How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. Unity is hard. It doesn’t seem to matter if we’re trying to build unity between two countries, two ethnic groups, or just two people. Unity is hard because it requires common ground or goals. Many today find more in common with those who share political and social perspectives than with other believers. This should not be. Instead, let us unite around Jesus, his mission, his gospel, and his ways. Unity is hard because it requires a common enemy. Nothing brings people together like a common foe. Who is our enemy? It is not each other or the world. The Bible is clear, “our battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” If we continue to fight each other, we will never succeed against the evil one. Unity is hard because it requires self-denial. We must be willing to set aside our agendas, our feelings, even our very selves. This is not easy to do when we are convinced our thoughts, ideas, and perspectives are right, better, and godlier than our brethren. Unity is hard because it requires humility. An African proverb states, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to far, go together.” Unity requires that I humble myself and admit “I need you. I can’t do this without you.” Unity is hard because it requires worship. It requires laying down our kingdoms and embracing Jesus’ desire as expressed in His high priestly prayer. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me, and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” Unity requires God’s help. For all the reasons stated above, unity is hard, and we cannot do it on our own. We need God’s help to shift our goals and perspectives, to help us embrace self-denial and humility and to bow our knee in worship. Unity is hard because it is powerful. The enemy of our souls knows the power of Christian unity and utilizes every scheme at his disposal to fight against it. Yes, unity is good and pleasant, as the psalmist extols. But it is more than a lack of conflict. It is the very presence of God. It is like the anointing oil that was poured on Aaron and ran down his whole being. It is a full and complete covering like the dew on Mount Hermon. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have dwelt in unity from eternity past to the present day. They are not self-serving. They know what is true and what is not. They are completely committed to each other and to the mission of restoring our Father’s kingdom to this world and his image to humanity. They dwell in eternal love and in eternal life. They invite us, his children, to dwell with them and to receive this blessing, even life forevermore. Prayer: Father, please forgive me for sitting in judgment of my sisters and brothers in Christ and for thinking I am better, smarter, or godlier than them. Forgive me for anything I love or cling to more than the glory of your name, your mission, your gospel, or your ways. I humble myself before you and admit that I cannot accomplish anything without the partnership of your Holy Spirit and your holy people. I receive your invitation to dwell in unity with you and your people and I pray that the world will know that you sent Jesus as they look at us and our unity.” ![]() It's Easter Sunday and all around the world Christians are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus died for our sins so we can be forgiven and go to heaven when we die. This is true but not the WHOLE truth! There is so much more. I think we need to rethink the gospel this Easter and what it's really all about. Jesus cleanses us from our sins so that God’s original design of dwelling with us can be fulfilled. God wants to dwell with us in this age and in the age to come. We don’t pursue a life of holiness and righteousness for its own sake. That is moralism. We do so because we desire for God to dwell with us. What is sin? That is a good question! To answer this question, we need to go back to Genesis. That’s where everything starts. In Genesis, we find the original design and divine purpose of human beings. Why do we start here? Because in order to evaluate if something is functioning correctly, we need to know its purpose. Think of your phone. You say, “it’s broken—I’m not getting any calls, or the screen has gone dark or is frozen.” Simply put, it is not doing what it’s supposed to do. It’s not doing what it was designed for. So what were YOU designed for? Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created mankind in his own image…” Being made in the image of God gives us identity, value and purpose. We were created to be like God. Our identity is to be squarely found in being created in the image of God. We are his offspring so to speak. Because of this we have the highest possible intrinsic value. We don’t have to DO anything to be valuable. We are valuable because we belong to God. And our purpose? Our divine purpose is to bear God’s image to the world Knowing that our identity, value, and purpose are rooted in our divine creation (made in God’s image) defines all our relationships.
Let’s get one thing straight. God is NEVER the author of sin. Once a student told me, “Yes, I went off the rails, but that was so I could appreciate God’s grace more.” NO! God's purposes for us are always good. He never leads us to or desires us to sin. He’s always on our side. This is clearly stated in James 1:13 reminds us, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” It goes on to say, in 1:13-15, “Each one is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desires and enticed.” There are evil desires in our hearts like lust, greed, and covetousness. There are also good desires that God has given us such as the desires for provision, companionship, sexuality, excellence, etc. Yet, even good desires can become evil if we fail to submit them to God and determine to fulfill them in our own time and in our own way. James continues with, “Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin.” Desire leads to action, even mental action. But first it starts with a desire. Our desires are corrupt because we are broken. We have wrong desires – not all of them – but a good bit. “And sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.” Death is the fruit of sin. Now and later. Sin is a sin, and it cannot produce anything else but death. Sin is like taking a little bit of poison bit by bit until it kills you. That’s the bad news. The good news is we are not made for sin! We were made for God, to dwell with him and for him to dwell with us. God’s already made a way to bring us back to “factory design standards” and restore our identity, value and purpose. It’s through Jesus, because of the Father’s Love and by the power of the Holy Spirit every day. 1 John 1:8-2:2 gives us some great action steps in response to sin:
And this transformation is glorious. Unlike Moses, whose exposure to glory diminished with time, it is a transformation with ever increasing glory. Every day is more glorious. How? This is a work of the Spirit of God. Just remember: you were made for this! God made a way for you through Jesus. He now dwells with you. You are God’s temple- the dwelling place of the living God. ![]() In this moment, things are being revealed. Ugly truths so long ignored are on display for all to see. The underbelly of our society is being exposed. People are speaking up, sharing things they’ve kept silent. People are hurting. People are mad. People are coming together. People are being driven apart. We may not agree on everything, or for that matter on anything, but I think we can agree that we are in a moment. My heart’s cry, and the reason I am writing this blog, is this: I don’t want us, God’s people, to miss this moment. The definition of a “moment” is a “very brief period of time.” I fear we will miss this moment. I beseech us not to miss this moment. Perhaps you are with me. You don’t want to miss this moment either. You know we must do something, but what? What is the responsibility of God’s people in this moment? Hopefully we know it is not to defend a political party or perspective, to defend the history (ancient or recent) of our country, or to convince anyone of our opinions. The purpose of the church (the people of God, not the place they sometimes gather) is the restored purpose of humanity: to live in such a way individually and corporately that the world around us get as accurate a representation of our God and his kingdom as possible. In other words, the purpose of the people of God is to bear his image to the world. In this moment, the church must return to the simple purpose of representing God in this world. This is simple to say, but difficult to accomplish. It is difficult because it requires us to die to ourselves, take up Christ’s cross and follow him. It requires us to live like him and do things his way. I am glad to hear so many confirming the value of human beings (ALL human beings, BLACK human beings) with the affirmation of Genesis 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Yes, this is true. This is good. It is powerful. It is liberating. It is transforming. The world has no such foundation on which to build its ideas of equality and human rights. It is long overdue that we not only affirm this, but SHOUT it. But while we affirm the value of humanity this verse speaks of, let us not forget the other truths found here: our identity and our purpose. Bearing God’s image not only defines who we are, but what we do. Let this purpose be our driving force in this moment. In this moment, the church must lay down its idols and in humility pray as Jesus taught us, YOUR kingdom come, YOUR will be done. What idols, you ask? The ones keeping us from seeing our purpose and living it. The “everyone is entitled to their own opinion” idol. This is not only an idol; it is a stronghold, a way of thinking contrary to our Father’s kingdom. If you are Christ’s ambassador (and 2 Corinthians 5:20 says all believers are) then you are not entitled to your own opinion. Ambassadors do not have opinions. They do not represent themselves, but those that send them. We represent the living God. We must lay down this idol and ask God to deliver us from this stronghold so we can clearly see his will. The idol of nationalism. This is the thought that our country is synonymous with our Father’s kingdom. It is not. God has been building his kingdom long before the United States was founded and will continue to do so, long after it has slipped from the memory of this world. “YOUR kingdom come!” This must be our plea, our cry, our driving purpose. Just as we cannot serve two masters, and we cannot build two kingdoms. We must choose allegiance to our Father’s kingdom alone in this moment. In this moment, the church must rediscover our compassion displayed in action. At the top of my “saddest moments in the Bible” is the account of Jesus in the region of the Gerasenes. He delivers a man who has so many demons they call themselves legion. What is so sad about it you ask? Read how it ends, “Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.” I don’t know of anything more sad than a people visited by God in the flesh, come to set them free from sin, flesh, and the devil, whose response is to plead with him to leave their region. Why did they do this? What motivated them? Was it just too overwhelming to see this level of transformation? Was it the financial loss of the pigs? Was it the thought that their livestock could be next? I do not know. I just know, whatever their thinking, the well-being of this man was not as important to them as that which fueled their fear. You can tell a lot about a person by what makes them happy, what makes them angry, and what makes them sad. We know Jesus was angered by the money changers who were using the temple courts for financial transactions, instead of its intended purpose, “a house of prayer for all nations”. A good question to ask ourselves is, “what is making us angry in this moment?” Are you angry to see those made in God’s image treated with disdain and little value? Or are you angry at financial loss? I do not for any moment condone the destruction of property or of violence in general. But I do think we need to search our hearts and to see why something makes us angry. If we say we value people above all things, (and as Christ’s ambassadors, we should) then to see people hurt, oppressed, and murdered should anger us above ALL. Our value of people must drive our compassion. Compassion is sown in mourning and lamenting and grows into action. We must act in this moment. In this moment, the church must search for truth. We cannot act without knowledge. The racial problems in this country are long, complex, and difficult. Anyone who says, “we just need to change this one thing,” is being incredibly short sighted. It’s taken us hundred of years to get where we are. We cannot undo it with a few simple measures. The overwhelming nature of the problem can lead to hopelessness and paralysis. Often folks talk about crossing the street but the space that divides us is more to the Grand Canyon than a road. So, what do we do? Well, before we can decide on changes, we must listen and learn. We must do a good bit of learning on our own. There are lots of books and articles we can read, podcasts we can listen to and movies we can watch. There are stories we must become familiar with like Emmett Till, the Central Park Five and others. We must also listen to the stories of those around us. Love demands that we listen with an open mind and a teachable heart. Ignorance is no longer an option in this moment. ![]() “What’s going on in our world? What’s happening? It seems to be coming apart at the seams.” These are some of the thoughts I hear from people these days. We see civil unrest, demonstrations, and riots. There is a lot of anger on all sides. How should the church respond? Should we jump in with the anger, the rhetoric, the violence? Should we strategize, problem solve, and work at finding solutions? Should we educate ourselves so that we better understand what’s going on? I think before we do anything, we need to stop and lament. A lament is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow. There is so much to grieve over--to mourn, to lament. We need to take the time, a lot of time, to properly lament before we even think about solutions. Why We Lament As the Diversity Director for a national campus ministry, I often find myself crying in prayer. I am entrusted with helping our movement accurately represent our Father and his kingdom through our ministry. This is a somewhat impossible task. The church has mostly failed at this task during most of its history. Yet, we still work at it because it is our purpose as God’s people to represent him—to bear his image in this world. I am compelled to pray and to work. The gravity of the work is not lost on me. I feel the burden of it each day. I see our failures and shortcomings. I listen to the experiences of students and staff from different ethnic groups. I know we can do better. All the time, I see the many ways we can be better image bearers, show the campus a more accurate Christ. And so, I cry. I lament. I mourn. Sometimes, I even wail. When my kids catch me crying in prayer and ask me about it, I tell them, “I’m sad. Crying is what we do when we’re sad.” When there is loss, trauma, injury, and wrongdoing, crying is the right thing to do. We should be brokenhearted over these things. It should make us feel. The Father feels. In Noah’s time, the Father “regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.” He “saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” and He mourned. The Bible is full of examples of God’s heart breaking over the wickedness of humans, over the injustices we perpetrated on each other. No, these are not new, but they are still wrong. If it hurts our God, it should hurt us as well. How can we say we are in fellowship with him, we are his children, if we are untouched by the things that touch him? What We Lament There is so much that needs lamenting that I cannot possibly do it justice in this short article. Here are just two thoughts. Take the time to think and pray through them and the Holy Spirit will bring to mind more areas that need your lament. Injustice. Justice is doing right. The wicked are condemned and the innocent are protected. Think about the history of our country in relation to African Americans, Native Americans, other ethnic groups and the poor. There is no doubt that these groups of people have not found justice in our society. From the time Europeans arrived on our shores, they have endured one injustice after another: enslavement, displacement, rape, murder, separation of families, physical abuse, torture, and dismemberment is not a complete list. Are these ethnic groups the only ones who have faced injustice? Of course not. Human beings and the systems they develop are inherently unjust. The amazing thing about our country for most of our history though, is that it has been assumed justice is primarily for Whites. For others to think they could or should have the same justice has been a foolish thought. God’s kingdom, on the other hand, is inherently just because God is the definition of justice. As citizens of his kingdom we love justice and hate injustice. Just the existence of injustice around us should break our hearts. Letting the suffering of others touch us and caring for their situations is core to the gospel. God became flesh and dwelt among us. He did not shy away from walking in the dirt of this world. He embraced our suffering. Are we not to do the same? Failure. As I mentioned before, the church has mostly failed at accurately representing our Father and his kingdom to the world. If you do not believe that, you need to study the Scriptures and history more. Most of the injustices listed above have been committed by those wearing the Christian banner, sometimes those wearing the missionary banner. We can say these individuals were not “real Christians” and separate ourselves from them like we try to do from the Crusaders and Conquistadores. But how is the world to know the difference if one group is publicly doing wrong in the name of Christ and the other is doing nothing. Of course, there are Christians we can point to in history who stood up for justice, believers like William Wilberforce, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Luther King Jr. But unfortunately, they are the minority, a part of the remnant who did not bow their knees to the idols of the time: greed, complacency, and fear. They chose courage over comfort and often paid with their lives. These are the exceptions. Where were all the other Bible-believing, Spirit-filled believers during these times? Huddled in a corner, disconnected from the world, fearing contamination? As a Pentecostal believer I don’t have to look far to identify our failures. Our movement was birthed in a revival in Los Angeles led by an African American preacher named William Seymour where those gathered were from multiple different socio-economic levels and ethnicities. For a moment we tasted of heaven as believers gathered together and affirmed that there is “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Unfortunately, it did not take long for division to arise along racial lines. Is this not something that should be lamented? When we as the church take a good look in the mirror, do we not see many ways we have been complicit with racism, ethnocentrism and white supremacy? lf you need examples of the last, just look at the pictures of Jesus with white skin and blue eyes in many churches’ stained glass or Sunday school materials. How to Lament Brokenness and humility are the words God spoke to me when I asked him four years ago, “what should the church be doing right now.” Brokenness is what happens when we look at all the evil, all the wrong, all the injustice in our world and we allow it to hurt us. We are broken with those who suffer. Humility is the posture we take as we embrace the reality that there is nothing in ourselves that we can do to bring about any change. When we are honest about our frailty and our failures, we find ourselves in place of utter humility. I believe the first way we need to lament is to repent. The main reason we have not moved on as a country or even in the church, is we have not truly repented. Every once in a while, when things happen that we cannot ignore or are hard to deny (though many still try to) we will talk about how we need move on. Many, even in the church, think the trick to moving on is to stop talking about it. If we just stopped talking about racism, it would go away. Where a Christian would get the idea that ignoring a sin causes its disappearance is beyond me. You can find no such pattern in the Scriptures. What you do find is God continually, persistently, relentlessly, sending prophet after prophet telling his people basically the same thing. “Stop worshipping idols. Stop oppressing the poor, widows, and foreigners. Do right. Keep the covenant you agreed to. Be the people you’re supposed to be, so the world knows what I am actually like.” We cannot “move on” until we admit the wrongs we have done in the past and the present. We have to humble ourselves and admit the sins of the church and the country because, as parts of both of them, we have the Biblical obligation to do so (see Daniel 9 for an example of this). We must also repent for our own biases and prejudices. I have an awfully hard time believing I’m the only one in the world with biases and prejudices. If we can be honest and vulnerable about our struggle with lust, greed, and other sins, why can’t we be honest about our struggle with prejudice? The world has made racism today’s unforgivable sin, but God does not recognize this. He offers forgiveness and deliverance from this sin, just like he does all others. Another way for us to repent is to listen. Truth is we are not very good at this. For most of our history, those facing injustice have gone unheard. Even in this time, so many have told me how they feel silenced. You may scoff at this statement as you see the world shouting. But there are many in the church that feel if they were to fully share their thoughts and feelings, even just their experiences with fellow believers they would be attacked. So, they remain silent. Listening, both personally and through articles and other media is the primary way the church needs to repent right now. Listening will open up our hearts towards brokenness and humility. Jeremiah the prophet was broken for his nation. He cared. He cried out, “Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears. I would weep and day and night for the slain of my people.” Weeping I find is a very appropriate way to lament. I do not mean to say if you are not crying, you do not care. But I do find that deep pain often produces tears. If I think about how we as believers have disappointed God and how this world is so wicked and corrupt, and how so many suffer in it, I often feel pain. I am not advocating the false production of tears, but for the genuine embracing of God’s heart for people. Jesus was once asked why his disciples were not participating in a time of fasting with other religious groups. His answer was simple, “I’m here, so it’s a time for rejoicing,” (my own paraphrase). But he did say the time would come when they would fast. Fasting in Scripture is associated with humility and mourning. We humble ourselves, deny ourselves, because it is a time to mourn. Now is a time to mourn and in place of feasting, we can fast. Isaiah 59 offers a beautiful picture of true fasting. “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Fasting is an active work of lamentation that, as Isaiah 58 points out, will lead to other works. Yes, we need to stop and lament first. Then, we need to let our lamenting, continual and growing, be the foundation for true fasting. ![]() The second way to increase diversity in your group is talking. In the same way that you get what you pray for, you also get what you talk about. So talk about diversity with your staff team, your student leaders, your students- just talk to everyone. Talk about why God cares about it. Talk about who’s missing in your group. Talk about what need to change so you can how to attract, integrate and serve a wide variety of people. Talk in your large group meeting. Share the vision for Kingdom diversity through times of teaching and challenge. Celebrate small victories. We value what we celebrate. While you celebrate be honest about where you are. It’s ok to tell the truth and recognize the long road ahead. This will actually increase your credibility. Be open about your diversity dreams and your current stage. It’s okay to say “I know our music tonight may not be what you’re used to. It is our desire to have a more multi-cultural worship experience because we value every culture and know our Father is revealing himself to every nation, tribe, people and language. We need the fullness of God’s people to be an accurate representation of God to this campus. Thanks for hanging in there with us while we journey forward. This also means we need you and your help to truly be a family.” Your talking should include:
Since you get what you talk about, you need to talk about diversity a LOT if that’s what you want. Need help? We have resources. Reach out. We are here to help. ![]() Note: This is written for a Chi Alpha audience, but can apply in any ministry context. Are you dreaming of the multitude of every nation, tribe, people, and language and longing to see God’s kingdom reflected in your local Chi Alpha group? Over the next three weeks we will expound on three simple and proven ministry truths to begin and to make progress in a Holy Spirit transformation in your community. Our first ministry truth is this: you get what you pray for. #1 You Get What You Pray For Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.” He wasn’t referring to activity. We are very good at doing stuff on our own. He was referring to fruit, fruit that lasts. (John 15:16) To see eternal change in the lives of human beings, we need the holy sap of Jesus’ life to flow through us, and this requires prayer. The first, second, and last place to accomplish anything of significance is prayer. If you want to be a different kind of group, one that represents your campus and more importantly God’s kingdom, you need divine help. I truly believe you get what you pray for, so pray for… Pray for revelation. Before we can share the vision for diversity, we need a personal revelation of what it means. Diversity is a word that has many definitions in our world, and though we do not find it in the Bible, we certainly find the model of multi-ethnic, unified communities living out a kingdom ethic. Revelation is the product of prayer combined with reading and study. As you delve into God’s word, pray for revelation for yourself, your fellow staff members, your student leaders and every student in your group. Pray for deliverance. There are reasons our churches are racially and ethnically segregated. Some have to do with preference and tastes, but much has to do with sin. The sins of greed, lust, and power birthed the sin of racism in the United States. We cannot build communities that reflect God’s kingdom without deliverance, and we will not experience deliverance without repentance. Repent for your own prejudices and racism. It is also Biblical to repent on behalf of your nation (people group) and country (place where you live) (Daniel 9:3-19). Pray for deliverance from strongholds (entrenched ways of thinking) that influence many of us without our knowledge. Pray for freedom from the world’s ways of thinking, to no longer see anyone from a worldly point of view (2 Corinthians 5:16). Instead pray for new ways of thinking (Rom 12:2). Pray for kingdom-minded hearts. Many who love the vision of kingdom diversity don’t act on it for fear of what will happen in their groups or churches. How will my leaders and congregants respond? In a homogenous group, everything is tailored to the dominant group. How will that group feel when confronted with unpleasant truths and eventual changes? It is vital that you take the time to pray for kingdom-minded hearts. Pray in faith knowing that as you undertake your own journey of allowing God to renew your mind and transform your perspectives, you will be sowing seeds for transformation to happen in others. Pray for protection. If there is one thing I have learned as I work to see our Chi Alpha groups accurately represent God’s kingdom on campus, it is that it is a battle. Anything you do, even if all you are doing is praying (and believe me that is enough), is a direct confrontation to entrenched spirits who have controlled our country for centuries. They have kept people and more importantly Christians separated. This separation, besides maligning the name of Christ, has limited the church’s effectiveness in world missions, reaching cities, executing justice, and yes, this is true even on our campuses. Your confrontation to these powers and principalities will not go unnoticed or unopposed. Pray for protection of your relationships (for this is where retaliation tends to come), your unity, and your community. Guard all your relationships and don’t give way to misunderstandings, wounds, pride, and any kind of unforgiveness. Pray for wisdom. In addition to prayer, there will be things you will need to do and changes you will need to make to see God’s vision for your group come to pass. You can read books and get counsel, but deciding what to do and how to do it will require divine wisdom. These can be difficult waters to navigate. Everyone has an opinion on “diversity issues” and pretty much thinks theirs are right. Confronting strongholds, acting out our repentance, and making intentional changes in what you do, all require enormous amounts of wisdom. Take heart! God promises wisdom to those who ask for it (James 1:5). Pray for partners. Transforming a group from homogenous to multi-ethnic is spiritual work--a work of the Spirit. It is something He alone can and does do. But he also uses vessels like you. However, you alone are not enough. In this case, the goal is also the strategy. Your goal is to see a multi-ethnic body on campus. You must find partners from underrepresented ethnic groups. How? Pray. Pray specifically for what you need and remember you are not praying for something you want, more importantly you are praying for something our Father desires. You are praying as Jesus taught his disciples, “Let your kingdom come and your will be done.” For this is his kingdom and this is his will. You have a dream, a vision, a driving desire to see our Father’s kingdom reflected in your Chi Alpha group. I am ecstatic! I know that our Father is also pleased. After all, it is his kingdom we are representing. And that is what we must remember. It is his kingdom. He is the one who builds it, we are merely his partners and that partnership begins in prayer. This is the place we receive revelation, deliverance, wisdom, kingdom-minded hearts, and protection. This is where we pray for these for others and where God releases others to partner with us. Pray in faith! You get what you pray for. ![]() “Who is my neighbor?” This is the question that prompted that great story we know as the Good Samaritan. You can read it in Luke chapter 10. This is how it came about: On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” I love Luke’s commentary in verse 29. He makes a point of telling his readers that the motivation behind the law expert’s follow-up question was to justify himself. How like an expert of the law to try to find a loophole in the great commandment. And how like our Lord to answer a question of geography with a story of behavior. Because, as this parable shows us, love is, after all, a verb. Jesus turned the word neighbor from a noun dealing with location to a verb dealing with action rooted in value. You see the Samaritan made a value decision when he decided to actively show kindness to the man who was robbed. He decided this man had great worth. He decided his neighbor was sacred. Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. This was due to a complicated history of abuse and oppression that caused each group to severely dislike and distrust each other. The road to Samaria was full of thieves, many of whom were most likely Samaritans. It was not unusual for a lonely traveler to fall the victim to crime. The man in this instance should really not have been traveling alone. That’s probably what the priest and the Levite who passed on the other side thought. Today we see it as a lack of compassion, they probably saw it as a sign of wisdom. If while traveling a dangerous road you come upon a victim of crime, you are left with little doubt that this is indeed a dangerous place and it is best to make good speed and get out of there fast! These two religious leaders were simply responding from the basic human instinct of self-preservation. Can we really blame them for that? Would we do any differently? Do we today? That is why the Samaritan’s behavior is so mind blowing. He does that exact opposite. He does not protect himself. On the contrary, he puts himself in danger in several ways. First, he places himself at risk by helping a Jew whose fallen victim to his own countrymen. Isn’t he siding with the enemy? Is he really thinking through what this could mean for him within his own cultural group? We think it sweet that the Samaritan showed kindness to the enemy of his people. Would his own people view it the same way? He also places his life in peril by taking this unconscious, naked Jew, putting him on his own donkey and taking him to an inn. What is to stop anyone he encounters along the way from thinking he is the criminal in this case? Here is the man on his donkey, in his possession. Think of the exact situation today. What would happen if an Israeli soldier came upon a fellow countryman naked, beaten, and unconscious in a Palestinian’s car? Would he thank the Palestinian or shoot him? Seen in this light, it seems the Samaritan could use some of the wisdom of the Levite and the priest. His actions really do not make sense. Why would he engage in such dangerous behavior? Obviously he values the life of this stranger, not just as much as his own, but more than his own. And that sounds just like the kind of point Jesus would make. After all he did say, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13)” The amazing truth here is that this man lays his life down, not for his friend, but literally for his enemy. This is so the kind of standard Jesus espouses, a truly insane--way beyond basic human instinct, reason, or common sense--definition of love. It is not the way of this world, but of our Father’s kingdom, modeled by our Lord himself. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). The son laid down his life for his Father’s enemies. Are his followers to do less? Please hear me. What Jesus says to this expert in the law is more than a legal reply. He is not talking about how to meet conditions or standards. He is not sharing pretty platitudes regarding how we use our time and our need to make room for interruptions. He is saying to this man, to his hearers, to Luke’s readers, and to us today, that love is not a matter of geography and thus convenience. It is a matter of value resulting in dangerous, crazy actions. Of course, the parallels to our modern cross-cultural, cross-racial relationship are hard to miss. Today, in our country and our world, believers are tempted to huddle in groups under the banner of wisdom and self-preservation. We have our own histories that have resulted in dislike and distrust between neighbors and countrymen. But we are enticed to distance ourselves from them, to label them as other, and thus free from our compassion, kindness, understanding, or relationship. The world tells us to put aside our differences and tolerate each other, learn to live together. Our Lord asks us to lay down our lives and risk misunderstanding, repercussions, and even death to be a neighbor. YES, doing so will get us labeled and rejected by both our group and others. It will also put us in great company with Jesus himself. We can do no less when once we realize our neighbor is sacred. |