Know. Own. Change: Journeying Towards God's Heart for ReconciliationMuestra

Change The Story

If we are not cautious and faithful to the requirements of Scripture that commands us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, and to love others as we love ourselves…we will live beneath our privilege and repeat the errors of the past. But history doesn’t have to repeat itself…And we have hope that the Church is going to ensure it won’t, by the grace and mighty hand of God working in and through us as reconcilers. We must get busy doing the work of the compassionate Samaritan.

Here are the 10 Commitments of a Reconciler to change the story for the next generation through acts of justice, mercy, and humility.

Speak Up and Lead Out

As scary and difficult as it is, when faced with heavy racial issues, speak up. Racism isn’t just a people of color issue; this must be a humanity issue, a body of Christ issue, your issue.

Advocate with Compassion and Conviction

We must change the world right where we stand. This will involve getting educated on the issues that affect your minority siblings. Your advocacy might be political. However, it might simply be championing change within your sphere of influence at work, college, or at church.

Pick a Justice Initiative and Serve Long-Term

Jesus wants to use you to make things better. Pick an initiative and volunteer. Get invested in the details about the organization, about the injustice and alternative solutions. Give yourself to it fully.

Give Generously

Part of being a reconciler is to be a proponent of those doing good work, understanding that we can’t do it all, but some can do what we can’t. Sometimes that means supporting from the sidelines, knowing our generosity can go where we cannot.

Intentionally Follow and Listen to Leaders of Color

In a world in which White culture and the White experience is dominant, we must intentionally dismantle the underlying ideology that White is better. One of the best ways to do this is to read, shop, attend church and listen to voices of color.

Raise Up Reconcilers

The more we can think of reconciliation as spiritual formation, the more it will have a treasured place in our hearts. Jesus loves reconciliation, so much so that He died for that very cause. As we become more equipped, we cannot hesitate to pass it on.

Engage in a Radical Persistence in Prayer

Before racism is a statement, a law, a behavior, an idea or an attitude, it is a principality. Prayer allows us to recognize racism’s demonic influence. Radical, unceasing prayer gives us the power and strength to overthrow it and to see real reformation come to the church and to America.

Practice Cultural Humility

At the risk of sounding insensitive, we’d like to say that you are not the center of the universe, neither are we. Jesus is. We know from Scripture that one of His desires is that we would love our neighbors with the same fierce loyalty and commitment as we do ourselves. We must go low for the sake of the Gospel

Stand Uncompromisingly on Who God Made You to Be

For people of color, we must decide to bring our full selves into every environment. Every. Single. One.

For White people, it can seem like self loathing is the only solution to a racial history in which people who look like you are often the villain. Choose not to give in to guilt or shame, because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Center Yourself on the Great Reconciler

Jesus is at work reconciling people to Himself and reconciling people to each other. Jesus must be the center of our efforts to change the story.

Our mission is to see Jesus glorified and the Church mobilized. We find our hope and invitation and we earnestly pray that the church would emerge as ONE to the Glory of God. Together, we can know, own, and change the story for the next generation.