Colors of the Kingdom
Color is a phenomenon of light (such as red, brown, pink, or gray) or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects. Kingdom, unlike a democracy is a system of governance where all power is located in a solitary personality, the king or queen.
Color enables us to differentiate various objects. God created everything deliberately and celebrates the diversity of colors. Color shades a thing but does not define it.
Acts 17:26-28 says “26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”
God made us from one man. (Acts 17:26). As believers, we acknowledge that Adam, derived from the word adama meaning, from the Earth, is the original man. In the body of Adam, God created every genetic devolution of color; such that in the eyes of God, Adam was colorless. The Bible is silent on the color and race of Adam. The human skin is only 1/16th of an inch thick, yet we judge each other based on this minute part of the human body.
Man was made in the image of God to behave and rule like God; thus, as Heaven is God’s domain, Earth is man’s domain. Earth was intended to reflect Heaven. Love is the foundation for all things. Love reigns in Heaven, therefore the Earth must reflect the same. Most of the turmoil among mankind can be attributed to the absence of love. A love-less society breeds slavery, tribalism, and cruelty towards one another. When love speaks, accents, origins, and cultures dissipate. Racism and prejudice are not a byproduct of birth, it is taught and learned. The Church has a responsibility to teach and demonstrate love.
The kingdom of God is colorful. God made us varied, different and unique in our ways for His own purposes. There are several records of people of color in Scripture. Solomon was born of a woman named Bathsheba; meaning daughter of a black person; thus, Solomon was a person of color. (1 Chronicles 3:5). Joseph’s wife, Asenath, a black woman, originated from Egypt. She birthed Ephraim and Manasseh who Jacob adopted as his sons. (Genesis 41:50-52; Genesis 48:5) Jesus, on his way to Golgotha was assisted by Simeon of Cyrene, a black man, who carried the cross to Golgotha. (Matthew 27:32-33).
The greatest weapon God has given us is His instructions through the medium of the Bible. However, the Bible has been used for many generations as a tool of oppression. Though the distortion of history may imply the Gospel is void of black people, the place of black people in history cannot be disputed. The distortion of history occurs when power is entrusted into one’s hand and individuals holding this power seek to subjugate others; thus, truth is distorted.
Without knowing history, we don’t appreciate who we are, where we are from or where we are going. The sin of human nature and the desire to manipulate and cheat breeds racism. Socializing primarily and only within our comfort zones and remaining silent in the face of injustices advance divisiveness. Failing to read the Bible and seek truth on our own accord, along with the misinterpretation and misapplication of scripture to advance selfish motives have all played a role in the course of distorting history.
God’s ultimate intent is for all people to know and worship Him. His promise for all nations, transcends race or skin color. Origins are insignificant, it is only one’s identity in Christ that prevails.Matthew 6:9 – Jesus instructs us to pray saying, “Our Father”; recognizing that all believers share one Father. By accepting these words, we acknowledge that each person is a child of God irrespective of nationality, culture, and color. To be effective in communicating with God, recognize that we are all one people. (Malachi 2:10).
Begin to love your neighbor as yourself; you cannot call yourself a believer if you do not love your neighbor, for God is love.
Shalom.