4 comments

Karen Waddles

150 Years Later, God Is Still at Work

Posted on 01.31.13 by Karen Waddles

This is a landmark year. One hundred and fifty years ago, on January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Some argue that political motives were behind the signing of this proclamation, but I believe God sovereignly moved to right the wrongs in our American system of government and justice. 

Dr. Tony Evans addresses the question of what God was up to when He allowed slavery in America. He argues, in Oneness Embraced, that God’s intent for the slave was that they would come to understand who Jesus was through their Christian white masters. After all, they had a robust knowledge of the God of the universe from their own religious systems in Africa.

Dr. Evans further suggests that God’s intent for the white slave master was for them to learn to practice justice. When one has absolute power, it offers an incredible opportunity to exercise justice or to abuse it. Because many didn’t exercise this justice, I believe God intervened and moved on the heart of a President to sign the Emancipation Proclamation:  

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” (Prov. 21:1)

And that same God is still at work, moving in the hearts of men and women and challenging us to achieve the oneness Christ prayed earnestly that we would demonstrate:

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:20–23).

It is a oneness that is becoming evident as churches are being planted with a specific intent of reflecting the diversity of the body of Christ. He is working in the hearts of individuals, one by one, by the power of His Spirit.

The following letter from a co-worker brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me how powerfully God is still at work, helping us achieve the kind of oneness that makes the world stop and take notice, and affirming that He is indeed God:

Dear Friend, 

As I look forward to a three-day weekend, it struck me that I have never celebrated the reason for this Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr., Day). 

I feel clumsy, as a white man, figuring out how to participate in the racial reconciliation so wonderfully advanced by Dr. King, yet so much needed to continue, and with such a long, long way to go. I have been reluctant because I am afraid of appearing insincere. I am reluctant because it is easier to remain silent. I am reluctant because speaking up is scary. These are flimsy excuses unworthy of anyone who possesses the blessings of the reconciliation borne on the back of our Blessed Savior.

So I decided to choose four brethren of Color whom I happened to see last week and share my feelings. I am sorry that misunderstandings prevail, and it breaks my heart that racism is still alive and “well,” even in the Church, upon whose ground all were made level at the Cross. 

I want to thank you for accepting me despite the skin I am imprisoned in, while full knowing that the “system” has given me immense advantages I do not deserve, simply because my skin is white.

Thank you for your fellowship and love, dear friends, and for enfleshing Christ to me so profoundly. 

In His Love,

Yes, our awesome, mighty God is still at work. As we just celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. and will mark Black History Month in a few days, how have you seen Him working to achieve this oneness that the world needs desperately to see?

Comments

  1. I strongly recommend the Black History videos from the Wall Builders ministry that tells the complete story of black history in America. It was amazing and I cried through much of it. My teenage daughter was also enthralled in the story of how the perception and role of blacks has changed over time in our country and how they have been lied to about their own history as well. It was truly a crying shame what happened in our country, but there is much to learn about power in the wrong hands.

    Some of our best friends have been black and they are a wonderful example of godliness and grace in a fallen world. May God bless the true fellowship of believers.
    posted by CJ
    on Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 9:54 am
  2. I thank you for this Bible study. I also want to thank my Preachers wife. She has given great advise on my husband and just following Gods plan on how to treat and react with my husband, and men in general. God is an Awesome God and I am Thankful for my husband to be the leader of my home. He puts God first every time.
    posted by Sherry
    on Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 10:26 am
  3. Thank you for your beautiful post! And thanks to our God who is sovereign and who is continuously at work! John 17:20-23 along with other passages about oneness have been impressed upon my heart for the past few months. From explanations about the divisiveness among believers due to theology, philosophy, politics, gender, race, to the growing trend of autonomy in our culture, the Body of Christ is anything but unified. This ought not be. The same Holy Spirit that is within one believer is within another. But how surrendered to Him are we? Over the past few months, I have been moved to pray for oneness among believers. As I was moved to pray, I noticed that my pastor began to preach about oneness of believers in various contexts and from various passages in Scripture. Then I was moved to pray for it during the alter calls at church. What began in me as a general brokenness over the serious lack of unity among believers, from something as obvious as the fact that it is very difficult to find a multi-cultural church to attend, to something as insidious as the fear of what others think of us, turned into a brokenness over my own sin. When I submitted myself to God’s measuring scales, I saw clearly see that my pride is the very plank that is in my eye which prevents me from truly loving and functioning properly as a part of One Body. I often proudly consider myself to be accepting of others, and I tend to look judgmentally upon those who are not. Yet, is there an emotional distance I feel when approached by someone who is skeptical of me due to my skin color, political views, etc.? Do I surrender to God that fear of being judged by them? Do I offer sincere unconditional love instead of settling for cordiality? Do I judge them for not accepting me better? I have to say that at best I usually muster up self-confidence and choke down the bitterness I feel. So my prayer has become that God will start with me. I cannot change anyone. That is God’s work, and He does it so amazingly especially when I don’t try to take it from Him. But I can surrender myself to Him. And that is what He asks of me.
    Romans 12:3-5, 9-10 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others…Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
    While the current cultural issues of race and division are complex and multi-faceted, it is grievous that The Body of Christ has not sought to be the light in our world that we are called to be in this crucial area. We are promised that we have been given ALL we need for life and godliness. That includes learning to honor one another above ourselves and to truly function as a part of One Body in Christ. Let’s not let our myriad of cultural explanations excuse us believers from moving beyond the cultural status quo. Let’s not miss out on the blessings of working together as a healthy and complete Body of Christ. May it begin with me today!
    2 Peter 1: 3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
    posted by Amber
    on Friday, February 1, 2013 at 1:36 pm
  4. I look around at the tragic events we are all witnessing in our country today, and I believe through these events God is putting forth efforts to bring oneness in the body of Christ. It is evident. The tragedies of our day have brought us closer together. The concern about the safety of children does require that we come together to solve these problems and offer support as we negotiate some very troublesome times. Even though we come together, I often wonder do we realize what God is doing. Individually, we really are limited in our resources and abilities to address some of the crazy things that go on. Do we realize that these tragic events don't seem to have a color. We need God and we need to allow ourselves to come together under God to work through the complexities of life that we now face in the 21st century as a united people (Psalm 133). Are we willing to sacrifice our individuality and personal cultural preferences to do the spiritual job God calls us to do? Unity in the body, regardless of race, color or creed is the only way we will be able to adequately address the difficulties of our day.
    posted by Veronica
    on Sunday, February 3, 2013 at 8:40 pm

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