Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “…And there is nothing new under the sun.”
Racism is a relatively new term addressing an ancient problem. What’s the problem? According to the Bible it is a sin problem.
According to secular humanism, which flows hand in glove with the godless Marxist ideology which seeks to exploit this issue, it is a skin problem. A wikipedia article attributes the first recorded mention of the term in Oxford’s Dictionary in 1903.
Let’s start with how racism is defined today. Dictionary.com says it is “a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others.
Bottom line, making any decision about any person or people group based upon the color of their skin or ethnicity is wrong. Typically the moment anyone says, all whites, all blacks or African-Americans, all Asians, all Jews, all Muslims….. fill in the blank. You are wrong. Why? Because invariably not all fit the description which turns your statement into a half truth and a half truth mixed with untruth is a lie. The brush you used to paint the situation is to big. The inaccurate statement harms or wrongs the individual that does not fit the description. They are maligned. That means evil was spoken of them.
Do you need to identify the racist or racism? Find the one whose speech most frequently refers to color, race or ethnicity in a demeaning or derogatory way.
The Same Problem Existed in the Early Church
This problem existed in the early Church. Titus 1:12-13 says, One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” In verse 13 the apostle Paul tells Titus what to do. He says, “This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith…”
You see Paul knew God’s nature, His love and His plan. It began in Genesis 1:26-27 when God made man in His image. The truth is, we all come Adam and Eve. We are all part of the human race. In 1 Timothy 2:4 God says through Paul “who desires all men (mankind) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Jesus prays in John 17:21 that we would all be one. The apostle John says in1 John 4:20-21 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”
Bottom line, God’s word is consistent throughout scripture. Jesus died for every tribe, tongue, people and nation (Revelation 5:9 & 14:6). That expresses God’s love and His value for all people representing every nation.
Do you need more scripture? Now Christian means Christ-like. If we call ourselves Christian, they we are to seek to be like Him. Galatians 3:28 says, ” There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In Acts 10:34 we find that God is no respecter of persons.
Jesus reveals in Matthew 24 some of the signs of the end of the age. We discover that deception will be rampant and in the midst of wars and rumors of war, nation would rise against nation. The Greek word translated nation is ethnos. It’s where we get the word ethnicity from. In other words, one of the signs is ethnic wars. People group against people group and racism is a modern description of a sin that has been inherent since the fall of mankind.
How can you recognize racism? I submit to you, anyone making a decision about another based upon the color of their skin or some other physical characteristic vice, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, the content of their character. Hence if you hire, fire, vote, don’t vote, refuse to serve, serve and do anything based upon the color of their skin and or their ethnic origins then you are wrong.
I recall a whole lot of people voted for a previous president just because of the color of his skin. That my friends is an example of a racist decision. If you vote for or choose not to vote for someone and skin color enters your decision-making process, then your actions revealed what is really in your heart. For some, it reveals the plank in their eye which Jesus warned us about in Matthew 7:1-6.
They cry racism and then practice what they condemn in others. My friends, this ought not be. Two wrongs won’t make anything right. I love this quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Civil Rights Movement Has Been Hijacked!
Sadly, nefarious unscrupulous organizations have hijacked this current issue sparked by the George Floyd case and they seek abuse it in order to promote their organization’s goals. How have I come to that conclusion? Well, if black lives matter then all black lives matter. But if BLM ignores the 22 million black children murdered through abortion, they ignore the number of people murdered monthly in Chicago, or ignore the retired African-American police officer who was brutally murdered during the riots sparked by their protests, well their actions are inconsistent with the message…. on the surface. But, if you look at the actual mission statements and goals of BLM, you will discover their true intent. They are using the race issue to promote a Marxist (godless) inspired agenda. Click here for Examining the Foundation of BLM! They’ve hijacked the Baptist minister’s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights movement. Love and non-violence have been replaced with hate and violence. The fruit is blatantly obvious.
I would add, if you know anything at all about history the results will not surprise you. This is typical of socialist or Marxist movements whose governments in the last century were responsible for over 100 million deaths. If you as a Christian ally with them then you’ve allied with a godless ideology. Paul admonishes us saying in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”
Manipulating Using a Root of Bitterness
They seek to manipulate large sections of the population using a strategy Satan has employed for eons. They are doing what Jesus warned us of in Matthew 24 and they are using the strategy referenced in Hebrews 12:15 which describes how Satan will seek to defile many through the use of a root of bitterness. How is a root of bitterness employed? It will be deployed through deception and its primary purpose is manipulation which is most easily employed by playing with people’s emotions: feelings.
Anger is a feeling. It’s a God given emotion. But Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be angry, and sin not…” In other words, God expects the Christian to have dominion over their feelings. They are to rule over those emotions so that the emotion leads to actions of justice and doing what is right. Truth is required to bring forth what is right and just. Discernment is required to distinguish between lies and the truth. But emotions unchecked only lead to more lawlessness, pain, suffering, lies and injustice.
How does one rule over their emotions? I submit to you from the Amplified Bible and note the underlines, 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.“
Truth and Deception
The best deceptions include some truth. The more truth the easier it is to deceive. A half truth, a lie and or slander are very useful to those seeking to employ a root of bitterness. The root of bitterness is used to stir up feelings. It’s used to aggravate old or unhealed wounds. If old wounds don’t exist, then they will seek to create a wound through a narrative which encourages those who have not been harmed or wronged to take up another person’s offense. Why? It’s much easier to manipulate feelings.
What Are Some of the Demonically Inspired Ideas?
First let me say that I’ve learned how to discern the truth the same way the Secret Service is taught to recognize the counterfeit. I read and study the truth regularly. It’s been my habit since I made Jesus Lord to read the Bible through at least once annually and I study it often. Jesus is called the Word of God and the Way, the Truth and the Life. Holy Spirit is known as the Spirit of Truth. I spend time every day specifically praying.
I recommend you do the same for Jesus says in John 8:32, “and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
One of the biggest problems today is people are using way to broad a brush to paint the real issues. The scripture makes it very clear. God judges people. Not us! God the Father gave Jesus the responsibility to judge us, but He said that He came to save, so He delegated all judgment to the word of God.
The only thing that really matters is, what does God’s word say? My opinion does not matter. Therefore, that’s why I try to highlight the issue and then point us to what God’s word says. His word is all that matters.
Secondly 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 gives us more insight. It says a spiritual person judges all things. “Things,” refers to words and actions.
If we just followed that simple concept of focusing on each word, each incident, each law, vice taking one incident like George Floyd’s case and appropriating one police officer’s action to all police officers, or applying one police department’s policies and practices to all, there would be a lot more justice actually rendered.
Am I saying there aren’t any laws or policies that need to be changed? No! I am sure there are. I’m just saying each city, county, and state ought to be tasked with objectively looking at their stewardship of these important issues. The Church in each of these areas needs to step up and re-establish their relevance and usefulness by becoming a beacon of truth based upon God’s love so that the moral compass is recalibrated to the truth.
Here are just a couple of examples of demonic ideas which have been introduced.
- Lying, violence, destruction of property, theft, looting, and rioting are being defended and justified.
- Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren - Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
- Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things the LORD hates,
- The cry to defund the police combined with what occured as the govenor and mayor failed to enforce laws in Seattle’s CHOP/CHAZ zone points to lawlessness.
- Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” - 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth…
- Romans 13:1-7 indicates that police officers are also God’s ministers.
- Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
- Reparations
- Ezekiel 18:20 20
- The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
- One minister said “and don’t talk to me about reconciliation. Don’t even go there.”
- That statement comes from a root of bitterness which stirred up unforgiveness. The Bible says:
- 2 Corinthians 2:10-11
Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
- 2 Corinthians 2:10-11
- 2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation
- 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
- Reconciliation to God is the key to being reconciled to one another.
- That statement comes from a root of bitterness which stirred up unforgiveness. The Bible says:
Pastor Knyan Bridges Sets a Beautiful Example
I believe kingdom minded people in the body of Christ ought to be at the forefront of this issue. God’s word, which is the ultimate truth, ought to guide us in our response. You my friend, the kingdom minded, love founded, truth grounded, spirit led believer is the solution for this day.
I think Pastor Kynan Bridges provides an excellent example of what I mean as he begins to describe around the 3 minute mark his conversation with his sister. It’s a beautiful example of what can happen when emotions are kept in check so that genuine questions can be addressed with the truth. One of the shocking facts he shared with her is how abortion is responsible for more than 22 million black babies being aborted. That equates to about half of the black population in America today. Discover the rest of what happened by clicking here for the full Youtube video.
