie that someone else is far more equipped to help serve that person.

3. I don’t plan to serve beyond having good intentions.

A lot of people with good intentions never do anything. Intention is a good thing, but intention without a plan is, honestly, quite worthless.

Intention without direction leads to confusion, but intention with direction leads to transformation.

Two things will help to go beyond intention:

• One is to plan and partner with a church or organization on a regular basis for serving opportunities. If I don’t do this, I will revert to comfort every time, rather than being accountable to a commitment to help.
• Second, I pray every day for God to show me opportunities to serve. When I keep serving at the forefront of my mind, it helps me see opportunities in front of me. I don’t have to go overseas to serve; there are tons of things I can do in my community.

So, what does this mean for you? Each of you will have to diagnose this. Examine one area where you have failed to practice compassion in the past. For myself, I have reflected and become convicted of the belief that I can do more in areas such as the Church’s fight against racism. My heart stirs against injustice, especially for those in the black community. However, as a white, 40-year-old, blue-eyed, blond-haired, middle-to-upper class, six-foot-tall male, I haven’t always felt equipped to act in this battle. Thankfully, I have friends and allies in the black community who help me see the role I can play.

A friend, Josh Dotzler, came onto The Red Letter Disciple podcast and clarified this by saying, “One of the things the black community needs the most is white advocates.”

It’s time for the disciples of Jesus to step into the “and.” Feel for people and do something. If we always wait on someone else to do the work, many injustices will continue to grow in front of our eyes. Take the time to examine where you can act out compassion against injustices in the world. It may be different for each of us, but we all have a special ability to make an impact through acts of true compassion.

Thankfully, God didn’t just feel sorry for us —He acted. God came down, died, and rose from the dead to rescue and redeem us. Now, He calls us to do the same. Let’s do this!

The blog for today was taken from a devotion from our upcoming Serving Challenge. King of Kings will launch this sermon series, accompanied by a 40-day challenge book, on October 1, 2023.

The post Feeling Sorry is Not Practicing Compassion: The Key for Compassion Like Jesus appeared first on King of Kings.

This is not the way one wants a conversation to start.

Recently, a member of our congregation named Jessica greeted me with that piece of information on a Sunday morning in the corridor. Though it was upsetting, I immediately knew what I had to do.

The subject of hearing from God is frustrating to many people, and I’ll include myself in that category. If God would just make His intentions and His plan clear, it would be a lot easier to make decisions that align with His plan and avoid the messy outcomes when we veer off the path He’s planned for us.

When I look at the Bible, I’m extremely envious of the personal relationship people like Moses and Abraham got to experience with God. They communed with Him and heard His voice. When they encountered life-altering decisions, they had a hotline to the Creator of the universe.

At the risk of dating myself, do you remember the TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? One of the lifelines contestants were given was the ability to phone a friend and ask them to help with a question they couldn’t solve — imagine being able to do that with God!

That direct line of communication seemingly doesn’t exist today, and we often feel like we are going it alone. God exclaims His love for humanity 310 times in the Bible… so why — especially when we need Him most — does it often feel like God is silent?

Why — especially when we need Him most — does it often feel like God is silent?

I’ve got news for you: He’s not. God is constantly communicating with us. We simply must be receptive to His message. Allow me to use this story as an example.

As soon as I was told about the man outside, my brain flipped to “flight mode.” My first instinct was to pass this guy off to someone else. Talking with strangers is intimidating enough in the first place, and this conversation had the potential to become very awkward. I was way outside my comfort zone. I kept thinking things like:

Where was the nearest pastor? Could our Administrative Assistant go talk to this gentleman?

It wasn’t an audible voice, (or even something I heard in my head), but I knew immediately in a way that I can’t explain that this was my responsibility. As much as I didn’t want this assignment, I knew what the right answer was: I was the one that needed to talk with this man.

Moving toward the doors, Jessica helpfully offered, “Why don’t you take him a cookie?” King of Kings was providing free cookies to celebrate Pastor Leroy’s retirement that week.

Perfect. At least I could enter the conversation with a sugary olive branch.

Chocolate chip confection in hand, I started down the hill. While I expected my anxiety to rise with each step, internal confidence started to swell inside me. I’ve got this, I thought. This man needs someone positive in his life; for one moment at least, that could be me.

The interaction couldn’t have been more of a blessing.

I got to meet Brian, who was gregarious and grateful. He’s lived a hard life and is currently in a rough situation, but in our brief conversation, I could tell he was taking steps to improve. He’d been to King of Kings previously and wanted to come again in the future. Though he declined my invitation to come into the church and enjoy a hot meal, he gladly accepted the cookie — turns out chocolate chip is his favorite — and only asked one thing:

“Will you pray for me?”

Rarely have I felt closer to God than when I laid my hand on Brian’s shoulder and began praying over him. I don’t remember what I said, because the words weren’t my own. The Holy Spirit took the wheel. After we said amen, Brian thanked me, packed up his things, and left.

So, what does this story have to do with hearing God?

God guided me through this entire interaction in ways I didn’t recognize at the time, but, in retrospect, seem obvious.

Look back at the little markers.

Jessica suggested giving him a cookie, which ended up being the perfect entry point to the conversation. And after a few minutes of chatting, Brian told me what he truly needed: prayer.

Through these two people, God told me exactly what I was supposed to do. He didn’t need a mystical voice from the heavens or writing in the clouds; He spoke through the people around me to consistently point me in the right direction.

He spoke through the people around me to consistently point me in the right direction.

More importantly, that gut feeling telling me to go outside was no intuition… that was the Holy Spirit speaking to me.

If it had been up to me, I never would’ve walked out those doors. My brain tried to tell me this was a job for someone else more capable or experienced in handling situations like this.

God had other plans for me. No matter what my brain told me, and no matter how uncomfortable I was, God was calling me to talk with this man.

I can only imagine the apostles had a similar feeling when Jesus spoke to them right before His arrest.

God had other plans for me.

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer,” Jesus said in John 14:33. “Where I am going, you cannot come.”

Can you imagine how terrifying that sentence was to the apostles? Jesus wasn’t just their teacher; He was their life. They’d given up everything — jobs, families, reputations — to follow Him and His teaching, and now He was going away? Where was He going and what were they supposed to do?

However, Jesus wasn’t done.

“Very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate (Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7)

John 16:3-14 continued, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that He will receive what He will make known to you.”

It seems unthinkable that there could be anything better for one’s faith life than to physically be with Jesus. As both God and man, He held every answer and was a wise and loving, if at times stern, teacher. How could it be possible that it would be good for Him to go away?

That’s how powerful the Holy Spirit is. As a man, Jesus was confined to being in one physical location at one time. When the disciples dispersed all over the region, Jesus would have only been able to be present with a few of them at a time. These days, He would be even more limited, as there are billions of Christians spread all over the world. Jesus can’t be with us all if He is in His human form. Instead, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit lives inside each of us, guiding us and directing us in the way we should go. Sometimes, it seems the Spirit doesn’t speak as loudly as we’d like it to, but that often means we’re just not listening.

The Holy Spirit lives inside each of us, guiding us and directing us in the way we should go.

How does one listen? It takes a much smarter person than me to answer that question. However, I hope my story above shows, I believe there are times you can just know what to do through God, even if you aren’t listening. It might not be an easy, convenient, or even logical path, but, more often than not, I’ve found that when I listen to that inkling in my gut, it tends to be right.

I don’t know if Brian will ever come inside King of Kings again. I don’t know if our brief interaction will have any kind of lasting impact on his life. What I do know is that God spoke to me, I listened, and I believe we were both blessed by the experience.

Much as I wish that God employed a heavenly megaphone or would send wisdom-filled text messages, (“Do not eat that gas station sushi, Dan!”), He doesn’t work that way. He’s actually given us something far better: the Holy Spirit. And when we’re in tune with our prayer life and fill ourselves with Scripture, the Holy Spirit is the best possible form of communication.

The post Hearing God’s Voice appeared first on King of Kings.

Barbie, written and directed by Greta Gerwig, has captured the nation this summer. Before this, I had begun to wonder if going to the movie theater would be lumped into the same category of long-lost nostalgia as going to Blockbuster video. Now, Barbie has broken multiple box office records and people are talking about it. There have been nearly 7 million social media posts about Barbie this year, translating to hundreds of millions of post views. You don’t have to see it to know what I am talking about; it’s hard to escape it. Even if you haven’t seen it (or won’t), you know people who have, especially if you are under 40. In fact, the most prominent demographic is Gen Z.

So far, 47% of those seeing the movie are between 13 and 22 years old. Even with a PG-13 rating, many are even younger than that. Of that, 66% are female. Statistics show that many Christian parents are going with their kids to see Barbie.

Barbie brings up important conversations. It asks questions that should be discussed as a family. And like good Christians should do when confronted with tricky questions, parents are rushing to their Bible or Bible app and doing a keyword search on things like “beauty,” “women’s roles,” “marriage,” “parenting,” and “men’s roles.” Here is where I get concerned: if this is how you search for truth, you will not find it.

If this is how you search for truth, you will not find it.

The Bible doesn’t have a lovely verse you can share on Instagram that will detail everything we need to understand about God’s design for gender roles, identity, and feminism. At best, you will be left scratching your head in confusion at the verses that do show up. At worst, you will feel that Biblical teachings are outdated, irrelevant, or flat-out wrong about our modern issues. That doesn’t mean the truth is not there, but you will find the wrong answers if you ask the wrong questions.

It won’t be the first time this has happened in history.

A History

In the 1800s, church-going, faithful Christian people in the United States got very confused on an issue we have no problem answering now as a nation. Part of the problem was that they were asking the wrong question.

Christians were asking, “What verses in the Bible say slavery is bad?” Pastors couldn’t pinpoint an exact, clear, definitive verse about slavery. They looked for a specific, black-and-white message that spelled out precisely what people should do about slavery, and they couldn’t find any. Things went from bad to worse quickly because people wanted a black-and-white statement that was so clear, no one could misinterpret it. Looking at specific verses instead of the Biblical message as a whole, no one found the wording that fit their liking.

Make no mistake, it is the clear message of the Bible that all people should be treated with value and respect. However, because some verses detailed how to treat slaves, many pastors even made a case FOR slavery based on those verses. As a nation, we are still recovering from this. When we face complicated situations, let’s ask the right questions. 

A better question would have been, “What does the Bible teach about full humanity of all people, regardless of race?” When we stop reading the Bible as a whole and cannot understand its overarching message, we will miss the answers we so desperately seek. We can’t blame Barbie for presenting Mattel’s version of female empowerment. Barbie is just asking questions.

When we face complicated situations, let’s ask the right questions.

I’m right there with you in this confusion. I want to open the Bible and have it written in detail (preferably in bullet points) precisely what it means for me to be a woman. What is expected of me? What career I should be doing? How do I divide up responsibility with my spouse? What exact budget should I follow? How do I parent my kids? (Oh, and by the way, I also want it to be a five to ten-minute read I can do with my coffee in my PJs before I go on to something else.)

But, my life is not a five-minute read, and neither is yours. The story of humanity on Earth and the Savior of that world is a life-long study. It needs to be taken seriously because, like it or not, we have been put here on this Earth with billions of other human beings, and God doesn’t want to keep us in a little bubble.

Our culture is crying out for answers.

I’m not advocating for seeing or not seeing a movie. I am advocating for humble Christian engagement in a culture that’s desperate for answers. We ought to interact with the world. Enjoy it, improve it, build cities, and help each other. God made that mandate clear to Adam and Eve and He continued to make it clear throughout the Old Testament. He loves this world so much that He came down and lived among us and then reinforced it when He sent us out into the world. The picture of heaven in Revelation is a city! And guess what is in cities? …people!

The Truth

Our culture is crying out for answers. It asks good, challenging, questions and Christians often fail to answer them well. Answers are all right there, in the Bible, but we need to ask the right questions to get a foundation to stand on. I like to start with this: “What does the Bible teach about the full humanity of all people?”

Here is what I found.

• There is a Grand Designer of this world, meaning there was a grand design. There is an absolute, concrete place we can land on for what should be and what shouldn’t be. (Genesis 1:1)
• You were made in God’s image. (Genesis 1:26-27)
• God is the ultimate authority. We will never fully understand His ways, so there will be things about God I don’t understand. (Psalm 8:4-8)
• All of us have messed it up. There is not one perfect person. (Romans 3:23)
• You are the object of the love of God. (John 3:16)
• Jesus is the sacrifice for the whole world. (1 John 2:2)
• People have different backgrounds, gifts, talents, roles, and responsibilities. It is God who determines these things. (Daniel 4:17)
• Christians need to take a stand and support marginalized people. Like Jesus and the prophets, we need to stand against greed, the love of money, and all forms of prejudice. The prophets and Jesus condemned those who oppressed the poor, orphans, and widows. (Amos 5:12; Mark 12:40)

We can be upset at brokenness. When problems like generational trauma get passed down, crises upset our world, and suffering goes ignored, we can be justifiably upset. God makes it okay for us to cry “No!” to the crappy stuff in our lives because we know how things ought to be.

The reason that many Christians in the 1800s got off the rails concerning slavery was that they weren’t looking at the message of the entire Bible first. When we start asking specific questions regarding what people should and shouldn’t do without considering the Bible’s message, we will get just as divided and lost as the churches of the Civil War.

Sin is a debt that was paid for by Jesus.

The overarching message of the Bible is that God made things right, but everything went terribly wrong. Jesus came and set it right again. Sin is a debt that was paid for by Jesus. You are freely forgiven because of that. There is nothing else you can do to earn that salvation.

So What Does This Mean For Me?

Our response is to love the world, support the marginalized, and offer biblical truth for those who are struggling. I will do what I can to show every person that they are worthy human beings and have essential roles to play.

Maybe you aren’t going to dress up in pink and grab your popcorn. That’s fine! Or perhaps you grew up playing with Barbies and bought advanced tickets to relive your childhood. Either way, you don’t need a movie to tell you that things have changed in our world. People are wrestling with some big questions. Director Greta Gerwig references Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as a comparison to Barbie and Ken. I can’t help but think that if she’s searching the Bible for truth, is anyone there to explain it to her? Our culture is asking some challenging questions.  Are we, as a church, ready to answer them?

The post The Bible vs. Barbie: The movie, the history, and the truth appeared first on King of Kings.

Since that day, I have been on a journey to see if I can become a better listener. It’s not the easiest goal to measure, but one thing I’ve learned on this journey is that a good listener asks good questions. So, if I want to be a better listener, I need to learn to ask better questions.

How do we grow in the art of asking better questions?

There is no one I try to pattern after more than Jesus. So, I did what I knew was best: I literally found and recorded all the questions Jesus ever asked. There were 305 of them and, for the sake of your time, you can find them all listed at the bottom of this blog. The important thing is what I discovered in reviewing all 305 of Jesus’s questions.

As you read through my quick insights, feel free to comment below on what you would add about Jesus’s questions — after all, I’m listening, and your insight might just help me on my journey, which I’m sure my family would love!

Truth 1: Jesus asked curiosity questions.

Carey Nieuwhof has interviewed more than 500 people on his podcast. From my estimation, he has crafted the art behind asking great questions. He says, “Curiosity is your best friend as a leader. So when you’re interviewing, act more like a 6-year-old than a 36-year-old.”

The two best questions to ask if you are curious:

• “How…?”
• “Why…?”

Altogether, about 80 of the questions that Jesus asked are “how” and “why” questions. He asked questions like “Why do you doubt?” and “Why are you thinking these things?”

Great leaders remain curious. They want to know how and why things work, understand how and why people are the way they are, etc.

What stands out to me even more, though, is that Jesus was not only fully man, but also fully God. Jesus was omniscient and all-knowing. So, in one sense, Jesus didn’t have to ask curiosity questions. He already knew everything… and yet, He still did!

Why did He do this? To help us grow in our faith.

Some would argue that questions are opposed to faith, but I think it’s fairer to say that our faith and questions form a powerful pair. Our faith grows more in uncertainty, doubt, and trying times than it does when everything is in perfect order. Jesus asking questions of curiosity allowed His listeners to wrestle with their faith.

Truth 2: Jesus asked open-ended questions.

As you scroll through the questions that Jesus asked, there aren’t many that could have a “yes” or “no” answer. They go beyond the superficial “How are you doing?” and “What do you do?” questions that we typically start with.

On numerous occasions, Jesus would ask questions like “What do you want?” and “Why do you call me good?” These are questions that require the person to honestly think before responding. They likely can’t be answered quickly.

One of the things that prevents so many of us from asking good questions is that it feels like we are too hurried. If we ask open-ended questions and are genuinely interested in their answers, this means we need to have time for people.

Jesus, who had the most critical responsibility and task of anyone to ever walk this planet, was able to spend time going deep with family, friends, and sometimes even strangers. Do you have the time to do this?

Truth 3: Jesus asked challenging questions.

The heart of the Gospel is an invitation to be in a life-giving, real relationship with God. This relationship includes the opportunity to follow Him daily, right here and now. As Jesus was announcing the Good News through preaching, teaching, and healing, He was unafraid to issue challenging questions to His followers and those listening.

Questions like “Will you really lay down your life for me?” and “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul?”

The invitation to follow after Jesus is the most incredible opportunity any of us will ever have. It is a life filled with significance, meaning, and purpose. However, to truly live out the faith that Jesus is inviting us into will require a substantial cost. To do anything of significance comes with significant challenges, and following Jesus is no exception.

As a pastor, I often wonder how much growth the church loses out on simply because we don’t ask or challenge our people enough. I think most pastors are skilled at proclaiming the justification of Jesus, but far fewer are skilled at challenging their people towards a life of holiness. It’s good to ask someone to believe in Jesus, but it’s deeper and more challenging to ask someone to follow Jesus.

Amazingly, only once in Matthew, Mark, and Luke does Jesus ask a question with the word “believe” in it. Of course, we should never abandon the invitation to believe in Jesus, but we certainly should frequently be challenging our people to truly follow Jesus.

Truth 4: Jesus didn’t ask “when” questions…ever.

We ask a lot of “when” questions.

• “When will I find a spouse?”
• “When will we have a child?”
• “When will I get my dream job?”
• “When will the Cleveland Browns win a Super Bowl?”
• “When will Jesus come back?”

I think that Jesus will be back before the Browns ever win!

Amazingly, not once in all the 305 questions that Jesus asked, does Jesus ask a “when” question.

While you will find the word “when” in 11 of His questions, never was “when” the question’s emphasis. For instance, Mark 22:35 says, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” Though the word “when” is in the question, the question’s emphasis is “did you lack anything?”

What could all of this mean?

Maybe “when” you live with an eternal framework as Jesus did, the “when” questions just aren’t as important. The more you have certainty and confidence in who Jesus is and the promises He declared, the less critical our “when” questions are. All of the “when” questions we ask may feel important at the time, and I don’t mean to trivialize what we go through in this life, but “when” you already know the outcome, you don’t need to live with worry. God is in control.

More important to Jesus is who we are following and how we are growing.

I hope that helps. Without further ado, here are the 305 questions that Jesus asks. Which one sticks out to you, and why?

The post 305 Questions and 4 Extraordinary Truths appeared first on King of Kings.

Now that she is a week old, I have had some time to reflect and ponder what I have learned through the process. Here are four things I learned about faith as a new parent:

1. Babies are selfish

I can’t say I really understood how much time and energy goes into parenting, (especially a newborn). I feel like I need to apologize to my parents. Our little girl is absolutely a perfect miracle I won’t take for granted. As perfect as she is, though, she is still selfish. She demands to be fed, held, wiped, fed again, changed, soothed, and swaddled at all hours of the day and night.

The Bible teaches that we are all born sinful. Paul discusses this in Romans 5 when he says in verse 12: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned…” We have what’s called original sin. We’re born with it because we live in a broken world that begins with Adam and continues with us. We can’t get rid of it on our own, we need someone else to save us.

Babies require a lot of love and attention (as they should… the world revolves around them)! Thinking about the way we provide for and dote on our new baby girl, I can’t help but think about how God also provides for us, despite our own selfish ways. Which leads me to my next point…

2. I’m selfish too

Adjusting to parenting has been harder than I expected. I do what has to be done, but I don’t always feel like getting up to change the diapers. I get annoyed at losing sleep when the baby won’t stop crying. I love the snuggles, cute faces, and sounds, but I wish it wasn’t so much work to take care of this tiny human. That’s pretty selfish of me.

I have to put her wellbeing before my own — along with that of my wife. We had a difficult journey when our baby came early. My wife had an emergency c-section and had to stay in bed for the first 30 hours after giving birth. That left me to take care of her needs and that of the baby. Thankfully, we had wonderful nurses who did so much for us.

It would be easy for me to say, “I can’t do this.” I could make excuses and focus on myself, but I have to put others first. This isn’t the time to be selfish (not that there is really any good time to be selfish). Could you imagine if God did that to us? Let’s explore that next…

3. Unconditional love

I know I won’t always be good at it, but I would do anything for my little girl, just as I would do anything for my wife. What drives me to do that could be labeled as unconditional love. It doesn’t hinge on anything that they do for me. It’s a reflection of Christ in me that I hope I can always display for my family. Jesus is the ultimate example of unconditional love.

Romans 5 again sums this up, as verse eight says: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We don’t deserve the grace of God, but he gives it to us anyway. We are his children and he loves us no matter what we do. He’s always right there waiting. Through his Word we come to know him and how deep his love is for us.

I don’t deserve any kind of “Dad of the Year” award. I don’t deserve much of anything, considering my sinful nature. I have been saved by grace alone, through God’s unconditional love for me. God freely extends this grace to all, so I can follow his example as I begin my journey as a new parent. It all comes back to one final thing…

4. Everything points to Jesus

Being a new parent is the most rewarding thing I have ever experienced. I looked forward to it for a long time and I can’t believe it’s finally here. I think the same thing can be said of how God looks at us when we put our faith in him. God is a good father and shows his love for us in how he sent his son to redeem us and cover us with his righteousness. He doesn’t see our selfishness; he only sees Jesus in us.

Romans 5:19 puts it this way: “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” It’s all about Jesus because he lived the perfect, unselfish life that we could not. He came for one purpose: to transform us from the inside out and offer us a new life with him.

There is a lot to learn about how God loves us and our faith through the journey of parenting. These four things don’t nearly cover it all. There were many miracles in our birth story, and many examples of God’s love for us through these first steps into taking care of a new baby. Everything in our story points back to Jesus.

The post Four Things I Learned as a First-Time Parent appeared first on King of Kings.

Two days prior, I’d broken up with my girlfriend of over two years — the one I’d thought might be “the one.” Now I was sitting at one of my best friend’s weddings, watching two people stare lovingly into each other’s eyes and commit their lives to each other.

I was incredibly happy for them, but their joy was a stark, painful reminder of what I didn’t have (and how far away I was from having it). It was as if someone picked a scab, then repeatedly shoved a lit match inside of it… not super enjoyable.

Mike White’s recent message (6/25) on missed expectations brought me back to that moment. The message centered on the prophet Elijah, who in 1 Kings achieved one of the most dramatic victories in biblical history. Up against 450 prophets of the pagan god Baal, Elijah called upon God to set fire to his sacrifice, a feat that Baal worshipers couldn’t achieve. God came through, and Elijah killed the losing prophets, telling the evil king Ahab to go home and have dinner.

At that moment, Elijah was on top of the world.

When Ahab reported what happened to his wife, Jezebel, she sent a message to Elijah, threatening to kill him as Elijah has killed Baal’s prophets.

Death threats were nothing new to Elijah. He was aware of the perilous position that being God’s prophet put him in and how much the royalty despised him. Elijah became afraid and ran for his life, eventually collapsing under a bush in the desert, begging God to kill him and end it there.

What happened to the courageous victor from just a chapter ago? Where was the champion who taunted his competition and put them to death?

Elijah had simply had it with God. After faithfully serving God for many, many years he felt there was little success to show for it. Elijah thought that with his grand victory over Baal’s prophets, God would move and reclaim Israel for His people.

But that wasn’t God’s plan.

Missed expectations are one of the most dangerous chasm-creators in our relationship with God. When He doesn’t act in the ways we think He should, it often feels like a betrayal.

If you love me, God, why did I get laid off? Why can’t my husband and I get pregnant? Why won’t my estranged son even acknowledge I exist?

These are healthy questions to ask God in prayer, but if we allow them to erode our trust and faith in God’s goodness, they become toxic. Instead of questioning God’s plan, I challenge you to flip the script: challenge yourself and where your expectations came from.

Let’s go back to my missed expectations at that wedding: I was upset with God because my relationship with this woman had ended. I had expected we would eventually get married and, when that didn’t come to pass, I wondered what God was doing.

Now, let’s examine the reasons why I thought I was supposed to marry this person (and why they were ridiculous):

• My parents were high school sweethearts who got married in their early twenties and I was already 27. I thought I’d be long married by this time (each marriage has its own unique, perfect timeline, and when my parents got hitched has nothing to do with my marriage).
• I’d been dating this woman for a long time (there’s no “dating clock” that rewards you with a ring when you reach it. Some couples date for six months, others 10 years).
• My girlfriend and I had talked about marriage and kids many times already (talking about being married is very much not the same as being married).
• We already had a dog together (LOL).

 God didn’t promise me that I would be married by a certain age or guarantee me a partner if we dated for a certain amount of time. These were constructs I made in my head, but God never agreed to them. They were as binding as a contract written on a piece of toilet paper.

When you think about it, I was pretty audacious: I created a plan, presented it to God, and said, “OK, now you carry it out.”

A tiny, know-nothing human was making demands of the all-powerful God who created him.

…Whoops.

When we find ourselves most disappointed with life, it’s not because something in our life failed us. Rather, it’s our expectations of what our life ought to be that have failed us.

This isn’t a modern-day phenomenon, either. People have had misaligned expectations of God for thousands of years. Just look at Jesus’ life alone:

• John the Baptist (Jesus’ cousin) proclaimed the coming of a Savior with power and justice. When Jesus arrived and centered His ministry on love and mercy, John questioned if Jesus was who He proclaimed (Matthew 11:3).
• Martha confronted Jesus after her brother, Lazarus, died during Jesus’ journey to see him (John 11:21-22).
• Peter expected Jesus to overthrow the Romans and rescue the Jewish people from Roman rule. When Jesus instead told the apostles that He must be killed, Peter took Him aside and rebuked Him (Mark 8:31-32).

The Bible is story after story of people expecting one thing and God giving them another. The most successful aren’t those who question and resist God, but faithfully trust in him even when they don’t understand.

Do you think Daniel expected God would allow Him to be thrown into a pit of lions when he defended his faith?

Did Ruth expect to be a widow traveling in a foreign land with her mother-in-law when she married her husband?

Would Abram, who’d lived his entire life in Hurran, expect to be asked out of the blue to pack up and move to a new land?

I’m sure doubts crept into their minds, but even while their heads might not have aligned with God, their hearts did. They understood Isaiah 55:8-9, even if they lived before it was written:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Sitting in the pew at my buddy’s wedding service, I was not happy with God. I was 27, single, and had no dating prospects. This was not my plan.

This was His plan.

Little did I know, my eventual wife was sitting five feet from me.

That night I met my friend’s twin sister. Less than two years later, it was us walking down the aisle.

How crazy is that??

God’s plan is so immeasurably better than ours, and He’s capable of so much more than we could ever expect of Him.

This knowledge doesn’t make life easy, and I don’t want to sound like I’m belittling a struggle you might be facing. If you’re going through a divorce or fighting a serious health struggle, it sounds really callous and insensitive to hear, “Don’t worry, God has a bigger plan!”

Here’s the thing, though… God never promised easy. In fact, He laid out a very clear expectation for what our earthly lives would be: “In this world, you will have trouble…”

However, we also have these expectations that Jesus set for us:

• He will not leave us (John 14:18)
• He’s prepared a place for us to live with Him forever (John 14:3)
• He lives with us and in us (John 14:17)

We’re going to have missed expectations. Human nature leads us to try to control our fate. When challenges arise, I challenge you to examine your expectations. Return to the promises Jesus outlined for us and trust in the plans that God has for you, even if you can’t see them yet.  

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“It is time to delete.”

I thought to myself, delete what?  Then I heard the Lord say that you must begin to delete, otherwise, you can’t compete… and if you can’t compete, you won’t be complete.  I began to pray and ask God what this meant and, immediately, I was reminded of the scriptures in 2 Timothy 2:1-5 which say:

“You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. ³ You, therefore, must endure^[a] hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴ No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. ⁵ And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”

I asked the Lord what I should delete. He said, “delete anything that blocks the presence of God and creates an idol.” Idols have the ability to outshine God by replacing Him in worship and communication. Idols may be leaders, financial opportunities, personal goals, relationships, or self-serving prayers that do not include confirmation from the Lord.

“You did run well, what or who now hinders you from obeying the truth?” – Galatians 5:7

Just as an athlete must meticulously train for the opportunity to compete. Discipline becomes the norm and replaces laziness and self-centeredness. Like an athlete, we must train and be disciplined in order to compete with ourselves in our faith.

“Stand fast in the liberty and freedom by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” – Galatians 5:1

It’s time to delete the bondages. In order to delete, we must disentangle ourselves from the affairs of our lives. It may take time, but the value of drawing closer to God’s presence will be well worth it as we clear away the obstacles and debris within our faith lives.

It’s time to disassociate from those who criticize, and who want to dismantle the Kingdom. We must disentangle from philosophies and religious spirits that want to arrest our thoughts and bind our actions, so we may be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and crowned with the faithful.

Disentanglement can also be painful. I am in the process of decluttering my life and home in anticipation of an upcoming move. Memories try to pull me backward, but the result of the decluttering is very freeing and propels me forward. After my wife died two years ago, I met a sweet lady with whom I am now engaged. Together, Rebecca and I must delete to combine our lives and personal belongings into one house. Engagement to Rebecca means engagement in her life and processes. This is a result of our relationship.

Relationship with God is much the same. We delete those things that hinder our walk with Him, becoming more clearly engaged in life with Him and His processes. To accomplish this goal, we must be willing to delete in order to compete, which will allow us to become complete with Him.

Think of it as a franchise. Franchises respond to their corporate offices and follow their regulations, rules, and processes. An individual McDonald’s can’t arbitrarily choose to put a Starbucks drink on the menu and Marriott can’t decide to decorate with the colors of a Holiday Inn. The Kingdom of God is like a franchise from the corporate office in heaven to earth. However, we are not always good at following the directives of our “corporate office” in heaven. We often become disenfranchised with God’s Kingdom and plan for our lives, trying to change His will and teachings to fit our needs and desires.

We all want revival, restoration, and blessings… but are we willing to delete those things that hinder revival, restoration, and blessings from coming upon us? These are the things we will need to be complete and to walk worthy of our vocations and callings according to God.

I have at least two callings in my life. One is the communication of Biblical principles through writing and speaking. Specifically, I am called to revive and renew through the gifts of the Spirit, prayer, prophetic words, and disciplined outreach.

My other calling is to be relational to others, equipping them to connect with God and the people in His Kingdom. I want to be salt and light to people, making things better and brighter.

I know my callings. They are embedded in my heart. Each day, I must live my callings while continuing to delete and compete in my faith in God. It will not always be easy, but it is the only path to reaching completeness with God and His Kingdom.

May you also seek your callings, follow God’s directives, and always remember to delete (disentangle) and compete (through discipline) so that God may complete your life through His revival, restoration, and blessings.

The post Delete to Complete appeared first on King of Kings.

If you plant goodness, you will harvest faithful love. Plow your ground, and you will harvest with the Lord. He will come, and he will make goodness fall on you like rain.

Hosea 10:12

Check out this update from our mission partners in Vietnam, Thang and Alyssa Lai. Thang is a Vietnamese pastor and Alyssa serves with Resource Exchange International. We work with REI as well to give short-term mission trips to exchange expertise in the fields of medicine, business, education, and agriculture.

Phew! So much to say and so little space, for both Thang and me.

I always find it so much easier to brag about my husband, and what God is doing through him, but there are so many exciting things happening in my “Ag world” too, so please allow me to brag a bit about what God has been doing in my world. 🙂

The trip to southern Vietnam was amazing. I’m so grateful to be able to tag along as Iowa State University seeks to build partnerships with Vietnamese universities. A team of three university representatives and two graduate students (including me) toured fields and farms in southern Vietnam. We particularly looked at how the rising ocean levels, due to climate change, are affecting farmers in the delta. They are having to deal with increasing salinity in their fields/irrigation channels, as well as unstable, and changing climate conditions. Opportunities for collaborative research, student exchanges, and teacher exchanges abounded. I was so happy to hear the university representatives also acknowledge how much we have to learn from the Vietnamese in terms of entrepreneurial attitudes, innovation, hospitality, and scientific knowledge. I really feel that these exchanges will be truly mutually beneficial for both sides, which is an important REI value. Plans are being made for the next steps, and paths forward. Please pray that these will come to fruition, and for an Iowa State University professor to really take ownership of managing this type of mutual exchange program.

For Christmas outreaches, of course, God was glorified in that too. Our small church held a service including worship, games, a gospel message, and displaced persons outreach. Three people accepted Jesus as their savior for the first time and others are still considering what they’ve heard. Please pray for these people who have heard the good news for the very first time. We had a Christmas and New Year’s dinner, and Community Church also had a much larger gathering on Christmas Day where another three people accepted Jesus as the lord of their life.

As a new pastor, Thang has also been building relationships with the local police, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs. They came to our church to wish us a Merry Christmas and invited all registered pastors to a dinner. I am personally so touched by the specialness of such a personal relationship-building event. Thang has especially built a more personal relationship with “Mr. Spring” who is influential in the department of Religious Affairs. They went for coffee where Thang shared his testimony with him, and we also went out to dinner with both of our families. They are quickly becoming dear to us. Please pray that these close and understanding relationships would continue to be a blessing and glorification of the good Father in heaven.

Oh! And our church finally has a new name! It is called Hoi Thanh Loi Chua, Logos church, or Word of God church. You can follow us on Facebook if you want to!

Phew! How’s that for one month??? I didn’t even share my typical year-end reflections. Perhaps another time 🙂 Also, thank you to all who donated to our year-end goal! We reached $2,856 of our $3,000 dollar goal, which will be matched by a generous donor! THANK YOU!

Love you all! A very blessed Christmas, and a happy new year!

Alyssa (and Thắng) Lại

Click to join our financial support team! (Meyer Lại, Alyssa and Thắng)

Watch our Ministry Summary Video!

Cultural Moment

I just love Vietnamese ingenuity. Below are three examples from our trip. A footbridge, a cow hauled behind a motorbike, and coconuts being shipped down the delta…presumably to the floating markets.

Click to join our financial support team! (Meyer Lại, Alyssa)

The post Ministry Update: Vietnam appeared first on King of Kings.

Upon taking the stage, King Jr. realized that the crowd hadn’t experienced an “aha” moment yet. While progress in race relations over the previous 100 years presented a reason to celebrate, the reality is that the fight for equality amongst races was nowhere near completed.

As King Jr. took the stage, he slid his prepared speech to the left side of the lectern and delivered a 17-minute speech that is arguably the GSOAT: Greatest Speech of All Time.

He spoke of a dream that all men and women would be equals and that racism would no longer exist. Ultimately, he hoped that as all people would come together as one, the glory of the Lord would shine brighter than ever. To read the entire “I Have a Dream Speech,” go here.

Almost 60 years later, as we celebrate and honor the life of this extraordinary disciple and leader, we still stand at a crossroads. Things are not as they ought to be. Racism still exists. All are not treated equally.

In 2023, it’s time for all of God’s children, white, black, brown, red, and yellow, to make peace and pursue reconciliation. To stop this injustice and put an end to racism. At the heart of the Gospel is the fact that Jesus reconciled us broken, sinful people back into a right relationship with God the Father. We who have received the peace of God now must give it away to others and give it away in droves.

How many more people do we need to lose? How much longer will we wait? When will we fight against the injustice of racism? How do we even do this?

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9

He also said these words in His most famous sermon, and it’s time we put these words into action. Remember, Jesus didn’t just say this phrase and expect it to fall on deaf ears. No, he closed this famous sermon with these words: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

The words of Jesus are to be heard and followed.

Therefore, the children of God are called not just to keep the peace but to make peace with one another.

Many of us want to help, but we’re unsure what to do. When we are uncertain of what to do, it’s essential to gain wisdom from God. The great news is that when we ask Him for wisdom, He gives it to us.

The central place to gain wisdom is in God’s Word.

Thankfully, God’s Word isn’t silent on this topic. There are six critical steps that we can take to pursue racial reconciliation, and I believe the order of these 6 are essential and intentional.

1. Pray

The first step we can take is to pray.

Some people say that you should do more than pray. You should speak. You should act. And they are correct. But, true reconciliation has to start with prayer. Prayer matters.

2 Chronicles 7:14 says this: “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

The reason why this step is first is because we need help from heaven. We need God to show up. If we try to make peace with others without personally being changed on the inside and hearing from God, our efforts will be futile. We cannot do this alone.

So how can you start to pursue racial reconciliation?

You can pray.

• Pray for those who are hurting.
• Pray for those in leadership to make wise decisions.
• Pray for compassion.
• Pray for justice.
• Pray for those who suffer unjustly and for those who protect us bravely.
• Pray for the victims and for those who serve.
• Pray for opportunities to use your voice and to act.
• Pray for unity in the body of Christ.
• Pray that God would reveal to you how you can help make peace.

Every injustice in this world, including racism, is a spiritual problem. Racism is not primarily a political issue. It is a spiritual issue. We battle not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities of this dark world. Prayer is not our last line of defense; it is our first line of offense. It ought not to be a last resort but a first response.

A lot of us want to make a difference in this world. Typically, we will talk about all of the things we can do. But the truth of the matter is that God is far more powerful than you. God can do more in one second than you can do in your entire lifetime. In light of that, what you should be praying for, and focusing on, is allowing God to move mightily and making room for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully.

And because of this reality, biblically speaking, the biggest difference you can make in this world is not by things that you do but by prayers that you pray. 

After you pray and invite God into the situation, here’s a second step.

2. Listen

When injustice is seen, it creates emotions in us. And we want to do something. And we want to say something. But before we move to those steps, it’s essential to listen.

Solomon, the wisest man in the world in the Old Testament, said this in Proverbs 18:13:

“To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.”

If I were to hold a Coca-Cola bottle up and show it to you, we would see different things.

If you see “Coca-Cola,” on your side, then on my side I would see all the nutrition facts showing me all the reasons I shouldn’t be drinking this stuff!

This simple illustration tells us that two people can be looking at the same thing but seeing it completely differently. And until everyone walks to the other side to see how the other sees it, we will continue to be at odds with one another.

When someone is hurting and crying out, it is our responsibility to understand why they are hurting and crying. When Mary Magdalene couldn’t find the body of Jesus, she was crying, and before doing anything, Jesus came beside her and said these four words, “Why are you crying?”

That powerful question gives a person the opportunity to speak about what is going on in their story. I have found this practice to be so helpful. To have someone else share their story with me has helped me see the waters I swim in that much more clearly.

Walking to the other side is vital for everyone, but it’s God’s children, the ones who have received God’s grace, that must take the first step. God took the first step in reconciling us back to Him.

Thank God that Jesus took the first step and walked to your side, and came into your life. Where would you be without Him taking those steps in your life?

In our day, we have the option to listen to just about anything or anyone. Of course, we ought to listen to a wide variety of people, but the best form of listening we can do is with an actual real person who is different from us. With all of the injustice in the world right now, you can become easily overwhelmed or desensitized. But when you have a real relationship with someone different than you, you gain a much greater understanding. Problems become real when on the other side of the problem is a person you know.

In our effort to “walk to the other side,” another critical step is to continue to educate ourselves.

3. Educate

I have found that with the topic of racism, many people will give opinions. It’s great to hear what others share but if we are going to really understand, it requires work on our part. It requires a level of intentionality.

Again, the wise man Solomon said in Proverbs 18:2: “Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.”

When it comes to educating ourselves in this matter, you must receive your education from more than one place. Even though we can learn and educate ourselves from more sources than ever, most people listen to the same echo chambers repeatedly. And it’s only making us more divisive as a whole. Quit listening to the same echo chambers, or simply, one talking head, especially if that talking head looks and sounds like you already. But, instead, listen, read, and watch a diverse mix to be clear-eyed about the situation. I hope you consider this blog, but it shouldn’t be the only thing you read.

Here’s what I would say is one of the critical things I have learned regarding this issue of black and white. I’m speaking for myself. Some of my learning over the past few years deals with the fact that as a white person, I think it’s easy for me to look back at our history in our nation and say, “Well, as bad as things were, at least things are moving in the right direction now.”

It’s easy to point to a list of things going in the right direction.

• In 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery.
• In 1870, the 15th amendment gave blacks the right to vote.
• In 1954 and 1955, Brown vs. the Board of Education and Rosa Parks helped give further rights back to the black community.
• In 1964, the Constitution officially ended segregation and discrimination based on race.
• In 2008, the first black president Barack Obama was elected.

Despite those steps in the right direction, what we have seen in the past couple of years, has clearly shown us we haven’t arrived at the finish line. There is more work to do. Systemic oppression and persecution for centuries don’t just end with a law or two or a milestone or two or a figurehead or two change everything overnight and make things an even playing field.

Several years ago, I was convicted that I needed to be a part of the solution for racial reconciliation. But, unfortunately, I had a long way to go to educate myself properly. I felt like I had a very limited, sheltered experience growing up.

I enrolled in an initiative that brought together about 16 men and women of different races, genders, and professions to learn what it’s like to be a person of different skin color. As part of this initiative, we experienced three full-day field trips. One of those trips was to the local courthouse in Orlando, Florida.

What I experienced that day forever changed my perspective. I can’t un-see what my eyes saw. I’ll remember many things, but what stuck out to me the most was the pretrial hearings. Each defendant received about one minute in front of the judge in that room before they entered their plea. Every defendant, about 25 people in total, was either black or brown skin. Not one white person. Not one.

I know every story is different and unique. I understand that some white people have grown up in oppression, and some black people have grown up in riches. But overall, historically, it has been easier to succeed in America having white skin than black skin. And there are still differences that exist today. It’s why our black brothers and sisters have been crying out so passionately for decades.

Continue to educate yourself. Perhaps, on this MLK Jr. holiday, you will do as I’m doing and read his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

After putting it in God’s hands through prayer and listening, and educating ourselves, we are ready for our fourth step.

4. Act

Some of you might be thinking this isn’t my problem. I’m not a racist. Helping end racism is for someone else.

I think that most children of God don’t believe that they live with racism or bias in their life.

But, statistically, Christians are more likely to be considered racist than those who are not Christian. Unfortunately, hatred and bigotry are words people associate with Christians too often. And the church hour of the week is one of the most segregated hours of the week.

Barna Research, one of the top Christian research groups, did a study in 2016 in the wake of the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement that started and this was their conclusion:

“Our research confirms the fear that the church (or the people in it) may be part of the problem in the hard work of racial reconciliation. If you’re a white, evangelical, Republican, you are less likely to think race is a problem, but more likely to think you are a victim of reverse racism. You are also less convinced that people of color are socially disadvantaged. Yet these same groups believe the church plays an important role in reconciliation. This dilemma demonstrates that those supposedly most equipped for reconciliation do not see the need for it. 

More than any other segment of the population, white evangelical Christians demonstrate a blindness to the struggle of their African American brothers and sisters. This is a dangerous reality for the modern church. Jesus and his disciples actively sought to affirm and restore the marginalized and obliterate divisions between groups of people. Yet, our churches and ministries are still some of the most ethnically segregated institutions in the country.”

I think a more common problem for children of God in the pursuit of racial reconciliation is not sins of commission (a sin we commit) but rather sins of omission (something we omit or don’t do). A convicting thought I’ve had in my life regarding this issue, and I think it could be said of the church as well, is this, “Might it be that our greatest sin in this area is what we haven’t done and said?”

The closer I get to Jesus, the more I see how far away from Him I genuinely am.

I certainly have my list of sins that I have to confess to of things I have done, but I think my list of sins of omission would be far more damning and numerous than my sins of commission.

In the Letter from Birmingham Jail referenced above, King Jr. echoes similar thoughts to the above research. We are still struggling decades later with the same issue. Here are his sentiments:

First, I must confess that over the past few years, I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

I come before you today knowing that I need to repent. I haven’t acted as much as I could have in some areas. But I know I’m not alone. Apathy and indifference are not the answer. The church is called to reject apathy and embrace action.

Our first action step is repentance. Repentance, though, does not mean that we return to life as it was. To repent means to turn. It leads to acting in a new way. Sadly, too many churches, pastors, and Christians got together to repent after the George Floyd tragedy, but then just went back to what they were doing. No, after repenting, we must act in a way that brings reconciliation. It’s up to the children of God to continue the work of Jesus in bringing peace to this world. Paul says it so clearly to us in these words of 2 Corinthians 5:17-21:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Yes, everyone needs to walk to the other side, whites to blacks, blacks to whites, police officers to blacks, and blacks to police officers. Yes, yes, and yes. But those who have been reconciled, children of God, are called to take the first step.

We have a God who was proactive and not reactive for us.

Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

He did not wait for us to have it all together. He came down into our broken, messy stories. We have a God who crosses lines to love people in, not draws lines to keep people out. If you are a child of God and are any part of the church of God, you have the ministry of reconciliation.

So what do you do? Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.” Your step might be different than mine, but take the first step today. Pray, Listen, Educate, Act.

Then we move to the fifth step, which, sadly, is most people’s first step.

5. Speak

Your first step doesn’t have to be posting something on social media to make it seem like you care. I’ve seen so many posts go awry due to ignorance or speaking in the heat of the moment.

Prayer, Listening, Education, and Action should all come before speaking. Please don’t hear me wrong, though. At some point, we are called to speak up. And it’s best done after action. Why?

Actions before words make your words more powerful.

We have been called, the Bible says, out of darkness and into His marvelous light so that we would declare His praises. There is a time to declare, speak, and proclaim God’s truth. The ministry of reconciliation requires the Gospel of Jesus. Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.

Pastor and Dr. Charlie Dates says, “Believers of color want their brothers and sisters to call out the injustice around them. They want to stand in unity in rebuking a wayward culture.”

The word unity is essential. The world doesn’t need your voice right now to bring division. I’ve seen so many posts lead to more division, political arguments, blame, and hatred. D.L Moody once said: “You may find hundreds of faultfinders among professed Christians, but all of their criticism will never lead one solitary soul to Christ.”

Rather than accusing blame, let’s encourage peaceful protests and voices that unify.

Here’s something you can say right now:

“Racism is real.” 

You can wholeheartedly be against racism and injustice and wholeheartedly for honorable police officers. You don’t have to choose sides. But you do need to speak the truth. Racism is real. And it’s wrong. Even if you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Until we acknowledge the problem, we can’t be part of the solution. So we have to recognize it.

We are called to speak about this in our homes, not just in public. So if we talk more about this in public or on social media than in our very homes, we have to ask what our motivation is.

And here’s another thing you can say:

“Racism is wrong.” 

No one should ever be mistreated, hurt, or oppressed simply because of the color of their skin.

There is a great debate right now with the three words “Black Lives Matter.”

I understand the debate. It’s hard because, as a statement, those three words are entirely true. But, as a movement, it’s tough to stand for some of the things this movement is promoting.

But rejecting the truth that comes from this statement, or trying to alter it, is not helpful.

So many people will push back and say, “All Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, Unborn Lives Matter” Yes, Yes, Yes, and Amen. But sometimes, you have to be very specific and personal.

I have two kids. If one of my kids is left alone, abused, and hurting, I won’t go up to him and say your life matters as much as your brother’s. No, I would look at him and say, “You Matter” because I love the individual as well as the whole. When someone is hurting, they don’t need to hear the politically correct phrase; they need to hear your voice say “Your Life Matters.”

I have asked my black friends if my white voice really does matter regarding this topic.

Not everyone who is black may share their opinion, but they told me resoundingly, “Yes, we need your voice. You have a platform. And sometimes, white people will hear things differently from a white person than a black person. We are asking you to speak out on our behalf. We’ve been crying out for a while against this injustice, and we need your help. Please.”

So as a white pastor in the pursuit to let our black brothers and sisters know that their lives do matter, I would go so far as to say that white voices do matter in the pursuit of racial reconciliation. You cannot have reconciliation if only one party wants it. Therefore, the children of God of all colors must use their unique voices and actions to bring the peace of God into this situation.

Another truth must be shared when it comes to speaking. Too many Christians can be known for what they are against but not what they are for. So, yes, let’s speak up against racism, but let’s also speak up for diversity, equity, inclusion, loving our neighbors, etc.

After these five steps, I truly believe the 6th step is where we will start seeing some significant movement in this pursuit of racial reconciliation.

6. Expect

While we can take steps to help, only God can move mountains, part seas and walk on water. When you invite God’s power and presence into injustice and then use your unique calling and gifts that He has given to you, this is when God moves mightily.

You might feel like this will never get better. But our God has a history of coming down and making a way when it seems like there is no way.

For four centuries, there has been an injustice to the black community in our nation. How can we make a change now? You can’t, but God can.

Let us not forget that it was for four centuries that God’s people, the Israelites, were enslaved to the Egyptian superpower under the rule of King Pharaoh. Things were progressively worsening for the Israelite people, and now they had escalated. Innocent lives were being murdered as Hebrew baby boys were killed for no good reason.

At this time, God came down in a burning bush and said, “I have seen the misery of my people. I’m coming down to rescue them.”

When God turns an eye toward injustice, it will be defeated.

Injustice will bow down to the power of our mighty God. It will not prevail in the presence of God. Darkness doesn’t stand a chance in the light of God.

So what happened? God came down powerfully, working through human beings like Moses and Aaron, to bring deliverance to an entire race of people. He brought them out of four centuries of oppression and into a good life with His presence.

God right now is looking down at our nation. He sees those who have been hurting and oppressed for four centuries. He sees those who have been hurting for just a little while.

If you are trying to find where God is in all of this, He always positions Himself to be on the side of the oppressed and the mistreated. So, no matter who you are, if you are hurting, oppressed, and mistreated because of your skin color, or if you are continuing to serve faithfully as a police officer, God sees you.

When we bring God into racial reconciliation, we can expect God to move. You and I cannot change people’s hearts. But, through our prayers, our relationships, and what we say and do, we can give the Holy Spirit room to change people’s hearts. God is the one that changes hearts, but He invites you and me, the children of God, who have been reconciled by the grace of Jesus, to continue the ministry of reconciliation.

Please be a part of the solution.

PLEASE

Pray

Listen

Educate

Act

Speak

Expect

God will make this right. And until He comes back and we glorify and worship Him in His full glory, with every nation, every tongue, and every tribe, let’s do our part, knowing that Christ has already done His.

Today is not the first time that a great division has existed. In the New Testament, the Jews and Gentiles had a turbulent history and past and didn’t always get along. And these were words written by Paul to the two tribes. So as you read these words from Ephesians 2:13-20, may it help you grow in your expectation that God can and will bring reconciliation.

“But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him, we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”

The world needs the peace that only Jesus can bring. You have that peace inside of you. Will you PLEASE help?

I’ll end with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s closing to his speech. These words summarized what would happen, if and when, this dream of equality was finally accomplished.

“When this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men, and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the Negro spiritual: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.”

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