Christian Humanism 

Christianized Humanism runs rampant. Christian activists abound on both sides of the aisle. But praying Christians are few. The jury has been in for a while now. This notion that we can improve things from either the political left or right sides is pride; And therefore foolish. Whether it is social equality and justice from a liberal perspective or family values and pro-life from a conservative angle, neither side can fix things. All four areas are linked and co-dependent, but the only real remedy can be found before Someone more humble than us all. His heart can change ours. And it must start at the personal and local level, not the the national. The real direction we need to go is not right or left, but both up and down; And we cannot go up until we first go down;

On our knees;

Together;

We must fall together, before a Heart that pleads our case as we are murdering Him in real time. Without a proper awe of this Heart, our exercises in so-called spiritual warfare are nothing more than militant and powerless charismania; Just prideful performances by parrots with no real power. But if we are taken by the Heart on the Cross, then what we speak into the air will have power and cause people to turn to Him. Prayers will not fall to the ground. As we pray out of His heart, things will move and hearts will change.

Racial reconciliation is not the foundation or primary goal of this effort, but foot of the Cross fellowship and prayer-based friendship; But racial reconciliation will be a powerful by product. The great joy that is to be realized between our leaders - in the Park Circle area and beyond - through such friendships birthed and nurtured through prayer will yield a great harvest of souls. When it goes beyond the ideal of being together, beyond the pride of some grand vision and into a place where abandoning a friend is not an option, then the Lord will move things. He will come in pleasure too, for love is what His heart so longs for; Love for Him and love for one another. When the aroma of prayer begins to rise above our friendships, God will come and there will be no doubt that it is real.

People are not looking for a god who we can carry in our pockets or one we can systematically dress up in 5 points, but one that causes our hearts to be convicted as well as comforted; One that will make us do what we do not want to do and change us within; One who can bring us to our knees, not prop our pride up on stages in His Name. People are longing for leaders haunted by Love; And so is the Lord! When a heart sees it as a privilege to walk 50 yards on level ground to greet a fellow pastor, regardless of race or denomination, even with potential and repeated rejection, then the air will change. Jesus walked up a hill with a cross on His back for the people who were killing Him. The joy-filled task of suffering one another is a privilege! Hell is what we deserve. We do not deserve to even endure one another.

The Cross Challenges Our Hearts

This Presidency presents politically conservative white Christians with a challenge. They may disagree with the direction of liberal policies, but historically have not appreciated the wound to the soul, caused by our ancestors, to black Americans. Instead of praying out of a heart of love for this man to be successful (by God's leading) too many are joining in the same exact spirit aimed at President George W. Bush; The same demonic power dresses himself both liberal and conservative - playing Christians against one another by his power of pride in race and history. I can pray for the President because the Holy Spirit makes his case. I'm pulling for him as I would my own family. We need to be able to look past the pride of power (which is in us all) to the vunerabilities of those in office and see their souls - their lives. The Lord deeply cherishes their lives. He loves Michelle, her dear Obama and their children. But how often do you hear Christians express that? "Of the abundance of the heart..." Christians pull for or against their candidate in pride. The haughty pro-Bush conservative and the pro-Obama liberal are not really the kind of friends either President needed or needs. Praying out of pride does not impact for God. It hurts everybody.

It's time to get real.

This is not the voice of Polly Anna either. "But David! This isn't real! People are too proud. They are set in their ways!" Show me an ongoing prayer meeting which aims to look up at the Heart on the Cross, with both black and white pastors and God will show you real power to change a community, city and nation! With time, the Heart on the Cross will prevail - every single time! This is reality! What a witness it would be for this nation to see black and white pastors praying together and the results could not be ignored. A divine authority would return to our pastors to call people to repentence en masse. And I can think of no better place for it to begin than the very city where the divide of race has been most historically pronounced.

The Power of the Enemy to Break

When the lost see leaders of black and white origin counting it a privilege to wash each others feet; Game over. The enemy will have lost and hearts will flood to Him. The lost will witness that this God is a powerful God afterall; For He is Love. It has not been our differences that have separated us in times past, but pride in those differences. Pride is a casualty of the Heart on the Cross.

"People are longing for leaders haunted by Love."

But be encouraged, His Spirit is moving here. Now black and white have become both more important and less important, now that we are knowing other leaders in the Lowcountry, who happen to be both black and white. They are becoming better friends, many with whom one has been able to call upon and cry on a shoulder, to get prayer, needed embraces and counsel; And needed laughs! I will not ever fully conceive of what each friend's joys and sufferings entail, but their experiences are becoming more important as their unique faces and hearts are being burned upon my soul. The life and breath within each is so precious;

So very precious.

When each of them passes, many will weep, because of how dear their own hearts and lives are to so many. The unique looks, the sounds of their voices, the strengths, the imperfections and the million different things that make each one touches God's heart. And as we are with Him more in prayer, so do the details of each life touch us increasingly as well. We need one another. God designed life this way. And in this purpose, better understanding racial differences, experiences and history is important, so we can get closer and be better friends.  

The Heart on the Cross

But race matters not before the Cross. Most people don't embrace a philosophy of racism, but the pride that gives birth to it exists in us all; And there is origin of the tension in the air. Not until we can acknowledge how little we know of Love, can the pride of race fall and it starts with individuals, especially in leadership; For the pride of race finds safety in a stronger and more powerful pride: Religious pride. We want to believe we know Love Himself well, but if He is to truly impact lives through us, we must continually lay this greatest of lies on the altar; And be unafraid for those we lead to see it. We have to choose between power in the prayerless Christianized Civic Organizations we dare to call His Church and the Cross He has ordained for our religious pride. For some obedient pastors, revival will break out in their congregation and others will get kicked out to lead elsewhere. Others will sadly drown in pride, disobedience and nothingness by doing nothing. But the Divine call to pray together is here to stay; Ignore to your own peril. Do not think you are safe in disobedience, no matter how secure you may feel. You are accountable to a Fiery Love. If you don't obey, God will raise another leader in your stead.

Ten years ago, this may not have been possible, but today we are without excuse.

"When the lost see leaders of black and white origin counting it a privilege to wash each others feet; Game over. The enemy will have lost and hearts will flood to Him. The lost will witness that this God is a powerful God afterall."

But before our need for unity or the need of the lost to see that unity which enables them to see Him, there is a reason that stands above the rest, for our coming together to seek Him.

And this is the key to a real season of prayer, which precedes real revival. If we get this deep down, all the other things are possible.

His suffering Heart deserves this of us. And the Father intends to bless the Son by seeing us come together. He suffered for it. He deserves we seek Him - together! "Fall Holy Spirit. Please fall upon and fill us in Jesus' Name. Break down the walls of pride between You and us - and between one another - by the power of Your love; For the deserved pleasure of One. For He deserves it! In His precious name we pray - in Jesus' Name! Amen!"