In this difficult place it's
hard to ask what kind of nation we are and what direction we
want to move in. What we need in the United
States, is not division. What we need in the United
States is not hatred. What we need in the United
States is not violence. And lawlessness. But it is love and wisdom and
compassion toward one another. But more importantly to say a
prayer for our own country, which all of us love. You can be filled with
bitterness. And with hatred. And greater polarization. Or we can make an effort as
Martin Luther King did to understand, compassion and love. [Applause] Come on church. [Applause] Come on church. Let's stand and give the Lord a
hand, in all campuses. Come on, let's give the Lord a
hand. [Applause] Say Jesus! [Applause] Every time I hear that and other
speeches like that, I get choked up. Years ago we were at a
Thanksgiving dinner with my family. And my mother and father were
still there alive and with us. And we were standing in a
circle. My two brothers and two sisters
and my mother started crying, and after praying this is all I
wanted, that we be together. And when God looks at the church
and the world and all the people that He made in his image, I
want them to get along and love each other. And from this day forward and
all the sermons from this series, I want you to know that
is the heart of everything communicated. God will unite us and loves
every single one of us. And I believe, this is my
opinion, that the devil is over playing his hand. But it's going to require, all
you have to do is take care of you. You don't need to take care of
them. You don't need to take care of
them. You need to take care of you. My prayer is that you receive
everything that is spoken to heart from God. I'm going on say it from God. I want to ask all of you -- I
want to thank you, I posted a video on Instagram, if you don't
follow me, follow me. I am going to New York City and
will have nine interviews, and the post and other outlets to
talk about this, amen. [Applause] And I pray for wisdom in those
interviews I say what God wants me to say. And -- but I want you to pray
for our country. I didn't write this book just to
write a book. I wanted to do something
different and something big and be a catalyst to nurture unity
in our country. And it's going to start right
here, amen, right here. [Applause] So I want to say hello to
all the people watching online and all the campuses. God bless y'all, God is going to
do something special in our lives. Lord Jesus, thank you for your
faithfulness. Lord speak to us. Speak to us.
We need you. In Jesus' name amen. Find somebody who doesn't look
like you and give them a hug. Amen, amen. Hope to see all of y'all
Saturday at the simulcast. And pray for all the churches,
200 around the country that will be at that. We will have a great time. See Bibles on the count of
three. One, two, three, say word. One more time, say word. Turn to Joshua 5. Joshua chapter 5. It is the fifth book of the
Bible. All the way from the beginning. If you are in the New Testament,
you are lost. All the way to the beginning. There is an ancient Japanese art
form called Kintsugi that believes when you have broken
pottery that when it is repaired, then they use gold
often to repair the cracks and put it back together. They believe that the repaired
pottery is more valuable than the original. The devil has done a great job. He is very smart. He's done a great job through
racism to divide us and break us apart. And lead us to believe that some
people are inferior and should be hated. And those people I need to stay
away from them. He's done a great job of tearing
us apart. However we serve a God that puts
things together. And Jesus' prayer that we would
be one and what he wants us to do. Over the next five weeks I will
talk about how we got broken apart, and how brought back
together. My prayer is that you let the
Holy Spirit just work on you. Everyone say, I got to work on
me. Very good. We will start from the
beginning, and talk about what racism is and the three kinds of
racism. And then I will tell you
something that hopefully will set you free really quick. I want to teach you today. Everyone say teach me. Say, Holy Spirit, you are our
teacher. Help me understand the
information let's talk about three kinds of racism. And when you discriminate
because their ethnicity. There is only one race, human
race. We say that but just know there
is only one race. There are ethnicities. Right, we have institutional
racism. These are systems that are
designed to keep people apart. And my sister was going on buy a
house in Maryland and the real estate agent said we have to
find an appropriate neighborhood for your family. And told her because you are
black, and my sister being the hard-headed, I don't know care
and I want to move where I want to move. And they moved in an
inappropriate neighborhood and the cops came to move the
furniture in and the party of the street. Everything worked out. That's institutional racism. Internalized racism is when
people are discriminated and turn inwards and they want to
assimilate and deny who they are. And they turn on their own. And personally mediated racism
is when you direct something at somebody else. I don't like you. I don't trust you, you are scary
to me. Whatever. These the three kinds of racism
and I want to point out one thing. And probably the biggest AH-for
me writing this book, you can offend people. And by the way on a regular
basis and not be a racist. Why? Because sometimes you don't know
that you are doing it. And sometimes received and
offensive because of the receiver of what you say. Sometimes people get nervous and
say certain things. The reason this is important to
understand. By the way, there are racists
don't get me wrong. But most people say I am not but
we have a big divide. Because we don't understand how
we interact with each other and received by people. The reason this is so important,
because I have talked to people all my life, trust me. About this issue. And when people don't believe
they can be offensive and not be a racist. They automatically attach any
offense that they are accused of to actually being a racist. And so therefore because they
will never accept they are a racist they never accept they
can do anything wrong, they never learn. Say amen if that makes sense to
you. You have to say yes, I am
offensive but that's not in my heart. Great, let's learn. And I learned writing this book. I want you to approach all of
this information. Not from the point if I admit to
something wrong, I am admitting to be a racist. No, you are not necessarily, you
are admitting to learning. This book is not about being a
racist. It's being honorable. God wants us to love people. And know in our culture we say
we tolerate people. And that's great.
But I want you to love me. Come with love and affection and
speak life to me like I want to speak life to you, amen. Learn how we are divided but
more importantly what can I do to be uniting. To seek life and promote unity. Amen. Okay, amen. Okay.
My background. I have a white grandmother. I have a half Chinese and black
grandmother. My great-grandfather was from
china and came when there was sickness and had babies. Literally. My white grandmother when young
her family sent her to Jamaica queens, New York to not marry a
black Jamaican. And goes to New York and meets
another Jamaican. He was Jamaica twice, from
Jamaica and meets a Jamaican. She starts dating him. When he came to her house, he
had to go to the back door. She married him. Her family cut them off. We never knew about them and
lived 15 minutes away. And growing up and we have brown
color and we are like, where did this white lady come from, she's
grandmother and where did she come from? No one else was white. But she was grandma Dorothy. And the neighborhood I lived in
was all black, pretty much. When I went to elementary school
for eight years it was a mile away. And the kids in the white
neighborhood called me names because I was black, and the
kids in the black neighborhood called me black because I wasn't
black enough. Uh-huh.
Shame on you. I got in both neighborhoods,
why? Because racism is sin and all
are sinners. And I knew kids in both
neighborhoods, by the way never went into each neighborhoods. The white kids from my
elementary school could not come to my house. And the black kids never came to
my house, there was very little relationship. But they both talked about each
other. And I was going back and forth
saying, both of you are wrong. Because there is cool people
here and cool people here. That has been my journey. Every football team I went on
was diverse. The Bible study I had at my
house was diverse. I am like, we can do this. We do it. Joshua 15. How is it, and why is it we are
so divided? Everyone say us versus them. In every race conversation it is
about us versus them. If you watch the news, you are
forced to pick a side. Are you on this side or that
side? Do you follow this news channel
or believe in this news channel? Do you have this opinion against
those people or this opinion against those people? Culture will force you to pick
one of two options. I will tell you there is a third
option. Joshua is leading the Israelites
into the Promised Land and going in to claim the land that God
promised Abraham. And as Joshua is in the Promised
Land and ask the commander of the army, are you on our side or
adversaries. And look at chapter 5:13, and it
says... That's our culture, us versus
them. Do you want a hamburger or hot
dog, no. You have to pick one. Do you want a hamburger or hot
dog, no. I don't get it? There is a third option. Neither one of your options is
acceptable to me. It says... Joshua fell on his face and
worshiped. And he said, what does my Lord
say to the servant... Culture will tell you have to
pick and be on somebody's side against somebody. And one of those options, there
will be people that look like you. But I will tell you a third
option. That we honor what we all have
in common. Instead of focusing what appears
to be different. That we honor what we have in
common, that we were all made in the image of God. In the image of God that each
one of us is made in, is not inferior or superior to anyone
else. And we place a priceless value,
honor, respect for the fact that we were made for the purpose of
living in relationship with one another, and loving one another
and apathetic and compassionate with one another, can I get
amen. And if we can get past that and
focus on what we have in common, we are genetically 99.99% genetically identical, no matter what that person looks like. I was in the prison in ministry
-- no, I wasn't in jail. And this white supremacist was
walking on the track and I called him over and had no shirt
on and tattoos and stood right here. And little did we know that we
were looking in a genetic mirror of each other. And yet he was told to hate
people like me. And what was ironic he had
tattooed his body so much he was blacker than me. Let's talk about how we got
divided. Sociologists say and describe
how we put ourselves into groups. They call it grouping. It's how we identity those
not-like-me, and those like-me. The way that we sort people into
groups that are either like me. Or not like me. Every single one of us are in
dozens of groups. For example, all the ladies in
the house say hey. Okay, all the mothers in the
house say hey. Okay, so if you noticed when I
said all the ladies like hey. And when I said mothers like --
hey. We tired, we tired. So ladies as a group, mothers
are a group. And single ladies and divorced
ladies and grandmas are a group. Guys.
And accountants. And CPA's and college students
and freshmen and sophomore and junior and senior. You get a point, we are all in
multiple groups. And whatever groups you are in,
you understand those people pretty well. You understand how they think
and dress and walk and how they might respond to something,
because that's your group. You deal with them all the time. The people that are in part of
the group you are in, that's your in-group. The people that are not in that
group, or any of those groups. Those are your out-group. Everyone say in-group. Say out-group. The people in our in-group we
understand well, and understand the intricacies, etc.
And the people in the out-group we don't understand because we
don't hang out with those people. But we have little bits of
information about those people. From our family and friends and
media. Your social narrative is a term
that describes the story that shaped how you see the world. It's what your parents told you
and neighborhood you grew up in. And how you were taught to
interpret the news. Your story, your social
narrative. That creates the lens that you
see other people. The people in your in-group you
understand inaccurately. And the people in your out-group
you don't understand, you have anecdotal information, quote
here and headline here. And that's the information you
have and that's the information that you apply in the people in
your out-group that you know very little about. Called stereo typing. And you should say I have very
little information that is factual about them. Doesn't mean you have facts but
little facts about them because your out-group. Follow what I am saying. And once you understand your
in-group bias. And that's the tendency to give
preferential treatment to the people in your in-group. I want to read nine types of
people that you apply to in-group. Whether gender or ethnicity or
occupation. In-group bias is a tendency to
give preferential treatment to those in my in-group. I am more comfortable with those
like me. I am more patient with those
like me. I give the benefit of the doubt
quicker to those like me. I express more grace when
mistakes are made by those like me. It is easier to communicate with
those who are like me. I assume that I will get along
easier with those like me. I am more willing to go out of
my way to help those like me. I possess more and more positive
assumptions about those like me. So all of the people in your
group, this is how you naturally flow with them and feel
comfortable with them. A lot of this is subconscious
and you don't know you are doing and because you are comfortable
and have a lot of information about those people. In-group bias is how you give
favor to the people in your in-group. The opposite is out-group
discrimination. This does not mean that you hate
the people not like you. But it's how you treat them
different. Less favorable. To the people in your in-group. Out-group discrimination. I am less comfortable with those
not like me. I am less inclined to spend time
socially with those not like me. I am less patient with those not
like me. I give the benefit of doubt
slower to those not like me. I express less grace when
mistakes are made by those not like me. It is more difficult to
communicate with those not like me. I don't assume that I will get
along with those not like me. I am less willing to go out of
my way to help those not like me. I possess less positive
assumptions about those not like me. I can't tell you how many times
I have experienced discrimination that was racial
that felt exactly like that. Now if we do that, we're people
that are naturally around and has nothing to do with race. It doesn't matter what you call
it. It hurts. It puts people at a
disadvantage. Are you following what I am
saying? are you following what I am
saying? Can I get amen? So as believers of Christ, God
says I want you to live at this level with everybody. Those like you. And not like you. I was explaining this to
somebody, a very dear friend of mine who loves God and she's not
a racist. But she said to me, why can't
you just get over it. And I was like huh, you have
spent too much time surrounded by your in-group. You might have term that term,
those people. Those people are the people in
your out-group. We call it othering. The others. And when you spend time in your
in-group all the time, and you don't know what it's like to
have out-group discrimination. It's easy to assume it doesn't
exist. There is a leadership coach here
in San Diego, Steven Jones, he wrote an article called, The
right hand of privilege. If you are right-handed raise
your hand high. Keep your hands up, around the
room, most right-handed. And if you are left-handed, lift
your hand, very few of us, like I am. Say what's up. Culture was made more
right-handed people. You remember the desks in
school, it was right-handed. Y'all were -- I hated y'all, you
didn't have to look at your paper and write and relax. Us left-handers we are out in
space like this -- We have to draw our name. Not like we could write. If you play golf, you can go to
any golf shop and get your clubs if right-handed. Any.
Doesn't matter. If left-hand, you have to call
in advance, do you have this one? Do you have this one? Maybe I have to order online. When I grew up, there was no
online. You didn't get it. And if you get a catcher mitt,
and if not you have to go other stores, and maybe you can get
this mitt. Say amen. I want you to imagine that
culture was made by right-handed people for right-handed people. And imagine that the
right-handers are in-group. And imagine they give in-group
bias to right-handers. And I said to the lady, you are
right-handed and you live in a country with your in-group. And you don't understand the
left-handed disadvantage and what it means to be on the
out-group. When you get the benefit that we
described and assume that you can communicate at work and
where you go your in-group is around you and getting the
benefit of the doubt. Unless you are left-handed, and
you don't understand. We shake hands left-handed and I
am doing this, people think I am spastic. And I am left-handed and trained
my left hand. That's an advantage, does it
make you bad if you are right-handed? Culturally, no.
But is it an advantage? Yes. If you do not really that
advantage and remove the advantage of the left-handed
people? No, but what happens when you
are right-handed and you can't fathom the left-hand
disadvantage. It's a privilege not to have
that burden. It's a privilege. Right hand and left hand and
in-group and out-group. Number one in your notes. Number 1, acknowledge your blind
spot. A blind spot is the difference
between your intent and your impact. I intend to be loving to
everybody. But I offend people. I intend to be kind to all
women. But I'm creepy to some. Ladies, can I get an amen. You know exactly what I am
talking about. People say I'm good, I'm good. But there is a gap between what
you intend and what you actually do. One of the things you can do
really simply, ask somebody, and it could be someone who looks
like you. But someone who doesn't. That knows you. Is there any way that I'm
offensive in things that I say and things that I do. I promise you it happens all the
time. People say things all the time
and there are people in your life that whatever, that's just
them. We can do better than that. And if you went to your friends
and your family and said, are the things that I say and things
I do that are offensive to you as a white person or black
person or Hispanic person or Asian people. Please tell me. And if you have people in your
life that is honest, as the Bible says iron sharpens iron. Ask that question, and you can
become so much honoring to getting the answer to that
question. It's things that you think are
funny. It's things that you think are
bridge building. When in fact they are not. But people are so accustom to it
they just deal with it. Imagine that you can speak life
than those jabs that cause division. Can I get amen. Number 2, rename those people as
your brother and your sister. Don't say those people anymore. I want to look at a verse,
Matthew 22:37, it says, the greatest commandment... Everyone say neighbor. Turn to I John 4:20 or look on
the screen or look it up later. If someone says I love God and
hate their brother, say brother or sister, he is a liar. A liar. A liar. Oh, I love God, I can't stand
those people. You are a liar. The Bible says, Miles doesn't
say. He doesn't love his brother or
sister that he has seen, how can he love God that he has not
seen. It's important, say brother,
neighbor and sister. Those are labels of unity. Those are labels of love. Those are labels of family. When you rename somebody with
all the derogatory terms we call each other. And all derogatory terms you
hear on television about one group against another. Listen for them. All the names the people call
those people. We have titles that we put on
people. When you label someone lower
than neighbor, brother or sister, not only dehumanize
them, you attribute to them all the stereo types, very little
information about that label on them. And now you can no longer relate
to them as an equal, you dehumanized them. You told them go over there,
that is that part of people. And guess what you did? You disqualified yourself from
having to love them as your neighbor. That's not my neighbor, that's a
blank. That's not my brother, that's a
blank. Jesus said if you love only your
friends, anybody can do that. I want you to love the people
who even hate you. That's a powerful, powerful
requirement of the gospel. Imagine if everyone that you
saw, you said, that's my neighbor that I have to love. When you do that and say that,
and you feel something wrestling in your heart, guess where the
issue is? In your heart. And guess where God will do his
supernatural work, in your heart. Can I get amen. Oh, it's quiet in here, God is
doing something. Number 3, give in-group love to
your out-group. I want to start to pay attention
to how comfortable, graceful, patient, forgiving you are with
the people in your in-group. Let me tell you something, when
I played football and even now, because I'm a former charger. And I walk in this room, charger
is an in-group. You're on our team. Hey -- have a seat, let me give
you some love. Hey, I'm a raider. Get out. Next time you walk in Starbucks
I want you to look around the room and see what in-group is
predominant. And if you are part of the
in-group. I want you to look for somebody
on the out-group. Whether it's this -- or they are
in a wheelchair. Or if you walk in a room and
it's all men and one woman in the room. She's in an out-group. And I want you to think how can
I as a child of God honor the image of God in that person who
may even feel like they are the left-handed person in the room. How can I extend grace to them
that we're all extending to each other? How can I go out of my way and
welcome that person and give in-group bias, and love and
patience and kindness and benefit of the doubt to the
person in the out-group. That is the challenge, hope it's
clear. Number 4, acknowledge your
brother's/sister's color. I was 27 years old and somebody
said I don't see color. And thought they didn't see red,
blue, yellow and green. I said that's jacked up and you
don't see the colors of rainbows. No, I see all of that, I just
don't see your color. And I said how did you know to
tell me you don't see it, if you don't see it. I said, so what is that you see? Did you put something on me that
is not there? You know when people go to
Hawai'i and get a tan, y'all you will layout in the sun and come
back shades darker. When I say y'all, whoever. He's is talking about white
people. Black people get tans; right. My wife lays out and she gets
nice and browner. And you come back and want
everyone to see your tan and wear your spaghetti strap or
macaroni strap and see your tan. Say amen if you know what I am
talking about. If you get a tan in Hawai'i it's
celebrated and if you get a tan in the womb, it's invalidated. We don't see it. You are insulting God, God made
that tan. And here's the thing about God,
made the world brown, and the affect the sun can make you
browner. Some people can't, I am sorry. Some people get browner or red,
that's another color. And by the way, I was watching
red fox, Sanford and son and he was a comedian and it was a
comedy and he got robbed. In the episode two cops came,
remember the black cop and white cop. And white cop hi, Mr. Sanford
and the black cop had to interpret. It was classic. And Sanford got robbed, and Mr.
Sanford was the perpetrator colored? Yeah, he was white. Culture says you have two
options, white or people of color. God says no, it's just people of
color. Because I made a rainbow -- not
even a rainbow, I made a spectrum of color. Can I get know amen? [Applause] Celebrate the creativity of God. This is the creativity of God. You are the creativity of God. God says you are marvelous. Everyone say marvelous. So why would you say you don't
see it? Celebrate it. Now don't see it and don't
discriminate it. See it and acknowledge it like
you do and celebrate it. Don't be scared. I know it's politically correct
to say, I get that. But you deny the burden of the
color. Because each shade has a
different color. And you don't want to deny that
burden. The Bible says if you want to
know your neighbor carry their burden with you. Number 5, view every
conversation as a consultation. In other words, every time you
talk to somebody, you are having a race consultation. What does that mean? When you look at somebody and
see their color and hair and accent and see their cloths and
know their swag or lack of rhythm thereof. And you put that in the computer
and your mind, here's probably what they are like and how they
are and how you need to act. Happens like that. Can't stop that but you can
challenge that. What I mean when you see that
and program that you allow them to self-disclose to you who they
are. You allow them to self-disclose
to you their intelligence, and pain and dreams. And if their out-group you
really don't know and have anecdotal information, two or
three or four facts. And instead of imposing on them
what you think, allow them to self-disclose to you. Take the time to be a learner,
not a judge, be consultant. Number 5 -- amen, number 6. You can give the Lord a hand. That's okay. [Applause] Give your heart to your
out-group. Unless we put our heart into
this, it will not work. Rod Carew was a hall of fame
baseball player, and Panamanian and was darker than me
and rookie and All star and at 71 years old he needed a
heart transplant and kidney and a 27 year-old
football player, Konrad Reuland, played at Stanford and
white and went into coma and had aneurysm. And mother said I will wake up
and hear that heart, this is not the end. Konrad died. He had signed his organs to be
donated, his heart and kidney went to Rod Carew, and his
mother called him and said, I believe you have my son's heart
and kidney in you. And he said, would you like to
come and listen to his heart. And when Konrad was little he
wanted to be like Rod Carew. And she went to his house and
listened to her son's heart. If we are different, how can we
put a heart in another's body? And God says we are to walk in
relationship and now honor what we have in common. Can I get amen. In a minute I want to pray and I
pray that God give you a new heart. Now I am going to pray and if
you pray this prayer with me, you are not admitting I am a
racist. I have to be not a racist as I
said in the beginning. You are praying that we can
honor one another better. We can humble ourselves and say,
Lord how can I be more loving? How can I be honoring and more
accepting? Change the lens through which I
see other people. Some of you need to ask Christ
to be your Savior. So this is going to be a prayer
of salvation for you. No matter what it is. Let's walk this series together
and let's change our church, our city, our country. Can I get amen? Amen. [Applause] Let's bow our heads and pray. Lord, thank you so much for your
faithfulness. Dear God, I just pray for wisdom
through this series. Pray for blessing next week in
the simulcast and that there is a
movement of unity. Pray against the devil. I know he's like a roaring lion
looking to whom he will devour. But you are the lion of Judah. If you would like a new heart,
for whatever reason, for whatever reason. You want Christ to forgive you
of your sin. You want to be encouraged
because you have been hurt, wounded. You have resentment, hatred,
whatever. God made you in his image so he
can love you. And He just needs you to invite
Him in. So if you would like to ask
Christ into your heart for whatever reason. His peace into your heart for
whatever reason. Pray this prayer in the privacy
of your heart. Pray, dear God I know you love
me. I know you have an incredible
plan for my life. And I want to be a part of the
solution. Forgive me. Fill me with the spirit of God. I know Jesus died and rose from
the dead. That we would walk in victory. And in relationship. With the living God. I surrender my life to Him. Holy Spirit, fill me. Take over my life. As all of our eyes are closed
and heads are bowed. If you prayed that prayer in a
minute, I ask you that stand in all campuses. And your standing is a new
representation for a new start in your life, for whatever
reason you prayed. God wants to do something in
your life. He wants all of us to be vision
carriers of unity, love and honor. If you prayed that prayer, on
the count of three, I ask you to stand up. One, two, three,
stand to your feet. Stand to your feet If God spoke to you during that sermon and you feel like you want to ask Christ to be your savior, it's as simple as A-B-C. Admit and accept that you are a sinner. The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He died for your sin and rose from the dead. Then, confess yourself a sinner and say, "Jesus, please forgive me of my sin." If you would like to ask Jesus Christ to be your savior, just look at me right now and pray this prayer with me in the privacy of your heart knowing that God knows you and loves you very much. Say, "Dear God, I believe that I am a sinner. I know the penalty of my sin is death. I don't want to die and go to hell. I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He died and rose from the dead for my sin. I confess myself a sinner and ask Him to forgive me of my sin. Jesus, please forgive me of my sin, and fill me with the spirit of God. In Jesus name', amen. If you prayed that prayer, if you just asked Christ to be your savior, we want to know. We want to email you some resources. If you just prayed that prayer with me, to accept Jesus as your savior, click on the link that just appeared. We want to send you some free resources. God bless you and we will see you in Heaven.
