Glenn on Discipleship

JPUSA deals with racial reconciliation every day. We have to, or we don't exist as a community, nor as an inner-city church. Most of those we serve in our women's shelter, in the youth outreaches (Brothers and Sisters United), much of the outreach of Grace and Glory is to the black community. We have several hispanic outreach ties, and a number of latino people living and working here in JPUSA, and also have spawned ongoing outreach in Mexico and helped in Guatamala as well as reached into Costa Rica and other places. Finally, we don't have enough time to discuss Native North American or First Nations issues here. I can spew (and I mean spit...) more info. out on the filthy, unconscionable way the U.S. of A. (citizenry and government) treated Native Americans than you'd care to hear. Really, there is a real anger in my heart at what we DARE to do to those created in God's own image in the name of WHAT?!!! Self. Personal comfort schemes. Manifest Destiny?!!! Hell IS.

John Perkins, Tony Evans, and Raleigh Washington, are hands down the leaders in this area who I have the utmost respect for. Of course, Dr. Martin Luther King, but those I mention are doing very practical things NOW. In Soweto, South Africa, Ceasar Molebotsi. There are others. As for churches, the top ones are pastored or certainly mentored by these individuals - this is my limited knowlege on it.

The best thing I believe we can do is to overcome evil with good. I think we wash the feet of those our race and fathers have enslaved and exploited by treating them with genuine respect, dignity, and cautiously offering assistance to the widow, orphan, elderly, infirm. I think we offer immediate and practical options to the living conditions and trash job opportunities others offer "them". I think we invite people to a meal, for overnights, on vacations. I think we invite people to socialize in recreation, concerts, whatever we can. I think we very cautiously ask questions and listen. Read "Black Like Me". Read history. Compare priciples of racism across the years from Spain's treatment of it's conquered peoples to England's treatment of nearly every nation they ever conquered to America's dealings with the slavery issue to the New York draft riots where largely Irish immigrants burned several square blocks of black businesses, actually murdering every black man, woman and child, as well as a huge orphanage in the Yankee North- because they didn't want to die for "them". I think we must link Nazism, British Imperialism, Japaneese racism and every other form of gentile or Arab-based Jew-bashing, etc., etc, because at the heart of all of this we come to some very basic, sickening truths about ourselves.

When self is Lord, there are no (besides Jesus...) saviours among us, and no salvation. Nothing is gained but separation, destruction and decay when we cease to work hard at getting inside the other soul's hurts. In truth, ALL have sinned, and if we would take more time to look at O.T. passages that speak about how God COMMANDED His people to treat the outcast, the foreigner, the gentile, the stranger, cities of refuge and His thinking on all of this, we might find practical answers as well. I sure have.

But again, as I raised in very wealthy mega-churches in South Africa some years back, exactly WHO in your neighborhood, city or country IS "the least of these"? That is SOMEBODY'S mother. Father. Grandmother, grandfather, ister, brother. Could be yours but for skin pigment or social standing. Did Jesus shed any LESS of His blood for that individual than for you? Than for YOUR brother, sister, etc..? Hello?????

There is no escape from this argument, none. I have been the outcast, the weak, the foolish, the poor, the Samaritan (hated by Jews, loved by Jesus). Favor does NOT absolutely equal "better than others" on any level. God's favor is often brutally confused with the idea of "earned worth" of an individual or people group. There are so many trucks one can drive through that sort of position that there isn't enough oil in the world to fuel all of them! God burned this in my heart long before I was ever a Christian, so you see, I have thought long and hard about these things. God help us. God forgive us. God plow our self-preservation, self-glorification hearts. Plant nurtuing, serving hearts in us. Mercy. Mercy and grace. We shall surely reap and must never wonder why. It is all too clear. My life is not my own.

Race Reconcliation Online