December 16, 2009
Census
There are differing opinions about the upcoming Census, but despite the controversy, it will take place. USA Today has an article about the efforts to get the Latino population (legal and illegal) to participate in the 2010 Census. The promotion tells the Christmas story from the book of Luke and the message on the posters reads, “This is how Jesus was born. Mary and Joseph participated in the Census.” No doubt the message of the Census will be strengthened by tying it to birth of Jesus. You have to admit that this is a clever way for the Lord to show His presence. Who would have thought of using the 2010 Census to spread the Gospel?
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Gail;
-----So how might the 2010 Census be a useful tool for spreading the Gospel? Might not most people say, “So what?” to Mary and Joseph obeying the Roman census laws? Mary was pregnant and Christ was to be born regardless of any census. But Micah 5:2 named the town where Christ would be born. Had it not been for the census laws, Jesus would have been born in Nazareth. Then God’s prophecies would have been rightfully open to ridicule. But God used this activity of mankind to set the truth of His Word and the fact that Jesus is the Christ into the public’s sight.
-----Will the 2010 census have any bearing on the truth of the Word of God? No. Will it have any bearing upon the public’s perception of its truth? That will depend upon His people. For one human activity which helps to make the Bible’s truth more publicly obvious is actual obedience to it. Now, love is the substance of the Gospel, the heart of the Bible, and the very nature of God. So actual love in the hearts of Christians is the simple activity which verifies the truth of the Word the same way smoke verifies the existence of a fire, or at least of a smoldering.
-----So what is this love? Christ came pleasing His Father in obedience to love and expending Himself for you. There was no self-interest in Jesus. Then the fundamental element of Biblical love is the expenditure of yourself for the one you love. And the Biblical direction for your love is to everyone. Therefore, if you have goods which others need, love will expend them upon others. If you have not the goods, then love will expend effort in assisting others to find some, or if you have no ability, at the very least it will extend to them best wishes and sincere prayer.
-----Conversely, hatred seeks to expend others for your own interests. It is self-interest. Examine this poster carefully. Latino evangelical churches are being called upon to encourage a full count of Latinos. On the surface, this seems loving. It is important for Latinos as well as everyone else to participate, because everyone has interests. But under the surface, why does it encourage only Latinos to participate? Because it is not about the interests of everyone, it is about the importance of Latino interests in the allocation of Federal dollars and political clout. Looking even deeper, why are there Latino churches? I thought the body was the Lord’s, not the Latino’s, or the Black’s, or the Italians, or the anything else’s. Why are Latinos so tightly grouped to Latinos if there is not some interest of assuring the public goods be particularly served to Latinos, that is, other‘s goods be expended upon Latinos? America will only be great again when each of us love one another as neighbors, expending ourselves for one another regardless of race. America will be great when races stop collectively acquiring slices of it for their own interests. These posters do not advance the Gospel. You conclude what they do advance.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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