Church Update and Encouragement
In light of the recent attacks on Asian Americans, the church leaders reiterate our position on racism and provide some resources and opportunities to respond biblically.
Dear BACBC Congregational and Educational Communities (Coastline Christian Schools & Tiny Treasures Preschool),
The congregational and educational ministries of Bay Area Chinese Bible Church (BACBC) Cantonese, Mandarin, and English congregations; CCS; and TTP, as followers of Jesus, stand against racism. God is love, and as all human beings are made in the image of God, we believe what Jesus taught: the greatest commandment is to love God and love all people. Racism is a sin as it breaks the greatest commandment.
Because of recent events in our country, we not only take a stand, but we also grieve. We grieve the lives that have been lost by past and present injustices. We grieve with the families who have lost their loved ones. We grieve that racism has yet to be eradicated.
God, who is holy, responds to injustice with righteous anger. Because we are made in the image of God, we should respond to injustice as God would, with righteous anger. However, unlike God’s righteous anger, human anger can be righteous or unrighteous. God’s word teaches us “vengeance belongs to the Lord” (Romans 12:17). Vengeance is “retribution exacted for an injury or wrong” (Oxford Dictionaries). Human vengeance is an unrighteous anger as expressed in recent riotings.
In our country we have the opportunity to channel righteous anger to prayers, peaceful protests, participation in the political process, racial reconciliation, holding those in authority accountable, changing systems that take advantage of the vulnerable, and many other ways to facilitate change for the good.
We can take other actions as individuals. Let us reach out to those who are grieving with Christ’s compassion and empathy. Start with what you have and know: a listening ear, an act of kindness, a voice of reason. Encourage dialogue across different ethnicities, teach our children that all people are made in God’s image, and make an effort to diversify your social spheres.
We need healing, not just from COVID-19. Now is also time for introspection (Psalms 139:23-24), asking God to reveal any sin of racism and injustice in our words, attitudes, or actions. Confess and repent of those sins to God, that He may heal us from them. Giving and asking for forgiveness also heals hearts and relationships. Our nation needs fervent prayer for God’s healing.
As Christ-followers, we have hope. Our Heavenly Father is also a God of peace (1 Thess 5:23), the source of peace. And our Lord Jesus Christ brought reconciliation between humanity and himself as the ultimate example of sacrificial love. God calls us, the body of Christ, to be His ambassadors of reconciliation to a divided world.
The congregational and educational ministries of BACBC, as followers of Jesus, stand against racism. And we stand together as brothers and sisters in Christ, as the only eternal family, knowing that the gospel is the ultimate source of peace for our world.
In Christ,
Pastor Steve, on behalf of BACBC Leadership
Some Resources and Opportunities:
Healing from Asian Pacific Islander (API) hate.
API hate: The Road Towards Healing.” Youth with a Mission (YWAM) will interview Steve Hong to uncover potential blind spots on this road towards healing from these tragedies so we can better respond as Jesus-followers. This includes understanding past atrocities against AAPIs, and framing them within the work of the Spirit. April 14th @ 12:30pm Pacific. Register here.
Compassion in Oakland (www.compassioninoakland.org) was started by a Christian and provides chaperone ministry to those in Oakland Chinatown.
Compassion in Oakland’s mission is simple:We strive to provide the Oakland Chinatown Community with a resource for promoting safety and community. We aim to embrace the often forgotten, underserved, and vulnerable. We promote compassion not indifference, unity as opposed to divisiveness. Fostering a more caring and safer Oakland for all.
Article by Dr. Andrew Lee