(ThyBlackMan.com) A few weeks ago, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley informed all who would care to listen, that he would introduce a bill to ban the sale and use of middle seats on all commercial airplanes flights as the coronavirus pandemic wages on. Sen. Merkley own personal travel experiences as a passenger on American Airlines influenced his decision. Sen. Merkley criticized American Airline for not only selling but utilizing the middle seats of a flight he boarded, calling it “incredibly irresponsible” by possibly helping to contribute to the spread of coronavirus.
Since the garden of Eden, the original author of confusion and all forms of disobedience the serpent to some, better known as the devil to many more introduced sin as a bill, that has become a way of life for many spreading from one individual to the next, contaminating all who come in contact with it. Sin has caused a separation between mother and daughter, father and son and brother and sister and more importantly sin has separated all of mankind from their creator, sustainer, God, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is the man in the middle. The devil introduced confusion which lead to sin so he could hinder our oneness with the father, negate peace and harmony between mankind and take everlasting life from the children of God because he thrives best off separation.
In our society today it seems like we cannot go a mere sixty minutes without seeing, hearing or receiving some type of constant reminder that separation is here to stay all because we as believers have been influenced by nonbelievers to ban the man in the middle. We see separation in the body of Christ daily, we are separated by race every Sunday, we have separate social economic background cliques in our local church congregations, we separate ourselves in the body Christ based off our titles and distinctions, we separate ourselves on Facebook because of race, education, titles, church affiliation etc. , we become separate due to gender role beliefs in the body of Christ, we separate ourselves by denomination, rules, regulations and forms of worship practices. It’s no wonder why the world is continually headed in a downward spiral that will crash and burn on a side of a mountain, while we are the copilots allowing the plane to fly on autopilot with no directions.
When we as believers hear terms like dog whistle we separate, when we hear the LGBTQ community has a place in the body of Christ we separate, when we hear all lives matter we separate, when we hear transgender lives matter we separate, when we hear white lives matter we separate, when we hear blue lives matter we separate, when we hear black lives matter we separate, when we hear say her name we separate, and sadly enough when hear the name above all names “Jesus” even in the body of Christ we are separated on his importance and significance in our lives today.
There is growing ground swell from the world in the belief that division originated from the body of Christ and that believers who name the name of Jesus have provided little to no true substantial efforts to promote the man in the middle Jesus. If we as living epistles provide the wrong information for mankind to read on daily basis because of our walk, talk and conduct how will division ever cease to exist in the world we live in. Separation leads to division and division is always accompanied by confusion which is the opposite of multiplying. Jesus commanded us to follow him in our walk, talk and conduct and he would make us fishers of men. As believers we have been tolling day and night in our own strength and efforts trying to persuade mankind to follow our way so we can lead them to man in the middle.
From heaven our Lord and savior Jesus Christ still speaks, he speaks to us in morning, he speaks to us in the noon time, he speaks when the sun goes down, he even speaks to us as we slumber and sleep. If we as believers have an ear to hear when he is speaking, we would hear the same instructions he commanded his disciples to follow over 2,000 years ago “launch out into the deep.” For far to long the body of Christ has remained in shallow water looking for an increase because in our own mind we know best. We remain in shallow water divided over if a preacher should be called a minster or revered, we remain in shallow water divided over which and how many anniversary services should each local congregation celebrate, we remain in shallow water divided over if we should ever allow casual dress Sundays, we remain in shallow water divided over if worship service should ever be permitted outside of the four walls of the church building, we remain in shallow water divided over if not assembling together as a local congregation during the covid-19 pandemic represents a lack of faith, we remain in shallow water divided over if online worship and technology should be permitted in church ministry. Jesus is still asking us today to let him onboard, to launch out into the deep and let our nets down for the increase.
As children of the King we shouldn’t settle for staying in shallow water, we must trust Jesus to take us deeper, deeper in our relationship and fellowship with him and the father, deeper in our love for all mankind regardless of race, color, creed, social economic status, gender, sexual orientation, background, occupation, political affiliation, denomination or title. Our blurry eyes and tainted hearts will always allow us to find a reason to be separate from others, which will cause us ultimately to be separate from him. When separate and alienate ourselves from the least of these we ban the man in the middle from being in our lives. On hill called Calvary Jesus allowed himself to be crucified in the middle of our mess to make us one with the father and too show of their love, thus we should love our fellow man warts and all, blemishes and all, scars and all, faults and all, mistakes and all, crooked smiles and all that comes with them.
When we hear and follow the words of Jesus and our heavenly father God, we allow the banned sign to be removed from our life that prohibited him from being in the middle of our lives. Every believer and non-believer are destined for deep and possibly troubled water at some point or another in this journey that we are blessed with called life. Every believer that has and allows Jesus to be in the middle of their life will have savior to hold onto during swift transitions and they are blessed with anchor that will allow them to be unmovable despite the storm, rain or hail because he holds our life in his hand.
Every morning when we rise and every night before we lie down, we must make an honest assessment and take inventory on if we have banned the man in the middle Jesus from our lives by the way we walk, talk and conduct ourselves around others. When are hearts and minds are converted, we will move from conducting personal assessments to asking God to search us to see if they be any wicked way in us? God our heavenly father is pleased with his son Jesus Christ, God instructed us to hear him, if we hear him we will realize softly and tender Jesus is calling us to him so we can find rest and show others how to love by embracing and following the man in the middle.
Staff Writer; Jamie Seals