Reset Your Attitude \\ Reset (Week 5) | Jeff Vines

one in all churches we come together this weekend I'm reminded of the fact that we are a family the Bible mentions numerous times that we are God's a new community in the world that we are to love one another care for one another I'm seated this weekend because there are times that I feel it is important as the leader of one and all church to have more of a family discussion one that comes from the heart deep within the recesses of the heart sometimes pastors are motivated by great burdens and when they speak on topics like this I got to tell you from the get-go that I need grace in fact I need not just a little I need a lot the reason is is because I've made it a habit in my life not to talk about something unless I had sufficient information unless I had a great amount of understanding and if you think about it that's a pretty good policy but at the same time if I don't speak about this now I feel that my silence will speak more than my words ever could so can I ask you to listen to my message and I know it's Father's Day and we fathers often get put on the back burner because of some more important topic and I do want to say Happy Father's Day at the same time I think this is relevant to all fathers and I would ask you to listen to the message that I'm about to bring on the basis of what you know about me in the past would you be willing to interpret the words through the lens of what you know to be true about my heart Who I am and my love for you and for all people can you do that the reason that's important is because our nation right now is so divided everyone's shouting no one's really truly listening we have witnessed violence against the bike community violence against the police community violence against communities and businesses that are innocent bystanders unnecessary violence against black men by police unnecessarily violence by black and white men and women against police and to make matters worse our leaders in Washington and the mainstream media politicize everything for money and for power and this did not begin with the current administration this has been going on for decades we have systemic corruption everywhere I know that not every person is corrupt but the system on which you and I are living in is not showing mercy we are not doing justice and we are not walking humbly with our God nor have we done so in a very long time folks we have to come to the conclusion that our justice system today is broken but like all things that are broken it can be mended it can be put back together restored but this will not happen without leadership and a great amount of effort in my opinion not without the church speaking up against all evil now can I ask you again to stay with me to not anticipate where you think I'm going or what I'm going to say this is not a political message this is a biblical message and we could have the most important reset of our time after this weekend I'm not interested in red or blue I'm not interested in wwr D what would the Republicans do or WWD D what would the Democrats do I'm interested in what the creator and sustainer of our universe would do what would Jesus do to help us understand this I I feel incredibly privileged to have met President Kagame in Rwanda and as I walked through those prisons the first time after the genocide now some of you may not be familiar with the topic of discussion but in 1994 we had all over a million Tutsis slaughtered by the majority Hutus it was a genocide orchestrated from the very top Kagame as the incoming president had to find a solution to bring peace and reconciliation to his people when I said before Kagame I asked him the question and I saw this on the looks at the faces of the prisoners who even though they participated in the genocide were still quite confused after all it happened thinking how on earth did this happen in our country even though I'm guilty how did it happen and Kagame said there were four players he says for any atrocity to occur you always have four players you have the orchestrators those who are at the very top who are making decisions who are systematic in their policies they had but one objective and that is to annihilate the minority Tutsis from the population but just underneath those who orchestrated the policy are those in local positions of authority and power and they kind of knew that something evil was about to occur but they didn't do anything about it because there's a part of them that agreed with it and then you had the third level the communities that surrounded that made up most of Rwanda and these communities suspected that something evil was happening but because they were in the majority they thought that themselves well this is bad but what can I do my life is OK in fact my life is getting better so I'm not gonna rock the boat if it ain't broke don't fix it and then Kagame says that the fourth category are those who know that something's happening that it's pure evil but they're just apathetic so they do nothing about it many Hutus knew exactly what was going on but they simply didn't do anything about it many saw the corporate systemic evil that was going on the systemic racism that was happening they knew about the orchestrated effort to destroy the Tutsi population population they knew about segregation by documentation one of the first steps government did was forced the Tutsi and the Hutu to carry around a booklet identifying who they were - what tribe they belong they were denied the best jobs the best education and there was a national media manipulation to gather the type of discrimination against the minority you know I never thought about that meeting with Kagame the way I have in recent days I also remembered the same was true in the Holocaust at the very top you had Hitler and his sycophants and hundreds and hundreds of leaders designed a systematic killing machine but just underneath them you had guards and social workers in government workers both local and national who were just following orders in fact at the Nuremberg trials the generals of the Third Reich and even those who are working in local law enforcement and local social programs denied their guilt by saying that they were just obeying the laws of their land so we can't be held responsible we were just doing we were just following the system that we were a part of therefore we have no legal or we do not need a legal defense we were just obeying the laws of our land until finally the American lawyer who was leading the charge against the Third Reich threw his hand up in the air and frustration and said wait a minute gentlemen isn't there a law above our laws isn't there a law above our laws so there's the orchestrators of the Third Reich there are the local officials working under the orchestration and then there are the townspeople all of Germany who suspected something horrible was going on but just thought well it doesn't really thank my day-to-day life in fact my life is getting better in fact when Eisenhower and the American troops came in to the concentration camps of ravensberg for a switch in Germany wherever they were he forced the local townspeople to come in and witness the atrocities that have been committed so that no one could deny these atrocities in the future so you have entire communities seeing human ash flow out of the chimneys who are somewhat suspicious but refused to believe what is actually happening Eisenhower forced them to come in when the war had ended and actually buried many of the dead bodies left behind and we are told that people in the community were frustrated so much to the point they were terrorized that many committed suicide that somehow this could happen on their watch and then of course you had that first tier or fourth tier rather of just everyday German citizens that suspected evil hated evil but just didn't have time to do anything about it they were apathetic so in both cases there were levels of responsibility however the only way the genocide could have worked the only way the the atrocities of the Third Reich could have occurred is if every level every level works in full cooperation and in operation either by ignorance or by intention no way could you create a system that kills so many people if everyone in those tiers were not cooperating to some degree although it has been quoted and misquoted many times it was actually John Stuart Mill in 1867 who said these words bad men need nothing more to compass their ends then that good men should look on and do nothing I'm not suggesting for a moment or even comparing the Rwandan genocide and the Jewish Holocaust with what's happening in our country today I only bring them up to illustrate a systemic corporate evil that exists in our nation a systemic racism I love this nation and I love this people I've lived in other places from the majority of my life and I can tell you that with all our faults America is still the greatest country the greatest nation on earth but part of our greatness is that we have been overcomers that no matter how bad things get the Judean Christian worldview the judeo-christian worldview emerges from the dusty dungeons and forces us to ask the question who are we really and the truth is that few nations on the planet recognize this about us unfortunately when it comes to racism a big part of our problem is this Western society tends to think in individualistic terms you know I heard this in the South growing up throughout my entire the person who says I never owned slaves I'm not prejudiced I cried when I saw the movie Mississippi Burning what my ancestors did was terrible but I'm not responsible for what my ancestors did in the past I'm not responsible for something someone else does and the reason you say that is because you're part of a Western society where individualism is primary and you did not get that from the Bible can you drop your defensive walls just for a moment can I show you something in Joshua 7 the children of Israel are coming into the promised land and they are clearly told as they ever overcome these nations not to plunder their goods akin a member of a family takes was does not belong to him lots of it but as a result his entire family parents grandparents brothers says his entire family are punished you and I look at that we think wow he's the one who did it that's why parts of the Bible are offensive to you because of your cultural location not always but if you think the whole world thinks like you do don't you think you might have just a literal cultural narrowness somehow that there's a pride in you because the reality is in this case this Bible story in Joshua 7 most of the world understands that we are products of our family that it takes a village to raise a family and sometimes they don't do a very good job of it families produce offspring good and sometimes bad your family actively and passively participates in your guilt and in your goodness by the culture it establishes within the family unit so Joshua 7 reminds us that there is a corporate responsibility inside every family that what our members do reflects all of us what we do reflects them actually there's a pretty powerful verse in proverbs chapter 29 verse 15 that says this a rod and a reprimand impart wisdom but a Child Left undisciplined disgraces its mother the idea basically is this and by the way rod is not the rod of torture rod is like the rod of a shepherd who guides and leads the sheep back into safety so the verse is basically set telling us that a parent who does not continually correct the path of a child that child will be an embarrassment to the parents and the family in public there is responsibility then we come to Daniel 9 when daniel prays he assumes corporate guilt for something that his ancestors did his prayer of is definitely one that we should all read because he speaks of families and grandparents and parents that he had absolutely nothing to do with and members of his community that he did he never even met and yet in his prayer in Daniel 9 he repents on behalf of generations before him let me read to you a section Daniel 9 4 through 6 Lord the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his Commandments we have sinned and done wrong we have been wicked and have rebelled we have turned away from your commands and laws we have not listened to your servants the prophets who spoke in your name to our Kings our Prince's and our ancestors and do all the people of the land this is crucial there's a common saying in the south again I never owned slaves I'm not a racist I am nice to those people so why do I have any responsibility to that community daniel prays and repents for the things that his ancestors did and the reason is he knows that he's part of a culture a system that produced the sins of the past and he's still part of that culture he senses the connection and a type of shared responsibility and then we come to that classic passage in Romans chapter 5 where we witness classic federal theology Paul went way beyond faith and family way beyond culture and into the very core of the human race to teach us that by virtue of the human race all of us are condemned we number the verse in Romans 5:12 therefore just as sin entered the world through one man that's Adam and death through sin when Adam sinned death came into the world and in this way death came to all of us because all sinned so there is a connection that we have to Adam somehow we inherited his physical DNA even though we're not guilty of sin until we commit sin all of us have a propensity towards sin there is a system in which we live in which we are reared the good news is that Paul says however because we have a connection to Jesus Christ we are saved not because of anything we did but because of a new system now we have a connection to Christ and in that system we relate to God on the basis of grace not law and are therefore saved so when I speak of systemic evil and systemic racism please let me define it I mean this a system that excludes and marginalizes people on the basis of race even though most people in the system are not intentionally trying to do it you hear me on that I gotta say that again we're talking about a system that excludes and marginalizes people on the basis of race even though most people those last two tears sometimes that the last three are not intentionally trying to do it so the individuals are not for the systemic evil or racism but they're by nature of involvement part of a system that's doing it so there is some guilt by association and the question I have for all of us who are Christ's followers do we have eyes to see places in this country where systemic racism exists please listen to the end please we who are in the white majority we don't like that phrase and part of that is good news in the sense that we don't like it because we know racism is wrong that's a good start we celebrate movies that actually conquer it I was in the theater when I saw remember the titans in denzel washington bridges the gap between white and black and we cheered I remember seeing Mississippi Burning same thing you had all of these people most middle-aged white people watching this movie and they cheered when racism was overcome and when those who were responsible before it were brought to justice they cheered recently there's a movie called just mercy it's an incredible movie about a Harvard Law grad who's african-american goes back down to his home in the south and begins to defend African Americans who are on death row with a lack of sufficient evidence against them they had no voice they are executed without fair representation we love our country so much that we feel when somebody uses the term systemic racism that it means that every ounce of every corner of every part of our country is racist and quite frankly as a white male I don't even know that I can't even know that because I'm white but what I am saying is this there is public there are public social and governmental policies both local and national that stink of systemic racism and we Christians should be standing up and saying no no not on our watch and we're all guilty my home town if I were to go back there today we are in 2020 folks and if I were to go back to my little home town I could take you to the part of my hometown where all of the black community live it is a community that has received the less assistance the least assistance and social programs in education and any social service and part of the reason is that the way it's set up is that the taxes collected from a certain part of the community go back into that community for schools and social services so there is a vicious cycle because the lowest wages are earned in that community which means there are less taxes which means there are less social services which means there is least education and that is repeated again and again and again how systemic I don't know the truth of it being systemic that I am certain in parts of our country you know when I was playing basketball in high school between my junior and senior year my coach set me down in the locker room and said look I know you've been the captain of the basketball team and you got to know when you're in a small town if you're the center you're if you're the pivot man I mean you're like a god with a small G free free haircuts free cheeseburgers it's the works well that's all some of these small towns have it's their athletic programs their pride in their basketball team my coach sent me down he said Jeff we've got a student coming to our school for the next year and I just want to give you a hit little heads up his name is James Henry he's African American he's from the Virgin Islands and he's six nine and about 250 pounds and it was coaches way of saying to me basically your days of playing the pivot man are over now I was fine with the meeting but then I go out into the community and I had so many people come to me and say hey this is not fair you've earned the privilege it's you're right you're entitled to have that position because you're from this community now what was amazing about this entire scenario was when James Henry arrived I quickly noticed that James Henry was one of those men he was impossible not to like and James and I became best friends I remember visiting James in his home the first time and his parents looked at me like are you lost to show you the division now the problem is that I learned so much about the african-american community in my hometown through my relationship with James I did nothing about it and I had a voice he said well you were young yeah but even at a very young age I had a keen interest in social studies I had a very keen interest in civil programs and justice but I did nothing I look back at that now and I wonder why why and I think it's because my life was going fine I was okay and now I realize that even then at a very young age I was part of a system system designed somehow intentionally by some identity by others to keep my friends family down but I was saying nothing I know we've come a long way in the United States I get that but we've not come far enough how can we say we've come far enough until there is absolute equality the only thing worse than ignorance is apathy and there's no way I can pretend to know the ins and outs of this issue how can I I'm part of the majority I can tell you this though because I lived on foreign soil soil for 10 years I have experienced racism when I lived in Zimbabwe I was the minority when my wife and I would cross borders between South Africa and Zimbabwe they would often hold me in a room for two and three hours in a hot room with no air-conditioning just because I was white I got used to it I remember one time I bought the very best tickets to go to a soccer game between Zimbabwe and the Congo and I came and I stood in line and because I was white everyone shoved me into the back and yes it was because I was white and somebody looked at me and I said but I bought a ticket and that response was yeah welcome to Zimbabwe my white friend I was on the golf course one time that was made up of of both Zimbabweans and Rhodesian 'he's referring to a white Zimbabwean and I remember standing on the path one day and one of the captains of the golf club who was Zimbabwean literally came by me and elbowed me in the back and shoved me off the path and looked at man and said looked at me and basically said these words what are you doing here why are you here that can't even begin to compare with the experiences of our african-american brothers and sisters here in our country our entire world is filled with systemic corporate evil and racism the Kasten system in India have you ever heard of the untouchables you can actually enact violence against a race of people in India and not be held accountable by the legal system and there is tribal superiority even in Africa even in Zimbabwe you have the Shona who make up the majority of the population the minorities are they in the ballet when needs arise they in the bellies in Bulawayo shall decide there's no money putting the social programs in the food and the clothing and education it's everywhere which makes me cringe when another part of the world points the finger at America because it's so hypocritical we are living in a world of systemic racism and injustice the difference is we in America are supposed to do better why because we claim to be based upon judeo-christian values we say love God and love your neighbor as yourself now wait a minute timeout just a second some of you will hear that and you will say don't give me that judeo-christian stuff Jeff Thomas Jefferson was a Christian and he regularly raped his slave girl Christianity does not help it's part of the problem hold on first of all listen carefully now Thomas Jefferson was not a Christian he was a deist that's different we'll talk about that in the weeks to come but ii realize what you're doing you are using the judeo-christian worldview to attack the judeo-christian worldview can i ask you something is rape wrong is slavery objectively wrong who told you i thought you said that right and wrong was left every person I actually agree with you rape is objectively wrong slavery is objectively wrong you actually are confirming objective moral values where do you think you got those from you got those from the judeo-christian worldview in which you've been raised you can't use judeo-christian values to attack the judeo-christian world unless you're willing to admit that yes it was also the Christian faith of Abraham Lincoln and William Wilberforce that inspired them to be the primary leaders in the abolition of the slave trade so while we Christ followers must repent for the sins of our ancestors whose system to some degree we still live in we can always rejoice in the fact that we also have ancestors who truly followed the way of Jesus saw injustice and live to defeat it in fact Christians throughout the centuries have been responsible for major movements against injustice attempting to right the ship when it has gone wrong and that in fact is my hope today but it begins with admitting that you and I are part of a systemic corporate evil where racism is a reality remember what I said we define systemic evil or racism by saying a system that excludes and marginalizes people on the basis of race even though most people in the system are not intentionally trying to do it can I just show you look there's not enough time can I just show you some of my discovery I have probably read over a thousand pages in the last five days and I have also met with five distinct african-american leaders in our community and church members okay a recent report tells us that the racial wage gap is the widest it has been in nearly four decades let me read your quote from economic indications the wage gap today is worse now than it was 36 years ago said Valerie Wilson director of the liberal-leaning think tanks program on race ethnicity and economy for the most part wages have been fairly flat since 2000 as we have as have incomes and other economic measures as we've seen this overall stagnation she says those racial disparities have grown and the report concludes that having a college degree actually worsens the gap countered to the idea that education is the key to more equal society the quote goes on to say that while black male college students entering the workforce in the 1980s had less than a 10 percent disadvantage compared to whites by 2014 similarly educated black men started their first jobs at a deficit of roughly 18% we were making headway from the from the years of 2008 to 2016 things got progressively worse now can I point out something but no agenda here it happened when the Democrats were in power pastor Jeff why would you say that you had me until then I'm trying to say to you that both parties Republicans and Democrats use the black community as a means to their in but when they get into office they do nothing about it you say well I don't think a black man should get a job just because he's black that's not what this article is saying it's saying that if you have two people who have the same qualifications why does the white man get the job a disproportionate amount of time there's only one conclusion folks a system that favors one race over another a type of internal bias that you may not even realize that you have a discrimination on the basis of color do you know Jeremiah the Prophet told us this woe to him who builds his house without right and his upper rooms without justice who uses his neighbor's services without pay and does not give him his wages I was amazed to learn that some of the schools in our land who claimed those who stand up most loudly against racism and for equality for instance like Berkeley Berkeley claims that they are the epitome of what it means to stand against racism and stand for equality and yet 3% 3% African American applications review and accepted 3% 3% of the entire university campus in California african-american UCLA USC still near the bottom of African American acceptance an average of students Virginia on the East Coast they claim to be the berkeley of the east 5.7 percent what makes that even worse is they are surrounded by a population that is somewhere near 30% African American will we christ-followers have eyes to see that some of our policies whether intentional or unintentional will keep the black community struggling for its life forget about thriving they're simply trying to our brothers and sisters our black brothers and sisters are trying to survive and we the majority are part of that system whether we want to be or not whether we admit it or not and are therefore to some degree liable this is not a political issue it's a biblical one but it does have political ramifications because how does the Bible address this the gospel should help us get beyond individualism into corporate care and concern for all people Romans five tells us that God sees us through the lens of community how we treat one another that we are God's new community in the world so the question is what is this community going to do to defeat systemic racism and corporate evil in our world especially in a democracy where we have power and voting rights and a voice Isaiah 1 says learn to do good seek justice correct oppression bring justice to the fatherless plead the widow's cause the only way forward the only way is if all of us black and white get some sense of we together that we in the white community must begin to see the black community as us not them because you will always fight for your own Paul said in Galatians so in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith for all of you were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ you see what he's saying we're all clothed with Christ no matter what color we're clothed with Jesus when you refuse to help a brother you refuse to help Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile neither slave nor free nor is there male or female and you are all one in Christ Jesus if you belong to Christ then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise Paul tells the church in Corinth so that there should be no division in the body but that its parts should have equal concern for each other if one part suffers every part suffers with it if one part is honored every part rejoices with it you see here's the problem you're guilty I'm guilty to a degree we all have these vices we got to come to terms I've started to ask the question if that was my son how would I want him to be treated and then it dawned on me he is my son my son in the faith the sons and daughters in the bike community they are my children when you say yeah but what about those outside the church as pastor Steve reminded me earlier there were to be the good samaritan were to pay the cost for bandaging our wound can i say something at the same time to this generation jobs twelve twelve says with aged men is wisdom and in length of days as understanding you see me as old okay the bible says that since you see me as old that perhaps it would be wise for you to at least take note of my words because the only thing worse than apathy is amnesia and violence will get you nowhere history has shown us this again and again nelson mandela knew that even though he had been punished for years no good reason in prison he forms the reconciliation commission why because he knows that violence breeds violence that is the truth of humanity mandela said you will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution he also said resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies can I ask you who accomplished more widespread change than any other leader in human history the answer Jesus how did he do it sacrificial love when I see policemen engage in protesters peaceful protesters loud protesters but peaceful and they kneel down before them to say to them we see you that is the way forward but when I see people burning and looting and violence here's what goes through a policeman's mind I will fight you it is my job it's a matter of pragmatism President Mugabe sorry Kagame so I get confused here he followed suit in Rwanda and he invited people like Rick Warren and myself Rick Warren played a huge role as well and he invited the gospel in why I asked Kagame why the Christian worldview and the answer is because Christianity has the worldview of equality and reconciliation something you do not find in worldviews but the question is even though we find it in theory do we find it in practiced it worked in Rwanda because the christ-followers began acting it out unfortunately it was after the fact there has to be a great repentance we have to acknowledge our sin of apathy and non-action if we hope to transform the nation but I tell you I am shocked when I hear people that I respect think that you can change anything with violence what I say now I say with the utmost concern and love looting and burning buildings just confirms the prejudices of many of your enemies protesting injustice by destroying another life and another business that's in your own community is nonsensical that's like blowing up an abortion clinic because of the injustice of murder so let me get this straight you murder to protest murder why on earth would you destroy the businesses of people who have experienced just as much injustice as you have violence never compels to a calls it repels dr. Martin Luther King jr. said in spite of temporary victories violence never breathed permanent peace you may feel good about yourself in the short run but in the long run you've done more damage he also said that we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence yelling good screaming a little yeah anger I think so violence never and I'm not saying this to judge anybody's heart I'm saying this out of pragmatism you will not achieve your goal because the only thing worse than apathy is amnesia and the good news is we live in a democracy most of us don't realize the voice that we have our vote is a powerful thing we must take a good look at our local government our city councils we must persuade them we must elect leaders who will directo direct fall rather who will direct funding toward infrastructure not merely welfare we must hold our universities and schools accountable for equal opportunity our african-american brothers and sisters are weary of us inviting our African America brothers and sisters on stage at churches as if we are to parade our brothers and sisters on stage for our purposes what good is that if nothing comes of it James 1:22 says do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves do what it says hearings just not enough action has to be taken okay pastor Jeff all right let me think about this this is a lot for me to to kind of digest but what do you suggesting we do I'm glad you asked number one use your voice and your vote to bring change please speak up when you see injustice vote for local leaders who will address a broken social and justice system demand that they do let them know we're watching we see you too can you just admit your bias your implicit bias as an employer as an employee as a neighbor can you do some serious introspection can I tell you something that just happened recently in our own church and I don't do this to shame anyone I do it the hope that this can be a new day we can change recently a Bible study in our own church in one of our home community groups there was a Bible study occurring there was a an african-american male who pulled up in a car outside the Bible study he was there because he was the father of one of the young girls picking her up after the study was completed some of the people in the house called the police because there was an african-american man in a car waiting outside on the street no not on our watch come on we're better than this it's time don't get defensive by the way again you know why we get defensive because we hate racism we love our country we can't stand the thought that racism is systemic and we're embarrassed but it's not enough we have to do something pastors complain religiously no pun intended about people who come into the church and they praise God shout and they have a good feel good experience and then as soon as they walk out they go back to their old way of life Monday to Saturday the black community is weary I've seen us go to movies where we celebrate the defeat of racism but when we walk out no change nothing's different can you admit your bias can you use your voice can you practice hospitality to your neighbor we have members of the black community in our church and we are growing by the week and I am happy can you practice hospitality can you invite our brothers and sisters from the black community into your home and get to know them and listen to some of the issues and some of the problems so that we may be made aware so that we can have equal treatment for all our brothers and sisters in Christ can you practice hospitality to your neighbor for can you deal with the wickedness in your own heart can you realize sometimes you have the tendency to say you know my life's going well you know I don't really need all this pressure I got enough pressure can you deal with the wickedness of apathy do you know the verse that we've used often is to whom much is given much is required you and I as white people have definitely grown up in a system that favors us the sin is when we don't use the favor that we've been given the responsibility that comes with it to speak on behalf of those who are not being heard if you really love your son and daughter if they have no voice you will speak on their behalf the virus we need in America is the one that spreads every time we get near each other the virus of love mercy and justice for all I've been wondering is this God's wake-up call to us has God perhaps permitted the virus and the racial racial turmoil to show us that we will not be able to survive as long as we are apart Cova nineteen came we were isolated many of us realized we can't do without each other and now our country's divided and if we don't solve the problem we will suffer internal destruction you know John Wooden amazing coach said that your day is not complete until you do something for someone who cannot repay you will you speak for those who have no voice our schools our universities our politicians our social programs our justice system has led our brothers and sisters down let it not be said in the coming generation that the church let the black community down as well one final thing there are so many people talking about social injustice right now that's a good thing but you know what's bad there's so much smugness and self-righteousness and their attitude yes we Christians must get alongside people and listen we have a broken criminal justice system in fact I personally believe that the hatred toward police is systemic of a great problem a disease and that is the justice system needs overhauling there are so many good policemen and women who are part of that system and it's broken and putting them in harm's Lane unfortunately an awful lot of people who talk about systemic racism are incredibly self-righteous I can't believe what I'm seeing by this generation what's it called cancel culture in other words if you don't agree with me and everything I say and I do mean everything then go away I'll defend you I'll put you out of my social media site you know what that's called right when you do that that's called a dictatorship when you remove anyone who disagrees with you do you realize what you're doing you're discriminating against someone who's not like you you're doing the very thing that you say your standing against and where's the dialog if we don't do this if we separate ourselves if we only together with birds of the same feather how on earth will we hear one another how can we move forward be careful perception matters I had coffee with a friend a couple of friends of mine this past week now I don't necessarily agree with everything that we talked about in fact in one case I believe that there's a little pie-in-the-sky going on of how you think things operate however we were able to learn some things from each other iron sharpening iron one of my friends that I have a great respect for looked me in the eyes and I thought he was about to pry and see that speaks volumes he wasn't angry he was deeply wounded and he said pastor Jeff so far your words are not enough there needs to be more when he said that I thought of Mother Teresa the year she spoke at the Harvard graduation and this old wrinkled dressed and white Albanian woman decided she would talk about abstinence to Harvard grads and they booed her how do you boo Mother Teresa right what they didn't know is waiting behind the columns were some children that have obviously they were older now but they had been rescued by mother Teresa on the streets of Calcutta when they heard the booing they thought the speech was over and they were there to surprise her after the speech so they came Randy not running out onto the stage and she knelt down in the middle and she loved and hugged and they hugged her at which point the Harvard grads gave her a standing ovation why because they had seen her hands my friend's comment reminded me until the black community sees my hands my words are useless and then I remembered the words of Martin Luther King jr. who said in the end we will be remembered not but we will remember rather let me start over this is an important quote in the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends and that's why I preached this message this weekend to the black community to my brothers and sisters I say please stay we love you we see you you are our family father I pray that this message as it goes out will be heard that the words will be judged by a heart that people know there's anything that I've said that's been offensive I pray the Holy Spirit will use these words to convict wear conviction needs to take place to forget where there needs to be the process of forgetting and grace that we would not miss the bigger point that we have brothers and sisters in our community that are suffering that are struggling and may we move beyond flowery language into acts of service may we stop by the side of the road listen to the story and bandage the wound in Christ Jesus congratulations on finishing another video here at the one in all YouTube channel I'm so glad we got to experience that together and I'd love to experience another video with you so why don't you pick this one right here this video or you can subscribe right here and I'd love it if you were inspired by this video in any way if you would take the time to hit the like button comment and even consider sharing this content with a friend because chances are if it inspired you it's going to inspire somebody you know let's continue on this journey together and watch another video [Music]

Channel: ONE&ALL

Views: 2,936

Rating: 4.8873239 out of 5

Keywords: One and all church, Jeffvines, Reset, Reset Your Attitude, reset your life, press the reset button, reset one&all, systemic racism, systemic corruption, reset week 5, one & all, one and all, youtube church, oneandall.church, one&all church, Jeff vines youtube, Jeff vines teachings youtube, Jeff vines one and all, pastor jeff one and all, jeff vines ONE&ALL, jeff vines one & all

Id: jQTBdJPsoLY

Length: 51min 48sec (3108 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 21 2020