A Biblical Response on Race | Sermon by Tony Evans
Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.
or we need you today at a level that
that is beyond the ordinary we need the
supernatural extraordinary now because
you have allowed it to be clear that we
have human limitations so we cry out to
you Lord for wisdom and knowledge and
understanding starting in this house and
then where you take us in Jesus name we
pray amen
every four years there are the Olympics
where the elite athletes of the world
come together to compete they have
worked hard to be viewed and understood
and seen as the very best of the best
and so they come and they compete
against other athletes from other
countries aspiring ultimately for the
gold medal
the ultimate recognition of their
superiority however when the gold
medalist stands on the platform to
receive the gold medal they do not ask
him or her what’s their favorite song
they play the national anthem of the
country of what of which they are apart
with their flag flying high because it
is understood while that athlete used
their talents and their skills and their
efforts and their hard work they
represent a bigger country they
represent a bigger kingdom it’s not just
about them
it includes them it utilizes them but
it’s bigger than them and so they want
it to be made clear that they did this
under the banner and under the flag of
the kingdom that they represent God has
a kingdom it’s made up of citizens some
black some white some red yellow Spanish
backgrounds and his intention was never
that their individual uniqueness is
whatever cause in the lose sight of the
flag flying over them the flag of the
cross and the flag of our commitment to
Christ America in particular is reaching
an all-time low and this issue of race
and culture and class just under the
surface there’s this ever bubbling
problem that has gone unresolved this is
sinful evil disease of racism
culturalism and classism is too deep for
over-the-counter remedies radical
surgery is needed any any sicknesses
last this long and run this deep
Walgreens is insufficient for CVS cannot
give you an antidote we need something
more radical and much deeper to address
this chaotic confusion in the culture so
as clearly as I know how I would like to
spend my time with you this morning
– as specifically as possible address
this issue of race of culture of class
that has been muddied by a million
different voices
we’ve got voices about which life
matters all life is created in the image
of God all life is created in the image
of God therefore all lives matter
however underneath the banner that God
has created all people in His image
there are equities that must be
addressed for example the life of the
unborn matters and so there is this
emphasis on injustice in the womb but
that injustice in the womb must be under
the umbrella that that is life and
because all life matters that life
matters black lives matter as a subset
of all lives matter so any injustice is
to a particular group must be addressed
specific to that group but under the
banner that all life is created in the
image of God and so on and so forth but
once you astray extract any specific
scenario and remove it from the umbrella
of God’s creation you create your own
independent cause there is no discussion
of sociology that at least from a
Christian point of view that should not
be plugged into theology that is God’s
view about
so I’m going to seek today to give you
God’s view of race culture and class
because the principles can apply to any
one of those areas so that when you
leave here you have a better view of you
and you have a helpful understanding
biblio centrically of how to help others
to look at this from God’s point of view
now let’s make it clear if people do not
start with God they’re not going to stay
with you so so we’re gonna make that
clear if they’re not if they reject that
they will reject you but the Bible says
that is to be expected but if they
rejected me they’re going to reject you
if you bring me into the equation but
what he does not want you to do is leave
him out just because they don’t bring
him in so I must speak to this issue
from a field century Christocentric and
Biblio centric perspective God Christ in
scripture in John chapter four we have a
definitive statement on this issue
coming out of an event that took place
in Jesus’s life Jesus has become popular
we’re told in verse 1 he’s now baptizing
more people than John and it has become
clear he is emerging and people are
beginning to see that this was no
ordinary man or prophet but Jesus is not
yet ready to make his full public
declaration of who he is the eternal son
of God and so he leaves Judea and goes
to Galilee but we’re told in verse 4 he
had to pass through Samaria a little
geography Judea is in the South Galilee
is in the north and right between Judea
and Galilee
Lee is Sumeria so it was part of the
direct week but the reason John puts it
here is because no Orthodox Jew had to
pass through Samaria
because in Sumeria lived the Samaritan
dogs that’s what they were called by
Jews the unclean ones a little bit of
history in 722 BC Assyria invaded Israel
as part of God’s judgment they took many
of the Jews back to Assyria and
transplanted some Assyrians into Israel
so there was interracial marriage the
interracial marriages created this new
group of people called the Samaritans
who were despised as you’ll see in a
moment by the Jews because of this
interbreeding racially and so they
wouldn’t deal with the Samaritans
because they were half-breeds and they
were unclean and so they anyone have
anything to do with them but the Bible
says that Jesus had to pass through
Samaria the reason he had to pass
through Samaria is because at twelve
o’clock noon or as the scripture says
the sixth hour that’s 12 o’clock there’s
a woman coming to the well we’re told in
verse 5 and so he came to the city of
Samaria called Sychar near the parcel of
ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph
and Jacob’s Well was there so Jesus
being wearied from his journey was
sitting by the well it was about the
sixth hour that came a woman of Samaria
to draw water jesus said to her give me
a drink notice a lot of attention is
given to this well when I just totally
stopped by oh well witness the well is
described this is Jacob’s Well that he
gave to his son Joseph located in the
vicinity of Sychar which was the city of
Samaria he he wants us to know that this
is not an ordinary well this is a
a given to his son well why would that
be important for the author of John John
the Apostle to tell us that well in a
moment you’ll see the Jews didn’t get
along with the Samaritans and the
Samaritans didn’t get along with the
Jews but they both loved Jacob for Jacob
was the father of the Jews and the
Samaritans of course of the Jews Abraham
Isaac and Jacob but also of the
Samaritans because the Samaritans
accepted the first five books of the
Bible Genesis is the first book of the
Bible
Jacob is in the first book of the Bible
since they accepted the first book of
the Bible they accepted Jacob so in
order to make this thing work Jesus met
her on common ground he met her at a
place of agreement and the place of
agreement was scriptural related because
they were both related to Jacob the Jews
didn’t like the Samaritans as smartened
didn’t like the Jews but they both love
them some Jacob so he met her at a place
that they could both agree on he meets
her there and we find out that he wants
a drink of water from her cup you got to
be kidding me you’re going to put your
Jewish lips to this woman Samaritan cup
now we know it’s a shocker because look
at verse 9 verse 9 tells us therefore
the Samaritan woman said to him how is
it that you being a Jew
asked me for a drink since I am a
Samaritan woman for the Jews have no
dealings with the Samaritans now before
I go on I want to call your attention to
verse 8 for his disciples had gone away
into the city to buy food probably
chicken
because there were all preachers so they
have gone into the city to buy food and
he just drops that in and then goes back
to the story because that’s going to
become a critical part of the story in
just a moment that they’re in town bad
food the Samaritan woman looks at Jesus
after Jesus is offering to drink from
her cup and she is shocked stupefied
mesmerized she she can’t figure out you
being a Jew ask me a Samaritan for a
drink of water why is this important
question number one how did she know he
was a Jew he never identifies himself as
a Jew he never says that he’s a Jew so
evidently he’s obviously a Jew just by
looking at him seeing his dress hearing
his accent cuz all she doesn’t see him
and hear him he’s obviously Jewish so
recognizing he’s a Jew she shocked in
other words Jesus didn’t stop being who
he was to reach somebody else he didn’t
go to Samaria and find out how to speak
Samaritan and then find out how they
dressed so I can dress like them in
order to hide who he was
he was visibly verbally a Jew and it was
evident so he didn’t give up his own
creation to talk to a different kind of
creation he was able to maintain his
racial and cultural identity but even
though he maintained his racial and
cultural identity he didn’t let it get
in the way of doing what his father had
called him to do and that is to reach
across the railroad tracks to somebody
who was different than him who the rest
of his culture would not reach out to
for the Jews have
dealings with the Samaritans while God
is not calling any of us to give up how
he made us he is not expecting us to use
how he made us to relate inappropriately
to people he has made different than us
God is not asking you to be anything
other than what he’s made you as long as
you submit to how he has made you to how
you relate to other people who he has
made different than you
it is technically incorrect technically
to call yourself a black Christian or a
white Christian or Hispanic Christian
because then you make your color or your
culture and adjective it’s the job of an
adjective to modify a noun so if you put
Christianity in the noun position and
your color or culture in the adjectival
position you have to keep shaping the
noun so that it looks like the adjective
that describes it so if your color or
culture stays in the adjective or
position you got to keep shaping
Christianity to look black or to look
right or they look red or to look yellow
cuz that’s the agitator description
you’ve given it your Christianity must
always be in the agitator position your
color and culture must always be in the
noun position so that if anything must
be adjusted it is the noun of your
humanity and not the adjective of your
faith
you and I are to define of our humanity
in terms of our faith not our faith in
terms of our humanity Jesus stayed who
he was but he operated from Heaven’s
point of view he didn’t give up being a
Jew to reach her
God is not asking you to give up who you
are to touch somebody else but don’t let
the fact that all the mother folk in
your race won’t drink from a cup to keep
you from drinking from a cup don’t be so
committed to your own race that you
operate outside of the Christian faith
while staying true to what God has made
you and so Jesus Christ says can I have
a drink of your order the woman is the
woman is overwhelmed because he’s doing
something no Jew does he’s doing
something that his people don’t do and
this has been going on since 722 BC so
this has been going on for hundreds and
hundreds of years and so she is awed by
the fact that he’s going to put his
Jewish lips to mine Samaritan cup now
please notice something he hadn’t given
her any Bible yet hadn’t preached to her
yet he had witnessed to her yet he had
and he hadn’t given her theology yet she
doesn’t even know who he is
all she knows is he’s a nice man that’s
all she knows see a lot of folk want to
tell folk about Jesus who are not
willing to drink out of the cup
I want to get your soul to heaven I just
don’t want to deal with you on earth our
witness to you but I won’t eat with you
I witness to you but I won’t drink with
you I’ll talk about God Jesus hasn’t
even talked about who he is yet but he
demonstrated by his touch and by his so
see his sociology gave validity to the
theology that was to come and a lot of
folk have rejected God because how can I
believe in a God who who’s not social
enough for you to sit down and eat and
drink and fellowship with me because I’m
a Samaritan because I’m of a different
history and background and race and
culture so the woman is just shocked
just because he’s gonna put his Jewish
lips Tara Samaritan cup he’s gonna do
what his own race won’t because it was
the right thing to do so Jesus tells her
verse 10 if you knew the gift of God and
who it was who you were talking to who
said give you give me the drink you
would have asked him and he would have
given you living water a little
transition to the spiritual he given you
living water everyone who drinks your
water verse 13 has gone thirst again but
whoever drinks the water that I will
give him shall never thirst but the
water that I give him will become a well
springing up to eternal life
hmm woman says well shucks I want that
water I don’t have to come out here
twelve o’clock every day and do this do
this well thing if you don’t do that guy
where is this living water I don’t know
where you going with it what is this
well he says to her go call your husband
okay
the heating gone from drinking water to
who she’s sleeping with
he gone from drinking water he’s all up
in her boudoir he’s all up he’s all up
in her business he’s all up in her stuff
go call your husband she says I don’t
have a husband Jesus said you got that
right verse 17 you have correctly said
because you’ve had five husbands and the
one you have now is mr. Jones me and mr.
Jones is the one you have now is not
your husband this you have truly said he
confronts her with her sinfulness her
looseness your impropriety
he could have never gotten that far if
he wasn’t willing to drink from her cup
but his Sociology opened up an
opportunity for theology she said sir
verse 19 I perceive you our prophet I
guess so
he’s all opinion stuff like that he
knows about your life just having met
you I perceive you our prophet she says
our fathers worshiped in this mountain
verse 20 and you people a racial slur if
I ever heard one you people say that in
Jerusalem is the place where you are to
worship jesus says woman believe me the
hour is coming and now neither in this
mountain nor Jerusalem will show you
worship the father you worship that
which you know not we worship what we
know for salvation is of the Jews an
hour is coming and now is when the true
worshipers will worship the father in
spirit and truth for such people the
father seeks to worship Him God is
spirit and those who worship Him must
worship Him in spirit and truth notice
something when race comes up earlier he
was a Jew she was a Samaritan he asked
to drink from her cup Jesus makes me no
comment no no just the reality here do
I’m Samaritan no comment
but now she brings up race in
relationship to Jesus’s father where we
worship our fathers worshiped in this
mountain behind her is mal gerzean mal
girls iam is whether the Samaritan
temple was located and that’s where we
go to church we go to church of mal
Garcia you people y’all y’all go Church
over there y’all go to church over there
you go to church in Jerusalem watch this
we were raised different because she
says our Father our Father that’s how
you were raised Jesus let me explain
this my daddy told me that when you want
to get close to God you go you go back
here the girls here and my daddy told me
that cuz my granddaddy told my daddy who
told me
but this is God’s Way and the only
reason my granddaddy told my daddy who
told me is cuz my great granddaddy told
my granddaddy who told my grand my daddy
who told me that this is how we live
this is how we worship this is our view
of God this thing has been passed down
from my father’s it’s part of my history
it’s part of my Harry just part of my
background it’s how I was raised
and you people the only reason you do
what you do is cuz your daddy told you
cuz your granddaddy told your daddy who
told you your great granddaddy told your
granddaddy who told your daddy who told
you we got two different histories we
got two different background we were
raised on different sides of the track
Jesus we’re different
when she brought up race the first time
Jesus had nothing to say but when she
brought his daddy into it he gives her a
whole lecture we can have our racial
differences lady but when you bring my
father into the discussion
I got a clarify and boy does he clarify
you worship what you know not your daddy
was wrong your granddaddy was wrong your
great granddaddy was wrong and your
great-great granddaddy is wrong all your
people are wrong they’re all wrong
because they’re not worshipping
correctly they’re not worshiping the
true God you are following a tradition
passed down by your parents passed down
by your race and all of them are wrong
when you bring my father into the
equation because theology must rule
anthropology and sociology and all the
other allergies you’re wrong because
when you bring my father into it it has
to have two qualification spirit and
truth
it’s got to be the right heart spirit
it’s got to imitate from the right
motivation and truth it’s must it must
operate on an objective standard oh
here’s a problem we are operating on
illegitimate standards that are not
rooted in God rooted in culture rooting
the history rooted in background and all
of that maybe backs but the question we
must ask is is it the truth because
you’re going to have facts and it not be
the truth your information could be
accurate and it not be the truth
because the truth is an objective
standard by which reality is measured
it’s God’s point of view on any subject
so just because you were raised a
certain way once how you were raised
disagrees with what God says how you
were raised was wrong and I’m talking
about your mama and your daddy I’m
playing the dozens on you and the
problem is people reach back in their
history to legitimize their decisions
today when their decisions today go
against the kingdom of God and God
himself but because this is me this is
my background this is what my daddy told
me this is what my people say so that
goes on forever year after year decade
after decade and in our country two
hundred and forty years later it looks
like we’ve made some progress but then
we back up to very little progress
because it’s rooted in facts that are
not necessarily truth the story I like
to to visit on misses you can read it
sometime Galatians 2 verse 11 through
the end of the chapter
my board Peter Peter Peter was a super
Jew if Peter was a soul singer his
favourite song will be say it loud I’m
Jew and I’m proud he’s a super Jew one
day he’s having devotions on his rooftop
and a sheet comes down from heaven with
all these unclean animals on him and God
tells him eat Peter said I can’t eat
that
I can’t eat that that’s all unclean all
unclean God says don’t call unclean what
I call clean I don’t care about your
background your history I don’t care
about all that if I call it legit it’s
legit whether it’s part of your history
or not so what I want you to do is I
want you to go to conveniences house and
I want you to tell him about me and he’s
a Gentile I know you know you didn’t
grow up with Gentiles you’re not used to
Gentiles
you don’t like Gentiles but I told you
what to do and so don’t you talk about
those people like you’ve been raised to
thinking about those people because I
just told you from heaven what I want
you to do with those people despite of
the background you have and so Peter
obeys he goes to kane’ is his house in
acts 10 and he tells him about God and
Canadians and they they all make a
commitment to God and now it’s Jews and
Gentiles and all Christians and stuff
and Peter discovered something then
people knew how to cook
hey Peter discovered something he
discovered food he knew not oh he
discovered pork chops cuz it could mean
pig a god but God told me you can eat
anything now so he discovered hog laws
chitlins pig feed he’s discovered this
Gentile menu huh he now knows he can
have bacon with his eggs now he has
discovered he’s discovered some good
stuff so in Galatians 2 Peter is eating
with the Gentiles he’s eating he’s I
mean he’s at Sweet Georgia Brown he’s
eating with the Gentiles cuz he can eat
any pork now okay so he’s eating with
the Gentiles and you know he’s sucking
on neck bone he’s he’s he’s he’s just
enjoying his pork pig eating self we
talking pork ribs here this guy is now
eating with the Gentiles something he
would have never done growing up until
he ran smack dab into God while he’s
eating with the Gentiles some of his
boys from the hood show up and says some
of his Jewish brethren came and saw
Peter Keating with the Gentiles what way
might be way might be women PETA now and
we gonna have to live with him in heaven
but we don’t have to hang out with him
on earth
this is unacceptable for you to be with
them people they says the circumcision
the Jews who showed up intimidated Peter
so much that Peter got up from his chair
and left the Gentiles it says the rest
of the Jews who were with him got up too
and walked away from the Gentiles cuz
they didn’t want to offend their own
race Peter gets up and he’s the leader
the rest get up cuz a missed in the
pulpit is a fog in the Pew
see if our pulpits were right we would
have solved this problem of racism a
long time ago slavery would have been
solved Jim Crow would have been solved
segregation would have been solved all
this would have been solved but because
the pulpits were anemic and allowed to
take place the evil in America we are
still fighting that evil today because
the pulpit were silent
biblically on this issue maintaining a
manifest destiny ideology that was in
contracts to biblical theology but that
also explains why the civil rights
movement was able to change it because
the church got out in front of it so
Peter Peter gets up he walks away and
there’s another statement made in the
story in Galatians 2 it says even
Barnabas was carried away by their
hypocrisy oh not my boy Barney
anybody but Barney why is Barnabas’s
he’s the only name of the group that was
there who singled out why why do you say
even Barnabas what was so special about
Barnabas well when you read the life of
Barnabas he’s the encouragement he’s the
one who who encouraged folks he’s the
one who who and when Paul wanted to get
rid of John Mark he says no don’t get
rid of John marks because he’s got
potential and he he’s the guy who is
keeping things going giving you hope
well the reading he singled out is
because we’re told in Scripture Barnabas
was born in Cyprus
Cyprus is a Gentile colony of Rome so he
lived with Gentiles grew up with
Gentiles went to school with Gentiles
played ball with Gentiles he he grew up
in a Gentile environment so he knew what
it was to live with other folks but
that’s how bad racism is it’ll make a
good man bad even Barnabas not Barney
but to satisfy not offending his own
race he disobeyed God he had probably
gotten away with it except Paul wanted
some pig feet
because according the Galatians 2 Paul
says when I saw what Peter was doing I
condemned the Peter before them all
he acted a fool in public I in public
said to Peter you are embarrassing the
truth of the gospel you’re making Jesus
Christ look bad yeah this is not some
social decision you made you have
embarrassed Jesus Christ and the good
news of the Cross which means he brings
people together across racial and
cultural lines at the cross the only
qualification you need at the cross is
your sinner who needs a Savior
regardless of your class or your culture
and you have messed with that message
one of my favorite verses of Scripture
Galatians 2:20 I’m crucified with Christ
nevertheless I live yet not I as Christ
who lives in me the life which I now
live I live by faith in the Son of God
who loved me and gave himself for me
that great verse many people don’t know
comes at the end of this story so Paul
is giving that verse to Peter to tell
Peter you got the wrong identity your
identity first is not in your culture
your class your background in your
history your identity first is in your
Christ and then your Christian
commitment because Peter truth overrides
tradition truth overrides color black is
only beautiful when it’s biblical and
white is only right when it agrees with
Holy Writ there must be a standard by
which you judge your race
and as long it is as under as long as
it’s under that standard then you have
the right to be different
God is not asking you to like soul music
and he’s not asking me to like
country-western thank God hey you can
have all the differences you won’t as
long as it doesn’t conflict with the
authority of God the rule of God the
person of Jesus Christ and your
Christian commitment you must be
Christian first and if we could get
enough Christians to be Christian before
white Christian before black Christian
before Spanish
it doesn’t take 240 years to fix this it
takes about 2 minutes and 40 seconds we
had a guy who came in our church some
years ago and he was noticing more and
more Anglos coming to the church and
he’s getting a little upset
he said we get normal angle I was
joining our church I said yeah he said
well you know how they are so what you
mean and well you know they got this way
of doing things they can try to take
over above all though you went through
all this stuff and I could tell he had
some bad experiences maybe and so so he
said so I said well you better keep
winning blacks to Christ so we are
number
he said well well I don’t know if if I
can stay here that’s it
bye anything long
I didn’t offer him a seminar a workshop
or let’s get to know each other program
okay I’ll give him the benefit of the
doubt maybe he had some negative
experiences racially that effect I was
feeling good again instead that happens
so we will work with you to deal with
that but what we will not let you do is
let your experience control how the
Church of Jesus Christ life works
so what we have done is we’ve allowed
culture and color to overrule the faith
and so you got even Christians divided
all over the place don’t know where to
stand on issues don’t know which
position to take that’s because you’re
trying to dissect it culturally and
color wise rather than biblically and
spiritually which would save you a whole
lot of time the Bible says that God be
true and every man alive when they
conflict with him so so the story
thickens as we get to this last section
the woman says verse 25 I know when
Messiah comes he’s called the Christ
when he comes he gonna make everything
all right about a dozen that sound
spiritual when Jesus comes everything is
gonna get better when we all get to
heaven
what a day of rejoicing that will be
when we all see Jesus well sing and
shout the victory Jesus said I who speak
to you and he our lady I’m already here
I’m already you waiting for something
that you don’t have to wait for right
wait let me explain something just in
case you don’t know whatever race you
are now will be the race you will be in
heaven okay let me get that straight
whatever race you are now will be the
race you won’t have you are eternally
black you are eternally white you are
eternally Spanish Indian you know you
whatever you are now will be what you
are in heaven you are intentionally
racially profiled by God John says in
Revelation chapter 5 verse 9 Revelation
chapter 7 verse 9 he said I looked up in
heaven and when I looked in heaven I saw
people from every nation every tribe
every kindred and every tongue he says I
could see the differences among the you
so whatever you are is what you will be
so stop putting that cream on your face
stop staying out in the Sun all day to
become something different than you’ve
been made you have been made that way
eternally
so
remember our disciples remember our
disciples verse 27 at this point the
disciples came and they were amazed that
he had been speaking with a woman yet no
one said what do you seek or why do you
speak with her now the disciples don’t
they went to get the chicken they come
back and they notice he’s speaking with
a woman they’re not surprising speaking
with a female they’ve seen Jesus speak
to Martha they’ve seen Jesus speak to
Mary they seem to speak to Sarah
Phoenician woman they say the people
Jesus speak to the woman with the issue
blood they’ve seen Jesus speak to a lot
of females what’s messing with them as
he’s speaking to us American female
which explains why he let them go into
town to buy food he could have never
dealt this woman with this woman with
these races hanging around but neither
did he let them stop him from doing what
he was supposed to do so just cuz all
your Posse isn’t right doesn’t mean you
don’t do what’s right Jesus did what’s
right and he told them I catch up with
you later
so they come let me get through this
they come in and when they come the
woman runs in the town and she says
verse 29 come see a man who told me all
the things I’ve done so she goes to the
city and she goes to the men of the city
in verse 28 so the men of the city are
on their way out to check out this Jesus
because of the cross-cultural
cross-racial witness of Jesus to this
woman the disciples in the meantime was
saying but rabbi eat verse 31 because we
went all the way in the town
it’s about a five mile trip down a five
mile trip back that’s a 10 mile trip to
bring Jesus and lunch because it’s 12
o’clock noon so they bring Jesus some
lunch and they say okay rabbi we got
your lunch eat Jesus says I have food to
eat that you do not know about save
we didn’t go on 10 miles and you’ve
already eaten
I can see Peter now who Feder my cutoff
is here cuz it goes the 10-mile trip and
you’ve already eaten cycles were asking
verse 33 who brought him something to
eat as we then gone into town to buy
food and Jesus hits them what here is
the bottom line message verse 34 my food
is to do the will of him who sent me and
to accomplish his work what fills me
satisfies me is doing the Father’s will
not satisfying your racist socialists
culturalist agenda and then he says in
verse 5 45 35 don’t say for months and
then comes the harvest he says lift up
your eyes and look on the fields they’re
already white unto harvest stop putting
it off don’t say we don’t get around to
this point four months from now you’ll
get around to this later we’ll fix this
later
he says if you’ll pay attention and look
up you’ll see the fields are already
ready now when they looked up what did
they see they saw all those Samaritan
men coming across the field so what did
Jesus do he set off an opportunity for
them to great relate to people of
different races he set up a scenario
that scenario must always be set up by
the body of crisis to reflect Christ
where anybody can come through these
doors who respect our faith in Jesus
Christ and regardless of history
background race or culture they are
welcome in the family of God
because we have a standard and I love
how it closes
verse 39 from that city many of the
Samaritans believed in him because of
the word the woman who testified he told
me all the things I’ve done so when the
Samaritans came to Jesus they were
asking him to stay with them and he
stayed there two days did you did you
just hit one man when we started the
woman is shocked he’s willing to drink
out of her cup a couple of hours later
he hanging out on the weekend he stayed
with him two days how do you go from
people don’t even drink from the same
cup – a couple of hours later why don’t
you stay with us for the weekend cuz
when you do it God’s Way your doesn’t
take that long
that’s why but now it’s real easy in
here see it’s really easy in here cuz
yeah we can all get along in here what
happens when you go out and you have to
face your own race what happens when you
go out when when when your biblical view
is not the popular view what happens
when when you reject it for not being
black enough white enough red enough
yellow enough Spanish enough when when
you have to take that stand responsibly
kindly in love but clearly because when
a lot of folk hid messages on love and
unity and all that is good inside the
house like the story of The Lone Ranger
and Tonto Lone Ranger range Lone Ranger
Tonto are going to cross the plains and
in a group of Indians they go to the
northern ridges group of Indians show up
and they get ready to attack The Lone
Ranger
so Tonto says Kemosabe what we do now so
the Lone Ranger said well we got to go
east so they go east now as a group of
Indians on the eastern Ria’s they get
ready tack The Lone Ranger Tonto
so Tonto say Kemosabe what we do now you
say we got to go west they go west when
they go west as as longer power Indians
on the Western Ridge getting ready to
attack go Kemosabe what we do now
well there’s only one place we can go we
gotta go south so they go south when
they go south as a group of Indians on
the Southern Ridge and then they’re
being closed in in four directions by
the Indians so now the Lone Ranger has
the question long raisin said Tonto
these your people what we do now
Todd don’t say what you mean we paleface
see folk jump ship when the going gets
tough but what God is looking for some
serious Christians on this issue who
start biblically and spiritually and
work it down racially socially and
culturally you do not start with your
culture and work it up you start with
the word and the authority of your faith
and work it in may God help us to do our
part
locally personally in our families and
through our influence to bring people to
a spiritual biblical approach to the
issue of race culture and class so that
at least we can model before the world
biblical solutions to a society in chaos
shall we stand
Amen