Mind Reading

In James chapter 1, we see how sin operates in our lives, and how its power progresses:
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

We're tempted when we are "drawn away" by our "own desires."  Those desires are cultivated by the thoughts that we allow to take root in our minds.  The enemy will attempt to deceive us and we can choose whether or not to accept what he is suggesting to us.  If we dwell on thoughts that are contrary to the truth of God and His nature, then we become vulnerable to the enemy's schemes.  We own those thoughts, which can easily develop into sinful actions.  We have to guard against the enemy's tactics and make sure our thinking lines up with God's standards.

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The Bible addresses the content and power of our thoughts in Philippians 4:
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.

The hearing went on and on and on - the founder of Facebook descending from his perch atop the social network to testify before members of Congress about privacy concerns that have come to the fore as of late.  One does certainly get the picture that what we once thought private really isn't, and that Facebook is woefully inadequate in protecting that information.

Now, there is technology that may even promote a notion that our very thoughts are not really private.

An article on The Blaze website starts out by saying:

Scientists have developed a new mind-reading machine that translates what you are thinking and instantly displays your thoughts as text, the Daily Mail reported.

The process is simple and surreal: electrodes are implanted in the brain, and electrical signals are sent to a computer.  The machine is allegedly able to take the vowels and consonants that we use to put sentences together and translate them into text on the computer screen.  Developers say it has a 90% accuracy rate.

The article states that there are noble uses here, saying:

Researchers hope the machine can assist medical patients with conditions that don’t allow them to speak or move.

The device was developed at the University of California and was featured in the Journal of Neural Engineering.

But, there are some concerns: "As the Daily Mail noted, there are fears the device could 'cause problems if secret thoughts are exposed accidentally.'"

The article quotes from a story on the website, The Sun:

Study leader David Moses said: “No published work has demonstrated real-time classification of sentences from neural signals. Given the performance exhibited by [the machine] in this work and its capacity for expansion, we are confident in its ability to serve as a platform for the proposed speech prosthetic device.”

And, as the story points out, "One year ago, the Daily Mail reported that a 'device that reads people’s minds through their brainwaves' could be linked to smart phones within the next several years."  As the writer of the article, Teri Webster, states: "our reality is that even our thoughts may not be our own."

Here you have a case of the contrast between light and dark: technology that holds potential to help people "speak or move;"  but, technology that can enable untrustworthy agents to actually monitor our very thoughts and to even share that information.

One of the first thoughts that came to mind, that I have translated into text - the conventional way, without the aid of electrodes, concerns the implications of our thoughts being monitored.  I guess, in a strange sense, we would have a higher level of motivation to control our thoughts and probably even to conceal the innermost thoughts that we are ashamed of.  Let's take that a step further - you do realize, your thoughts are being monitored!  By your Creator, Almighty God.

So, recognizing that, what are we doing to control the thoughts that we have?  The Bible speaks to the renewing of the mind in Romans 12, it shares criteria for acceptable thinking in Philippians 4, and 2 Corinthians instructs us to take thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.  Temptation and sin operate through the gateway of our minds.  A thought, not properly processed, can result in an action.

The enemy of our souls recognizes this - it's been said that Satan cannot read our minds, but he can place errant thoughts in our minds, he is a master of the power of suggestion.  We have the capability to decide what thoughts we accept or reject.  While we cannot keep thoughts from entering, we can choose what to do with them.  And, we can, through the act of the will, launch thoughts that are consistent with God's Word.

I think it can be a challenge to think about this: if some electrode would monitor our thoughts and transfer them to text, that the output would be found to reflect God's Word and thought patterns that are consistent with His truth.

One Voice

We are one body in Christ, and if a part or other parts of the body are suffering, it affects the whole body. Hebrews 13 states:
3 Remember the prisoners as if chained with them--those who are mistreated--since you yourselves are in the body also.

This speaks powerfully to how we are all connected in the body of Christ.  We can be challenged to remember and stand with those who are imprisoned and/or brutalized for their faith in Christ.  Believers who face persecution may even stand alone in their chastisement.  We can pray that they will know the presence and comfort of the Holy Spirit, the One who sustains us in all our troubles - and we can be cognizant that many are suffering in His name.

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The Bible offers clear instruction and encouragement for those who are facing opposition or persecution in their lives. 1st Peter 4 states:
14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters.
16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

Almost two months ago in the nation of Nigeria, members of the terror group Boko Haram, according to ChristianHeadlines.com, "...invaded a girl’s boarding school in northeastern Nigeria and kidnapped 110 girls. After making a deal with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, the militant group released at least 105 schoolgirls and 1 boy Wednesday, March 21. The one girl who was not released is a 15-year-old Christian who refused to convert to Islam."

One girl, Leah Sharibu, was not released because of her Christian faith.  Astounding!  The story says that:

ABC News reported, “One of the freed schoolgirls, Fatsuma Abdullahi, said five of her classmates at the Government Girls Science Technical College in Dapchi died while the kidnappers herded them into vehicles.”

The Christian Headlines story included a statement from Leah's father, Nata:

"Boko Haram insurgents decided not to release my daughter because she refused to denounce Christ,” Sharibu told reporters today. “I am happy for that, even though as a father I wish she had returned home as the rest. But God is in control,” ABC News reported.

At The Stream website, Liberty McArtor wrote:

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) declared Good Friday a day for Nigerian Christians to pray for Leah’s release, Nigerian news outlet Daily Post reported Wednesday.

“CAN is also reminding the Federal Government and the security agencies of the need to free Leah and other captives from the captivity of the Boko Haram terrorists,” CAN president Samson Olasupo Ayokunle said.

She also stated:

Nathan Johnson, International Christian Concern’s (ICC) Regional Manager for Africa, spoke with The Stream via email about Leah last week. “Leah will likely undergo harsh treatment in captivity,” he said. 

In recent years ICC has petitioned the Nigerian government for the release of the Chibok girls, who were captured by Boko Haram in 2014. Many were eventually released, but several remain in captivity.

“We have seen Boko Haram sexually abuse girls, use them as slaves, and sell them to supporters and followers,” he told The Stream.

The president of that organization, Jeff King, echoed similar sentiments.

The ICC website published a report from World Watch Monitor that Leah "reportedly asked her released friends to pass her mother a message, which read:

'My mother you should not be disturbed. I know it is not easy missing me, but I want to assure you that I am fine where I am… I am confident that one day I shall see your face again. If not here, then there at the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ.'"

The story also says: "One of Leah’s friends told the Sharibu family some details about Leah’s attempted escape, which ended with her being sent back to the Boko Haram camp by the people whom she had approached for help."  According to representatives of Open Doors, Leah's mother fainted upon reading the letter and "reportedly found it traumatic to hear the stories of some of the abducted girls."

The Stream article related several steps in response: to pray, to raise awareness, and to contact the Nigerian embassy.

I want to call your attention to several principles.  First of all, we can recognize that the expression of our faith may result in us standing alone.  When we face opposition, we can continue to stand on our faith and recognize that God is our defender.  The Bible promises that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say when we are brought before authorities.  Even in times of persecution, Christians can rejoice in the presence of Jesus.

We can also be challenged to think that we are called to stand with those who are being persecuted for their faith.  Fellow Christians are facing brutal acts committed against them, and we are called to intercede for them. When we feel helpless when family members or friends are facing trouble, we can continue to pray - fervently.  We serve a God of matchless and mighty power, and at times He will deliver, or perhaps there will be a higher purpose that is served by persecution or opposition - the trying of our faith, according to James, produces perseverance.  May His perfect work be accomplished in all of our lives.

Recovery

In Mark chapter 9, we see Jesus teaching principles of the Kingdom of God, including areas
concerning compassion, such as verse 41:
41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

He also spoke of acting as salt, which, as it has been pointed out, is a preserving agent.  Verse 50
says:
50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."

Because Christ has had compassion on us, we can transmit that compassion to a world in need.  We can be that cup of cold water, we can be the salt, that not only preserves, but it seasons, it enhances the flavor.  As we radiate the character of Christ, we can be a force for good and even bring out the best in people, as we reflect Him and they reflect us.  We have tremendous capability to impact our world for God's glory, and we possess that powerful force, the Holy Spirit, to enable us to do it.

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There are tremendous needs in the world today, and it is important that we take our responsibility seriously as believers to compassionately address what we see in our communities.  Jesus said in
Matthew 5:
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

I think it's so important that we emphasize where God is working - in our lives, in our churches, and in the Church, at large.  Certainly, the Church has its share of problems and inconsistencies - after all, Jesus has chosen a group of sinners to be counted among His followers; and the good news is that He has called us to salvation, to be set free from our sins so that we can have a right relationship with the Father.

So, when I go to secular media and see church leaders taking potshots at the body and bride of Christ, it is quite frustrating - as certain types of behavior that don't line up with Scripture are business as usual with the Church and there are only a few "enlightened" ones who hold all the keys to this miserable group of vagabonds getting their act together.  I don't think the the Washington Post and the New York Times are the places where Christians ought to be airing their grievances with one another; and we have to be so careful on social media, as well.

I want to spotlight a church in Dallas that decided, in observance of the Resurrection and apparently not under compulsion to social pressure, to exalt Jesus and meet the needs of people.  Period.

The story is found on The Stream website.  The church is Covenant Church, which has four locations in the Dallas area.

Covenant partnered with nonprofit group RIP Medical Debt, which acquires unpaid medical debt at greatly reduced rates then forgives it. The church’s donation of $100,000 resulted in eliminating a total of $10,551,618 in medical debt owed by 4,229 households in the Dallas area.

“While introducing ourselves as a local church to these families, we also showed them that we aren’t trying to get something from them — but rather give something to them,” said Pastor Stephen Hayes in a statement to The Stream.

This is an issue that hits home for Stephen, who was struck by a car when he was 17 and spent 12 days in a coma.  The article states:

A long recovery awaited when he awoke. Yet the church banded together to help cover their medical bills.

These events helped inspire him and church leadership to prioritize debt elimination as a community outreach. “My family has known the crushing weight that can come with medical debt,” says Hayes. “I felt strongly that the ability to buy it for just one penny on the dollar was not just a great opportunity, but also an act of good stewardship.”

The organization, RIP Medical Debt, is fairly new, and specializes on helping veterans, who were the emphasis of this Dallas church's actions.  The story says that:

The group acquires debt at low rates available only to those savvy in the debt-buying industry.

Their website notes a faith angle to their purpose. “The idea of debt forgiveness goes all the way back to biblical times of a ‘Jubilee,’ when all debts are canceled and all those in bondage are set free.”

The church learned about the organization through the local NBC affiliate - the article says that, "Nationwide, NBC-owned affiliates have eliminated $15 million in medical debt and counting."

Some might say these are challenging days for the Church - and certainly, because we are sinners, you are going to see activities and attitudes that mirror what we see in the world.  But, the good news of the Gospel is that we can be set free from our sins, that we can experience repentance, and that God can change our hearts and our behavior!   We are then set free to glorify Him through good works - not as a prerequisite or part of our salvation, but the fruit of it.  

Pastor Hayes said this:

Quoting his father, he notes a longtime prayer at Covenant has been: God, give us our city. “We recently have changed that prayer to God, give us to our city,” he says. “We began to ask the question, If our doors closed tomorrow, would our city even notice? If [local families] fall on hard times, we want to help get them back on their feet as soon as possible.”

His father is a founder of the church.

Transforming lives is a central focus of the Church.  As we have been renewed by Christ, we are sent to display principles of that renewal to the communities we are called to serve.   Through our obedience to those Spirit-directed opportunities, we can be more effective in showing the world who Jesus is.  The essence of the Gospel is not carried through a negative op-ed piece, but through the positive effects of spiritual regeneration.

Shift

Joshua was facing a new season of his life, a God-ordained transition, and the Lord gave Him some
principles to follow in chapter 1 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."

We have access to the wisdom of God through our relationship with Jesus Christ - He is the Word made flesh, and by the Scriptures, we can walk according to His plans for us, empowered by His Spirit.  There may be a new season or a transition that you are walking in, and probably will experience in the future - we can know that not only does God lead us, but He is faithful to walk with us through the changes that we encounter...we have to make sure that He is the One who is initiating them, not ourselves.

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There's a Biblical story that relates to what I'll be sharing about a famous television couple who recently ended their show.  In the 18th chapter of the book of Exodus, the father-in-law of Moses, Jethro, makes an important observation:
14 So when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, "What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?"
15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
16 When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws."
17 So Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
18 Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.

So, we're told, Moses divided the people and set leaders over the smaller groups, which relieved the load on him and provided better leadership overall.

This was a notable week in the history of the Fixer Upper television series, starring Chip and Joanna Gaines.  Their last episode aired this past week, and while many have said goodbye temporarily to the home improving couple, there seems to be another chapter being written.

According to a CBNNews.com article, Joanna wrote in a blog post: "Fixer Upper is the thing that introduced our family to yours, and every Tuesday night for the past five years, we have felt you rooting us on from the other side of the screen. We've said it many times, but it's worth saying again—thank you to everyone who has walked beside us on this journey."  She added, "We're not saying goodbye. We're so excited for all that's still to come!"

The couple is expecting a fifth child, whom Joanna described as a "gift from God."  Plus, a new spinoff series is in the works and the couple has opened a restaurant, among other things. As she stated:

"With our little ones getting bigger, we had this gut feeling that it was time to step back and focus on them and our businesses here in Waco, Texas. And although that's why we thought we decided to step away from the show, we now realize with this little one on the way that there was a bigger plan in place for us all along."

The Gaines obviously recognized that it was time for a change.  The Faithwire.com website reported:

In his new book, “Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff,” Chip Gaines recalls a tweet he received at 2 AM from a customer that “changed everything.”

The tweet read, “Hey @chippergaines, it’s been 3 weeks, and I still haven’t gotten my wreath. What’s up?!”

Gaines writes in his book, “I tried to shake it off, knowing that I couldn’t do anything about it then and that it would have to wait until morning. No luck. I was up all night dwelling on it.”

That incident really got Chip's attention.  He related:

“Something shifted within me. Suddenly filming the TV show looked like ‘the job’ that had seduced me into giving it my precious time that I had always promised would be reserved for my true loves, my family and my business. How had this side gig found its way to competing with the very things that mean more to me than anything else in the world?”

As the article notes, there was speculation that the Gaines' marriage was in trouble when they announced the show would not continue.  CBN says:

Gaines writes that their relationship is stronger than ever, “but pure long-term exhaustion can change a person — or two persons. We had been driving so hard for so long now. And I had this sense that if I kept my foot on the gas, we might be headed for disaster.”

Chip and Joanna Gaines have been shaped by their faith.  A Fox News online story stated:

"For me, [faith] changed everything," Chip told us. "It's a part of who I am. I can't separate the two."

The contractor said while his relationship with God plays an important role in every aspect of his life, he doesn't want to come off as preachy.

"I try not to rub it in anybody's face," he explained. "I'm not real boisterous about it but people seem to find out about it just through the way that Jo and I live our lives."

He added, "And we're proud of that."

The story adds:

"I had to learn that this whole God thing isn’t just this big religion. It’s really that He wants this relationship with us on a personal level,” Joanna told People last year. "Even today with the opportunities that are coming our way… I need His guidance. Otherwise I’d say yes to everything."

The Gaines' story can inspire us in several ways.  They demonstrate the importance of bringing your faith to work.  The Fox story said that Chip Gaines' faith is integrated into "every aspect" of his life, and that is as it should be.  We need to allow the Holy Spirit to control the decisions we make and empower the actions we take, including how we do the work we are called by God to do.

The Gaines were also sensitive to the notion that things weren't right with the show.  Chip was bothered by the customer's request that had gone unfulfilled and how a side gig had become all-consuming.  Joanna admits that without God's guidance, she'd "say yes to everything."  We have to know when to say yes, when to say no, and to be sensitive to the Spirit as He nudges us regarding managing our time and priorities.

It is a human tendency for many to become overcommitted.  We can be motivated to delegate or eliminate, always under the control of the Spirit of God.   He will take us through seasons of our lives, and we can seek Him when we start to feel things aren't right or that it's time to make a change.

Restless About Race

God is calling us to grasp the concept of being one body, united in Christ - it is a spiritual fact that we are the body and He is the head, but we have to live like it.  In Ephesians 4, we see that Paul addresses God's desire that we are...
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

We can each examine our hearts to discern what God would have us do in the pursuit of unity - a unified Church contributes to the strength of society; a divided Church loses credibility and the message becomes muted.  Perhaps we need to repent of attitudes toward others that are not pleasing to God; maybe we need to make a greater effort to understand the viewpoint or the background of another.  From our commitment to Christ flows a commitment to walk in love.

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Jesus prayed that we, His people, would be one.  And, as we uphold that example, we invite those that are not part of the body of Christ to unite with us.  Bitterness will tear us apart and disrupt that
unity. Hebrews 12 speaks to the notion of unity:
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled...

On this day following the commemoration of the death of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. 50 years ago, I thought it would be instructive to examine what people are saying about the state of race relations in America.

There was a piece from USA Today in the Montgomery Advertiser that included some sobering statistics:

For much of the past two decades, race relations has been the issue that Americans say they have been least worried about, according to the polling firm Gallup. The question hit a nadir for American anxiety in 2010 as President Obama — the nation’s first black president — settled into his first White House term: Just 13% of Americans said they were greatly concerned.

But last year, 42% of Americans — an 18-year high — said they had a "great deal" of concern about race relations. Thirty-seven percent said they were greatly concerned in the most recent Gallup survey, published last month.

There has been plenty of analysis with regard to why this could have been so - the promise of a "post-racial America," deteriorating into a more racially-conflicted America.  Many looked to the former President as someone who could unite America despite racial barriers, a hope, I believe, was reflected in that data.  But, while a President can certainly impact how we relate to one another, we also have to recognize it's up to each of us to demonstrate charity and good will to people who are from different backgrounds.

There has been discussion over the impact that Mr. Obama had on race relations.  CNN reported toward the end of his presidency:

Overall, 54% say relations between blacks and whites have gotten worse since Obama became president, including 57% of whites and 40% of blacks. That's up sharply compared with last June, when 43% said things had gotten worse shortly after a racially motivated shooting at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina.

That is from a CNN/ORC poll.

I would offer that primary factors included Ferguson and the continued rise of social media have contributed to the corrupted landscape of race relations.  Add in more incidents and the subsequent fanning of the flames and you have an explosive rhetorical mix.

In some of its analysis, Gallup states regarding the survey released in March, showing 37% of those surveyed worry "a great deal" about race relations:

Most often, race relations has been the issue Americans worry least about. However, that has not been the case in recent years, as concerns about the issue spiked after several highly publicized cases of deadly confrontations between police and young black males.

Also, Gallup noted last March, regarding the 42% number, that those concerns resulted from that factor, as well as another:

The political success of President Donald Trump -- whose comments on racial matters, including his recent feud with Rep. John Lewis, have sparked outrage among some black leaders -- could also be a factor in Americans' heightened concern about race relations.

I do believe the Church has an opportunity to change the narrative and speak to the hearts of individuals who are involved in harboring or even acting on racial tensions. But, Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, said last year regarding a survey his organization had conducted on race relations: “It seems like most congregations are eager for somebody else to do the work of reconciliation...rather than embrace it for themselves.”

That is a quote from a ReligionNews.com story last March about the survey.  It said:

The vast majority of pastors (90 percent) said their churches would welcome a sermon about racial reconciliation. But almost three-quarters of pastors — 73 percent — say they have not been encouraged by church leaders to preach about reconciliation. A quarter (26 percent) said they have been urged to address the issue.

Protestant pastors were asked about what they had done in the last three months to encourage racial reconciliation.  The story says:

• 57 percent spent time at social activities with neighbors of other ethnicities.
• 53 percent led corporate prayer for racial reconciliation.
• 51 percent talked about reconciliation with church leaders.

4-in-10 said they "met regularly with clergy of other ethnicities." Only 2-in-10 "led a public lament over racial injustice or unrest."

As McConnell suggests - it's not somebody else's job.  We can ask God to search our hearts and direct us, each of us, regarding what we can do to improve how we treat people from a different ethnic group than us.  Surely, there will be organized events and opportunities to express our desire for Biblical unity, but the most effective means of bringing about the oneness that God desires is for each of us to take the prayer of Jesus in John 17 seriously and allow Him to create that mindset in us, that we might be brought together as one.  There is a disturbing trend that has crept into evangelical Christianity that seeks to blame and condemn some for not doing enough to bring about racial reconciliation - we have to be careful as Christians that we don't shame one another; we are called to love one another and keep our eyes on Jesus, the Redeemer.

The survey data is there - even though there has been a 5-point drop in concern over race relations, still over 1-in-3 people worry "a great deal" about the issue.  About a-third worry about the topic "Only a little or not at all."  So, there is great concern, but there is also a significant amount of indifference.  This is not a matter that can be treated with indifference; some might think it does not affect them - well, it does.  The betterment of our communities - where we live and work, where we raise our children, and participate in activities - it's on us.  Christians can become salt and light in addressing how we relate, providing the moral foundation upon which these communities can carry on in the future. 

The Mountaintop

In Romans 13, we read about the importance of walking in the light, putting on Christ and rejecting 

the flesh - here is a helpful passage that can be applied in a number of areas:
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Verse 13 says we are to "walk properly" - we can adopt a philosophy having our lives rooted in the Scriptures and viewing one another in the way that Christ would intend.  This is incredibly important in the area of race relations.  We can choose to be selfish or caught up in strife, defined by our divisions - or, we can be defined as the body of Christ, united by His blood and devoted to following His Spirit, who brings us together so that we might be a strong example to the world of what His love can actually do.

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In Galatians 3, we can see some verses that give us insight into how we are to regard one another - as members of the body of Christ, united in Him:
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

He wasn't scheduled to speak that night in Memphis over 50 years ago.  But, when the crowd of three thousand people gathered at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ demanded to hear Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., his associate, Ralph Abernathy, the keynote speaker that night, called him at his hotel room and asked him to come.  That's according to the National Park Service website.

When he arrived, he delivered a 40-minute impromptu speech, the content of which foreshadowed what would occur the following day - King died on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel as the result of an assassin's bullet.  King was part of a delegation of black leaders who had come to Memphis to join with 1,300 sanitation workers who were on site.  There had been protests that had occurred - the site notes:

Following a bloody confrontation between marching strikers and police the week before, a court injunction had been issued banning further protests. King hoped their planned march would overturn the court injunction.

That speech, the "Mountaintop" speech, has been described as "prophetic," and in the course of the speech, you can surmise that Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized the life-threatening dangers he faced.  The full text can be found at the ABCNews.com website.  He likened the purpose and significance of standing with the sanitation workers to the Biblical parable of the Good Samartian.  He said:

And so the first question that the priest asked -- the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

That's the question before you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to my job. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" The question is, "If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question.

Interestingly enough, he recounted how he had been stabbed at a book signing in Harlem a few years before - he noted that the blade had come very close to his aorta; that the New York Times had noted that if he had sneezed, that would have been the end of his life.  He named some of the events and accomplishments that he would have missed: in Albany, GA, Birmingham, and Selma.  He mentioned how there were security concerns about the plane on which he traveled to Memphis.

 Then, these amazing words:

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind.

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

And so I'm happy, tonight.

I'm not worried about anything.

I'm not fearing any man.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

So, what do we take away from this speech and the 50th anniversary of the death of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.?  There are many principles, but I wanted to highlight some things that come to mind.  For one thing, King was solutions-based.  He was always looking forward - certainly, he came up against adverse attitudes and actions, yet he was continually moving ahead.  Sometimes, we can look back at past failures and fail to grasp what could occur in the future.  We approach current issues, but allow the clouds of past injustice and conflict to restrict our progress in the area of race relations - we can certainly move beyond, in the strength of the Lord.

He was also Scripture-focused.  We have to develop that attitude toward matters of race.  And, we have to recognize that as Christians, leading the way to racial reconciliation, that first and foremost, as Dr. Tony Evans has said, are believers redeemed by the blood of Christ.  I came across this incredible quote, which I believe serves us well today.  It was published on the Gospel Herald website.  The article reports that Dr. Evans said:

...it is technically incorrect for someone to call themself a "black Christian," or a "white Christian," or a "Hispanic Christian."

"Then you make your color or culture an adjective. It's the job of the adjective to modify the noun. If you put Christianity in the noun position, and your color or culture in the adjective position, you have to keep shaping the noun so it looks like the adjective that describes it. So if your color stays in the adjectival position, you got to keep shaping Christianity to look black or to look white or to look red," he said.

He also said:

"The truth is an objective standard by which reality is measured; it's God's point of view on any subject. Just because you were raised a certain way. Once how you were raised disagrees with what God says, how you were raised was wrong!" he proclaimed.

"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 - all of this would have been solved," said Evans.

The Bible calls us to be sober-minded.  I believe Rev. Dr. King evaluated and observed the way things were, make no mistake.  He recognized the obstacles and the challenges.  But, he set the example that we can move forward - together.

He spoke clearly and boldly for civil rights, but, as he noted in the "I Have a Dream" speech years before, he desired that people be known for the content of their character, not the color of their skin.  He envisioned a reconciled people, but He also carefully evaluated the conditions that existed in his day; there was no attempt to gloss over those conditions.  We can be challenged to recognize how things are, but not accept them - constantly moving forward, with the Church, as one body of Christ, setting the example.  That is perhaps what King saw from the mountaintop; can we see unity through God's eyes, from His perspective?

We Need a Princess

We are new creatures in Christ, and He has given to us a new identity in Him; He desires to express
His character through His people. 1st Peter 2 says:
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

We have been chosen by God - and His Word shows us who we are in Him.  We have been united with our Heavenly Father, and He has called us to exchange our old identity for a new one, in which we experience His grace and mercy, where we discover what it means to be loved, as well as how to show His compassion.  By His Spirit, we can encounter His strength; we can be free from the past and hopeful for the future.  We are a child of God; we belong to Him.

+++++

The first three verses of Isaiah 61 illustrate the character of Christ and provide insight into true beauty and joy in exchange for what the world has to offer.
1 "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."

The alarm bells certainly sounded when a local affiliate of Planned Parenthood in Pennsylvania posted an offensive tweet the other day.  According to LifeNews.com, the tweet said: "We need a Disney princess who’s had an abortion,” and, “We need a Disney princess who’s pro-choice.”  The tweet also called for a Disney princess who is an "undocumented immigrant," a "union worker," and transgender.

The LifeNews article stated:

Planned Parenthood would utterly corrupt their idealistic young minds by pushing little girls to accept death and destruction in the name of “choice” and “empowerment.”

This propaganda was so disturbing that even many “pro-choice” individuals left critical comments on the post. Within an hour, the abortion chain deleted it. LifeNews took a screen shot of the tweet before it was deleted.

The site noted that, "The Pennsylvania Family Institute, which first noticed the tweet, pointed out that the Pennsylvania abortion affiliate received $3.5 million tax dollars in 2016 alone to push its outrageous agenda on children and adults. Nationally, the abortion chain receives about $500 million annually in tax dollars."  And, that funding will continue, thanks to the recent omnibus spending bill.

Well, according to Faithwire, a former Disney World princess learned about the tweet and wrote a piece for the Medium website, entitled, “I WAS A DISNEY PRINCESS AND HAD AN ABORTION.”  Deanna Falchook was a performer in the 80's at the Disney park; her voice appeared in recordings as Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, and she was in an average of five shows per day in front of Cinderella's castle.

The story continues:

...at age 18, Falchook shares that she “became pregnant and had an abortion to keep my job as a singing princess.”

“There was no pressure from the company or management to abort my baby,” she notes.

“I didn’t tell them. But I made a decision on my own that I quickly lived to regret.”

Immediately after her abortion, Falchook says she “struggled deeply,"

She wrote, "I continued to sing songs in front of the castle about dreams coming true, but eventually had to quit my dream job due to my inability to reconcile my decision within myself. I wanted to die."

The article says that, "After a long, difficult struggle to find healing, Falchook shares that she is now 'by the grace of God … living an amazing life.'"  She stated:

Disney doesn’t need a princess who has had an abortion. For years feminists have been princess bashing because they clearly don’t really grasp the depth of the princess stories that have already been told of overcoming evil, beauty rising out of the ugliness of the world, empowering love that is willing to slay dragons, resurrecting life after evil witch potions threatens to poison and demanding true love in a world that wants to rewrite the happy ending into something less romantic. Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Merida, Ariel, Mulan all represent strength, power, grace, favor, determination and beauty out of ashes.

Abortion doesn’t empower.

Even though Planned Parenthood's chapter deleted the tweet, it still represents the philosophy that drives the nation's largest abortion provider - a philosophy that is coated in death and cloaked in deception.  And, the normalization of abortion as just another so-called "choice" in American life hides the real truth of the brutality of what actually occurs.  If this highly profitable industry can deny reality and somehow make abortion look more acceptable, then it will attract more customers, representing more lives lost.

Reaching out to even the very young helps to fulfill this agenda.  As LifeNews states:

In the minds of Planned Parenthood leaders, no age is too young for its pro-abortion indoctrination. The abortion chain goes to middle schools and high schools across the country to teach its questionable sex education programs.

The abortion giant also publishes multiple “resources” for children and teenagers concerning sexual activity. These materials claim to provide “age appropriate” sex education to children starting at age 4.

This presents a challenge to the Church - to recognize the attempts to corrupt the minds of our young people and to offer Biblical standards: about the value of life itself, and about what it truly means to be compassionate.  Also, the Church can be challenged to teach young girls about what it means to be a woman and to discover their true identity in Jesus Christ.  As Deanna Falchook states, the Disney princess model teaches appealing character traits, including beauty out of the ugliness of the world - Isaiah 61 refers to beauty rising out of ashes.  The Bible presents a viewpoint of what true strength, beauty, and grace actually are.  And, hopefully, we all are modeling what the true character of Christ looks like.