Daily Devotional for Tuesday August 7, 2012

What Does God Say about Racism

(Genesis 1:26,27; Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Galatians 3:28)

***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, I attended a bible study on the Holy Spirit. I witnessed a lady who started laughing out loud, then yelling Jesus' name and spoke in tongues (I think). Then she fell on the floor. I was told that she had the Holy Spirit in her. I would like your opinion on this.

ANSWER: Everyone at the time they are saved, at that instant, recieve the promise of the "comforter," or the Holy Spiriit. However, it is up to each person to YIELD to that Spirit that indwells them. With the indwelling Holy Spirit, we also recieve spiritual "gifts." Here is a link to a Devotional I did on the Gifts of the Spirit that will detail what you are asking. http://www.liveprayer.com/ddarchive3.cfm?id=4845

What does God say about racism? Like in all matters of life, when we need the Truth, the real answers, we have to go to our final authority in all matters, the Bible. One of the greatest weapons of satan is division. The enemy has figured out every way imaginable to divide men. Since virtually the beginning of the human experience, man has fallen into satan's trap of division based on the color of a person's skin or their ethnic origin. While racism has always been an issue in this country, the fact is it is an issue in every country. This divisive mindset is not unique to the United States. Sadly, in some form it is practiced everywhere on the planet.

Since the racially incendiary remarks by President Obama's pastor of 20 years, Dr. Jeremiah Wright, became such a big part of the Presidential campaign 4 years ago, it sparked a national dialogue on race. Than Senator Obama, gave a speech on race that was lauded by many. Those who made such a big deal over his speech were most likely swayed by the fact he was dealing so openly with a taboo subject few will talk about. However, his speech was hollow, self serving, and nothing more than a political move to do damage control because of his close association with Dr. Wright.

President Obama's race speech did NOTHING to help people or this nation deal with this scourge, since the victory over racism isn't going to come from the flowery words of a politician whose only motive and goal is to get elected President. No my friend, if people and this nation are going to truly get victory over racism, it has got to come from an understanding of what God says about this issue and by people who are willing to follow what God says in the Bible.

If President Obama had intended to really take a leadership role on the race issue, educate the nation and provide real answers for how to get victory over this inhumane way people treat others who are different than they are, then he would have told people what God says about racism. God says MUCH about this issue, but President Obama didn't find it worth including even one verse of Scripture.

*THIS IS WHY I TELL YOU SO OFTEN THAT IT WILL NOT BE A POLITICIAN, BUT A MAN GOD HAS CALLED TO LEAD PEOPLE IN THE WAYS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!

The fact is, there is only one race, the human race! People may have white skin, black skin, brown skin, yellow skin, red skin, or any other color skin, they may have different ethnic backgrounds, but they are all part of the same race, the human race! The Bible says that ALL MEN are created in the image of God. God created all men equal. I tell you frequently that satan is the great perverter. It is satan, not God, who seeks to divide men by their skin color, ethnicity, financial means, and any other way you can dream up to divide people. God created men equal to live in harmony with one another. It is satan who introduced division into the human experience.

In God's plan of redemption, there is no division. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world, ALL men. It says that WHOSOEVER BELIEVES. That is a universal call to ALL MEN regardless the color of their skin or where they live. In 1 John 2:2, it talks about how Jesus laid down his life for EVERYONE. Everyone means ALL MEN, the entire human race. This satanically inspired way we have of dividing ourselves through racism, prejudice, and discrimination all make a mockery of what Christ did on the cross. He faithfully and obediently went to that cross to die for the sins of ALL MANKIND.

That is why all of the black pastors I know repudiate the false black liberation theology Dr. Jeremiah Wright has been teaching for over 3 decades. Wright is actually a student of James Cone who made this perverse theology popular in the 60s that teaches the Bible is the basis for blacks to be liberated from social, political, economic, and religious bondage. President Obama is a liar when he stated he never heard the types of comments made by Dr. Wright the media has been playing, since that is the foundational teaching of the black liberation theology Wright has been preaching in Chicago for over 30 years.

The fact is the Bible DOES teach liberation theology, LIBERATION FROM SIN!!! It was not written to people with dark skin, but to all people regardless of their skin color. We are all part of the human race, which means we are all born with the sin of Adam, we all sin during our life, and that is why Jesus went to the cross. He gave His very life on that cross as the payment for the sins of all mankind, that through faith in Him men might be find freedom from their sins. There is nothing in the Bible to support this false black liberation theology Dr. Wright preaches, since the liberation theology of the Bible is about the freedom from sin for ALL MEN!

You also have the Biblical example of Jesus during His earthly ministry. Again, racism is not a new phenomena to the United States in our brief 232 year history. Forms of racism have been part of the human expedience since the very beginning. Jesus commanded us in John 13:34 to love each other as He loves us. He used people of other ethnic backgrounds often in His parables. One of the most powerful is the story of the Good Samaritan. If you remember, the Jewish religious leaders passed by the man who had been robbed and beaten and laying on the side of the road, leaving him to die. It was the Samaritan, the non-Jew, who honored God by stopping and ministering to the needs of the injured man. Don't forget, it was Jesus who told his followers to make disciples of EVERY NATION, reaffirming the value of all men.

I love you and care about you so much. If President Obama wants to give a real speech on racism to move hearts and lead people in this issue, THIS is the message he should have delivered. It would have been a message from God's Word that laid the Biblical foundation all men are created equal and those who seek to divide men by the color of their skin are not of God, but of satan! It would not have been the self serving, politically crafted words to try and help him weasel out of his 20 year association with a pastor and church that preaches and teaches division based on the color of a person's skin. Dividing men by skin color, ethnicity, are the works of the devil.

Those who truly seek to serve and follow the Lord are not looking to divide men but unite them. A true follower of Christ understands that God created all men equal, that we are all part of the human race. Racism, prejudice, and discrimination are NOT of God, since we are hurting someone God created and loves and Jesus died for! Sadly, 11 am on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week in this nation. That is truly a shame since the one sanctuary from racism should be the church. Yet sadly, most churches don't lead the culture, they allow the culture to lead them. So rather than modeling what God says about this issue, in far too many churches, they perpetuate this ungodly attitude men have for other men who look different than them.

They better wake up since when we die, and stand at the gates of Heaven, there won't be a line for whites, or a line for blacks, or a line for Asians, or a line for Hispanics, or a line for those from the Middle East, just like there won't be a line for Catholics, or Baptists, or Methodists, or Pentecostals. No my friend, when you take your last breath there will only be two lines. One for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and one for those who have rejected Christ. The Bible proclaims those who reject Christ will be cast into the flames of hell for all eternity, and those who know Jesus will be welcomed into their eternal home with God their Creator in Heaven. At that moment, Galatians 3:38 will be realized, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus!"

***PLEASE PRAY ABOUT SOWING A SPECIAL GIFT TO LIVEPRAYER DURING OUR ANNIVERSARY MONTH. MANY HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY GOD'S WORK HERE, BUT HAVE NEVER GIVEN TO HELP US. ACTUALLY, LESS THAN 1/4 OF 1% OF THOSE WE REACH EVERY GIVE A DIME TO SUPPORT GOD'S WORK HERE. ALL WE HAVE DONE OVER THESE 13 YRS, IMPACTING LITERALLY TENS OF MILLIONS OF LIVES WORLDWIDE, HAS ONLY BEEN POSSIBLE BECAUSE FRIENDS LIKE YOU PRAYED AND MADE THE SACRIFICE TO HELP US BE HERE EACH DAY FOR THE HURTING AND LOST.

MOST EVERYONE CAN SEND SOMETHING. LET ME CHALLENGE YOU TO GIVE A GIFT OF $13, $130, $1300, OR FOR SOME, $13,000. THAT IS $1, $10, $100, OR $1,000 FOR EACH YEAR OF SERVICE. GOD WILL MULTIPLY YOUR GIFT EXPONENTIALLY IN THE LIVES AND SOULS OF THOSE WE REACH WITH HIS TRUTH AND THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST!

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE, YOUR PRAYERS, AND YOUR SACRIFCE. THESE 13 YEARS HAVE ONLY BEEN POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF YOU, AND I THANK GOD FOR YOU EACH DAY. KNOW YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE IN MY PRAYERS. WE PRESS ON TOWARDS THE PRIZE!

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller