by Pastor Mark Downey
Scripture Reading: Romans 9:3-5
Christianity today is plagued with tens of thousands of denominations, because Christians have lost the meaning of biblical adoption and have adapted to other religions of the world. Apostasy means a ‘falling away’ and abandoning previously held beliefs. Nothing could be more reinventing than the hyphenated “judeo-Christianity” and cause for another writ of divorcement from God. At one time, blacks and other dark people knew their place in White society; and White Christian Americans understood their place in God’s scheme of things; His law and order for a civilized society. They were the ‘heirs of the promise’ with a divine destiny. Here’s the overt racism of God expressing His love for our people, “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your ancestors, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt” Deut. 7:7-8.
This love story developed with Abraham and extended to the nation that came from him. When God redeemed Israel from Egypt, He purchased a nation in bondage. When God redeemed White Christians from European tyrants, He purchased a race of people under religious persecution. They came to America with the idea of fulfilling God’s plan for the ages. Some called it Manifest Destiny. But, it was the hope and aspiration of our ancestors to establish a literal Beulah Land married to the God of Israel. “Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, Who keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations” Deut. 7:9. It can be argued that a generation is anywhere between 40 and 100 years, but regardless of the calculations, we’re talking about a long, long time for a particular race of people to do what they were created for. Praise the Lord.