What do you see when you look at this blog’s picture? It’s quite a story!
Last year, my oldest son and his family spent most of the summer half-way around the world. His responsibility was to coordinate teams of disciples as they shared Jesus with those who had never experienced God’s grace.
Mom and dad’s job was to keep a watchful eye on their state-side home and manage a few chores. To our surprise, it got a whole lot more complicated than we anticipated.
Several weeks after they left town, I went by their house to check-in and knock out a few chores. As I entered, I could hardly bee-lieve what I was seeing! They were everywhere: Flying bees, dying bees and dead bees. Hundreds of these creatures were in every room of the house.
Long story short, these creatures had found an opening between two bricks and went to work establishing a new home near the kitchen’s plumbing which also gave them full access to the home’s interior…. oh my!
Unfortunately, infestations also happen in Jesus’ House and this blog is about a common one, namely racism.
Webster defines racism as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities, and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”.
Is racism, as defined, in alignment with Jesus’ command to love one another and the example He modeled throughout His life? Does God’s Word affirm racism as an expression of godly love?
Jesus’ friend John answers these questions repeatedly in his first epistle such as: “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness” (1 Jn 2:9), and “Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother” (vs. 3:10). Boom!
My friend Bill Pannell agrees with Apostle John whole-heartedly. In his book, My Friend the Enemy, Bill confronts the Church and its long-standing patterns of racist messaging and methodologies. Bill loves his friend–the Church of Jesus Christ–deeply, but has been stung badly and often by this infestation.
Given the foundation I’ve laid in The House of Jesus, here are a handful of practical strategies to mitigate and/or take a stand against this particular infestation:
- As always, the leaders of Jesus’ house need to set the pace. First, by codifying, affirming and being accountable to high standards for their own words and actions so hateful racism can never be at home within their ranks. Second, by calling out regional patterns of racism while, at the same time, upholding Jesus’ clear teaching and lifestyle of selfless love. Third, by catalyzing written and affirmed Kingdom values for godly relationships as well as related theological non-negotiables that eliminate racism as a viable lifestyle both collectively and individually. It is sin and never an expression of Christ-like love;
- Mature disciples within Jesus houses need to be mobilized to “heart” disciple the saints, especially new ones. I grew up in a racist family, school and city. Accordingly, when I met Jesus at seventeen, I needed someone to train me how to repent and renounce all kinds of flesh patterns including racism. Unfortunately, I did not get the help I needed. It ended up taking multiple years for me to acknowledge my own brokenness and passivity; it was much more difficult than it needed to be.
- Jesus’ houses need to take a stand. Our King’s followers should never be naïve about the ways and tactics of the enemy. The evil one is always looking for an entry point to infest Jesus’ houses with ungodly values, norms and behaviors. Vigilance through clear, godly standards with accountability is the “belt of truth” that every Jesus house needs!
Has racism found any kind of home within your community or heart? It’s a good question to explore with your community’s friends and Savior!
Still in process,
