My beloved Christian family, in this very moment we are being sifted like wheat. The accuser of the brethren seeks to separate us from God with his racist schemes, and yet Jesus intercedes for us day and night before the throne. Friend, God is calling us to be his voice of justice, love and healing to the world; do not harden your heart today. Jesus launched his ministry by declaring his social justice agenda, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED.”
Christian, when you self-righteously proclaim that “all lives matter” and take offense at the rallying cry of “black lives matter,” you show your lack of discernment of the times we live in. Brother, sister, no one is saying that your life does not matter or is less important; but the focus and support must be directed towards our black brothers and sisters who are in distress and have been subjected to the sin of racism for a long time. Jesus modeled the importance of focusing on the one person or people in need during his time on earth. Do not feign misunderstanding. God cannot be mocked and he is not the author of confusion. Jesus called the religious leaders “hypocrites” and berated them for failing to interpret the present times. Jesus stood in solidarity with the oppressed of his day.
Throughout his ministry Jesus taught us the value and importance of the “one” person, individual or people group, and he shared numerous parables for us to learn this principle. Although he died for us all, when he was on earth he left no doubt that his ministry was specifically directed to Israel.
When the Syrophoenician woman asked him to heal her daughter, his response was that he had come to the children of Israel first, not to others. Did that mean that he did not care for the rest of the world? No! But he was clear about his purpose and his ministry.
In the story of the lost sheep, the good shepherd left the ninety-nine and went to look for the “one” that was lost and in trouble. Did he not care about the ninety-nine? No! But he needed to rescue the one in distress.
Another example is the woman who lost “one” of her ten silver coins and desperately went looking for it. Did she not care about the other nine? No! But the one coin was incredibly precious because it was part of her dowry.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus calls out blessings for the poor, the meek, the persecuted. Was he excluding others from his blessings? No, but he wanted to bring attention to the long-suffering of the oppressed and to give them hope.
Most importantly, when "one" sinner repents there is rejoicing in heaven!
Friends, to this day Jesus stands on the side of the oppressed. Do not miss the call to justice that God is making to his church worldwide in this present time. This is your opportunity to get on his side. This is not a call to politics, but a call to take up the full armor of God and to STAND WITH JESUS! To Get it right! BLACK LIVES MATTER! Do not allow your willful ignorance to cause his little ones to stumble; he says it would be better to hang a millstone around your neck and be thrown into the sea. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to see what he sees, to hurt for the injustice that hurts him. Friend, lift up your voice for justice and let your words be spirit and life to the world! Shout with Jesus that “Black Lives Matter!”
In His Service,
Janie Flores
Notice: This is a post for people who profess to be born again, bible believing, active Christians. It is written from a biblical perspective, which is the foundation of any belief we profess or adhere to as Christians. If you disagree with anything I write please share the bible verses and their context to support your argument.
Index: List of Bible verses available upon request