UNITY VERSUS DIVISION

August 31         “Unity versus Division”  Psalm 133:1

Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”  (Psalm 133:1)

Over the ages, individuals have attempted to unite humanity through conquest and fear. On the other hand, Jesus unites people, not by conquest or fear or by force, but He unites by LOVE! Growing up in the sixties and witnessing the social changes that were necessary and the hope-filled proclamations of men like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the words of hope for a people and a nation, I am sorrowful for humanity, that we are experiencing a purposeful division and separation of various peoples, for purely political power and prominence! On August 28, 1963, some 100 years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves, a young man named Martin Luther King climbed the marble steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to describe his vision of America. More than 200,000 people-black and white-came to listen. They came by plane, by car, by bus, by train, and by foot. They came to Washington to demand equal rights for black people. And the dream that they heard on the steps of the Monument became the dream of a generation. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day out in the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by their character. I have a dream today” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr). Dr. King, as a Christian, realized that hatred was divisive, and Love was a uniter! Embracing the Love of God and the command to “Love our Neighbors,” is the answer to the conflicts among peoples. Isn’t it sad, that after 58 years, since Dr. King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, that the message of Love and the message of hope, has been diluted into a fragmented and divided population, all in the name of some false narrative! True unity will come when we embrace the Love of God and demonstrate that Love, in our relationships and interactions with others! Guess what? God’s Love is for ALL PEOPLE! The Word says, “For whosoever…!” Church, we MUST present the LOVE OF GOD to this divided and sinful world! The only Hope for Humanity is the Love of God, through the Shed Blood of Jesus Christ! May we be slow to criticize and quick to encourage! May we be less judgmental and more accepting of our differences! May we be steady in demonstrating our Faith and less contentious in our witness! May we be uncompromising in our convictions yet, be considerate to all that we meet! May we be “Christ-Like” in every area of our lives! Keep Growing! Keep Believing! Keep Claiming! Keep Sharing Jesus with all that you encounter! Make a difference, ONE SOUL AT A TIME! Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!  

**Satan is having a “field-day” in this world, in 2022. The concept of toddlers being able to determine the gender of THEIR choice, Anti-Christian attitudes, Hatred and Evil being disguised as “righteous” protection of our “democracy,” bias and fraud in the dispensing of “justice,” the idea that schools are indoctrination systems versus places of education (reading, writing, arithmetic), and a host of other twisted and perverse actions and ideas that are contrary to a healthy and prosperous society. It is Time that we should be GENUINE and REPRESENT the LOVE of GOD to this EVIL and PREVERSE WORLD! Regardless of what will come, we MUST stay Strong, Stay Focused, and be what God expects! Do Not Be Deceived! Please be aware of the “insanity” that exists, even when it is under the guise of “helping the people!!” The Only Help for this World is JESUS CHRIST and HIS LOVE!**