Pastor Don Coleman spoke at Commonwealth Chapel a few weeks ago and preached a whopper of a sermon. He started out with a song. Then he spoke about a shooting that took place a few blocks from his house in the inner city of Richmond. As a black pastor who grew up in the projects, he has seen a lot in his life. He described the shooting, something that has become all too commonplace in the many inner city areas of Richmond. Don stopped and said, "Some of you are thinking, 'What does that have to do with me?' And that is the problem."
Don clearly proclaimed that the road to racial reconciliation will not be achieved by focusing on race. Instead, it will become solved only when the Church starts to act as One in Christ and seeks to usher in the kingdom of God on earth...here and now. The key to fixing race relations in this country, especially in the Church, is Jesus and establishing God's kingdom.
When we focus primarily on race, we set ourselves up for failure. Even though racial reconciliation may be a noble goal it is not the highest goal. Glorifying God and doing His will that is the pinnacle of purpose.
Don challenged everyone on the room by saying, "At some point, you have to decide to be different." And then he proceeded to show us what that means. Don pointed to the Lord's Prayer in Matthew as the foundation for healing the racial wounds. He focused on the phrase, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Then he took us to Revelation 5:8-10 to see what God's kingdom looks like.
Rev 5:8-10
And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."10
Notice the importance of prayer in God's kingdom. Our prayers are stored up to be used to usher in God's plan. The people sing a new song because God is the creator who delights to do new things. The focus of their song is God's great worth and glory. It recognizes God's sacrifice and salvations of the sons of men. There is no preferential treatment with God as He calls men from all nations and languages to come and be His people. Each person has a role and service to do. Authority is given to God's children as it was intended in the beginning before sin.
When you get a glimpse of heaven and begin to understand that God wants us to begin to bring heaven down to earth, it changes everything. You can no longer live life like you used to before God's great revelation opens up your heart and renews your mind to God's celestial dream.
Jesus in His final moments before the cross prayed for Oneness. He desired for His people to be unified. We are to ask for God to give us the nations. Yet, Sunday still remains among the most segregated times of the week in our society. Why? Are we really about God's kingdom or our idea of church as usual?
The fact that Don, a black preacher from the projects, is one of my primary spiritual mentors is amazing to many. This is especially true when you consider the fact that I went to a private school and lived an upper middle class life. I am white. He is black. I graduated from college. He did not. But I sought out Don because of the deposit of Jesus in him. I never cared about his resume. I was drawn to his spirit. It just seems normal to be now. But others still can't understand why I would seek him for guidance and prayer support. Our relationship is just one example of what happens when the Kingdom of God comes down and is established on the earth.
Don proclaimed, "Richmond, Va is on the brink of revival." I couldn't help but stop and think about this for a minute. Richmond is the former capital of the Confederacy. To many, this fact alone makes the city a symbol of oppression, racism and hatred. But what would happen if the people of God in this city sought to truly be One in Jesus? Could Richmond get a new reputation and establish an eternal heritage? Could the Church in Richmond become known for breaking bonds of racism and denominational barriers to establish God's kingdom for His glory? What kind of message would that send to the rest of the world? Imagine how powerful that image would be?
Jesus proclaimed that the world will know you are my disciples by your love for one another. The following thought popped into my head as Don spoke, "Our world walks by sight, we walk by faith. But the world is looking to see what we do to judge the validity of the God we claim to follow."
Oh Lord, let Your Kingdom come. May the seeds of a heavenly revolution begin as holy revelation does the impossible in Richmond. Create a sweet spirit of Oneness and purpose in the believers in this city. May we forget the past and press forward into an eternal destiny. Amen!
You can download Don's sermon at http://www.comchap.com/media.php
