Day Five: One Blood, One Family

Revelations 7:9-10 (NIV): After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

“… [R]acism makes an assumption that there is more than one race… Racism is based on a lie. God created one race, one blood. That’s the human race. The very idea of the Gospel is that we would be one. The world would know that we are Christians because of our oneness, and because of our love. Jesus intentionally brought together disciples who were very different—fishermen, tax collectors—not people who would naturally love one another. But he did this to show us what love looks like in practice. We have the privilege of putting this same kind of love on display as we love those in the body of Christ who don’t look like us.” [John Perkins, One Blood, p. 13, 75]

Let’s worship to the song, “Resurrecting” by Elevation Worship (click here).

Prayer: Thank you Lord for dying on the cross to make us one. I confess that, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” I worship and praise you, the resurrected king. In Jesus’ name, amen.

– CR

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Day Four: Against you

Luke 15:21 (MSG): The son started his speech: ‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’

“There is something so compelling about this prodigal son’s confession. And I think what makes it so heartwarming is the humility he demonstrates. It’s beautiful because it’s such a picture of brokenness. Brokenness is the opposite of pride. It is the willingness to admit our faults without concern for our reputation. It is the willingness to lay down our own rights and do whatever benefits the other. It is putting the needs of the other above our own. It lays the groundwork for reconciliation to occur. This prodigal son acknowledged that as he sinned against his earthly father, he was also sinning against the God of heaven. Our sins against our brothers and sisters are ultimately against our Father in heaven. As we struggle to become reconciled to one another, this is an essential part of the process. Each of us must “come to ourselves” and own our part in this mess … and we must become broken about it.” [John Perkins, One Blood, p. 81]

 Prière: Lord, I confess my thoughts, attitudes, and actions that are hurtful to others, recognizing that I have ultimately sinned against you. May I realize the role I have played and be broken about it. Give me the courage to seek reconciliation. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 Let’s worship to the song, “I Will Boast In Christ” by Hillsong Worship (click here). 

 – CR

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Day Three: Far from your heart

Luke 15: 31-32 (MSG): “His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’”

 I am humbled to think how “close” we can be to the Father and yet be so far from his heart and his ways. Similarly, Christians who promote racists attitudes, and Christians who are blind to their racial biases are like the older son. We are close by the Father, should know his heart, but we can be so very far from him. The only remedy is the healing balm of confession that recognizes our selfish-pride and sin before God.

“Oh, how beautiful it would be if we could wash one another’s wounds from the evil of racism in the church! That could be the balm that heals us… But those wounds cannot and will not be healed without first being exposed. We must do as the prodigal did and acknowledge that we have sinned against God and against one another.” [John Perkins, One Blood, p. 83]

Prière: Lord, help me to see when I am far from your heart. May I be a part of applying the healing balm of confession in our church as I acknowledge when I have sinned against you and others. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 Let’s worship to the song, “God of Revival” by Bethel Music (click here).

– CR

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Day Two: Loving the (in)visible

1 John 4:19-21 (NIV): We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

“The perfect love that drives out fear, drives out hatred also. If God’s love for us is made complete when we love one another, so is our love for God. John does not mince his words. If how a person behaves contradicts what he says, he is a liar… To claim to love God while hating our brothers is also a lie… It is obviously easier to love and serve a visible human being than an invisible God, and if we fail in the easier task, it is absurd to claim success in the harder… Every claim to love God is a delusion if it is not accompanied by unselfish and practical love for our brothers and sisters.” [John Stott, The Letters of John: Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, p.173]

Let’s worship to the song, “Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace)” by Hillsong Worship (click here).

Prayer: Lord, thank you for loving us. Help me to live in a way that is aligned with my identity as a child of God. May I actively and practically love my brothers and sisters in Christ and those that are not like me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

– CR

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Day One: One in Christ

Galatians 3:28 (NIV): There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

John Piper states that, “The Gospel explains and undermines racism.” The Gospel explains it because racism is a symptom of living in a world marked by sin. Both science and the bible have been misused to justify racism in the past. This is a sign of sinful humanity’s tendency to twist and corrupt everything it touches. The reality is that everyone, sinful and self-centered by nature, is tainted with racist tendencies to varying degrees. We harbor biases and prejudices, whether because of upbringing, cultural or societal influence, traumatic experiences, and/or fear and suspicion of those who are different. The good news is that all sin, including racism, is undermined through Christ’s death that reconciles us to God and to one another. It breaks down the barriers that separate us from God and the walls that separate us from one another. As children of God, we are all one in Christ.      

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that we are forgiven and reconciled in Christ. Open my eyes to see any areas where I have been blind to my own biases and prejudices. Instead, help me see the world and my brothers and sisters in Christ in light of the Gospel. Help us as a church to exhibit the Gospel love that undermines racism. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song, “Upon Him” by Matt Redman (click here).

– CR

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