I Can’t Watch

“I can’t breathe.” If any human being has a heart and soul, those words will be etched upon our consciences forever.
How one white man, who was supposed to be enforcing the law, could behave so barbarically by literally killing another black man with unnecessary brute force is beyond reason. Why didn’t one of the other policemen intervene and right the apparent wrong? Why could bystanders take the time to use their cell phones to record this horrible behavior, but no one stand up and come to the rescue of someone who was being physically abused before their eyes?
Have we become a pathetic culture of apathetic spectators so used to observing that we forgot our responsibility to love one another more than we simply admire ourselves?  Is it time to rediscover the parable of Jesus that told the tale of the Good Samaritan?
Samaritans and Jews were bitter enemies. According to the overly righteous Pharisees, a “Good” Samaritan didn’t exist. The prejudice was taught early by the local Rabbis, and when Jesus challenged their hidden hatred, He abandoned earthly political correctness so that the way things are done in the Kingdom of God could be revealed.
Jesus preached that this planet would never be the place we would find our true purpose. If we are going to be a devoted disciple of our Savior, then we must behave like we are citizens of heaven, who model the mission of the Master.
I think it might be the right time to rediscover the real Jesus.
Jesus wasn’t a white man. He was of Middle Eastern descent.
If He happened to drop into your worship service next week, how many would not even receive Him as a friend, never mind as Lord, solely because of the color of His skin? How many times are we all guilty of not investing the time into reading the book because we don’t like the cover?
We make conclusions based upon what we see, and not because of solid evidence that we genuinely know. Even Christians wrongly judge people by their color, education, car, clothes and house. Everything that isn’t championed in heaven’s court.
How many times do we need to be reminded that God did extraordinary works through ordinary people? If men and women were filled with too much self-pride, it filled the room in their soul that should have been kept for childlike faith.
Unbelief freezes the exercise of God’s power. Miracles don’t produce faith. Faith produces miracles, and faith also transforms our selfish flesh into selfless feats.       
The salvation Jesus offers us is color blind. It is God’s gift and not the result of our tainted works, so that no one may boast.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus related to people who were different from him and to many so-called religious leaders who ignored him. He spent quality time with tax collectors, lepers, prostitutes, and other hopeless and helpless sinners. He did it because of His love for all mankind.
We don’t have to condone sin, but nothing in scripture validates hating sinners. There is nobody who is beyond God’s amazing grace. If we don’t respect others, then we are telling the Creator that He messed up when it came to making certain groups of people.
Everyone was created in God’s image. Respect isn’t a synonym for agreement, but it does impact the way a person disagrees. One cannot respect another and harbor a desire to overpower that person through insults, dismissal, or derogatory actions.
A black man died in Minnesota because too many white people did nothing. Our lack of movement to do what we know to be true will keep the world believing the lies.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He invited whosoever to the banqueting table. Nobody has the right to kick anyone out of God’s dining room.
If ever there was a day that those who claim to know Jesus do what’s right, it is now. It’s not all Christians that give Christ a wrong name. It’s not all law enforcement that gives hatred so much fame.
It’s not all people that excel in things that shame! Crowds so often have no idea why they came!
It’s up to you and me to do what’s right.
Speaking of crowds, the definitive difference between peaceful protests and those who stir mob mentalities of destruction and defiance must be addressed.
Crowds are so often created by criticism and hatred. It didn’t take much in the old west to hang an innocent man, just get the instigators to rile up those in attendance.
Crowds make lousy decisions in the Bible. It was a crowd that called Noah a fool and encouraged everyone to stay off the boat. It was a crowd that wanted to murder Moses and return everyone to Egypt. It was a crowd that chose Barabbas over Jesus when it came to deciding who to rescue.
There is too much divisive behavior occurring in our midst. We must wake up and realize an enemy is trying to get us to mistrust everything and live in a manner that will only lead to all hell breaking loose.
Jesus has authority over evil. We, who say we love the Lord, must become advocates for stopping the insanity and not spraying more lighter fluid onto the charcoals.
When I was a youth pastor, in Omaha, Neb., we held an event called the Slam Dunk Contest. Over 1,000 young people gathered in our church gym that night. The attendance was made up of kids of different colors, and nowhere else in the area was that happening in a positive setting.
On this particular night, it didn’t take much to realize that there was trouble brewing when most of the crowd rushed to the exits for the parking lot.
Outside, there was a faceoff between a white kid and a black kid, and everyone else was ready to rumble. A sponsor wanted me to call the police, but my spirit rejected that quickly because I sensed the enemy was trying to rear his ugly head into something good.
I motioned for my assistant to go to the white kid, and I immediately wrapped my arms around the black teenager, saying, “You don’t want to do this. You are better than this. You are so gifted. You came to play some basketball. You don’t want to end up in jail. I believe in you. I know you can muster the courage to walk away and keep your dignity.”
Those of you who know me understand that I talk louder and faster when I am nervous, and at this moment, I was petrified, but I knew that if I didn’t do something, a riot could happen, so I did what I believe Jesus would do. No punches were thrown, no blood was shed, and everybody went inside to finish what was started. Everybody later thought I had lost my mind for doing what I did, but I knew I had to give God room to bring a miraculous peace to a pivotal moment.
Young kids were asked the questions, “What is hatred?” “What is bigotry?” What is prejudice?” Constant answers of “I don’t know” returned time and time again.
A bright little one thought that being prejudiced meant you were sick and maybe she was more right than wrong, but I know that children learn by what they hear and see at home.
It is time to break the cycle of evil in our spheres of influence. The church should be the most welcoming place on Earth, and if it’s not, then it’s time to stop calling it a church and relabel it as just another social club.
I can’t watch because when I see the chaos; it takes my breath away. What will our legacy be? The answer to that question depends upon which set of rules we live by. Are we citizens of heaven or just plain earth dwellers?
ED. NOTE: The author is the senior pastor of The Lighthouse Church, 1248 Route 9 South, Court House.