The broken place of hatred is one of the major crises of our times. In this divided time, Grace Church can truly be different. We can be a community where hatred has no place. And, if we search Scripture, we are going to discover a way of living that will bring healing to this broken world.
There is hope.
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
Philippians 1:27
Where we go, what we do, what we say - is as a representative of God's kingdom. We don't have the privilege of acting like Christ-followers every now and then. Everything we do - whether Christ-like or not - represents our king to the world.
The Path of Hate:
Superiority => Discrimination => Dehumanization
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. Philippians 2:1-8
We don't reverse the path of hate by just not being racist or not dehumanizing people. We reverse the path of hate by walking an entirely different path.
The Path of Self-Giving Love:
Humility => Compassion => Elevation
To heal the broken place of hatred, we must walk the path of self-giving love.
There is hope, because we are not a church content to let the world around us burn with hatred. We're not a church which lets our culture tell us who we should or shouldn't love.
We are a church that has been called by God to help heal this broken world, and that's exactly what we're going to do.