WEDNESDAY'S WORD - EMPATHY - 11/26/14 SADELL BRADLEY

Empathy is the ability to understand and share in the feelings, experiences and emotions of another.  From the Greek empatheia 'in' + pathos - 'feeling' It is the action of being aware, and understanding and sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, or experience of another without necessarily having them communicated in an objectively explicit manner.  Here's a GREAT short video WATCH NOW The Power of Empathy

In this trying time in our Country, empathy is one of the qualities that will best serve us. As the clip states, it is a very vulnerable place to share in the painful feelings and experiences of others without looking in from the outside and offering insensitive quips.  Empathy is part of the Christ-following culture.  Paul instructed us to "Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.  Rejoice with those who do rejoice and weep with those who weep," (Romans 12:14-15) and to "Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ," unconditional love. (Galatians 6:2)

Christianity is not for the weak.  The things that Jesus calls us to do are counter-cultural, uncomfortable, and downright scandalous sometimes, but He has CHOSEN us to walk this way to bring an example and light to the world around us:

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:43-48

In Ephesians 2, Paul describes the reconciliation that Christ's finished work on Calvary was meant to bring between the Jews and the hated 'Gentiles. Jesus does not only bring peace - the absence of strife and restoration to wholeness; He IS our peace: 

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:15-18)

Similarly, in this crisis, Christ followers can speak peace to those who are close by us (relationally, ethnically and in location), as well as those who are far off with the goal of making peace, putting hostility to death and reconciling to UNITY.  This is a difficult, but necessary engagement that requires a great deal of the character quality empathy: the ability not only to hear, but to be sensitive to and share in the pain, experience and perspective of another without judging it invalid, trying to explain it away or even solve it initially, or running because it causes us pain.

Jesus is our example.  Paul states in Hebrews 4:15 that Christ is "not unable to empathize with our weaknesses,"or is  'touched with the feeling of our infirmities.' (KJV)  He has been tempted in every way, yet without sin.  Jesus deeply understands and has experienced pain, suffering, hatred, racism, persecution, abuse, mocking, rejection, abandonment, brutal beating, oppression WITHOUT protest, killing and being left for dead - all for our sakes. Isaiah 53 goes into great detail about our Savior, who suffered silently as the Lamb of God for the atonement of our sins AND for the trespasses of those who've sinned against us.  It is through this lens that we are to look at EVERY situation we face. 

Jesus was able to love and empathize with us despite us.  We through the power of His Spirit must do the same.  This is not a suggestion, Jesus says, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." This love is supposed to be the identifying mark of ALL Christ followers.  "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35) Love demonstrated includes EMPATHY.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - PROVIDENCE - Sadell Bradley 11/19/14

Providence is the protective care of God as a spiritual power.  It is also timely preparation for
future eventualities. It derives from the Latin word providere - to foresee, or attend to.  To provide means to make available for use; to supply; to make adequate preparation for a possible event; to supply sufficient money to ensure the maintenance of someone.  

The Bible is about God's providence.  We see account after account of the Lord's protective care, ample provision, and preparation of His people for future eventualities: 

• In Genesis 6-10, God had Noah preach repentance to the wicked people of the time for 126 years and prepare an Ark for rain and a flood that had never been seen on the earth to save his family and the species of animals.  
• Through Joseph's prophetic ministry and subsequent reign, God protected all of Israel and other nations from a time of famine.  Genesis 37-50
• In Exodus, the Lord prepared Moses to free Israel from the hand of Egypt, and provided manna, water and quail for millions during their 40 year wilderness wandering.  
• In Judges, Samson was chosen to provide deliverance through supernatural powers that were Divinely given him.  Judges 13-16
• Esther was sent on mission through a beauty contest to become Queen of a country so that when trouble was to come to the Jews, they would have someone of influence in place with the King.  Book of Esther
• Daniel was protected from the lions in the lion's den after he took a stand by continuing to serve Jehovah in prayers and worship.  His friends the Hebrew boys were saved out of the king's fiery furnace by the Lord Jesus who was in the fire with them to save them.  Daniel 1-6

I could go on and on and on.  What we would call small things like the metal axe head miraculously swimming on the water so that Elisha's servant who'd borrowed it would not be enslaved by debt; (2 Kings 6)  or large things like the provision of 20,000 meals for men, women and children by the lunch of a boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Whether in Scripture or our own lives, we have seen God's providential hand at work at one time or another. As a matter of worship it is good to recall and appreciate those times as evidence of God's faithfulness to us!

To go deeper, God foresaw and made adequate preparation for our sin issue through Jesus, the

spotless Lamb of God who was described as being 'slain before the foundation of the world.' (1 Peter 1:18-21; Rev. 13:8) He entered the earth through the miraculous conception of the virgin Mary and with the seed of the Holy Spirit.  (Luke 1:26-38) Before Adam and Eve took a bite of the forbidden fruit committing the first sin (Genesis 3), God had made a way for their sin and ours to be forgiven and released! For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! (Romans 5:17)

Last night I dreamed about a lady calling me in for a job.  They gave me a spacious place to live, then asked me to report to another location. It was a school and I was going to take graduate courses in graphic design.  I had never even taken undergraduate courses in that field, but the boss responded that they had seen a copy of some work I'd done casually and had chosen me specifically for this program.  The housing was paid.  The coursework was paid, and I was to be paid.  My job was to learn to create from one of the foremost artistic schools in the world!  I believe that dream was to reassure me in this season about God's Divine Providence.  I hope it blesses you too!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - RACIAL FATIGUE - SADELL BRADLEY 11/12/14

Fatigue is extreme tiredness, typically resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness; it is a reduction in the efficiency of a muscle or organ after prolonged activity or stress.  Racial means on the grounds of or connected with difference in race - each of the major divisions of humankind, having distinct physical characteristics; a group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc. 

The movie "Dear White People" (above) recently opened, decrying the racial injustices that are unfortunately still experienced in college campuses. Watching it, I was faced with some eery flashbacks of my college days! Though my identity as a Christ-follower is now primary, I believe God also uses the uniqueness of my culture, gender and experiences to His glory to help sharpen His Body toward love.

I was at a Mosaix Cincy meeting of Tri-State pastors who have a heart for planting and populating churches that look like Heaven: with people of every tribe, language, people and nation. (Rev. 5:9)  Our children and grandchildren have grown accustomed to diversity. If the Church continues to be segregated, it will be irrelevant and left behind.  So we address the racial, class and gender divisions in the US Church.

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)  We seek to embody this statement of truth from Paul, and to help lead the charge toward the unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17:20-23 (below), which is a redemptive revelation of the Sonship of Jesus Christ and the love of the Father for this world. Dwelling together in unity is where God commands His blessing and life forevermore. (Ps. 133:3)

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23)

The term Racial Fatigue or Racial Battle Fatigue (RBF) was coined by William Smith in the Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Society (2008) It is a theory attributed to the psychological attrition that People of Color experience from the daily battle of deflecting racialized insults, stereotypes, and discrimination. RBF is the cumulative effect of being "on guard" and having to finesse responses to insults, both subtle and covert. Contrary to popular opinion, this is NOT a post-racial society.

Caucasians experience a different type of Racial Fatigue. They get tired of hearing of and talking about race. Minorities tire of talking about it too, but we are more tired of living with racism -as the ad above from Ferguson, MO suggests. The same holds true for poverty, and the gender inequality revealed in issues like domestic violence and human trafficking. I am an African-American female, who is an orphan, from an urban setting, in the male-dominated field of ministry.  At times the Call to be the 'only one' in settings, or to insert the cause of the disenfranchised into discussions is overwhelming. The deep fractures that exist in this City, the US, and the Church are historical, complicated and necessitate deep, loving and honest discussion toward reconciliation.

If you are fatigued or weary in doing any of the Lord's work, be encouraged by these Scriptures: "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap of we do not grow weary (if we do not give up)"  (Galatians 6:9) "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." (Jeremiah 31:25)

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - FRUIT- Sadell Bradley 11/5/14

Fruit is the sweet and fleshy product of a tree that contains seed and can be eaten as food. Figuratively, fruit is the result or reward of work or activity. It derives from the Latin fructus meaning enjoyment of produce, or harvest. To be fruitful means producing much fruit; or producing good of helpful results; productive meaning to make something happen or come into existence using creative, mental, physical, biological or chemical process.  

God's first command to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply: "God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:28)

God is concerned about fruitfulness, about making things happen, about work and it's reward, about seed, time and harvest. Jesus is a fruit inspector who is always looking for and at our fruit. He seeks a return on His investment.  For there to be a reward, there must be labor. If we are not producing fruit (e.g. fulfilling assignments, spreading the Gospel, seeing life and character change, obedience to the Word and Spirit, making disciples, creating), He cuts away what's dead or overgrown, and prunes us for more productivity. Are you experiencing God cut away what's good for what's better or best? Productivity comes from our connection to Jesus, the Vine. 

 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:1-5)

Jesus said we would be able to discern false prophets from true by examining their fruit:“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:15-20)

Bad fruit is not edible. It has failed at it's purpose. You can see it is bad while it's growing on the branch.  Or it looks good and ripe but when you take a bite,  you find it tasteless, or sour.  We have the ability to do something about it if our lives are bearing bad fruit. What comes out of us is derivative of what is in us. Have you lost sight of what you're called to? Are you unproductive? Is your character distasteful? You can, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit." (Matthew 12:33) Do a fruit inspection today!

Reconnect with Jesus, the Vine. Study and meditate on His Word and be led by and walk in His Spirit.  Allow Him to change your character, get you back on purpose to put forth actions that lead to the production of good fruit.