Applied

Soul and societal transformation can proceed from the hand of God.  And, His Word, living in the heart of a willing individual, can result in a tremendous impact on the people with whom we interact.  Joshua was taught principles of leadership by God in the 1st chapter of the book of Joshua:
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

The Word of God, we are told in Hebrews is living and active; as it is strategically infused into a human heart, can result in true and lasting heart change.  We each have the potential to bring about change in our culture, light in our surroundings, and to proclaim freedom in Christ to those who have no hope, whose lives are heading in the wrong direction.  As we depend on the Lord and apply His truth in whatever we encounter, we can see His presence go before us to bring about change.

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The great reformer Frederick Douglass was inspired by 2nd Corinthians 3:17.  I want to share that
verse and the following one to paint a picture of the potential for freedom, for life and culture transformation, that the Scriptures relate:
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The year was 1818 - 200 years ago this month, on February 14.  It was the day on which Frederick Douglass was born.  I referred to Douglass yesterday in discussing advisers to President - he advised 5 of them!

Josh Shepherd interviewed Rev. Dean Nelson, the chairman of the Douglass Leadership Institute for The Stream, and I want to relate some more content from that interview.

Douglass was born into slavery and was devoted to the abolition of it.  He is someone who apparently applied a deep faith in the Lord to the work that he did.  According to the article:

Douglass became committed to Christ at a very early age. He used the Bible as the framework for why he worked to abolish slavery. Many are familiar with the passage from Second Corinthians chapter three: Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. His faith influenced his understanding of what freedom is.

In his own personal walk, the inspiration of the Scriptures helped him overcome hatred and bitterness. As a result, before his former master departed this life, Douglass spent time with him. He forgave the man’s cruelty and reconciled with him. This reflects the foundation of Christianity, which is love.

Douglass saw communication as an important tool in encouraging black Americans, according to Nelson.  He started The North Star - Nelson said:

Douglass felt it was important to have a voice that was for the abolition of slavery, from the standpoint of black Americans. The North Star was a newspaper owned and operated by black Americans that actually reached black Americans.

And, Douglass was someone who was devoted to our nation's founding documents and challenged the church, according to Nelson:

Today, many voices seek to redefine the Constitution. Douglass resonates with the ideas of freedom and Constitutional government. That’s critical in our time. He echoes how important America’s founding documents really are.

At the same time, he also challenged where there were inequities. Douglass was famous for challenging the church. He observed what he called “slave-whipping, cradle-plundering, hypocritical Christianity.” It’s a good example of how he was a prophetic voice to the church. Committed to biblical principles, today we too can challenge the status quo.

Nelson spoke recently to the Family Research Council in Washington.  The FRC website has these notes:

As a young man, Douglass recalls a very personal and transformative encounter with God:

“I knew very well—I was wretched, and had no means of making myself otherwise. ...I was, for weeks, a poor, broken-hearted mourner, travelling through the darkness and misery of doubts and fears. I finally found that change of heart which comes by ‘casting all one’s care’ upon God, and by having faith in Jesus Christ, as the Redeemer, Friend and Savior of those who diligently seek Him. I seemed to live in a new world, surrounded by new objects, and to be animated by new hopes and desires. I loved all mankind—slaveholders not excepted; though I abhorred slavery more than ever. My great concern was, now, to have the world converted.”

After escaping slavery, Douglass became a licensed minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Perfecting his writing and oratory skills, Douglass’s commitment to Christ and his calling fueled his new mission to abolish American slavery.

The Stream article also points out that, "The White House and Congress recently created the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission. Days ago, President Trump appointed Dr. Alveda King to serve on it." Nelson said:

We’re really excited about this effort. Not only is Alveda King part of it, but my good friends Star Parker and Kay Coles James are also on the commission. They are joined by Senator Tim Scott and Ken Morris, Frederick Douglass’ great-great-great grandson. Ken and I have become very good friends. They are all serving together on this project.

Alveda King is the niece of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Star Parker leads the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and Kay Coles James is the new head of the Heritage Foundation.

A recent Baptist Press article written by African-American church leader Curtis Woods of the Kentucky Baptist Convention related the story and passion of Carter G. Woodson, who, in 1926, "...established an annual Negro History Week (now Black History Month), seven days in February devoted to the celebration of black history and culture. He selected February to honor the birthdays of two cultural change agents, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Douglass, whom many regard as one of the greatest Christian intellectuals in American history, finds his name virtually unknown amongst most evangelical Christians then and now. It disappoints me to even think about this fact."

Woods writes that:

I agree with Woodson's construal that "no one can be thoroughly educated [in America] until he learns as much about the Negro as he knows about other people."

Black history is American history.

In the Woods article, Frederick Douglass is described as a "cultural change agent."  And, as the FRC website says, presumably quoting from Dean Nelson, "Douglass’s commitment to Christ and his calling fueled his new mission to abolish American slavery."

He was not content to merely have escaped slavery; no, he was dedicated to allow his experience to motivate him to improve society - he apparently was not a bitter man, but a man who was better than his circumstances.  We can allow the experience we have had to be used of God to influence culture positively.

He also was not an excuse maker.  Unlike some, he saw the Constitution as a document that could be used to empower freedom. According to a Heritage Foundation piece linked to the Stream article, Douglass argued that "none of the clauses of the Constitution should be interpreted as applying to slaves. The 'language of the law must be construed strictly in favor of justice and liberty,' he argued."  He said, “Anyone of these provisions in the hands of abolition statesmen, and backed up by a right moral sentiment, would put an end to slavery in America,” Douglass concluded.  Of course, there are those that disagree with that perspective.  A takeaway for us: we can be challenged not to make excuses for our conditions, but to leverage the tools at our disposal to perform the will of God.

A key word for us today: application.  We can take stock of what God has given to us in order to perform His will, to positively impact the lives of others with the truth and power of the gospel - infused with the love of Christ.