SEARK Light Of The World Fellowship

It was great to participate yesterday in the 1st Annual SEARK Light of the World Fellowship at Regional Park (not a SEARK college event). Nearly 90 churches from Pine Bluff and the surrounding area came together to fellowship. I was honored to speak yesterday and this is what I said to the churches present:

1. The church is the most powerful force on the face of the earth. Acts 1:8 says we we will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come so we can be witnesses to many areas. The church must display it's power and be a change agent in Jefferson County and every county that touches it.

2. When Pentecost came, ALL the believers were present - from every nation. Acts 2 lists these out. The church MUST be made up of ALL believers from every culture, nation, people and language. The church must be black, white, yellow, red, and brown. Not just the church as a whole, but each of our churches.

3. One of the biggest obstacles that has prevented the church from being powerful today is the spirit of racism. We must break racism and come together. If the church doesn't come together, then we say God isn't powerful enough to break ANY bondage and stronghold in Jefferson county.

4. We see that the early church - ALL of the races present in the first part of Acts 2 - ate together in each other's homes, worshipped together in the church, sold their possessions to help each other out (rich helped out poor), and many more things in fellowship and unity. WE TOO must return to the model of the New Testament's 1st church. WE TOO must come together. What divides us is small compared to what unites us - Jesus unites us. We are no longer a black, white, Hispanic, or Asian race - we who are in Christ are all brothers and sisters in Him. We are the chosen generation - a royal priesthood!

5. In Revelation 4:9 we see God worshipped and every nation, tribe and language was in heaven. Heaven is not segregated. Heaven is not racist. Heaven is full of white, black, yellow, red and brown people. All together worshipping and praising the Lord!

6. We must come together and break the spirit of racism in Jefferson County. John 4 tells how Jesus (a Jew) asked the woman at the well (a Samaritan) to give him a drink. At first she was unsure of it. After all, she and he were different races. But she gave him a drink from the same dipper she drank from. IF OUR CHURCHES ARE GOING TO BE POWERFUL AGAIN IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, WE MUST DRINK FROM THE SAME DIPPER. The church must show it's power given through the Holy Spirit. Racism divides us.

7. Race is not the most important thing - while our heritage and cultures are important, race can divide us. What brings us together is not RACE, but GRACE. We have been saved by grace through faith. We must allow the grace of God to be poured into our lives and then we must pour into the lives of others - regardless of race.