Becoming the Bridge (Part 2)

In this episode, you need to lean in as Pastor Steven and Pastor John discuss how the purpose of unity is not uniformity. Unity means we are not going to agree on everything, but we are going to fight for one another until the day we die. If we are to take our view of people that don't look like us from what we see in headlines, and if we are to reduce it down to that, it would kill our ability to empathize with the humanity of that person. So we need to start understanding. We need to start learning some things, exposing some things. Jesus said, "you are the light of the world." This does not only mean to quote scriptures and be a witness to people. It means do not be ignorant. It means we need to shine a light on ignorance.

“This is not about color for me.”

This is about the systemic oppression of people in power that are supposed to protect and serve. This is the silence of the church that must be addressed. This conversation is the beginning of something that more churches need to have. This is a conversation that most people would be afraid to have. But this is also a conversation that the church should not turn a blind eye to. The church needs to be a voice to the voiceless. This should be the tipping point for the church to have the necessary conversations around true reconciliation. Because if we don't have the presence of God in the conversation and in our hearts, then empathy, compassion, and activism won't matter.

“Change starts in your heart.”

Guilt is not a strategy, but maybe we don't know the difference between guilt and repentance. Feeling bad doesn't change anything, but repentance is different from guilt. Repentance means “change direction” in the old Testament, and “change your mind” in the new Testament. And so it means we change direction and we have to do it differently. The only way to break the cycle is to repent. But to really repent is to change direction. Repentance is moving differently, thinking differently, speaking differently, refusing to contribute by indifference. It means getting up and walking in a different direction.

"This conversation is not the end, it's a beginning."

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Global Hope India: For over 20 years we have been watching God radically transform thousands of Americans & Indian Nationals through missions. We’ve taken nearly 1,000 Americans on short-term mission trips to India. We work with 12 long-term indigenous church planting partners located in North, South, East, & West mainland India as well as Northeast India. We empower the Church in India to make Christ known through leadership, child, & village development projects. Global Hope India is a federally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in Morrisville, North Carolina. All gifts are tax-deductible. More about GHI.

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Meet Pastor Kevin: Pastor Kevin is Founder and Executive Director of Global Hope India and your host for Living the Dream Podcast. He’s a poor kid from rural North Carolina, but get this… He just returned from his 50th trip to India in 20 years. If he doesn’t yet hold the Guinness Book of World Records for the most trips to India then he’s got to be close. He’s flown over a million miles to 27 different countries. He’s taken nearly 1,000 people on mission trips to India. Global Hope India has seen thousands of Indian Nationals and Americans radically transformed by God through missions. The miracle continues! More about Pastor Kevin.

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