June
03
Speaking Up Against Racism - An Apology
Video Transcript
I want to send my greetings to you and I also want to send my apology, that I really should have spoken out earlier on this issue surrounding the dreadful death of George Floyd in the States. I know it's raw, I know it's very real, that it is racism and we must call out racism for what it is, an evil act. But we mustn't just point the finger at others, we must look inside. I've considered my own heart. I think so often I have pushed this issue to one side, so often I have thought well I’m... I've used the phrase, "well I'm colour blind I don't see those issues”. Even in saying silly things like that I'm not acknowledging the history, I'm not acknowledging the problem, I'm not acknowledging that right now in our towns and our cities people are experiencing racism on a daily basis.
We need to stand shoulder to shoulder, we need to stand up for truth and justice. We need to speak out, we need to call it out for what it is, it's wrong! We've been part of the problem and we need to be part of the answer and so we need to examine ourselves.
I want to encourage you if you haven't already read Ben Lindsay's excellent book "We Need To Talk About Race", read it, examine your own heart, examine your own attitudes, look into your church, look into the leadership. Are we mirroring the culture in terms of ethnicity, in terms of men and women, black and white, rich and poor, working together? Are we really displaying the one new humanity in Christ, that the Bible says that the Body of Christ is?
Are you calling the church to pray? I'm calling you to pray personally and in your prayer meetings, whether that's on Zoom right now, pray about issues of injustice, call out to God for healing, for reconciliation for justice and truth. These things matter and we have a voice! We may not have a big voice in society but we have a voice in heaven, we can talk to our father in heaven, who hears these things and answers prayer!
We must proclaim! This is a gospel issue, it cuts right to the heart of what the gospel really is. The gospel is a proclamation calling people to repent of their wrong attitudes and calling them to be reconciled, restored, reunited to God, first and then through that to one another, to brothers and sisters with different nationalities, with different cultures, background, educational abilities, demographics and to be who we are supposed to be a beautiful re-creation, a beautiful bride, a beautiful demonstration of the grace and love and mercy of God!
Dear friends, I want to repent for my lack of speaking up, please speak up let's not be silent, let's speak up for truth and justice and lets' call the church to be a proclaimer of reconciliation, truth and justice.
God Bless You
We need to stand shoulder to shoulder, we need to stand up for truth and justice. We need to speak out, we need to call it out for what it is, it's wrong! We've been part of the problem and we need to be part of the answer and so we need to examine ourselves.
I want to encourage you if you haven't already read Ben Lindsay's excellent book "We Need To Talk About Race", read it, examine your own heart, examine your own attitudes, look into your church, look into the leadership. Are we mirroring the culture in terms of ethnicity, in terms of men and women, black and white, rich and poor, working together? Are we really displaying the one new humanity in Christ, that the Bible says that the Body of Christ is?
Are you calling the church to pray? I'm calling you to pray personally and in your prayer meetings, whether that's on Zoom right now, pray about issues of injustice, call out to God for healing, for reconciliation for justice and truth. These things matter and we have a voice! We may not have a big voice in society but we have a voice in heaven, we can talk to our father in heaven, who hears these things and answers prayer!
We must proclaim! This is a gospel issue, it cuts right to the heart of what the gospel really is. The gospel is a proclamation calling people to repent of their wrong attitudes and calling them to be reconciled, restored, reunited to God, first and then through that to one another, to brothers and sisters with different nationalities, with different cultures, background, educational abilities, demographics and to be who we are supposed to be a beautiful re-creation, a beautiful bride, a beautiful demonstration of the grace and love and mercy of God!
Dear friends, I want to repent for my lack of speaking up, please speak up let's not be silent, let's speak up for truth and justice and lets' call the church to be a proclaimer of reconciliation, truth and justice.
God Bless You