Acts 10
Scott Taylor is prejudicial. The word "prejudice" means to judge ahead of time, to judge someone before you know their whole story. I see two young men with white dress shirts and skinny black ties walking on Courtland Avenue and immediately judge them as Mormons. I see two ladies dressed provocatively standing near a street light and immediately judge them to be prostitutes. I see two gold-chain wearing, hooded, pant-saggers walking down the street and immediately judge them as rappers.
Is this wrong? Is this what Jesus wants us to do? How are Christ followers to think when it comes to race and cultural differences?
This was a huge problem for the early church. Not only did the Jews label the Gentiles, but their attitudes also separated them from any meaningful interaction. Jews did not associate with Gentiles "at all." (28) So they put a label on people and felt that gave them the right to never find out their story. This attitudinal barrier always resulted in isolation, insulation and intimidation.
Addressing racism in a Biblical way requires us to invest time and energy on many different levels. This investment must be done with intentionality and a willingness to sacrifice. Overcoming boundaries never occurs passively. I am convinced that the greatest hope for racial reconciliation occurs when the gospel leads the way.
The gospel says God loves all people.
The gospel says the "image of God" is tattooed on every person.
The gospel says to "GO" and be the initiator.
The gospel says to pray for your enemies.
The gospel says to share the love of God with all groups.
The gospel says to sacrifice and give your life for others.
In the end God wants to reconcile Mormons, prostitutes and rappers to his kingdom. So this requires fresh thinking on our part. The next time you are ready to slap a label on someone walking down the street, ask God how he wants you to reach that person with the gospel and to value that person as he does.
No comments:
Post a Comment