EGM Times November - December 2020

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VO L U M E 8 I S S U E 6

EXPOSING | ENCOURAGING | EMPOWERING E LO H I M G O S P E L M I N I S T R I E S

racism the sin of

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Christianity is not about a preacher or an organization. It’s all about Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the salvation of humanity! It doesn’t matter who you are, what you are, where you come from!

Jesus died for your salvation.

- Evg. Jacob Vilgi Oommen

CONTENTS

Touching the Nerve 08 - George Vilgi Oommen

Nothing New Under the Sun: Structural Racism Throughout Church History 12 - Christopher Vasquez

Am I racist? 18 - Samson Philip

How to Be Aware and Keep Informed About Racism? 24

- Ndubuisi Paul Okafor

Life in Between 28

- Daya Raja

All Bible references are from New International Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation, King James Version. EGM Times is published by Elohim Gospel Ministries, USA & India. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. EGM Times has no subscription price and is supported through contributions worldwide.

Because all EGM Times editions are preplanned, we are unable to accept unsolicited manuscripts. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.elohimgospelministries.com President : Evg. Jacob Vilgi Oommen Chief Editor : George Vilgi Oommen Design : EGM Media elohimgospelministries.com egminspirations.com

MEET OUR WRITERS

George Vilgi Oommen, Stow

Chris Vasquez, Akron

Samson Philip, Hyderabad

Ndubuisi Paul Okafor, Lagos

George is the chief editor of EGM Times.

He loves traveling, reading and engaging in deep conversation with friends. He believes that the Gospel is the only solution to the problems of the world. As a keen observer of current world scenarios, he believes that Jesus is coming sooner than we think. Along with his wife Christina, George lives in Stow, Ohio.

Chris Vasquez is a student at Ashland Theological Seminary, where he will finish his Masters of Divinity in May 2021. Additionally, he serves as a volunteer Teaching Pastor at Akron First Assembly of God in Akron, Ohio. He believes that the modern Church is not a stand-alone occurrence but rather exists as the product of thousands of years of historical and theological development. Chris lives in Akron with his wife Hannah and their daughter Felicity.

Samson Philip currently works in the infested mobile Industry. Seeing the rat race between mobile firms to capture the fancy of the next customer, all he sees is man’s insatiable material thirst to have the best. Loves to take a moment alone and think, do we really need to be part of this rat race? Ain’t good food and roof over your head – is all that’s enough? Then hits the hard truth – The insatiable thirst for wealth and power and “I’ve got the best” is what drives the greatest of innovations of mankind.

Ndubuisi Paul Okafor is a lover of God, Author, Bible Study Teacher, Educator, Researcher and Agriculturist. He is a Christian Blogger and blogs at “Inspiring Changes | Christian Lifestyle Blog” (www.paulkristie.com). He also has a passion for the youths and enjoys mentoring young people. He hails from Nigeria and is happily married to Christiana Okafor, who also partners with Him in blogging.

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Dear Friend, Greetings to you in the matchless name of Jesus Christ!

As you read this edition, we are celebrating eight years of God’s faithfulness with EGM! What an incredible journey it’s been for the past eight years!

I thank God for everything He has done in and through EGM to save the lost and ignite the saved with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ died, rose again, and promised to take everyone to eternal life who believes in Him despite their race, culture or language. If the almighty God can come down to earth to save a wretched person like you and me, then how can we discriminate against our brothers and sisters because of their color? If God can love you, then you can love anyone in this world!

As a team in EGM Times, we strive to publish each edition with the uncompromising word of God. We look forward to doing the same in the 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 – “If I speak in the future as well! tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clangIn this edition, we are featuring the theme The sin ing cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and of Racism. I pray and sincerely wish that racism can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, would come to an end now itself and we wouldn’t and if I have a faith that can move mountains, have to write about racism anymore. It’s heart- but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give breaking to see people are rejected and abused all I possess to the poor and give over my because of their color. Every color is the creation body to hardship that I may boast, but do not of God. As you read this edition, if your heart have love, I gain nothing.� struggles with the sin of racism, I urge you to seek God’s face to deliver you! I pray that the articles Happy reading. God bless you. written by writers around the globe in this edition will give you deeper insights and help you fight the Jacob Vilgi Oommen sin of racism. President, EGM

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TOUCHING THE NERVE - George Vilgi Oommen A few years ago, I had a root canal procedure for my teeth (thanks to my disobedience to mom’s advice to avoid sugar!). The dentist numbed my gums before starting the procedure. He told me that even though the gums are numb, there may be chances that I will feel the pain when the needle (Endodontic burs to be exact!) touches the nerve deep inside the tooth canals. As the procedure started, I felt the pain when he touched the nerve. Reading this edition may also touch the nerve. It may cause pain. It may make us uncomfortable. Despite the emotions, we as a team felt the need to talk about the elephant in the room – The sin of Racism.

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“Little did I know that I was watching something that was going to create an uproar against Racism around the globe.”

In the early months of June, I happened to watch the video of a police man bending his knees on the neck of a man lying on the ground who was crying for help. Little did I know that I was watching something that would create an uproar against Racism around the globe. It was a profoundly touching video. A white American policeman named Derek Chauvin was choke holding a black American man named George Floyd using his knees. In the video, a Asian American police officer Tou Thao was also seen trying to ensure that the action is taking place without any issues.

Soon after the police action, George Floyd died.

This incident created an outrage in the USA and around the globe. The topic Racism came to the forefront of all discussions. To be honest, I was never bothered by the issue of Racism in my life.

But the above video touched my heart. As my Facebook newsfeed was filled with discussions about Racism, I decided to learn more about the subject. Learning about Racism in the past months has been an eye-opening experience for me.

Throughout human history, we can see accounts of Racism. Slave trade in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, Apartheid in South Africa, Untouchability in India, Holocaust in Germany, the list goes on. All have a common theme - the sinful nature of man makes him think that he is superior than his fellow human beings based on Race. Slave owners in Western Europe considered the people from West Africa as a commodity to sell and make a profit. The ‘upper caste’ in India considered themselves superior human beings than the ‘lower castes.’ Hitler and his followers believed that Jews were inferior to them.

Here we are in the 21st century, where Man is aiming to land on Mars, and incidents like the killing of George Floyd are still happening in our society. The negative impact of Racism in the previous centuries is still crippling our society in many ways. Only the Gospel and the Church has the power to influence society to fight against this evil. While the church’s history, in general, is not impressive in fighting against this evil, I believe the 21st-century church can do a much better job fighting this evil.

“It is God’s desire to see people from all parts of the planet to be with him in all eternity. Do we have the heart of God?”

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Every member of the church has a role to play.

We all are called to influence society, and now is the time to act! Below are a few ways you can fight against this evil. As you start learning more about this issue, God will give you more insights.

Burst the bubble – We all like to have people in our lives who look like us, speak the same language, have the same opinion. However, it is very important to come out of the bubble and have people in life who are different from us.

Work hard for Unity – Don’t give space for the devil to create division in our churches and society Learn and understand about Racism – Don’t feed our brains with only one-sided social media information. Read and learn from the word of God. Spend time to read authentic books about the subject Understand the heart of God – It is evident from the Bible what is the heart of God about human beings. John 3:16(ESV) says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Revelation 7:9,10 (ESV) says, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

God loves every human being on the planet, regardless of his race. Anyone who believes in Him is eligible for eternal life. It is God’s desires to have people from all parts of the planet to be with him in all eternity. Do we have the heart of God?

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DID YOU KNOW ?

John Newton is the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” He was once a slave owner and an investor in the slave trade.

After going through many life-changing moments, he later became a Christian. After becoming a Christian, he fought against slavery and became part of the abolitionist movement. His song “Amazing Grace” became one of the most famous English Christian hymns.

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NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN: STRUCTURAL RACISM THROUGHOUT CHURCH HISTORY - Christopher Vasquez When we think of racism and the Church, images of southern plantations, the Ku Klux Klan, or even Spanish conquistadors enslaving indigenous Americans may come to mind. However, institutionalized racism in the Church is not uniquely a current issue.

For at least 1000 years, clear signs of institutional racism existed within the Church. At times, voices in the Church spoke against racism, but these voices were often the minority.

Throughout history, individuals and societies amassed and sought to maintain power at any cost. “Racism” is people of one race/group dehumanizing those who look, think, act, or speak differently than them to dominate those people. Racism only exists when people delude themselves into believing that another’s way of living is less human than their own. The dominant group then inevitably acts toward the eradication of other ways of life. However, when one person truly recognizes the Imago Dei, the Image of God, in another, it is all but impossible for racism to take root. For too much of Church history, western culture was synonymous with Christian dogma. Much of Christian expansion involved imposing western thinking, dress, governance, food, morality, and etiquette onto non-western peoples in the name of God.

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In 1095, Pope Urban II called for a crusade against the Turks/Arabs. According to Fulcher of Chartres, Pope Urban stated, “On this account, I, or rather the Lord, beseech you as Christ's heralds […] to destroy that vile race […].” (1) According to Robert the Monk, Pope Urban described the Turks as “an accursed race, a race wholly alienated from God.” (2) The Pope’s words expose the dark institutionalized racism in the Church.

The Church did not view the Turks as a people whom Jesus loved and saved; they saw the Turks as cancer that needs to be eradicated. The Pope could have assembled priests from across Christendom and personally led a missionary journey to share the love of God with the Turks/Arabs. Instead, the Pope called Christians to go and destroy this race of people which he deemed beyond the grace of God. The greater Church responded with over 100,000 Christians answering the call during the first crusade alone.(3) Racism developed rapidly during the Age of Exploration as western-European Christians traveled around the world “discovering” lands occupied by indigenous peoples. The Church gave European explorers permission to enslave all non-Christian peoples in their colonial lands.Pope Nicholas V’s Romanus Pontifex(4) codified this approval in 1454.

Nonetheless, we must be careful not to view institutional racism as a Catholic church issue. As the Reformation expanded in Europe, new denominations brought institutional racism into their congregations.

The Puritans carried these structures with them into North America. In 1629, John Winthrop, a leading figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, offered a “theological” justification for Puritans settling on land inhabited by indigenous people. Winthrop refers to the indigenous peoples as “savages” and asserts that “God hath consumed the natives with a miraculous plague,” which left more land for the Puritans to occupy. (5)The American Founding Fathers, whom many modern Christians claim as bastions of Christian hope, immortalized their view of non-Christian indigenous peoples in the Declaration of Independence: “the merciless Indian Savages.”(6)In one pen-stroke, the Founding Fathers claimed God-given inalienable rights for all men and dehumanized indigenous peoples as savages.

In antebellum America, some Christians felt that they needed slaves to maintain their power, wealth, and position. As such, large portions of the Church surrendered their moral authority to appease congregants. Christianity became a weapon for justifying slavery, with some Christian organizations claiming that slavery was a “divine institution” that could not be declared immoral. (7)Slave owners showed their hypocrisy and evangelized their slaves in an attempt to control them while simultaneously refusing them Baptism because it would affirm the slaves’ humanity and equality.

Slaves were only taught the parts of Scripture which most benefited slave owners. (8)Much of the American Church was willing to sell their soul on the altar of racism in order to maintain power.

“Racism only exists when people delude themselves into believing that another’s way of living is less human than their own.”

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Portions of the Church adamantly opposed slavery, and theirs is the legacy to remember. William Wilberforce dedicated his life to eradicating slavery in the United Kingdom. Granted, racism was alive and well in the British Empire long after, but Wilberforce’s efforts were pioneering. In the American South, some Quaker and Methodist preachers taught a Gospel of freedom and equality to slaves, which became foundational to Black Church theology(9). As we know, the fight over slavery escalated into war and immeasurable bloodshed. Once the plantation owners lost, they refused to cede power and birthed the Jim Crow South. Since Southern Christians could not own slaves, they created a vast legal system that allowed them to assert dominance over people of color.

In the 1900s, segments of the Church occupied different places on the race relations spectrum. Some were bastions of hatred, others passively resisted social change, still more were neutral or apathetic, and some actively fought for racial equality(10). In the mid-20th century, the American Church was focused on individual change. Many Christians viewed salvation individualistically, ignoring the corporate aspect. They naively believed that the Church need not deliberately act against structural injustice because if everyone accepted God, the problems would be solved. At no point in human history have all people made the right choice to accept God. This approach of “convert the injustice away” did not work in the mid-1900s, so why would it work today? What did work was the unified body of Christ coming alongside the least of these and sacrificially working to dismantle corrupt, racist, and sinful structures rather than dismissing racism as a problem between individuals and God.

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That is where we are today as a Church in America.

We could look just as critically at the Rwandan church and their role in the Tutsi genocide, or the German church and their culpability in exterminating countless human beings. We could look at the role of the church in the Serbian genocide of Bosnian Muslims or Christian terrorist groups who have operated across parts of the Middle East. Racism is not only an American Church problem; it is not only a modern Church problem. We must reflect on our own lives and humbly seek God to illuminate dark places in our hearts. Systemic racism exists around the world today, and Christians cannot remain silent, neutral bystanders. Jesus spoke against injustice; He did not stand by as a neutral observer. Christ did not call His Church to watch injustice occur passively. Christ affirmed the humanity of the leper and the Samaritan woman. Jesus looked upon the marginalized and oppressed and had compassion for them. Jesus commanded His church to bear witness to Him unto the ends of the earth so that His Church would be a house of prayer for all nations.

Do you see people different than you as savages, criminals, illegals, scum, or deplorable? Jesus saw them as being worth His life. When we encounter people, we must first see them as people in need of a savior, JUST AS WE ONCE WERE.

“Portions of the Church adamantly opposed slavery, and theirs is the legacy to remember.”

References : 1 Pope Urban II, “Urban II: Speech at Council of Clermont, 1095, according to Fulcher of Chartres,” Fordham University, accessed on November 14, 2020, https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/urban2-fulcher.asp.

2 Pope Urban II, “Urban II: Speech at Clermont 1095 (Robert the Monk version),” Fordham University, accessed on November 14, 2020, https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/urban2a.asp.

3 Mark Cartwright, “First Crusade,” in Ancient History Encyclopedia, accessed on November 14, 2020, https://www.ancient.eu/First_Crusade/.

4 Pope Nicholas V, “Romanus Pontifex,” Papal Encyclicals Online, accessed November 14, 2020, https://www.papalencyclicals.net/nichol05/romanus-pontifex.htm.

5 John Winthrop, “General Observations: Higginson Copy” in Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 2, Massachusetts Historical Society, accessed November 14, 2020, 6 https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript.

7 Demetrius K. Williams, An End to This Strife, The Politics of Gender in African American Churches, (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2004), Kindle location 1146.

8 Williams, End to This Strife, Kindle location 1195.

9 Williams, End to This Strife, Kindle location 1226.

10 Jemar Tisby, “Why so many white churches resisted Martin Luther King Jr.’s call,” Washington Post, (January 2018), accessed November 14, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/01/15/why-so-many-white-churches-resisted-martin-luther-king-jr-s-call/

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love anyone If God can love you, then you can

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AM I RACIST? - Samson Philip

Let me explain.

The Cavendish banana. It may sound unfamiliar to most of you. Every time you walk into a store and pick up that succulent, ripe, bright yellow, perfectly shaped, seedless banana - you’d probably be holding a cavendish. This special breed of banana, even though less tasty than local traditional varieties, has got the fancy of the world.

Handover a local variety banana to a young kid today, and he’d probably turn down the offer cause that just ain’t a BANANA! You can thank the United Fruit company, which masterminded this hostile takeover with the world’s most famous banana breed, and its marketing mastermind over decades to make you feel that bananas shouldn’t be anything but bright yellow, curved, and seedless.

Racism and bananas? What is the point?

The definition of Racism changes with time. However, the silhouette of racism follows a similar agenda – the definition of who is acceptable and who is not. If an entire community is bombarded with a theory for long enough, they will not believe otherwise -– what I would like to refer to as the cavendish theory.

For the Jews, it was that the Gentiles were unholy and unacceptable into God’s kingdom, so much so that Peter needed an awakening with the vision of unclean animals to realize that his racist opinions were not God-given.

Despite being on the receiving end for centuries, the Jews were only happy to inculcate similar supremacy over certain communities like the Samaritans. The racist slurs developed to such an extent that they’d prefer to go around Samaria than through it. Most of these reservations were based on religion, beliefs and culture.

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Today, racism is defined on different grounds. In the urban world, no one really walks up to someone and asks them their race and religion to decide whether to look up at them as cavendish or to belittle them as an unacceptable banana.

Today’s young generation is not aware of these differences in race. Yes, traditional racism does exist and I don’t want to ponder over the subject since I feel that it’s a lost cause. People who think that they can define their superiority based on the race they were born into is nothing but, sad. But what concerns me most is the nuanced racism that does not really get its due attention.

The most prominent definition is color. Fair is King. The White vs. the Black that has transcended across religions, sex, countries, communities. Years of western world supremacy may be the underlying factor behind this intuitive decision embedded in almost any human born and raised in today’s world.

The second prominent classification, I believe, is based on economic class. I guess this is something that’s held its ground since the beginning of time but is still a powerful factor for one to decide whether the person is cavendish.

The final one I want to highlight is educational and professional class. Even though western countries have been able to maintain a fair amount of respect for all professions, the eastern world is still to overlook this hurdle. Even nurses involved in such a noble profession have been belittled to the lower economic class. Our respect for people is definitely biased on these grounds.

So, what does all of this have to do with the church? Aren’t we build upon the principles of Jesus Christ, who stooped down to serve the poor but also lived up to be hosted by the elite.

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Depending on the country you are in, these traits of nuanced racism exist in one form or the other.

Most eastern counties have already defined their churches based on language and community, which though a form of traditional racism, still serves a defined purpose. It’s better for a Hindi speaking believer to attend a Hindi service; else, he’d be clueless as to what is happening. The Western world has defined their churches based on race and language – The white church, The Black American church, The Mexican church. I think all of this still holds good because you can’t expect an American to relate to certain nuances of the Mexican culture. The Black Americans have their own beautiful swing to worship which may not necessarily fall in line with the subtle pipe organ hymns of the white church. We have the new-age churches, with their young energy, that may not vibe with the older generation. I feel all of these divisions are healthy and as a believer, you need to find the right church to grow in.

But my concern is the nuanced cavendishism (I wonder if that word will get into the oxford Dictionary!) within these churches and Christian individuals. Certain churches in the east, assert more respect to the rich, well-educated and the foreign workers. Something I know all too well from having seen the local Indian churches. The pastor favours the elite since they are the financial backbone of the church and his personal income. The rich members abhor visiting the poor in their own church and support their needs.

Many of us have been bought up with the cavendish that only the elite and educated are worth respect since they have put all the effort in their formal lives. Though I’d hold that ground for respect in a more formal world, the biblical teachings defy those grounds. When Jesus looked down at the poor widow who dropped two coins into the temple treasury, he was ecstatic! Has Jesus gone nuts? Those two coins ain’t going to do a thing in terms of the financial requirements of the temple.

“Am I to be blamed for years of subtle indoctrination to define whom to consider as Cavendish or the superior race? No. But if I don’t put any effort to change, I am Racist.”

What people don’t realize today is that the church is not a physical establishment that is defined by the presence of a well-manicured building with manicured members from the elite class.

The church is an entity of people who worship God and pray and cry on their knees. They fast. They wholeheartedly fall in service of God, hoping that generations will be saved. They stand unashamed on the streets to call out the name of God. We need these people, irrespective of whether they come from a poor family or a rich family. Irrespective of whether they are doctors or Janitors. Irrespective of whether they look good or they look ugly by the world’s definition. Irrespective of whether they are black or white. We need CHRISTIANS for the church to grow. Everything else is just a support structure.

Jesus knew this and hence tried to imbibe this nonracist approach to the purpose of God’s body. Unfortunately, today’s church has picked up on a lot along the way but have forgotten the core principle of keeping equal respect for humans above tradition.

When I looked at my missionary parent’s demeanor to the people – both rich and poor, educated and uneducated, fair and dark, I couldn’t help but wonder why someone of their class would want to stoop low. I guess my parents realized that the cavendish banana, despite its cute looks, ain’t really adding flavour to the church of God. Am I to be blamed for years of subtle indoctrination to define whom to consider as Cavendish or the superior race? No. But if I don’t put any effort to change, I am Racist.

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The New Creation

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#OPINION

What would Jesus Do? - George Vilgi Oommen

Many times, i wonder how Jesus would react if he lived among us a Man right now. How he would have reacted against racial injustice, economic inequality, corruption in society and the present-day church’s situation. While we can imagine many things, learning from the Bible gives us a good understanding of ‘What would Jesus do?’

As Christians, our goal is to become like Christ. Thankfully we have the gospel in the Bible, which gives a clear picture of how Christ talked, behaved and acted in different life situations. One of the amazing things we see in His life is His ability to love and respect people from all sections of the society. The ‘untouchable’ woman suffering from bleeding was able to touch Jesus.

Zacchaeus, involved in a ‘tax scandal’ had dinner with Jesus. The ‘outcast’ Samaritan women was able to have a conversation with Jesus. The ‘powerful’ Nicodemus was able to talk to n Jesus in the silence of the night. Now let's look at his disciples. Most of them were fishermen and Jesus was able to connect with them on a personal level.

While Jesus was meek in his character, he did not turn a blind eye towards the injustice that happened in his community. When the temple of God was the center of business, he cleaned up everything and reiterated the fact that the temple is supposed to be the house of prayer, not a business place. He was not silent at the commercialization of God’s temple.

Jesus did not spare the so-called leaders in the Jewish community who criticized Him for not following the ‘rules' of the religion. On multiple occasions, Jesus went against the status quo. When people came to Jesus with a lady caught in sin to kill her, Jesus challenged their intention. He called out the hypocrisy of many leaders around him. In Matthew 23, Jesus used some strong words to condemn the hypocrites.

Next time, when you see racism happening in your church or society, ask this question – What would Jesus Do? Next time, when you see the oppression of people due to their economic status, ask this question – What would Jesus Do? The answer to the question will give you the courage to fight the issues!

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The oxford dictionary defines racism as “the belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities or qualities, especially to distinguish them as inferior or superior to another.�

Daily, racism is experienced by ethnic minorities, people suffering poverty, and many more. People How to Be Aware and Keep Informed About have lost their jobs, opportunities and more importantly, their self-esteem because they have been racially discriminated. This situation needs - Ndubuisi Paul Okafor to change as soon as possible.

Racism?

One fundamental way to learn about racism is to learn about the history of various tribes, cultures and the differences among them; if understood and respected, this will minimize racism.

Ndubuisi Paul Okafor

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What constitutes racism also differ from community to community. Our language, gestures, looks may offend our neighbours even without us realizing it. We must make a conscious effort to relate and ask other people about their cultural values and belief systems.

Society should ensure they inculcate values and virtues in our young ones through the curriculum taught in our schools. Students should be taught history to understand how racism has done harm in the past. The slave trade era should be taught; how people were taken as slaves to different countries, and some of these so-called slaves eventually became strong pillars of their new societies.

“We must make a conscious effort to relate and ask other people about their cultural values and belief systems.”

Adults must unlearn and relearn racism and how it affects us as a nation and the world. We must do away with our preconceived ideas and wrong mindsets about other people and races. The media has been guilty at times by portraying half-truths and half stories of some tribes and races; this has formed the basis of judging their personalities even when many of them fall outside what was portrayed of their tribes.

The scripture is clear about racism; God condemns it. In the equation of God, there is no priority for a race. God recognizes humanity as one. Acts 15:9 says “And put no difference between us and them purifying their hearts by faith”. Jesus Christ, as the head of the church, is a unifying factor. Likewise, the church must be a centre of unity among all worshipers of God. The Bible has the details of how Peter received a vision to minister to the gentiles, but he resisted and called the Gentiles unclean. Peter’s perception was that salvation was only meant for the Jews; however, God proved to Peter that the death of Jesus at the cross was for the whole world and not just for one race. Cornelius and other gentiles gathered at his house received the Holy Ghost in an amazing way (Acts 10 verse 44).

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Colossians 3 verse 11-13 gives us a beautiful perspective of how we must relate with one another. Having established that as children of God there is no Greek nor Jew, nor circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free; It further reveals to us that we must be filled with bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance and the spirit of forgiveness. If practiced in any clime, these sterling qualities highlighted above will practically drown racism in its entirety.

There must not be sects in the church; there must not be certain departments/sections of the church where only a race or people of a certain colour can be a member. All the church departments must be open for all races of all kinds and in relating with one another, there must not be any sense of superiority or inferiority by anyone.

The story of David Livingstone in Africa should be a great inspiration for us all. A man from Scotland sacrificing his life to reach Africa with the gospel of Jesus Christ while also influencing the abolition of the slave trade in Africa. He saw people under bonds and chains, not as slaves but as the “creatures of our God.” We must emulate his model and ideals relating to people of other races and tribes regardless of our cultural backgrounds and individual differences.

To bring an end to racism, we need to change and challenge the way we think and act. We should also be ready to influence others to do the same.

Finally, we must bear in mind always that God is a God of diversity. All human beings are created in God’s image. We have no choice in the race and tribe we belong to. We are not superior nor inferior to anybody from any race or tribe, even though our privileges may differ due to our different backgrounds.

God frowns at racism and wants everyone to come to the knowledge of His truth. Those who deliberately discriminate against their fellow humans should seek the face of God for repentance.

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LIFE IN BETWEEN

Be a Jonathan I never heard much about friendship from churches or Bible studies while growing up. I was taught about churches, parent-children relationships and our relationship with the world but hardly anything on friendship. But recently, when I started learning about Jesus all over again, I realized that He is my friend while being my saviour, redeemer, and a million other things! Let me say that again, Jesus loves to be friends with us and let me tell you, he is great at that.

And what makes friendship different from other relationships we have on earth? It could be very subjective, depending on the individual. For me, it is the sense of fun, unfiltered conversations and a genuine sense of understanding. I can rant about anything on the earth with my friends and they don’t expect me to sound a certain way. And even on the mundane days, I will have so much fun with my friends. And the beauty is when I fail miserably or do something stupid, I call just tell them, and they don’t judge me.

Imagine what our lives would look like if we begin to recognize Jesus as a dear friend!

Something that happened to me with this realization was, I stopped waiting for the next day morning or evening prayer time to talk to him about something that excites or bothers me.

He is now a friend, which means I can talk to him throughout the day just like I call up a friend. Formality and professionalism have no place in this relationship. What matters now is honesty. Brutal, unfiltered, shameless honesty. The truth is, when we have this type of conversation with Jesus, we are granting Him access to some of the raw bits of our hearts and lives. And the beauty is, he is not just a friend who is equally helpless as you. He is a friend who has all the power and resources to change you. And, he is literally the God himself!

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“I bet at least half of the world would have started following Jesus if Christians knew how to be good friends.”

Another learning from this friendship is, because of how Jesus treats me in this friendship, I learn to be a better friend. I learn to judge less and I love more. I learn to listen better. I learn to pray for my friends even when they don’t feel like praying because on all the days I don’t feel like praying, Jesus is interceding for me. I learn to make time for friends even when I am exhausted and I learn to enjoy their happiness thoroughly because that is what Jesus does for me. I also learn to understand and empathize with pain because Jesus understands it very well. He even lost one of his friends to suicide, but he didn’t run away from it or blamed himself for what happened. He was full of love and grace- not only to Judas but also to his other friends in the face of a tragic incident.

Imagine what would happen if we treat other people this way! Imagine the freedom, joy and restoration. I bet at least half of the world would have started following Jesus if Christians knew how to be good friends.

Let me tell you this also- the kind of friendship Jesus models is covenant friendship. Basically a promise to never give up on us. A promise to always show up for us. Isn’t that beautiful?

Jonathan was such a friend of David. (1 Samuel 20: 14-16) The book of Samuel says Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. He was a dear friend even when he knew David would become the king instead of himself. He was just happy to be a friend and do his role as a friend, even when his father called him a traitor and stood up against him. In all these times, he was sure of what he needed to do as a friend. More than everything, Jonathan helped David find strength in the Lord when he (David) was weary and exhausted. That’s the most important thing we can do for our friends- help them on their journey with God.

Friendship understands freewill. Rather, it respects it.

As much as it hopes for the best, it isn’t forceful or condescending. It is embracing, intentional, and respectful. Jesus tells us what to do, but he won’t force us. He respects our decisions even when we don’t please him. He treats us with dignity. But when we realize our mistakes and repent, he doesn’t hold our mistakes against us. He welcomes us back again.

Isn’t that how we should build friendships? He Be a Jonathan. God bless! doesn’t cut ties, holds grudges or moves on without us. There is always a place for us around the table whether we show up or not.

Daya Raja, Bangalore Daya thinks it’s absolutely cool to be known by Jesus. She deeply appreciates nature, art and silence. Currently she is pursuing Masters in Development in India. Her dream is to fall in love with Jesus and humanity every day. Daya can be reached at dayaraja95@gmail.com

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Final Word Dear friend,

Thank you for making it to the end of this edition of EGM Times. While we understand racism is a vast topic to cover, our prayer is that reading this edition will create a spark in you to fight against the sin of racism. Every child of God should join the fight against this evil.

If you are reading this and have not experienced the love and power of God, we encourage you to embrace His love – offered as salvation through Jesus Christ. If you have experienced this love before and have gone back from it, we urge you to come back to His love. There is nothing impossible for God to work in your life. We encourage you to experience this savior in your life.

We at the EGM Times team would like to hear from you at egmtimes@elohimgospelministries.com. See you in the next edition.

God bless you!!!

Team EGM Times

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