Am I my brother’s keeper? The answer is a resounding yes. Knowing this socio-spiritual fact of life, why are so many Blacks killing each other in time, on time, and all the time. Question: What is it that makes a man a man? Is it the ability to physically kill? Therefore, is taking another man’s life or any human being’s life a manly act? Or is it an act of cowardice?
We know that who the devil seeks to destroy, he first must make angry (Ephesians 4: 26-27). Without a doubt, if a man cannot control his temper (anger) he is not a man, but a lower form of animal life. Black on Black killing is the clearest spiritual example of the breakdown of the family structure, the spiritual failure of Black churches, the mis-education of Blacks in educational institutions, and a complete sense of community lawlessness. Couple these socio-spiritual dysfunctions with the attitudinal disposition of police constabularies that do not give a damn about your community. And, what you have is a hell on earth, and not the Kingdom of God on earth, as it is in heaven, and as promised in the Lord’s Prayer. Without a doubt, most individuals are living in hell and have become comfortable in spiritual confusion and social dysfunction.
The “SYSTEM” has “singled-out” Blacks for dehumanization/persecution, and seemingly our pastoral leaders, political leaders, and educational administrators have no answers for the horrible mess we find ourselves in; nor provide solutions (answers) for WHY the mess exists! Maybe they do not have a clue concerning what to do. To be sure, far too many of our young people are destroying each other through personal and gang related violence. Behold, Black America (All Americans): “The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, and the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” (Isaiah 24: 4-5). Black on Black crime is an abomination, and this scripture helps all of us to understand the spiritual implications of man’s inhumanity to man: “before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility.” (Proverbs 18:12).We need to learn how to use humility to lift one another up, rather than violence (destruction) to destroy each other. Let’s call this exactly what it is, that is, call a spade a spade, a diamond a diamond, and a heart a heart.
Initially, there were 613 Old Testament Laws, God reduced the 613 OT Laws to the Ten Commandments given to Moses, and Jesus clarified the Ten Commandments by referencing the Two Great Commandments (Matthew 6: 36-40). The desire of the “human spirit” in the Black community ought to be to “spiritually” embrace the Ten Commandments, and especially these two: “Thou shalt not kill” (Number 6 of the 10). And, “Thou shalt not steal” (Number 8 of the 10). The ungodly level of killing in the Black community is destroying the spiritual-moral fabric of the community, but more importantly, senseless killings are shutting off the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Black community is going to hell in a hand-basket by embracing man made (worldly) laws that we know are against the will of God (God’s Law), and seemingly this is the root cause of why so many of our children are spiritually confused. “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14: 33). Black people of America, we should have learned this lesson through our spiritual journey in these United States of America from 1619 (slavery), 1863 (Emancipation Proclamation), 1954 Brown-vs.-Board of Education, 1964 Civil Rights Act, 1965 Voting Rights Act, 2008 the Election of President Obama, and 2012 Reelection of President Obama. The spiritual lesson is simply this: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34).
Too many of our Black youth are growing-up substituting street-gangs (a posse mentality) as a surrogate family structure; seeking to resolve value and personality conflicts violently, rather than non-violently. Violence and more violence is not the answer. Loving things (an external value system) and using people is not the answer. The devil deals in things and death, and his desire is to get individuals to deal in things and death. For example, the devil tempted Jesus by encouraging him to deal in things. “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” (Matthew 4: 3-4). “Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thou self down: …….Jesus said unto him, it is written again. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Matthew 4: 5-7). “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matthew 4:8-10). The devil is a liar and the truth is not in him, and he cannot give what does not belong to him. “And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is the Lord’s.” (Exodus 9:29). Just in case your “carnal” mind is like the mind of Pharaoh (Psalms 24:1), here is spiritual food for thought: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalms 24:1).
Christian churches must find creative spiritual ways to strengthen family life in the Black community, as well as, in American society in general, and at the same time, foster a more spiritual value orientation in thought patterns: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8: 6-8).
When will Black lives matter to Blacks? Indeed, it is the Holy Spirit that frees us from sin; especially the sin of killing that is in violation of the sixth commandment: “Thou shalt not kill”. A word to the “spiritually” wise is sufficient: “Don’t take what you cannot give”. God says: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee:” (Jeremiah 1:5). Above all, “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” (Psalms 127:3). Selah!