Racial and Religious
Wars
Pastor Steve Nash
Ferguson to
Fallujah, Houston to Haifa; war in every direction we turn. Ferguson, Missouri is on the verge of an all
out race riot. In Fallujah, Iraq, captured by ISIS, we have an evil army, slaughtering
people of their own religion. Houston
pastors are attacked by their own mayor and Haifa and other cities of Israel
once again exist under the highest threat level because of Palestinians
terrorists. Does it ever end? I take no stock in the philosophies of John
Lennon, but I do understand his longing to, “Give Peace a Chance.”
Have you
ever stopped to analyze WHY certain groups of people seem to always be at war
with other groups of people? Racial wars
erupt because of “who” we happen to be.
One person is back, the other white; another person is brown, the other
another race and color. The color and
culture we happen to be born into is what we call the “unchangeables.” Being born black or white or brown is a
matter that no one on earth has control over; that is God’s design. What have we often done? We all gravitate to those of our own kind and
fail to take interest and build relationships with those who are different than
us.
God is a god
of variety. Consider the difference in
flowers, trees, landscapes, animals, insects and even snowflakes. They are all different, yet each has it
beauty and place in God’s garden. I
marvel when gazing at a mountainside of varied fall trees as they together
display their own special colors during the peak of autumn. That exhibit wouldn’t be nearing as beautiful
if they were all the same color. It
appears that God enjoys gathering His bouquet of flowers for all to behold
every October in many of our states and around the world. Can we not learn from creation?
Then we have
those who war because of “what” they are.
I happen to be Christian. I have
a friend who is a conservative Jew. Can
we not love one another? A few years ago,
I noticed sitting in a pew of a church I pastored, an Israeli sitting next to a
Palestinian worshiping Jesus Christ in one accord. On another occasion as I was preaching to an
Indian congregation in Queens, NY, ten Pakistanis’ entered the sanctuary to
take part in the worship service. Jesus
Christ is the only world religious leader I know of who insisted that we tear
down the walls that separate us!
As much as I
want to, I cannot understand why Muslims seem not to want to strive together
with another religious group in order to experience peace. In fact, today, Muslims are killing each
other in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Middle East. It appears that the Muslim extremist feels
they have a corner on truth, faith, heaven, hell, etc. A friend recently reminded me that the Muslim
extremist is the “orthodox” believer who feels they are following the literal
teachings of the Koran and other, more moderate Muslims are merely
white-washed, compromising people of Islam who are the backslidden
Muslims.
The Apostle
Paul reminds us that “we wrestle not against each other, but against powers of
evil in high places.” If I were the
devil, I would instigate strife and then rejoice when people, who happen to be
different, are at war with one another.
I would dispatch my demons to stir up strife all over the world so that
I will be more able to divide and conquer.
Then I would make an appointment to visit the God of heaven and earth
and laugh in His face because His creation is an absolute failure; you know,
the one created in His own image! Yes,
that’s what I would do, and I would enjoy every minute of that encounter.
We war with
one another because of the fact that we happen to be different in color,
culture, race and religion. It is quite
amazing when we stop to think about it.
Jesus prophesied, that in the last days this world will become so
divided that it will fall apart at the seams and eventually end at the Battle
of Armageddon. It will take the re-appearing
of our Great God and Savior to intervene in order to establish world peace. He will utterly destroy any one or any thing
that gets in His way! I do not what to
be on the wrong side of that confrontation!
