Last night, I had the privilege of delivering a short lecture to the Chattanooga-Hamilton County BM&E District Association’s Unity Week & Congress of Christian Education.
It was a true joy to see many of our Gathering church members sitting amongst and worshiping with some wonderful Christian brothers and sisters of the African American community. Our Gathering Worship Team also had the privilege of leading worship. Below are the notes from that lecture in which I spoke on four imperatives for real unity if the Church is going to minister to the world in unity:
Care – We have to care enough to want to do something
we have to want to get out of our comfort zone; our protective bubble.
It is too easy for us to go through our lives and never care enough to want to learn about cultures different from our own; perspectives different from our own; challenges different from our own. Pain different from our own.
We need to want to learn these things because it is only then that we’re going to truly understand each other and it’s only as we understand each other that we are going to truly love each other.
We can say that we care about each other; that we understand and believe that other cultures are important, but too often that expression of concern never moves beyond mere platitudes.
We like the idea of unity, but often settle for approving of the concept, not doing anything about it.
We should be motivated because our care is centered on and fueled by the Gospel.
Scripture is clear that a love of neighbor is a love of people of all ethnicities, backgrounds, nations, and histories. (Good Samaritan)
Real concern leads to real actions because love isn’t love until it is put into action. This means we have to…
Dare – Fueled by our love and compassion of others, we must be daring.
Daring: venturesomely bold in action or thought (Venturesome: inclined to court or incur risk or danger)
If we’re going to build Christ-exalting unity, we’re going to have to be bold in action and thought, to be willing to incur risk or danger (to our reputation, our comfort, or even our very lives, if necessary).
Dare to think you can make a difference and to start doing it (William Wilberforce, Booker T. Washington)
Dare to reach out to people you do not know; people of different ethnicities; to make new connections.
We have to care enough to do it and then we have to dare TO do it.
Dare to stand up for others.
Dare to risk what others might say about you.
Dare to change the status quo.
- Regardless of how it has been doesn’t mean it is how it has to be.
Dare to change the structures put in place to divide.
- I am convinced that until our organizations and institutions are organized according to our shared doctrinal convictions rather than our shared heritage or history, we will never be truly united. That is going to take courage.
- This does not mean we need to or should abandon our distinctives or our heritage, but it does mean we need to do a better job of celebrating them.
As you reach out and began to engage you have to …
Share – our heart, struggles.
As we gather together, we have to share our fears and our prejudice. Be honest and GRACIOUS. You have to dare to share and trust Jesus to hold us together.
A quote I read just yesterday:
- An individual at a roundtable talked about how difficult it is to speak about racial issues without offending…”Any time I want to have a conversation [about race] I’m afraid I’m going to offend somebody just by starting to talk…I feel like I’m going to say the wrong thing.”
That is a fear that all of us have, I think. I also think there is no place for that in the church of Jesus Christ.
What I’ve learned from my African American brothers is that we may not have a shared American heritage, but we have a shared GOSPEL heritage!
We have to determine to trust each other enough to not get offended and help each other ask questions rightly.
Prayer – “Racism is not a skin problem. It’s a sin problem”.
We have to begin to pray for and with each other. A spiritual issue requires a spiritual answer.
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