This General Session was recorded live at the Shepherds 360 Church Leaders Conference in Cary, NC on October 19, 2022. For information about the next conference, please visit shepherds360.org.

Again, it is such an honor to be here with you. And I want to open up in a word of prayer and hopefully talk about something that could be encouraging for all of us to consider together. Let's pray.

Father, we thank you for all that you're doing in our lives. We thank you for the insight you've given. We thank you for the grace, the mercy, the kindness you show us. And we thank You, Lord, that you teach us by your kindness that we know you, and we belong to you. Now, Lord, as we seek to understand more about you, I pray that you would allow us to embrace this reality. So Lord God, you would be glorified. We will be edified and the devil horrified as we stand on one accord to bring glory to you. It's in Christ's name we pray, amen.

Back in the summer, I was invited. And I have to say that clearly, I was invited to go into a prison because sometimes I say when I went to prison, it gets people confused. But back in the summer, I was invited by the warden, to go into the prison system and do some biblical counseling at a prison not too far from my residence. And as I was in there, there was a gentleman who was struggling because at the time, COVID was high, and they had to wear masks. And every time they asked this guy to put a mask on, he would start to fight. And as he would start to fight, they had a hard time because this guy was about six, four, and really built. And did I mention, he used to be a part of the Aryan Nation? Now, you guys know that people who are part of the Aryan Nation don't like people who look like me, right? And so as I'm in there, they asked me to counsel this man who used to be a part of the Aryan Nation. So we sit down, we talk, he lays out some of the challenges that he's having. We walked through the Scripture together. And at the end, he's in tears, and we're hugging each other. And I said to him, I said, “you know what God is doing here? Right?” He says, “What do you mean?” I said, “three years ago, before you became a Christian, you would have slit my throat, wouldn't you?” He said, “Yea.”

I'm like, “man. I didn't want you to confirm it. But okay.” I said, “but we're doing something right now that confuses the world.”

I said, “this isn't race relations, this is Grace relations. Because you belong to Christ. You were able to do something that goes beyond the boundaries that the culture is trying so hard to do, but they can't do because they don't have the formula or the person that we have. But the challenge for you and I as saints is we got to be careful that we don't reduce our relationships to race relations, and elevat it up to Grace relations. One of the challenges that we see and I tell people all the time, what the world is trying to do was already settled at the cross. And because we belong to Jesus Christ, we who have been bought by him who have been paid for by him, we have the power and the ability to move beyond the struggles of the culture, and to show the culture how it's done. But too often, we get too caught up in our sides of left and right and conservative in all these areas, that we start to miss one simple truth. There's a theology of relationships that God gave us. And that theology of relationships goes back to the one another's, it goes back to the reality of the Trinity, the fact that the Trinity shows us how to operate in truth and love, and we who have been bought by Jesus Christ. Let me see if I can put it to you this way. You who have been saved through Jesus Christ, who paid for your sins, if I can say it this way, just another way, the penalty of sin, the power of sin and bondage of sin. Is it safe to say that you have been delivered from all three? Is it safe to say that you have been changed in your position from sinner, saying your condition from being dead to being alive? Is that safe to say? Is it safe to say that that is a trance cultural reality, or that's a multi ethnic reality. That means that all of us according to who we are, we have been made something even better than what we are so that we can show the world how things operate. The moment we recognize that reality, we can begin to walk in this thing called Grace relations that God gave us versus race relations that the culture keeps pushing to us.

And it's a difficult thing because you and I, we come from different backgrounds, we come from different issues, different experiences, different things that happen, but in reality, that's the most beautiful thing about it. True story I used to pass to a Chinese church. You’re like “come on?” look it up. You can Google it. I know people are googling right now you can look it up. And the beautiful thing about it as I was at this church where God called me, I was at a Missionary Baptist Church, I was working well and joining the ministry, their churches, like 1500 people, and I was loving, and I was going up the ladder at the church and in my passion, I get a call from this man and says, I'd like to talk to you. I go to his office, he says, “Hi, my name is so and so. And you know what? I want to do a multicultural church.” I said, “Man, that's great.” I'll be praying for you, man. That's exciting. Is it? No, no, no. I wanted to multicultural church with you. You know, I'm black, right? Is it? Yes, that's it. So you want to take the most to extreme cultures, Asian and African American, and you want to bring it together? He said, Yes. I said, Women, let me put it to you this way. You want to hook up egg foo young and barbecue and make it together? He said, Yes. I said, Okay, now, let me make it real. When Leroy wants to hang out with Son Lee, are we going to have a problem? Because you know, it is going to happen if we get together? He says, Yes, I want to do this. So for five years, we turned this little Asian church, into a church that had African American, Anglo Latino, Latina, you name it. And it was a beautiful thing, when you would walk into the nursery. And you'd see all these different multi-ethnic babies, you see all these people, it would bring tears to your eyes. And what I told him as a shepherd, I said, “listen, here's what you need to understand the world is going to be impressed with what God has already settled. You don't get impressed with the fact that we're together. We were already together. Multiethnic is what we are. But evangelism and discipleship is what we're called to do. So let's do what we need to do the way we've been called to do it anyway.” And when people walked in, they were all impressed, oh, my goodness, I see all these raises in that this needs to get them going. That's just the way it’s supposed to be. Don't get impressed with they get impressed with the fact that God is going to use us to save souls and mature saints into the image of Jesus Christ. So with that in mind, I want to give us a working definition this morning of grace relations.

What is this thing called Grace relations? And and how do we begin to walk in that as a reality? Because hear me well, if you walk in race relations, you're worshiping the creation above the Creator. And it's just another form of idolatry. If you believe that one problem is a people person, and another solution is another people person that's just worship. Here's the reality, sin is the problem, Christ is the answer. And the moment we start to walk according to his agenda, and not the personal ones, we confuse the world and show them how to get things done. But let me give you a working definition of this concept of race relations walk with me, I believe you have your notes there. And the PowerPoint behind you. Definition of grace relations is simply this living by God's power, to connect with others and love and serve others in one's roles as ambassadors for the kingdom, and builders of God's kingdom without reducing one's ethnicity to being irrelevant, or elevating the relevance of one's ethnicity to the standard for which all things are to be understood. And thereby that's the grace relations. It's not elevating my ethnicity. It’s not minimizing my ethnicity. It's acknowledging it and moving forward on the agenda. God called me. Do you realize that all of us in this room if we belong to Jesus Christ, we have two basic roles?

We are ambassadors–-we have the ministry of reconciliation­­––and we are builders––we are to build up others in Christ that belong to him. And do you realize it doesn't matter what your ethnicity is, that is the reality of the agenda that God set for you? And the moment we start to operate in grace relations, we can begin to function in the kingdom agenda that God gave us, which can resolve so many problems that are based upon confusion, disorder, and every evil thing because it's operating off of earthly natural, demonic wisdom. And the moment you and I can do this together, things can change. Well, I want us to work through this morning a blueprint for the idea of race relations and walk with me.

Number one: in order to function in grace relations, we must first understand our origin and understanding our origin we come to this reality that we all come from the same source, thereby demonstrating the sameness with differences in the uniqueness of the triune God. Walk through some of these passages with me and Genesis 1:26. He says, “Then God said, Let us make man in our image according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish and over the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle of all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:27 says God created man in His own image in the image of God he created him, male and female, He created them. Genesis chapter three, verse 20, tells us “now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she's the mother of all the living,” and then Acts 17, the most unique one for me verse 26. “And he made from one man, every nation of mankind, to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and boundaries, and their habitation.”

When you take those passages, you can come away with four central points. Consider this, we're all descendants of the first family, Adam and Eve. You really are my brother from another mother, my sister from another mister. Think about it. Now we have different shades of color, but we really are part of the same family. But secondly, there's only one race, that is the human race. But we're made up of multiple ethnicities, and what a wonderful reality to recognize that we all come from the same thing, the same God. And one sense we are the same in that we were created by God and in another sense, we're different––we have multiple ethnicities. And another sense, we're unique. There'll be no other person like you ever, but we're all created in the image of God. But since we're all created in the image of God, there is nothing intrinsically different about any ethnic group in relation to ability and relation to capacity in relation to potential. Why? Because God is our Creator. So hear me well, our ethnicity did not create us, God created us.

And He does everything well. So you and I, we have to start in a blueprint of grace relations, understanding our origin, but secondly, we gotta go to another level in order to function in grace relations.

Number two: we must then embrace the fact that God is no respecter of persons, he did not create a hierarchy. And the human race that decided that any one ethnicity is less than another ethnicity is greater than this is a construct this based upon the noetic effects of sin. All people groups have the same condition, all have a need of an access to the gift of salvation granted by God, to the person and work of Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, the moment we recognize that it can change how we see one another, but consider these passages that help us to articulate the principle that we just put together. Romans chapter three, verse nine, says, “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all? For we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.” Titus 2:11 says, “For the grace of God has appeared to bring salvation to black people.” ‘The Jazz era?” “Or it's not yours.” “salvation has appeared to bring it to white people.” That's not in your Bible. What? Where do you see salvation to all men? Romans 7:12 says, where “there is no distinction between the Jew and Greek for the same Lord as Lord of all abounding and riches for all who call on him.” And then I love Acts 15, verse eight and verse nine. “And God who knows the heart testified giving them the Holy Spirit is talking about the Gentiles, just as He also did us.” He's talking about the Jews, and made no distinction between us and them, closing their hearts by faith. See, if we pull these passages together, we can come away with these simple conclusions. one ethnic group is not better than any or worse than any other ethnic group. I know this is what the culture likes to present. I know that's what the world tries to tell us. But no one is better than the other. No one is smarter. No one was born less than God shows us in Scripture. There's no distinction. But here's another thing we have to understand to think that one ethnic group is better than or worse than any other group. This is to walk in contradiction to Scripture, thereby functioning in ignorance and sin. Let that sink in for a moment. The moment someone believes that because they are a certain ethnicity, they are better than someone else, that's ignorance and sin because it doesn't match the Scripture. So you will die no matter what ethnic group we belong to. We have a sin condition and we need salvation.

But here's the fourth principle I want you to think about. God will save any person from their sin condition if they put their faith in the person and work of Christ Jesus, our Lord, their ethnicity, will not determine their access to the gift Salvation. There is no Latino heaven. There is no Anglo heaven. There is God's heaven, where he invited us all who he created to be a part of, and all are in sin, and in need of this great gift of Our Lord. See the moment we start to understand this, and put it this way, our practical theology to practice, we start to live that practically, and it changes and confuses the culture. Finally, here's what I want you to understand about this blueprint for Grace relations. In order to function in grace relations, we must also embrace the fact that when we accept the salvation of this triune, God, we become part of God's family. God's family is an amalgamation of multiple ethnicities who are placed together by God to promote him and his kingdom, so the way we live with, and love God and each other across culture, class and ethnic lines, as well as carry out his mission across class culture and ethnic lines. During the height of the George Floyd and the height of all the things that were going politically, my church is moving more towards being multicultural. And as we're moving more towards being multicultural, there are some who are Democrats till they die, and there's some who are Republicans, till they die. And part of the problem I had is that we'll start to take over the conversations in the body of Christ. So I did something to be equal opportunity offender, which I love to do. As we were going through the book of Titus, and said, let me help everybody in this room as your shepherd. And let me make one thing clear to all of you. It doesn't matter what side of the coin you're on the moment you reduce your Christianity to a political party, you're no longer talking salvation and Christianity. You have just poisoned it. Because if you're Republican before you're a Christian, or you are a Democrat before you're a Christian, I now can't hear you. Because if I'm on the other side, I'm looking at your political views, not your character, according to Jesus Christ. I said at this church, as long as the Lord lets me be Shepherd, if I hear that kind of foolishness around here, understand we're gonna have some fellowship out want to hear how Jesus is causing you to know him to become like him to be useful to him, I don't want to hear about the issues of the culture, that will be the issues of the culture. Why? Because when you worship one aspect of the culture, and bring another aspect of the culture as the solution, you're missing the ultimate, it's not a system, that's a problem. It is sin. That's the problem. And until we operate in grace relations, it's gonna stay that way. So don't bring that into my house. Don't bring that into this church, because I don't want to hear it. Oh, sure. I have issues and challenges and different things. And we can talk all day about politics. But politics is not going to save a soul. Politics is not going to transform a community politics is not going to make it happen. Jesus Christ through us as we operate in grace relations is going to change the world.

Amen. Of course, both sides were mad, then I did my job.

I said, Now let's get back to the book of Titus. So we can explore what God is telling us as saints who brought his salvation to all men in this church. And it changed the conversation. Now, I'm not saying that you can't have political views, you don't have your concerns. But what I'm saying is, if I know you more as a Republican and Democrat and less as a Christian, we have a problem. We're not walking in grace relations. We're walking in race relations. And it becomes difficult for us to connect with one another because our views get in the way of the agenda God's set for us. Let me walk you through some passages that I want you to consider with me. Revelation, chapter seven, verse 19, verse 10, says, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one can count from every nation in all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in the hands. And they cried out with a loud voice saying ‘Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne and to the lamb.’” John 13, verses 34 to 35 says “a new command that I give you that you love only Republicans as I've loved you, that you love only Democrats” is is that in your bible? You guys see that your scripture “that you love one another”? “Even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples if your political views match mine.” Is that what it says in the passage? You know that you're my disciples. If y'all have have for one another. James chapter two, verse eight, verse nine says, “If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to Scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you're committing sin and concede are convicted by the laws of transgression.” Consider this passage in John 17, I love this. Listen to the prayer of our Lord, our Savior, our God, our King, let this just resonate in your soul, what he is asking to the Father, and we know that he gets his prayers through, think about what he's asking and look at who we are and where we are, as the body of Christ in this 21st century, and ask the question, where are we in line with the reality of this prayer? John 17, listen to these words. He says, “but now I come to you. And these things I speak in the world so that they may have joy made for them themselves, I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of this world, even as I am not of this world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” Isn't that powerful? “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in truth, Your word is truth. As you sent me into the word I sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also might be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those who also believe in me, through their word, that they may all be one, even as you father, are in me and I in you that they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you set me.”

Where are we in the 21st century? When you think about that passage, are we operating in grace, relations in the body of Christ?

Consider this passage in Romans, chapter 15, verse five, he says, “Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” It's a reality check for us since we are all we have. And the world will manipulate and use us if we allow it. You know, my father was a professional con artist––I kid you not––before he passed. And he said to me, son, I know that you will never be where I am. But understand that in the world of the con game, there are only two types of people you can either con people who are needy or people who are greedy. He says, but you can never con of content man because you have nothing to offer a man who's content. Are we greedy? Or are we content with the grace that God gave us? At any point, when we are greedy, we will be manipulated by the culture, to push whatever agenda they have, using what we like as a stream to accomplish their agendas and using us as a byproduct. But if we stand firm together with what God has given us, we're no longer needy or greedy. We're content. And instead of the culture using us, we use the culture to the glory of God. Consider these words in Matthew chapter 28:18 through verse 20, and Jesus came up and spoke to them saying “All authority has been given to Me in heaven, and on earth. Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you and lo, I'm with you always, even unto the end of the age.” If we take these passages, there are four points that we can glean from this reality that I want you to walk with me as we, our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as we are building a blueprint for Grace relations above race relations, consider these realities. As Christians. We are different in ethnicity, but we are all in Christ. We must see ourselves as multi-ethnic individuals––watch this––who are Kingdom citizens, with corporate responsibilities to our King Jesus, to our fellow citizens of the kingdom, and to future citizens of the kingdom. That's the ultimate agenda for which we are here. Where there is partiality across classes, culture and ethnic lines in the world, there should be oneness across class, culture and ethnic lines for us who belong to Christ. We should be completely different from the culture around us. The world should see how various ethnic groups operate in harmony, as these various ethnic groups love one another, to fulfill God's purpose together as members of the Body of Christ. So ultimately, what does it mean for you and I? we are to focus on accomplishing God's mission and living according to the mission, across class, across culture, across ethnic lines as members of the Body of Christ. And never forget, when my wife and I, we were touring Bob Jones University. And when we got there, we were walking around. And I remember talking to the dean and talking about different things. He says, “We know where we fell short. But we want to do things God's way. And that's when he began to offer me a job. And I said, You know what, this is Grace relations. I'll take it. I'll just imagine training, I do some biblical counseling training. So let me say why I'm doing it.

You’re willing to do something that many are not willing to do so I'm willing to do something that many are not willing to do so we can show the world how it needs to be done. Ladies and gentlemen, we got to do things the world is not willing to do to show them how it needs to be done. Because it's about grace. Race is something that was God-given, not created by us. It shouldn't drive us or determine us now. I'm going to show you in a moment how we need to handle it. But in reality, we have something way greater than ethnicity God allowed us to be a part of. So as I stated earlier, the difference. What do we mean between Grace versus race relations as stated earlier? Grace relations again, can be understood by living by God's power to connect with others in love and serve as our role as ambassadors and builders. This is done again, without reducing our ethnicity to being irrelevant or elevating our ethnicity to being the standard for which all things should be understood if I were to be devoted and and dedicated to knowing Jesus Christ, becoming like Jesus Christ, and being useful to Christ through evangelism and discipleship through all the nations without reducing the relevancy, or elevating the relevancy of ethnicity in the process. This is distinctly different from race relations. Now, let me tell you what the culture does that if we're not careful as Christians, we will start to do and the moment we start to look like the culture, we no longer look like Jesus Christ. Let me show you what race relations looks like.

Race Relations is evaluating and relating to other people groups, according to the fallacies and ideologies based upon one's underestimations. Again, I've got my view of white people, I've got my view of black people, I've got my view of Hispanic and so according to what I think, and according to what I've experienced, according to what I've been told, this is what it is, or according to my own research and my own calculations, you know, that really is principles of man in traditional culture. I thought the Bible told us not to be held captive to vain philosophies and traditions of men according to the principles of the world, rather than according to Christ, is that in your Bible? Is it not in Colossians chapter two, verse eight. Race Relations results in the magnification of one's people group above the magnification of God, the attributing of goodness to one's people group, and the demeaning or demonizing of another people group. In addition, race relations results in the deification of one's people and the devaluing of another people. Moreover, race relations results in the disillusionment that one people group has the right and the ability to determine their own destiny and the destiny of other groups while rejecting God as the originating determiner of creation, life and all people groups. Is that not Romans chapter one, guys? Is that not worshiping the creation? Above the Creator? You and I, we can't let discussions and disturbances among our ethnicities deter or distract us from being useful to Jesus Christ.

Now I want to get you to think about something with me. So if that's the case, should we just ignore that we’re anglo or that were Hispanic, or that were African American? And just, you know, as I hear the most ugliest thing in the world, I see no color brother. So you need to put your glasses on. God never told us not to see color, he told us how to handle it. And I think if we really take a look at Romans nine, we don't have time to really go on to Romans nine, that whole chapter is not about ethnicity. But what Paul shows us in that chapter is how to think about ethnicity. Because if you look at what he does, he, he shows you the value and importance of being a part of an ethnic group for which we were created through God's providence. But he also shows you how to handle it. Because he didn't mind saying, look at who we are, as Jews look at our rich inheritance. But he also didn't mind saying, but you're wrong. You're wrong. And this is what you need to do. And for you and I, we must recognize that there must be a commitment to growing in Christ, not an ignoring of ethnicity, but hear me well: it's a gift, not a God. And the moment your ethnicity becomes a god, you reduce your life to it, versus glorifying God through it. I am so glad that God made me an African American man, I don't know how to do it myself. But I'm so glad He delivered me from the penalty of sin, the power of sin and some friends of sin, which is greater than the ethnicity I was born to. I don't minimize who I am. But I don't maximize it either. You see the reality I'm going to. I have to be careful. Because I have to deal with people from all different sides and I don't mind challenging people lovingly and say, “Listen, that sounds like race relations.” Right now, that doesn't sound like race relations. Sounds like you are communicating a point that is more tied to a system that is antithetical to the system God gave us. And the more you operate like that, they'll create confusion, disorder, and every evil thing. Let's elevate this conversation to grace relations, not race relations, because you and I are from the same cloth. We just have different shades of color. So why don't we show the world how to walk in love? They know how to do this other stuff they've been doing that always we were part of that we become above that. See, we must not nullify the grace of God. By reducing or by elevating our ethnicities. Let me see if I can read something to you that I thought was helpful to me. Something I read from a good old book by Cornelius Platinga, Jr, you guys familiar with him? Cornelius Platinga Jr. Listen to these words. He says this. He says “biblically instructed Christians know that a racist state of mind is wholly wrong and offense to the aggrieved race and an offense to God. Racism is a breach of shalom. And similarly an excellent example of sin. What we can state is that whatever people are to blame for these faults, that generate racism, that racism itself renders them blameworthy and therefore additionally sinful. In case they infect others with racism, children see our pupils that new and deprived racism is often called sin, because it is the fruit of sin because it is morally evil.” I love this. This is by a gentleman called Karl Ellis Jr. He says this ethnicity has beauty only if it derived from an understanding that we are in God's image. And that’s powerful. A focus on ethnicity, apart from God's revelation will always end up crashing on the rocks of meaninglessness and chaos. Our ethnicity is a gift. It's not a god. It wasn't meant to be worshipped. It was meant to lead us to worship and appreciate the God who made us in His image. Any attempt we make to centralize our lives around our ethnicity is an attempt to overthrow god. Did you hear that? We're way more than who we are and ethnicity. And we've got way more together than we do apart. I'm not telling you to abandon your political views. I'm not telling you to abandon those issues. I'm telling you to elevate them to something greater. Don't let that become as we say in Hebrews 12 the weight that so easily entangles us. Notice I didn't call it a sin, but it can become a distraction if we're not careful. We have an agenda and that agenda is way bigger than who's in office. Because the one who's greater than the one who's in office gave us more power than those in offices. And the moment we operate in that power, we have the government coming to us, trying to figure out how to get it done. Do you know how much resources, have you thought about how much we have in the body of Christ? Do you know how much power that brings you not to be assassinated? If I get this around to other Christians? What if we actually start acting like who we are with the resources we have? Do you know how much we could command certain things that we can't command now, because Satan has done a marvelous job of reducing our Christianity to race relations above Grace relations, the moment we get to Grace relations, and walk by the power of God––watch this––if God is for you, who can be against you? But flip it if God is against you, who can be for you? God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. What would happen if we humble ourselves, acknowledge where we've been walking in race relations above grace relations, begin to move to the blueprint to do what God has called us to do? Do you understand how much power we could run in this world in this country, we would have the government at their knees, not to hurt them. But to show them the grace and mercy God showed us.

Don't allow your ethnicity to be the center of your world. You've been delivered. Don't ignore your ethnicity. You've been blessed. But understand there's a higher agenda. And that kingdom agenda has called us to be disciples, to be ambassadors to be builders. That, my friends, is Grace relations that supersedes race relations. Let's pray together. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I thank you for my brothers and sisters. I thank You, Lord God that you put us in a very unique place in time and in culture. And I pray, Lord God, that we will begin to show the world what it looks like to love you, what it looks like to live by you. And I pray, Lord, that your power would rest rule and reign on us so that we can get things done at the level you called us to. And don’t allow the distractions of the culture to override our devotion to you. And all God's children said, Amen. God bless you all.