YES IT STILL EXISTS and will until we see that "new heaven and new earth" but that doesn't make it okay.
As followers of Christ, we must make EVERY ATTEMPT to love ALL people and ask the Lord to help us get past the stereotypes. So why are we scared to reach out to others whose culture is sometimes very different than ours? It is ironic that the city that set the tone to free people from such horrific racism is still struggling with it today. Though it is not always as overt.....it still exists. How can we change that?
Here are a few prayer points and a good book to read if you want some great insight into racism and it asks the question...."where were all the white Christians during the civil rights movement and why would they let this happen?" It gives some great insights tot he Christian church in the south on how to change the present and the future. It is written by Alan Cross, former pastor of Gateway Baptist Church here in Montgomery. It is well worth the read.
Prayer Points:
1. As with every sin, a heart change needs to occur. Let's start by praying for our own hearts to be cleansed of the sin of racism. Let's ask the Lord for forgiveness if we have treated anyone unfairly. And then we must repent..turn around from thinking that we can judge, stereotype or treat people in an unlovely manner. And it is sin...to not see another human being as worthy of your care and respect.
2. Pray for our Christian churches in the Greater Montgomery area. Pray for our churches to wake up and take a stand when they see things that are wrong.
3. Pray for your neighbors, coworkers, etc. that are different from you culturally. Ask the Lord to help you see them the way He does. Ask for the opportunity to reach out and begin a friendship with someone who might be different. Ask them about their culture and get to know their dreams, fears and desires. Being different is a beautiful gift God gave us and expects us to love each other despite our differences.
There is NO EXCUSE for racism among Christians.
Contemplate this verse and its meaning in your life this week. Pray over and ask the Lord to reveal to you what you need to live through it.
Colossians 3:12-15 "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
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