When Parking in Your People Group is Problematic - Part Two
“There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” John 4:7-9 (KJV, emphasis added)
Back in the early 1980’s, I was a student athlete at Syracuse University. During this time, God, who is rich in mercy, graciously grabbed my heart with His great love (Ephesians 2:4). The good Lord led me to a bible-preaching, bible-teaching and lost-reaching church. As a young man of color (black), I was introduced to the beautiful body of Christ outside of my cultural context. A sovereign and wise God allowed me to experience worship and specifically, sound biblical instruction, with a people group (white) outside of the one with which I was raised and comfortable.
Initially, I found my time of worship with these white people unusually different and uncomfortable. I was curious and cold to their style of worship and their heavy emphasis on expository teaching. I tolerated them but I did not trust them as I had been taught not to trust white people. Now we know from the Word of God that we should not solely trust in any man above the Lord God, especially ourselves.
Only God can deliver us out of the most difficult, desperate, and disastrous circumstances and position us in a place of security and direction. Our Father God is the only One that gives us purpose and a reason to praise Him for granting us life. When we process and personalize His presence and intervention in our lives, it will cause our hearts to trust Him!
“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” Psalm 40:2-4 (KJV)
My issue with the people outside my people group related to deep internal prejudices, ignorance, intimidation and injustices that were introduced to me and experienced as a child raised in Georgia. Therefore, I established my personal protection, peace, and purpose by parking in my people group. In other words, I only trusted, travelled, engaged, embraced, listened, and loved people that looked and lived like me. I respectfully submit to you that this disposition toward individuals outside of our people group or culture is profoundly compounded by the human condition.
At the core of every conscience and heart is a reality that absolutely demands deliverance! Evil emits from every people group. Discrimination, polluted pride, and any sense of self-sustained superiority that is sanctioned by society or any soul comes from the heart and human condition that is deficient of the intervention of God. At the expense of your comfort, I ask you to consider with me the word of Christ our Lord and God:
“And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Mark 7:220-23 (KJV)
Question: Have we not witnessed the upheaval and pervasive contemptible conduct that has captured our nation? The cataclysmic chaos has been generated by anti-Christ causes including Antifa, socialist and Marxist groups, as well as the blatant hypocrisy and hatred displayed by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign. I challenge every Holy Spirit-converted Christian to start some sincere and sanctified vetting on BLM’s vision considering the organization’s connections, conduct, convictions, and non-negotiable conditions with respect to their demands. In comparing the positions propagated by BLM with the standards established by God’s Word, we can see, with all due respect, that this organization’s wagon is not hitched to heaven but hell!
I encourage you to engage with me again next week as we conclude this topic and finish discussing when parking in our people group becomes problematic.
For the Glory of God,
PBKSR