It is a strange way to open
this blog, but I feel I must need to address an issue of great importance.
Some say we are all brothers
and sisters under the skin. In some way
that may be true, such as whites, blacks, American Indians, American Irishman,
and the list could go on and on. We seem
to be a mix of people that come from a variety of stock. In America
As for me, I have a little of
several backgrounds to create who I am today: A little German, a pinch of
Cherokee Indian, a small bit of Irish, some British and Scandinavian pieces,
and then Southern born and breed all rolled into a red-bloodied American, from
the South, who proudly and boldly waves the flag of freedom.
That is who I am, so therefore
genetically I am brother and proudly stand with all my family in America
Following the Bible, God’s Holy
Word, and its teaching regarding those who follow Christ, there are certain
guidelines which must be adhered to claim family relations. Those who are brothers and sisters in Christ,
are those who believe in One Faith, One Baptism, One Lord. To claim to be a part of the family of God,
one must note and accept the teaching related to: Father God is Creator of all
people, the basis from which life flows, the Sustainer of life and liberty;
that Jesus was the Incarnation of God-He was all God and all man; Jesus was
born in a manger, taught about God the Father, lived a sinless life, was
crucified and died upon an old rugged cross for the sin of the world; that
Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb, rose again from the dead and was seen in
several places and by many people after His death: that Jesus ascended into
heaven leaving the disciples and all who would come to faith in Christ for
salvation a mandate and a commission; and that He will return visibly and
without warning to take His children to be with Him and those who have rejected
Him will be thrown into a lake of fire.
Yep, accept these things, believe on Jesus as Savior-the only way to the
Father-and we can have fellowship; we are family.
Some will take parts and
pieces, here and there, from the Word and claim fellowship; calling themselves
by the name of “Christian” or “Church” or “preachers of the Word,” but hold on
one minute-unless you accept the main tenants of the Word of God, how can you
attempt to take on the above mentioned names and pretend-yes, pretend-to be in
right fellowship without basing that fellowship on the Word of God.
Take for instance, the issue of
the death and resurrection of Christ. It
is a big deal. It really is, because if
you falter there, you falter on all principles.
Jesus Christ came to die; there had to be a sacrifice, blood had to be
shed for the sins of the world. Jesus
did that, but there are some who say that He “swooned” on the cross; fainted
from the horrific pain and extreme heat, and the lack of nutrition. “Swooned” means to faint and Jesus did not
act like a love-sick Southern girl and faint, no He died. When they took Him off the cross and laid Him
in the borrowed tomb He was dead. According
to Old Testament Canon something had to be offered, something had to die for sin. Jesus did!
He accepted my place and your place on the cross and in the tomb, to
redeem us and sit us free!
This was for all people; people
everywhere. The words of Paul ring true
here:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in
Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28 ESV).
This
is the verse my beloved wife posted on my Facebook wall a few days ago. And if you do not mind, I need to address her
for a moment:
“Sweetheart,
this verse is good, supports Truth. But,
lest we make some KJV’er angry, then we need to see what the King James says.”
In
our efforts to not turn anyone way and miss an opportunity for you to see this
verse in its more common and most likely acceptable translation, read the
following:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor
free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ
Jesus.” Read a little further, to the
next verse: “And if ye be
Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
(Galatians 3:28-29 KJV)
Accepting Christ as Savior and Lord,
believing on Him as the payment for your sin and that He was and is the Son of
God, and confessing your sin to Him and confessing His as your Savior, you are
saved. As former President Jimmy Carter
said, in his Georgia
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. For the scripture saith,
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” (Romans 10:9-11 KJV)
Now, with that said, let us focus on
a travesty of this pure gospel; a twisting and turning of this truth which has
sent an entire county into turmoil, and culminated with a “cross burning” where
only “white Christians” were allowed to congregate.
All eyes focused on the South, on Alabama Lamar County
An article posted to news.yahoo.com was circulated virally on
Twitter and Facebook this week is copied here for your convenience:
A controversial
pastor's conference welcoming only "white Christians" is underway in Lamar County Ala. Winfield
Christian Identity
Ministries is holding a three-day conference for so-called "white
Christians" who contend they have been treated unfairly, the Rev. Mel
Lewis told local TV station WSFA. Lewis, the organizer and keynote speaker,
says they have the right, like any other Americans, to worship how they wish.
Ku Klux Klan flags and
white supremacy slogans surround the conference, which will conclude with a
cross being set on fire Friday night. Organizers say it's not a cross-burning,
but rather sacred Christian cross lighting.
"We are not
breaking any laws. We're not violating any ordinances. We're bringing the Word
of God to people who want it, obviously, or they wouldn't be here," Lewis
told the TV station.
Lewis said of the
conference-goers: "They are part of the chosen race."
The mayor of nearby
Winfield said residents are upset, and the event does not represent their town
in any way.
"Business people
are upset. The city is upset. The city of Winfield
"It's surprising
to see something like that in our town," said Tyler Cantrell. "I know
it's been here in the past."
Organizers say their
ministry is not a hate group and that although there is a strong KKK presence,
the Klan did not sponsor the event.
By
Ron Recinto; The Lookout; Thursday July 5, 2012
news.yahoo.com
Oh, my dear Lord, where do I start? In the above mentioned article there are so
many entry points; so much truth to reveal amidst the lies and fraud-where do I
begin? Guide me Lord, please, lest I
enter the flesh and mess everything up.
While they are correct in one thing,
and that is they have the right to do this, there is something to say regarding
their audacity to claim Christ and Christian principles and biblical reasoning
behind all this grandstanding. As with
anyone or any group which has a sinister and demonic side to it, they went
about their business of advertising this meeting-oh, I cannot use the word
“revival” (I will touch on that soon)-by posting fliers after dark. Doing their deeds without permission or
face-face meetings with business owners, they were going about what they feel
is truth, in the cover of night.
Then proposing that only white
people are the chosen people of God…
"Yes, we believe
that the Europeans and their descendants are the chosen people of God,"
read a statement on the website for Christian Identity Ministries, which is
holding the event with Church of God Chosen . "We believe this, not because
we think that the white race is superior, but because there is overwhelming
proof in support of this belief. We do not back down from this belief, because
we are certain."
According to thecelebritycafe.com
Wait! Hold on, because this is something that needs
to be discussed. If, and I say “IF” the
Bible teaches that only “Whites” are the “chosen” then what are you going to do
with this verse?
“For
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over
all is rich unto all that call upon him.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
(Romans 10:12-13 KJV)
The
“chosen” are the Israelites, the ones in Old Testament history, who were
brought out of captivity, marched through the Red Sea, fed and kept clothed in
the Wilderness wanderings, and given the land to settle in-which now they fight
to keep. Yes, those are the ones Jesus
came to save, but they refused him, and the gospel was extended from the Jew to
the Gentile. For this reason Paul wrote
to the Romans saying, “There is no difference between Jew and Greek…whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That simply means everyone-black or white,
red or yellow, green or blue; they are all precious in His sight. To Christian Identity Ministries and Mr.
Collier and to the White Only “Christians” I beg to differ with you on sound,
biblical ground and come on, let us discuss it and I will show you the TRUTH!
An
old friend from many years ago wrote on my Facebook wall a comment regarding
this article. She wrote, “This is crazy....I
thought we had changed!” Misty, in some
ways we have changed. We are free to eat
in restaurants with our black friends, go to movies, attend the same schools,
share the same doctors and blood, even live in the same neighborhoods where our
children can play with their children; but all is not fully changed. No, in the South it has been said that the
most segregated hour is the Eleven o’clock hour on Sunday
morning. For the major part of the south
this is very true. In some ways I
understand this, because there is a vast difference in the style and stamina of
worship. Also, the make up of leadership
and political beliefs are varied; but whites should never exclude the blacks
and blacks ought never to exclude the whites.
We should be able to worship together and for some, like my own church,
we are doing that with grace and godly behavior.
The mandate of the Word of God is to
love all people, regardless of their color.
Love that Jesus exemplified before us was a true, godly love. It is something by which we will be known for
as His followers.
“By this shall all men
know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35 KJV)
“By this,” Jesus said. By what?
Well look at the preceding verses.
Jesus had showed humility and washed the feet of the disciples. He portrayed Judas for what he was, a traitor
who sold his soul to the devil. Then He
said to the eleven remaining disciples that the new commandment He was putting
before them was to love all people-everyone-no matter the color of their skin
or the ancestry they come from. We prove
we are His disciples by the love we show.
Now, there is the chosen of God-those who have believed on Him and
trusted Him will show love to all people.
That my friend is TRUTH!
The Old Testament saints quoted the
words, which Jesus reiterated, but also explained:
“And thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind, and with all thy strength: this is
the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is
none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31 KJV)
He also stated:
“This
is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends.
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:12-14
KJV)
Love was an incredible action,
which Jesus revealed in His life and message.
That is what love is-action! We
show that we belong to Him when we love all people. It is not an easy task, it requires work, but
in the end it is the action by which others know we are His disciples; His
followers.
Jesus loved all people. He loved the sin sick, the physically sick,
the helpless and the hopeless. There was
no one He did not love. As His followers
we too are to love all people. Jesus did
not accept the sin and neither should we; but He loved them through the
sin. He loved the person and hated the
sin.
Paul picked up on
this theme of love when he wrote:
“Let all your things be done with charity.” (1 Corinthians 16:14 KJV)
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself.” (Galatians 5:14 KJV)
“But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV)
“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And
walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:1-2 KJV)
“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and
more in knowledge and in all
judgment…” (Philippians 1:9 KJV)
“Fulfil
ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let
nothing be done through strife
or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than
themselves. Look not every man on his
own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:2-5 KJV)
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any
man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” (Colossians 3:12-13 KJV)
“And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one
toward another, and toward all men,
even as we do toward you…” (1
Thessalonians 3:12 KJV)
Then James adds:
“If ye fulfil the
royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,
ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced
of the law as transgressors.” (James 2:8-9 KJV)
But John really
pounds the nail home:
“He
that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even
until now. He that loveth his brother
abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in
darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that
darkness hath blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:9-11 KJV)
“We
know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He
that loveth not his brother
abideth in death.” (1 John 3:14 KJV)
“Hereby
perceive we the love of God,
because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth
his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My
little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in
truth. And hereby we know that we are of
the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.” (1 John 3:16-19 KJV)
“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the
name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.”
(1 John 3:23 KJV)
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and
every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” (1 John 4:7 KJV)
“No man
hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his
love is perfected in us. Hereby know we
that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” (1
John 4:12-13 KJV)
“If a
man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth
not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
(1 John 4:20 KJV)
“And
this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother
also.” (1 John 4:21 KJV)
Wow,
a great deal of scripture, right? Oh,
there is so much more that we could add to these. Just take the time to retrieve a topical
Bible and you will find many more verses related to the theme of love-your love
for God, God’s love for you, your love for others-and you will see that this is
the thread that draws all us together and the very crimson thread that gives us
our position as believers.
When
I hear of groups like this one in Lamar County Lamar County
This
organization called Christian Identity
Ministries reveals something far from Christian or ministry. The Word of God says Christians take on the
personality of the Master Teacher and serve all people. That is what ministry is; it is serving
others. It does not mean serving our own
self-interest, or our own mandate. No,
real Christian ministries do to others as they would do to and for Christ. How sad it is they have portrayed themselves
in this light, when they are not an example of true Christianity. That is the TRUTH according to the Word of
God!
As
for this being some kind of revival, I truly beg to differ here. Revival is for the church, those who are
born-again, washed in the blood, and have failed and faltered in living the
Christ-like life. Revival is not for the
non-believer, it is not for the un-regenerate; it for the church of Christ Lamar County
Yes,
I said disrespect. It is disrespectful
to use the name of Christ to further the cause of hatred. It is disrespectful to Christ and His true
followers to hide in the darkness and attempt to say you are in the light. It is disrespectful to the name of Christ to
push a greater chasm into the unifying hope we have in racial
reconciliation. It is a shame to hide
behind parts and pieces, and not believe the whole of God’s Word. It is a sad day when groups such as this one
in Lamar County
And
it is a crying shame to burn the cross.
You may think it is nothing more than a piece of wood shaped and
fashioned to bring fear and trepidation into those who for centuries have
witnessed the spectacle, but that cross you so easily shame by your acts of
“ceremony” was what paid the price for me to know true freedom. One morning Jesus was saddled with a cross
and marched to a place called Golgotha . It was there that
soldiers drove spikes into his hands and feet, thus nailing them securely to
that rough stake of torture. With
soldiers around Him, they lifted the cross, with Jesus nailed to it, and
dropped it into a hole and there He waited in the hot blistering sun for the
end to come. On that cross Jesus shed
His blood for you and me. He shed His
precious blood for all who came before Him, all who stood with Him and all who
come behind Him. He shed His blood for
the forgiveness of sin for the whole world.
There is TRUTH!
On
that cross hung a man, not a white man, but a Jewish man. He was not of the poor “European” race you so
proudly proclaim as “chosen.” No, a
million times no, He was of Jewish descent and most likely darker than you wish
to admit. But He came not for the Jews,
but for the Gentiles, as well. He came
for “whitey and blacky.” He came for all
who had been, were, and were to be born.
No matter what skin they had on the outside, He was not dying for the
color of the skin on the outside, but the heart on the inside. On that day, on that cross, Jesus died for
the sin of the world. “Whosoever will”
may come-not a particular race or creed-to Him and the entrance is made
possible through the blood of Jesus spilled out on the cross of Calvary . You want TRUTH, well there it is!
Yet
you have had your little “lighting ceremony” using a symbol that for over two
thousand years stands as a reminder of what Jesus endured so I might be free
today, and I say “shame on you.” I hope
you enjoyed your little conference and your “white only crowd.” I hope that as the cross burned out in that
field you felt the heat and it made you sweat in your funny little white
robes. I hope that the sweat trickled
down the place where your spin is suppose to be and that it felt hot on your
face and arms. Most importantly I hope
that the heat emanating from that cross reminded you of the destiny of those
who will so easily and carelessly reject that same symbol and thumb their nose
at a holy and just God. Just saying,
because that is the TRUTH!
The
Word of God says the truth will set you free.
So I urge you, reader, to know the truth. Read the Bible, study to see what you need in
those sacred pages. Surrender your life
to Him and follow him. Most importantly,
live for the One who died for you; He loved you more than life itself.
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