OUR ONENESS WITH THE FATHER AND EACH OTHER
OUR ONENESS WITH THE FATHER AND EACH OTHER
In light of the circumstances of disunity and division which are vying for our attention through the media, my heart was overwhelmed with hurt and sadness. Our Lord Jesus died and sacrificed His life for the world, not for a country. His love and compassion is for ALL tongues, tribes, and nationalities. Our Lord died for PEOPLE. Our Lord Loves PEOPLE. He came to heal and restore liberty and freedom to ALL, those who are bound, treated unjustly, oppressed, and disrespected.
In the world and in our lives because of the flesh, there will always be division, discord, disunion, and distinctions. What’s taking place in the media is only attesting to the fact, without Christ living His Loving Life through us, we will be insensitive, cruel, judgmental, mean, and hateful toward each other who are different than us. We will take a stand for a cause rather than for human beings. The media is bringing awareness to a cancer that has been eating away at the fabric of America from its inception and around the world. Inequality will always exist on a conscious and subconscious level unless humans receive a NEW HEART and their MINDS renewed and transformed by the NEW MIND OF CHRIST.
In 2016, our Brothers In Christ, Colin Kaepernik and Eric Reid (NFL football players) saw the injustices being done to people of color and wanted to do something to express their dissatisfaction for injustice. They kneeled together to protest against police brutality, the killing of innocent unarmed people, and the failure of the justice system to protect them. They consulted a retired Army Green Beret friend (white) Nate Boyer, about what they should do. Nate suggested instead of sitting on the bench, why not kneel on one knee, which will not show disrespect for their country, and they did. Because of their peaceful protests of injustice, it has become an issue about the national anthem and the flag, which has nothing to do with their intent or our Lord’s will for us… ONENESS and JUSTICE. (Washington Post and Dallas News.com)
Jesus Prayed – John 17: 13-19, 23 (Amplified Version)
13 But now I am coming to You; and I say these things [while I am still] in the world so that they may experience My joy made full and complete and perfect within them [filling their hearts with My delight]. 14 I have given to them Your word [the message You gave Me]; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world and do not belong to the world, just as I am not of the world and do not belong to it. 15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but that You keep them and protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy]; Your word is truth. 18 Just as You commissioned and sent Me into the world, I also have commissioned and sent them (believers) into the world. 19 For their sake I sanctify Myself[to do Your will], so that they also may be sanctified [set apart, dedicated, made holy] in [Your] truth.
23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected and completed into ONE, so that the world may know [without any doubt] that You sent Me, and [that You] have loved them, just as You have loved Me.
In our last blog, we focused on the Oneness Jesus prayed for us to have with our Father and each other. Before Jesus died on the cross He said, “It is FINISHED!” ALL that the Father had sent Him to accomplish was accomplished.
Our Brother Paul Prayed – Ephesians 4: 3-6
3 Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful]. 4 There is one body [of believers] and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when called [to salvation] 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of us all who is [sovereign] overall and [working] through all and [living] in all.
I Prayed for my Pain and the Body of Christ This Week
Dear Papa,
Thank you, for loving us and choosing us as your own. Thank you, for creating us in your most majestic image. Thank you, for our Lord Jesus who came to our rescue when we sinned in the garden and lost the amazing relationship we had with you from the beginning. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for becoming our righteousness, our peace, our wisdom, and our Life. Thank you, Holy Spirit for sealing us, teaching us, and comforting us in times of distress and discouragement. We love you because you first loved us. Thank you, for your Amazing Grace, Abundant Love, and Awesome Spirit; the Spirit of Christ who indwells us, keeps us, strengthens us, and who is One with us forever. Thank You! But Papa, we are sad, angry, and in distress, and we don’t know what to do anymore.
Papa when I try talking to some of my brothers and sisters in Christ, they ignore me or don’t respond to me. I forgive them.
At one of our events, my brother in Christ snatched my card from my hands, yet gently handled those who were white with honor and respect. I forgive him.
I hear our leaders, who we are to honor and respect all human beings, curse and call us names to demean or belittle us. I forgive them.
When I was in line at the grocery store, a white man jumped in front of me, sneered at me with eyes of hatred and disgust, as the cashier rang up his items instead of mine. I forgive them.
On my job, my colleagues got promotions who had less experience and skills because they had a personal relationship with my white boss. I forgive them.
My boss took credit for work I had done and put her name on it to look good for her superiors. I forgive her.
Even at the stores where I shop, I was made to wait in line, while those who were white went first. I forgive them.
While working in the corporate world, I was blamed for mistakes others made and they never apologized when they had done wrong. I forgive them
The media shows one side of who we are, only to promote fear, disgust, disrespect, and how unpatriotic we are. They twists truths and our history to always make us look inferior, stupid, ignorant, and a nuisance. I forgive them and all other offenses we have talked about in the past Papa.
For the injustices done to people of color by law enforcement, governments, and political leaders. I forgive them.
Papa, what do we do? No matter what we have done, it appears it has been wrong. We have:
Prayed
Stood up
Sat down
Marched
Protested
Kneeled with both knees
Kneeled with one knee
Laid prostrate
Locked arm in arm
Cried
Screamed
Sat at the back of the bus
Sat in the front of the bus
We have spoken up
We have kept quiet
ABBA, ABBA, Please tell us what do we do? We don’t know what to do, injustice, hatred, and divisiveness continues. All around us; the tide of darkness appears to swallow up Your Life and Love for your children of color. There is no peace without; our only Hope is You, Within us.
Papa, Papa! You chose the color of our skin. You chose the texture of our hair. You chose the thick lips we have. You chose the color of our eyes and so much more You chose.
Papa, we embrace all that we are, because you have declared, “We are fearfully and wonderfully made.” All we ask Papa is… WHAT DO WE DO?
OUR PAPA ANSWERED
“Remember, my Precious Daughter WHO YOU ARE… THE BELOVED OF YOUR FATHER. Because of Christ, YOU ARE the Salt in the Earth, The Light of the world, YOU ARE the Light in the darkness, MY DAUGHTER FOREVER! Stand fast in the LIBERTY which I HAVE ALREADY MADE YOU FREE, and don’t get entangled in all the yokes of darkness. Always speak the TRUTH to each other in LOVE! Guard, and Protect the LIFE that is yours IN CHRIST. Remember, to keep yourselves in the LOVE OF GOD and Keep your garments unspotted from the world.”
2 thoughts on “OUR ONENESS WITH THE FATHER AND EACH OTHER”
Good word Tresca!
You offer some important things to consider, both regarding our identity in Christ as well as our interactions with fellow human beings. One of the most glaring problems I see in debates and disagreements in general but especially with regard to race, privilege, injustice and other hot button topics, is a desire to convince, judge and win instead of listen, understand and build up. This seems to be an epidemic problem in our discourse.
If we led with listening well and understanding the other’s position and experience – and I mean truly understanding not just assuming we understand, then we could see some change. Instead of listening well in order to understand, the more common approach is to hear someone else’s words through our personal subjective life experience filters. When someone else’s experiences don’t make sense to us because our filter doesn’t include that experience, then we tend to filter it out and say things like:
“They must have misunderstood that experience.”
“They’re just overly sensitive.”
“That couldn’t have happened the way they described.”
Once we make those assumptions instead of asking clarifying questions to better understand, then we’re left with division. And by the way, I see no distinction between Christians and non-Christians in this regard. Actually, I probably see more non-Christians willing to be open minded about other people’s experiences and fighting against injustice than Christians.
I am a 53 year old white male and it has only been in the last 5 years that I have awakened to how one person can have institutional or societal privilege over another in this country. I always thought since racism is illegal, then we have dealt with it and society moves on. It never occurred to me that society was actually oriented to privilege some people (white and male the most) and not others. Honestly, I considered affirmative action as reverse discrimination for much of my life. I was blind. I believe most white people don’t see white privilege because we can only truly know our story and most people feel like their story has been full of challenges, hard work, perseverance, overcoming odds, etc. So, words like privilege and advantage don’t make sense to them when they are thinking about their challenges and struggles. It feels untrue that they were born with privilege.
Unless we seek to understand like I mentioned above, then we’ll never get to the point of seeing how other people’s experience are just as valid and they may be the opposite of ours. So, while I have struggled, worked hard, faced many challenges, had to overcome, etc. It has never been because I was white. Whereas, many of your experiences in your blog were experienced because you were black and that is a whole different experience which will require a lot of dialog to understand. I’m one person though that now gets it and I know many other’s who are seeing it too. The NFL protests, despite people’s emotions, are in fact doing exactly what Colin K. wanted to have happen. People may be arguing about whether it is a protest of injustice or of the national anthem, but either way the issue of injustice is staying in the conversation and getting national attention. Ultimately, that’s a good thing.
John
Thank you my brother for such wise and sensitive information. Thank you for caring so deeply about the Body of Christ, especially those of color who often are ignored or thoughts and concerns appear to be overlooked. I truly am grateful!!