Whats Going On?!

Who am I in the midst of all of this mess is a serious question most Christians will have to ask themselves every day.  I believe that the Spirit of God is prompting His people to move toward change. I honestly believe that God is fine-tuning the church to be a better reflection of His love. The church has been prostituted out to hate for far too long, and Jesus wants His bride back. He is not a God of divisive segregation, and those who are called by His name will have to reflect that. We have created our image of God that fit our own likeness and comfort. God is jealous for us, and he is not going to sit on the sideline and let hate win.

The saying that Sunday is the most segregated day of the week has been a reality we've excepted for far too long. The Holy Spirit is calling us to true unity in Him, but will we quench His beckoning or walk an uncomfortable path toward Him.  Dr. King preached powerful messages that taught us The Gospel of Jesus does not stand for hate and segregation in any form. The mainstream celebrates the amended softer versions of his sermons that speak to the idea of his dream. However, there were verses he used time and time again that proved his dream was birth out of the Gods desire for His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

 Dr. King was killed for teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that made people uncomfortable. Only after his death, the nation feels comfortable acknowledging his efforts because his death neutralized the threat to American's comfort. Our country only feels bad that it looks bad for his death, but our actions show we are perfectly comfortable keeping him and his teaching in the grave.
 The consolation prize of having a "black" local street named MLK Blvd doesn't prove a town stands for equality. Killing the system of racism and oppression is the only thing that will reconcile us to God's will and one another in the process. Anything short of that will be a mask that hides the beast that drives us further apart from one another and the dream of true conciliation.

 My feelings today go beyond being black, its one that concerns me as a follower of Jesus Christ. People are choosing sides, and the cost of following Him starts with comfort in this world. We live in a nation that is only okay with the church preaching the truth as long as it's comfortable. That's not Jesus and no longer will it be His bride. Today we need to stand up and get uncomfortable and put our false ideas of Jesus to death. Being made in His image doesn't mean being made in the image of the social majority. We need to ask ourselves, am I ready to die for the gospel of Jesus Christ. If the answer is yes, then the bigger question is are we willing to live in the image of Jesus Christ.

His image goes beyond black white or any other social differences we may have. I love being black, and I owe no one an apology for it at all. If I did apologize for my blackness, I would be saying my God made a mistake, and that is not possible because He is perfect in every way.  I praise God for my beautiful black skin tone, my textured hair, my lips, the African roots that are found at the foundation of man and in the Bible. I love God the Father, I love Jesus and The Holy Spirit, God is where my love comes from, and it's from Him that I have joy in a time in which society is telling me I shouldn't be proud of who I am. Once again I feel the need to say thank you God for making me black but more important, thank you for creating me in your image.

Being created in Gods image has allowed me to take hatred for those that hated me and turned it into love.  I served as a Police Chaplin during a time when men like me are being killed on camera by a cop every single day. Those deaths grew a fiery rage in me that only God could regulate. I can't say God put it out for me because it still hurts and angers me to see black men taken out by those who are sworn to protect them.  It's a righteous indignation that no one called by His name can sit by and ignore. We are called to be a generation that will change things, and it's time to walk into our calling as a church. The thing I love about God is those that are scared to join the fight will be forced to adhere to the fight as love compelled them. It will be impossible to stay comfortable in the status quo and claim to be focused on Him, Jesus has a heart poured out on us laboring in the battle. If you want to see Him, you're going to have to see us in the fight and love will take it from there.

 I'm not looking to be the next Dr. King, but as Dr. King, I am looking to do God's will, and as Dr. King did, I am willing to die for it. I just hope that it doesn't have to come to that soon because I want to enjoy seeing His kingdom come and His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.