I’ll admit to it.. I was insensitive to the racial injustices that were occurring around the nation. With each incident, I began to think that it was all planned and organized. That it’s systematic. As a minority, there was nothing ‘I’ could do about it. So why give it attention? Why protest? Why get involved? How wrong was I...

What I just said was true. Racial injustices are planned; they are intentional; and systematic. And to now be connected to people who have directly experienced racial injustices has opened my mind to the bigger problem at hand.

Recently, the first family of my church, now named New Destiny Worship Center, made the decision to leave the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI). The UPCI is a “Oneness Pentecostal organization with churches, ministers, and members across the globe” (1). I first want to say, upon my first visit to the church, I had no knowledge or understanding of the Pentecostal or Apostolic faith, neither any other denomination for that matter. I had knowledge of God and that’s who’s faith, who’s TRUTH I was after. Needless to say, I experienced quickly what God’s love felt like, coming from people who walk and live in His truth. I mentioned in my first post how instantly His embrace was when I walked in to the church for the first time. That is when I knew that this was something different. Whatever God was doing there, whatever knowledge of Him these people had, it was real and true. And overtime, that is exactly what I learned. As I got deeper into His word, my understanding of His love became more and more clear. He didn’t just so love one race, but He so loved the world, that “He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT). God does not show favoritism, but “In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:35 NLT). This is the truth I needed and it is the truth that set me free. The name of the church did not matter to me; what I needed was God’s LOVE and it was established there, in the hearts of His people. From that, I fell in love with the truth and gave up my way of living to live in His. From that, I learned of the Apostolic faith and grew to understand how rooted it is in the living Word of God. The more I read, the more knowledge I gained and the stronger my faith became as a believer. And the most common characteristic we share as believers is our love for Christ. For “if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11 KJV); “those who love God must also love their fellow believers” (1 John 4:21 KJV).

So it is written. We are to love one another. And in that, we are to share in one another’s sufferings, completely disregarding race, skin tone, color or gender. And so, the motive of this post is for me to voice my declaration of finally taking a stand against the racial injustices in our society. The First Family of New Destiny Worship Center decided to leave the UPCI in protest to the injustices seen in the church and I am in full support of their decision. As a believer, as a lover of all people, I have a responsibility to speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. As a believer, I am fighting to win those who are lost and hopeless, as I was once before. As a believer, I am to go out into the world and make disciples of ALL the nations and with that being said, I can no longer be insensitive to this matter. If you want to fight against the injustices in our nation, seek the truth. Above all, seek GOD! Because there is no battle too big or too strong for Him.

All in all, I love my church and my first family, I am honored to stand behind such strong leadership and I am ready to go to war for the Kingdom of God. ✊🏽

#NDWC

“For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding), and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly affection, and in your brotherly affection, [develop Christian] love [that is, learn to unselfishly seek the best for others and to do things for their benefit]. For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is blind--shortsighted [closing his spiritual eyes to the truth], having become oblivious to the fact that he was cleansed from his old sins.”

2 PETER 1:5-9 AMP

(1) https://www.upci.org/about/about-the-upci