Believe, Trust, & Do
(Why Christians Can Help Our Communities)
My heart has been in deep consternation for a long time about all the ills going on in our communities across America. The list of ills and problems is super long. My heart bleeds each day as I read about new killings, and heinous crimes being committed. As a recently retired teacher, I saw firsthand the devastating effects broken families have on children. As a pastor of a church that encourages foster care, my heart bleeds at the number of children being abandoned or brought up in a severely toxic environment. As an African American male, my heart, my mind, and my spirit are floored at how broken my own people have become. I came to Macon Georgia from Birmingham Alabama in February of 1993. At that time the statistics showed that Macon Georgia had more churches per capita than almost any other city in America. Even though I have not checked recently, if that statistic is still true today, and we have all these churches in this city, why do we have all of this violence, disunity, all of these low-performing schools, all of this poverty, and all of these broken families? We can blame our government. We can try and point to racism. We can talk about social justice. We can talk about the rich versus the poor. We can even talk about the failure of our political leaders. What we haven’t talked about is the failure of our churches and pastors. Pastors have the ears of the people. What are we not telling them? The problem and the solution lie with us. Allow me to point you to the bible. The Bible teaches us that Jesus gave us everything about life and godliness. The bible also states in 1 Timothy 3 that the church is the pillar and buttress of truth. The true churches of Jesus Christ and true ministers of the gospel are supposed to be absolutely and totally committed to God’s word. They are to believe it, trust God, and then do it, obey it in all cases. If we truly desire to make good changes, then the bible must be our standard because it is the pillar and buttress of the truth. Could it be that our real problem is not the violence we see, the broken families who are hurting, the rapid increase in mental illnesses, the failing politicians, or the failing schools? Could it be that those are the dark fruit stemming from the absence of biblical light. Could it be that the real problem in our communities and America, is that our churches and our ministers do not believe God’s word enough, to trust Him and do what God said to do? 2 Chron 7:12-14 states this. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Do we as God’s people believe this scripture enough to do what it says and trust God to make the changes needed in our communities? Could it be that this answer for all our issues has not been pursued because we have failed to believe it, trust it, and do what it says? For example, the bible states, that marriage is to be honorable and the marriage bed undefiled. Presently in the African American community alone, over seventy percent of all babies born are born to single parents. Coupled that statistic with the fact that over forty-five percent of all African American single parents live in poverty versus less than ten percent of all married African American families living in poverty. Why aren’t our ministers making these truths known? Marriage is God ordained yet our churches do not uphold the sanctity of marriage the way God intended. According to the bible, marriage should only be between a man and a woman yet, many of our churches have acquiesced to the culture. Our culture is not at fault. The fault lies at the doorsteps or rather the pulpits of our churches. Peter states in 1 Peter 4:17, For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? Judgment begins with us. I’m wondering if the social chaos we see in our society is God’s referendum on His pastors, ministers, and churches. Society is really going in a bad way. I must point out, however, that society is doing what it’s supposed to do and it’s going the way it’s supposed to go because when there is no light people do really dark things. The real problem is that our churches do not believe. Therefore, our churches, God’s people, do not trust enough in the one true and living God, the Father of Jesus Christ our savior to believe and do what He said we are to do. Because we do not believe and don’t trust, then we abandoned the mission God gave us to do. Our pastors and churches are turning to politics, cultural acceptance, philosophy, government assistance, and all that anemic nonsense. We serve the one true and living God, the Father of Jesus. He is Almighty, sovereign, merciful, and gracious. He allows us to call on Him in our times of need so that He can show through us how great and wonderful He is, thereby drawing the sinful sinners to Him. God made us through the gospel to be salt and light in a dark and distasteful world. Since we, His people, have turned to all that anemic nonsense, instead of trusting in the one who has the power within Himself to change things, then maybe, just maybe, He is allowing us to experience this chaos because we refuse to glorify Him by believing His word, trusting in all that He is, and then doing what He’s put us here to do. I want to go back to the previous passage once more. 2 Chron 7:12-14 states, Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. We are living in a land with no rain, full of locusts destroying everything, including our children. The pestilences of violence, immorality, irresponsibility, and the like are “through the roof.” My question goes out to God’s people and particularly pastors and ministers. Do we believe God’s word enough to believe it, trust it, and do all that it says. It is this writer’s opinion that if we do, then we can start to see healing in our land. This is how Christians can begin to help our communities.
Pastor Lawrence Robinson
