Two days after celebrating the one hundred and fifty-fifth year since the end of slavery here in America on Juneteenth and now, for Father’s Day, I write as the Lord leads to speak to the globally seen first degree murder of black American male, George Floyd, by a white male Minneapolis police officer as three other officers watched back on May 25, 2020. All of the men have since been fired and brought up on charges in the case which is righteous. In the meantime, violent rioting, looting and protest marches broke out in cities across America. While the rioting and looting have calmed down, protest marches demanding the end to national systemic racism and police reform persist.1
I have said little publically as is typical when these all too frequent events occur since I am not my own, but the Lord’s watchman/prophet speaking what He puts in my mouth and at the time He wants it spoken (Ezekiel 33:1-9).2 What I have written in social media posts as the Lord led has been directed to black and other angry protesters calling for peaceful protest and thoughtful consideration of the fact the problems of racism and police misconduct are larger and more difficult to overcome systemically than a few changes in laws, policies, procedures and in the extreme, defunding the police which no society built on the rule of law as ordained by God can afford to do (Romans 13:1-7).
To be sure, as with the Law of God, so, the laws of man are made not for those that are righteous, but those that are “lawless,” (1 Timothy 1:8-11, NKJV)! To keep order, the police are hired among other reasons as agents of society to enforce its laws amid those that for whatever reasons break them. Depending on the law, an encounter with police can occur for those that are otherwise law abiding.3 For credibility, the police are expected by God if not the governments that hire them or the people they serve to be law abiding--the same as us preachers who supposedly discipline ourselves so, after preaching to others, we are not “disqualified,” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, NKJV).
Without a doubt though, in only the news clips I have viewed the white police officer that kept his knee on the neck of George Floyd cold-heartedly murdered him.4 It was shocking, sickening and infuriating to watch as it surely has been for blacks since our forefathers as slaves began to make their inhumane voyages from West Africa to this land. For as in those days among heartless slavers and on May 25th, the evil eyes of that white police officer displayed utter contempt and disregard for George Floyd as a human being; the same contempt and disregard for human life that is in the thoroughly evil heart of Satan who hates all (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-11, 17-19; John 8:44, 13:21-30).
It is therefore, understandable that most black Americans are outraged. What has been new and amazing to see is the unprecedented numbers of white, other Americans of color and those around the world that have risen up in protest too. Watching a man being murdered as he pleads that he cannot breathe while the police officer responsible and those with him ignore this, should be more than any normal human being can take without some kind of moral offense and need to act! For this reason, I appreciate the largely peaceful uprising that has occurred in the stand many are making against systemic racism and for police reform in our society.
I am also glad my children and grand-children old enough get to see this brief moment when all but a relative few willful white Americans that refuse, finally understand our righteous cry to end the bigoted, contempt driven mistreatment of black Americans and especially our men who have been strategically targeted since slavery.5 Nevertheless, I urge that all move away from the street protests for your health since God’s Coronavirus judgment remains and because you have the attention of the nation and world--changes man can make are taking place! Keep vigilant through every legal means to hold government authorities accountable. Lastly, check yourself too, as I have urged in social media posts--racism is an issue and evil of the human heart (Mark 7:20-23)!
As such, not only our police officers that are guilty, but you also need what only God has the power to do and that is transform hearts. He has made His power available to all through repentance and faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day; sending His power through the Holy Spirit into the hearts of those that believe to make loving our neighbor possible--or if you are white, do you only intend to march for, but refuse to love your black neighbors (Matthew 18:1-5; John 3:1-8; Titus 3:1-7)? This is a clarion call for authentic Christian white Americans to redeem the failure of your forefathers to be true ambassadors of reconciliation and represent biblical Christianity as God intended to all (2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2).
Still, I must caution particularly my fellow Christian black Americans that will please God and do His will biblically not to walk again into the snare of believing we have arrived at what we have waited for so long: a widespread permanent change of heart among and acceptance by our white neighbors.6 Indeed, we have seen this movie before and already the call to defeat is being sounded by those who lead the Civil Rights Movement today; who make our righteous quest for racial, morally equivalent to gender and sexual justice.7 The dream of racial harmony well articulated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, yet awaits the Second Coming of Jesus Christ because as He foretold, even natural human love that could get us close is diminishing as lawlessness increases (Matthew 24:12).
1 Before I could begin to reflect good before the Lord about this post, another black male, Rayshard Brooks, was shot in the back in Atlanta, GA by another white officer
while fleeing arrest on Friday, June 12th. That officer was fired immediately and has since been charged with murder.
2 See the July 29, 2018 two-part repost addressing the Trayvon Martin tragedy, The Racial Double Standard, under the category, Call To Repent.
3 I have had a few traffic violations over the course of my more than fifty years of driving, for example, and a couple of incidents that brought me into direct encounter
with the police. Most officers were professional and courteous. But as a black male, I have also had the humiliating experience of being disrespected by a few arro-
gant white police officers that were overbearing in wielding their authority.
4 Those that have watched the entire video time out the episode at eight minutes and forty-six seconds.
5 Read especially part two of my 2015 Father’s Day post, Mama’s Boys, under the category, Black History that began on June 21st. While it is an ancient tactic of war-
fare to target men for death when subduing peoples because of their natural will and ability to protect their families if given the opportunity, the prolonged and cruel
acts of guilty white males from slavery to thoroughly oppress, humiliate, dominate and demoralize black males with religious sanction surely ranks high among all of
the evil acts of mankind. I urge all men to read my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to understand how to handle our business in the image of Jesus
Christ as God wills. Get a print copy or digital download of the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple
(digital only). You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.
6 Does anybody remember the 1978 Allan Bakke Affirmative Action Reverse Discrimination case and the Supreme Court decision? Also, see the November 29, 2015
post, When The Glory Comes, under the category, Glory To God! The counsel the Lord gave me in this post stands and will be fulfilled sooner than anyone reading
this can imagine! However, ‘“the just shall live by faith,’” (Hebrews 10:35-39, NKJV). We do not wait for sinful man, but the living God!
7 A man I have deep admiration and respect for as one of the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement, Congressman John Lewis, expressed the politically and socially
liberal heart of today’s leaders and participants in an interview on June 7th while visiting the DC street painted “Black Lives Matter” with its Mayor and reported by
BET.com. Search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation to see if God ever sanctions racial injustice (Deuteronomy 1:17, 10:17-19), calls mortal man other than male
or female (Matthew 19:1-4) or sexual perversion righteous in His sight (Romans 1:18-32). You automatically kick the God of the Bible to the curb and assure certain
eventual defeat when you advocate for and make coalitions with those in active rebellion against Him (Psalms 2, 33:12-22; Isaiah 31:1-3; 1 John 5:4-5).
At the opening of this Black History Month I celebrate my ethnicity before the God who in His perfect creative wisdom made me what I am and will be forever! My celebration is not intended to exalt blacks as superior, discredit or exclude the reality of my brothers of other ethnicities since we are together what the same God made us to be as the creature, man, leading to celebration by all of our existence from Him. While it is a sad fact of history that my celebration of black history came about from evil circumstances, I am not mad at anyone in it. However, even with improvement, I do at times painfully realize America has still not arrived at an appreciative biblical worldview of ethnicity.
Clearly, from the beginning, God our Creator intended that mankind should be displayed in a variety of physical hues, size dimensions and features though, He created from the dust just the one man, Adam (Genesis 2:7, 5:1-3). As scientists that are Christian and/or honest now understand, the variety of hues, size dimensions and features among the human race are the result of genetic programming in the human body. This programming includes gene copying and mutations over time that point to the logical, inescapable conclusion of an intelligent design by a purposeful Designer; a Designer the Bible declares is God (Exodus 4:11; Proverbs 20:12; Acts 17:26; Romans 1:18-21)!1
In spite of all of the negative associations with ethnicity sinful men have created over the centuries to this hour, another evident intent of God concerning mankind is that we should retain our ethnicities eternally! This is plainly seen in the global extent to which the salvation of God through the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ, was to be proclaimed (Isaiah 49:5-6; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:44-49; John 20:19-23; Acts 1:8). It is also seen and celebrated in the outcome of the proclamation to the end of this present age; the Lord’s labor beginning through His faithful apostles with the Jews (Acts 2:36-47, 10:34-48, 13:1-3, 14:21-28; Romans 10:14-18; Revelation 5:9, 7:9-10).
Finally, God’s intention to retain the ethnic diversity of mankind forever is seen in His prophetic Word. Indeed, as the Lord led me to write in the two-part post, Revelation’s Seven Churches In Time, starting January 5, 2020 under the category, Bible Prophecy, individual saints are shown as from every nation or ethnicity of man in the new, eternal future God has planned (Revelation 21:1-14, 22-27). Knowing these truths, Christians more than all other people on earth are to appreciate and celebrate the wonder and beauty of humanity’s ethnic diversity as the “very good” work of our Creator (Genesis 1:31, NKJV). But we too, with the world have issues with bigotry that degrades ethnicity.
As I wrote of God’s racial diversity initiative in another post, ethnic and racial prejudice is still just as prevalent among professed Christian churches in large numbers as it is in wider secular society.2 To its credit, secular society is making a serious though, spiritually and morally flawed effort through its newly invented political correctness, tolerance and multiculturalism to do better. Among some churches, an effort is being made not to recognize ethnicity or race at all as a means to show progress in race relations. While this should be done as it relates to love in interpersonal relations, to deny or ask someone to deny their ethnic or racial heritage is not biblically consistent with God’s will.
No one should be forced to downplay or made to feel ashamed of their ethnicity because God is the source cause as our Creator! Instead, we are to celebrate what we are as creatures purposely “formed,” “fearfully and wonderfully made” and “skillfully wrought” by God (Psalm 139:13-15, NKJV).3 Wickedly, the recognition and special celebration of black Americans in American history came about because whites in the majority refused to include them in the curriculum and text books of their segregated public and private educational institutions. This flagrant act of bigotry was endorsed with the purposeful support and willful silence of those that also called themselves Christians as though Jesus Christ--who is Jewish, was okay with this.4
As a Christian black American aspiring to be a strong man of God in the image of Christ,5 I rejoice in the truth the Lord is not a bigot! Too, in His perfect will, He does not support demoralizing oppression to the point of rendering an ethnicity worthless through attempting to erase their history though, He has allowed it as one of the many negative outcomes of sin and His judgment in the world (Ecclesiastes 4:1-3; Jeremiah 5:15-19, 16:10-13; Lamentations 1:1-11). I am grateful to God for His mercy that last century inspired Carter G. Woodson to launch an observance of black history6 which I mark in days now that have only moderated in overt ethnic and racial bigotry. Elimination awaits Christ’s Second Coming on the way to God’s new eternal order (Isaiah 11:1-10, 56:6-8).
1 View David Rives’ Creation In The 21st Century Episode On Race for a biblical and scientific discussion.
2 See the December 6, 2015 post, Celebrating God’s Racial Diversity Initiative, under the category, Call Repent.
3 Thus, for example, so-called progressive minded predominantly black American churches that do not want to engage in purposeful evangelism and ministry among
those that share the same ethnic and racial heritage because of concern about offending their white and mixed race members are foolish. In every city Paul, the
Jewish apostle to us Gentiles, started with fellow Jews because of his natural ethnic and spiritual relation to as well as love for them in their shared heritage (Acts 9:
10-22, 13:1-5, 13-17, 42-47, 14:1, 17:1-3; Romans 9:1-5). No one faults our white brothers in their predominantly white churches for naturally connecting to their
own, but only that they or anyone for bigoted reasons should purposely avoid and exclude others. God’s heart in me like the apostle Paul is that I should preach the
Gospel and witness Christ to all as the Holy Spirit gives opportunity and also be burdened (as I am) to make sure those from among whom I have sprung ethnical-
ly in America with our shared heritage of slavery and racism hear accurately from a biblical worldview to the end of becoming victors rather than victims! Those that
would nobly (though, deceitfully) exalt themselves above recognizing ethnicity even in a positive way are deluding themselves and not impressing God as they think
since He is the Author of ethnicity. Read my May through November 2006 series of Journals, The Renewing Of Our Minds to see what worldview such uninformed
thinking arises from at https://fromslaverytovictory.org/Journal-Archives .
4 Read the February 3, 2019 post, Christianity In Black And White, under the category, Black History.
5 I write about the way of Jesus Christ, the Strong Man of God in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. Get a print copy or digital download of the book
at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only). You can also get a print copy in this Ministry's
Strong Man Store.
6 So, clearly, God gets the glory for caring enough to inspire the courage of Mr. Woodson to create the observance! This truth should serve as a warning rebuke to
those black Americans that are guilty of focusing almost exclusively on individual human achievements and success in the observance which are truly shallow in
the context of the deeper and richer spiritual realities of God’s purposeful involvement in our common historical experience. God’s involvement is evident in the bib-
lical worldview of black history presented in the continuing educational spirit of the observance by Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. in our From Slavery To
Victory Victory Education Project. Learn more at https://fromslaverytovictory.org. To God be the glory!
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