How can we be a good witness for the Lord and for the Gospel message of Jesus Christ if we think we are better than someone else and want them all to be like us?  I don't know about you, but to have thousands of other people like me would be terrible.  I would hate to have everyone identical to me.  First of all, I'm not that great, and secondly, I still like being myself.

       Are these prejudices and ethnic prides of the Lord?  Has He set one tribe of people over another?  Did God create one denomination to be over others?  Are denominations of the Lord?  The answer to all of the these questions is NO!!!!!!!!  Okay, then how can these barriers, these boundaries or these attitudes be broken?

       As stated in the about fear (you may look that up), it is the Blood of Jesus that makes us all equal.  When Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world, He didn't just die for the sins of men, or just for the sins of the white skinned person, or just for the sins of the Germanic speaking peoples.  Christ died for ALL.   And the salvation that Christ gives the world is for ALL.

       So, what does this have to do with prejudice or ethnic pride and arrogance.   Prejudice is to pre-judge.  Okay, who is the Judge.   Is it you or me?  Is it the person across the street from us?  Is it the people who go to the church down the street?  Is it the pastor of the church you go to?
NO WAY!!!!!!!  The Judge is God Himself, and no one else.  He reserves that title and that position for Himself and condemns anyone who takes this title or position onto themselves.

       How do we take this title and position onto ourselves?  We do this whenever we make a comment about the condition of another's faith, about the manner in which a person prays or worships, about the amount of service a person does for the church, about the way a person rears their children, about anything that has to do with another person being different from ourselves.  In all of these areas, whenever we make these kinds of comments, we are passing judgement upon another person and God really frowns on us doing that and considers us as setting ourselves up as God.

       How do we get ourselves out of this self-idolatry that we've gotten ourselves into?   Some churches teach that we are to confess our sins one to another and submit ourselves to the mercy of God.  Others practice a method of church censorship hoping that the offending person will repent, not only to God, but also to the members of the Body having been offended.  And still others teach that one must go to private confession and do certain acts of penance.

       What does God say about this?  He simply says that we are to repent and to change from our wicked (evil) ways.  Is this easy to do?   That depends upon the person's spiritual life and their closeness to the Lord.  It does mean that we must accept the discipline and reprimands that God gives us and be willing to start all over----brand new.

       It's like placing our fears upon the Body of Christ to be buried with Him in the grave and then left there when given new life.  We are to do the same with our prejudices and ethnic prides.  Can we do this voluntarily or does God force us to do this?  He gives us that option because God has never forced anyone to do anything.  He created us with a free will and wants us to exercise our free will.  But, you know what, He really wants us to choose His way, so He gives us all kinds of assurances along the way so that we do choose His way.

       I realize that many of you are saying that this is Divine Providence or Predestination.   If it is this, then why are we to choose, when God has it all preplanned for us?  Because, with us having the free will to choose and with Satan always luring us with false directions, we can make the wrong choices.  That is when calling upon the Lord is even more wonderful.

       God has never allowed His chosen people to be left for dead.  Oh, He may clean every evil thing out of us and give us thousands of refining fires, but He never abandons us to death.  Even if we get to the point of not having any hope, God always provides a way out for those who truly call upon the name of the Lord.  This I know for real because there have been many times when I've been at the bottom of the pit and have cried out to God to deliver me.

       Now, back to us having prejudices and ethnic prides.  Why not place those on the Body of Christ and let them be buried with Christ?  And with Christ's resurrection, let us take on our new image and glorify Him just as He glorified the Father when He arose from the grave.   There is only one way to rid ourselves of all our prejudices and ethnic prides.  Place them upon Christ and let them be dead.

       PRAISE BE TO THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY AND TO HIS SON JESUS CHRIST AND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR ALL THE GREAT THINGS THEY HAVE DONE IN OUR LIVES AND IN OUR HEARTS AND IN OUR MINDS AND IN OUR LAND.  LET ALL THAT HAVE BREATH PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!

       For further comments, discussions, or prayers, contact us at our email address.   You may also wish to read the messages for each of the other categories.