Ephrem Smith – Leading in New Cultural Realities
The Sanctuary Covenant Church
A great video introduced the ministry of Ephrem Smith. Here are a few quotes.
“We want to be a sneak preview of heaven.”
Multi-ethnic. Diverse.
When sociologists want to prove there is a racial problem, they point to the church. They say, “Sunday morning at 11:00 is the most segregated time of the week.”
“Culture is the soil we grow up in. I want to lead a church that engages the culture.”
“We engage it.”
We must decide if we will be change agents in the world before us. Culture is very polarizing. The more diverse we get, the more divided we get. We are so divided. We are in need of leaders who will speak, love and serve to make a difference.
There is a God who brings justice, truth, revelation and revolution.
In 2000 in was 1:19 born in mixed families. They will not live in the labels of the past. We’ve got to grow up. We must lead. We must be prophetic and professional as we lift up a promise to the multi-cultural world.
Leaders must be willing to be invaded by a force to equip and empower us to lead. All of us. We must be willing to step out and lead multi-racially. We must have some things in us crucified. How do we engage culture for a Godly Kingdom. We need something eternal and supernatural. We need something bigger to engage the multi-cultural world.
1 John 4:7 says, “…Let us love one another….God is love...”
We must become BELOVED LEADERS.
The “Beloved Community” was Dr. King’s phrase. There can be no beloved community if there are no beloved leaders. You must let a force come on you and flow through you.
AGAPE love = the unconditional love of God.
AGAPEO = to be loved and loving simultaneously. We lead by loving the world.
This same John wrote, “God so loved the world…” God wants to do something about education, forced child prostitution.
When Jesus comes back it’ll be Justice. Until then friend, it is “Just-us.”
Nobody loves across racial lines like God! There was a force beyond this place that came into this place…and loved everybody. A leader needs love! Go ahead and get all the knowledge you can, read all the books you can, but if you can’t love across racial lines you can’t lead!
We must be loving leaders.
We must be an ABIDING LEADER.
John says, “….love of God abides in us….” People must see that. We abide in something beyond us.
I grew up in a black family in a black church; I didn’t feel qualified. Some people don’t step out and lead in a multi-cultural world because we feel like we are not qualified.
It’s not about qualification!
In High School I was riding my bike and I rode past a revival meeting, a tent-meeting. At a Methodist church. It was multi-racial. As I sat there on my bike, in High School, there was a force that hit me and said, “This is how church is supposed to be!” And “I think I heard God say, ‘What do you think about this?’”
Ever since, I believe that the church should be multi-racial and multi-ethnic. Tribalism is still a deep evil force that courageous and bold leaders must take on. No matter where you are, you cannot escape disparities around the world that exist because of race, class and place! Disparities exist in the church!
We abide in the force of God’s love.
We stay where the hurting people are; we created dwelling places.
Sometimes, to lead, we have to stop dreaming about church buildings and we need to have visions about dwelling places where hurting people are.
1 John 4:15 We must be CONFESSING LEADERS.
Take responsibility. Say, “My bad,” when you mess up. Take responsibility.
Jonah had to say, “The reason there is a storm in the world, is ‘my bad.’”
NOTE THIS….When high pressure collides with low pressure a storm erupts. When the high pressure of God's will bumps against the low pressure of what we’d rather do, a storm erupts.
There is no institution in the USA that can make the case, “We only cater to people who are like each other.” That’s “low-pressure.”
The Confessing Leader says, “I’m confessing, ‘I don’t know what to do.’”
Whatever you are, confess that. Be honest. Wherever you are, just confess that.
What if we actually did something about the system and ethos that created the black church, and the Korean church? What if we saw ourselves beyond black and white?
1 John 4 Some things have to be rearranged.
A case can be made for ethnic specific churches….but, we still cannot deny all of the communities around the world that are mobile, hip-hop and multi-cultural.
Crazy kids come in all colors and sizes and places all over the world. We don’t need any more grown men with “little” in front of their name.
How does that work itself out in community?
1. Open communities for reconciliation and common ground. We must have organic gatherings. For example: Bring a dish that represents your upbringing.
2. Sometimes it needs to be programmatic. We had to create a Hip-Hop experience. We had to offer programs in economic development. We started a class of people from different backgrounds to talk about race, class and economic issues.
“I’ll close with this,” said Ephrem.
A few years ago I went to my family reunion in Alabama. It was July. It was so hot. On Sunday, everybody went to church. My cousin was talking about our family tree. I found out my great-great-grandfather was full-blooded Irish. He married a woman descended from a slave named Esther. I left the reunion thinking, “I’m Irish!” I’m more than black. I’m African American. I’m Irish. I’m Native America.
You need to claim who you are! Stand up and claim who you are!
“I’m a child of God! I like what God is doing in me. I’m not what I will be yet…but I’m on my way! You need to stand up and claim who you are!”
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