I'm glad I get to do this this morning.
Chris introduced both my name, Gerald and Jerry, and Jerry, and Jerry.
Gravely offended.
I want to present to you this morning four facts, a process with three steps.
And we're talking overall, at least, of course, I've been sitting where you all are sitting,
Christ and culture, and culture's not as simple as we make it out to be.
There's a lot too culture.
And there's a lot of interaction with things.
Sometimes I see ecology as kind of, or geology as world ecology.
And you know that ecology was birthed in Georgia.
You know that whole concept and study of ecology was birthed right here in Georgia.
And it's that interaction between elements.
And sometimes I feel like maybe some of you or all of you, I grew up with National Geographic,
and so I've read about the ecology of plants and animals and all that exists on the face of the earth
and cultures of people.
I learned a lot when I was a kid.
That's all I had to really look forward to.
We didn't have a television until I was quite a bit older.
And Mom and Dad didn't have a colored television until I moved out of the house.
And I had to talk my dad into a telephone when I was in high school.
Most of you take that for granted.
But he hated that telephone.
And so when it was drilled through the wall, we had a concrete block house in southern Arizona.
When he drilled the hole through it, it came out behind the couch.
And that's the only place you could use the phone if he wasn't in the house,
because you had to crawl behind the couch and lay down and call your friend.
So it was a chore.
And like no time in history, we started the postmodern era, calling it the information age,
and it wasn't long that people realized, well, what is that?
And maybe that doesn't describe the whole thing that we're into.
And a lot of people have been trying to tag the world that we're living in today.
And the best anybody's come up with so far is just postmodern.
Whatever postmodern is, we're in it.
And we're still trying to decide what it is.
And like with most human history, we're better at describing it after it's gone by
than looking forward to where it's taking us.
And so cultures, for me, is not a simple thing.
And then when we talk about race,
we hear about races of people.
And we scratch our heads.
It's like there's lots of different boats.
And there are people in different boats.
Some going in the same direction.
Others going in the opposite direction.
But it's as if races of people are in different boats.
And they're captains of their own destiny.
Going across some great, vast whatever.
Fact number one.
I'm not trying to stuff this on you.
Let me not be so arrogant to call these absolutes.
For me, they're absolutes.
But you have to decide for yourself.
Did you see the Stephen Hawking programs last night?
I recorded them.
And Stephen Hawking has finally decided no God.
Because everything was birthed out of a black hole.
And in a black hole, there is no time.
So if before the Big Bang, there was no time,
then how could God be?
Therefore, no God.
Well, that's what I don't choose to believe.
And it's purely by faith on my part.
Because I have no proof.
I have a book.
And I know that my life on my own
was going downhill fast.
And I know that when I placed my faith
in what this book said,
my life turned around.
And it has felt like it's going upward.
So that's all I can tell you.
I have no proofs this morning.
I'm just telling you that fact number one
is by faith on my part.
And it comes out of the very first verse in the Bible.
In the beginning, God created.
He created the heavens and the earth.
God did it all.
He spoke words, we understand.
He didn't go down and really get dirty.
He just spoke words and everything came into existence.
I believe that.
And I believe that everything that I believe
from that point
is predicated upon that moment in time.
If I don't believe that,
then the rest of this doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
Right?
It just doesn't make...
I mean, good luck.
Stephen Hawking said,
I just am so joyous that I have a mind
that I can just explore the universe.
I have absolute freedom
even though my body won't let me go anywhere.
I have absolute freedom with my mind
to explore the universe.
And it sounds like
when it's done, it's done.
And the joy of living
was about being free to explore the universe.
Well, okay.
Some folks, that would be huge.
But from where I stand
with the God who created the heavens and the earth,
that's just a puny little place.
And the fact,
and I believe this,
that He's redeemed me
and I'm going to get to share in all of that forever.
Praise God.
Huh?
I mean, if you haven't got an amen in you there,
you have no amens in you at all.
Praise God.
I get to...
No, okay.
Let me put my hands in my pocket
and then I'll be less preaching.
Fact number two.
He created not only the heavens and the earth,
but He created man
and then another man
called woman.
And the human race was born.
And there's something common
common in our likeness
among all peoples of the earth.
In fact,
I've had the privilege,
not as much as others
and more than some,
to travel to...
I've preached
crusades in South America,
Central America,
Mexico.
I've preached in Canada.
I've been to Korea preaching.
I've had the opportunity
to work with peoples
from every continent
on the face of this earth.
And I believe
we're all on the same boat.
I don't believe
there's a whole bunch of boats.
Now, maybe some folks
are on the Aledo deck.
I've never been on a cruise ship.
What other decks,
kind of decks are there?
What are some of the names?
All I can remember
is Aledo.
But what are some of the names
of the other decks?
Luau.
But there's something common
about all of us
that we hold in common.
There's some things
that we hold in common.
And one of the big things,
I think,
is that we have a need
to be loved
and to love.
I've not met a human being
that doesn't share that.
All human beings everywhere
seem to share that.
So fact number two for me
is that there's only one race.
There's not races.
There's only one race
and it's human.
So if you are a racist,
you're working against yourself.
They're against you.
Now,
there were a lot of folks
coming to exist on the earth.
And God looked out over them
and said,
these are violent folks.
In fact,
he felt so bad about it,
you know,
it says in the very first part
of Genesis,
he wished he hadn't even created it.
He wished he was
languishing over the fact
that he even created
a man in the world.
And he has it in his mind
to just take his big eraser out
and erase it all.
Now,
he could erase it
just as quickly
as he created it
in my mind.
Y'all with me on that?
You believe that?
You think he could undo it
with a word
just like he did it
with a word?
And yet,
he sees this
one man,
Noah,
who says,
here's still righteousness
on the earth.
So I'm going to take
this one man
and his family
and I'm going to gather up
what I want to carry on
in this big boat
that he's going to build for me
and then I'm going to take
my eraser
and erase everything else.
I believe that's what happened.
Then man
starts populating again
and it says in the Bible
that there was one language.
They all spoke the same words.
And the people on the earth,
they traveled on.
Let me read it here
and we'll get it precise.
They traveled east,
it says.
Now the whole earth
used the same language
and the same words.
And it came about
as they journeyed east
that they found a plain
in the land of Shinar
and settled there.
Well, you remember the story.
They create a city called Babel
which later on became Babylon.
And they built a tower there,
the Tower of Babel
or Babel's Tower.
And they were going to
reach up to heaven.
And God looked on that.
He came down to see
what man was doing
and he said,
Oh man,
they're doing it again.
I clean the slate.
I find one righteous man.
I set it all in motion again.
And they're still doing it.
Is that not the history
of the world?
God said,
Okay,
but
I'm dedicated to this process.
I'm going to redeem man.
This wasn't his original plan.
His original plan
is that we would multiply
and come out of the garden
or even just live
in one great big garden
and it would go on
forever like that.
But man is
constantly disobedient.
And so what God does then,
He said,
Okay,
we're going to confound
their languages.
The Greeks would say,
Well,
they must have all spoke Greek
and He left that with us.
The language of the intellect.
Those who spoke Latin
would probably have said,
Yeah,
He confounded the language,
but He left Latin
that original language
with us.
Some Americans might even say,
Well,
no,
it was English.
I had a Hebrew professor
that was dead sure
it was Hebrew.
I don't think
that language exists
because
then God would have left
in the hands of
one group of people
an arrogance
that could have said,
Ah,
it all began here
with us.
I think He undid
that one language
and everybody
jumped off
and went off
to other languages.
I was in Seoul,
Korea
with a Navajo
brother of mine
and he was poking around
and found
it had to be
a God thing.
He found
as he was conversing
with Koreans
a word
in Korean
that has exactly
the same pronunciation,
spelling,
and meaning
in Navajo.
and he said,
Whoops,
here's the land
bridge here.
He saw a connection
to something
very ancient
that he felt
that his people
had come.
And finally,
man was starting
to do what God
had told him to do,
go out
to the four corners
of the earth
and multiply
and fill
this earth
up.
And they did.
But God
didn't create
more races.
The Greek word
is ethnos.
It's the word
we get ethnic
from.
God created
by confounding
languages,
any missionary
will tell you
that when you're
going to reach
a people
of a different
culture,
you must
speak
their
language,
for their
language
is the language
of the heart,
what they grew
up with.
Now,
the most diverse
people on the
face of the earth,
or at least
in America,
are white folks.
Folks tend
to put white folks
all in one
great big pile.
So,
okay,
here's white folks.
They're all
the same.
Well,
I assure you,
we're not all
the same.
I come from
southern Arizona
down on the
Mexican border.
I ain't like
southern at all.
I knew
coming to the
south,
I was going to
have to deal
with sweet tea.
I figured that
one out before
I ever got here.
I grew up
without sweet tea,
and so,
you know,
I don't like
sweet tea.
So,
when we went
to the restaurants,
I knew,
I had to
specify,
unsweet tea.
That's all I
drink.
But what I
didn't know
was that in
the south,
lying is
permissible.
Where I come
from,
you don't tell
any kind of
lie.
There's no
such thing
as a white
lie,
or a big
lie,
or a little
lie.
You know
what I'm
talking about,
don't you?
Somebody says
to you,
hey,
come on over
to my house.
Come on over
and visit me.
And then you
show up,
and they look
at you like,
where'd you
come from?
Well,
you told me
to come over.
I'm just
being polite.
I didn't
really mean
that.
So one
southerner
told me,
he said,
it's okay
to lie
as long
as it's
not going
to hurt
anybody.
Somehow
that's got
mixed up
in southern
Christianity.
It mixes
a whole bunch
of folks
up.
It certainly
wasn't the way
I grew up
and I
didn't
grow up
in a
Christian
home.
Where I
grew up,
a lie
was a
lie
was a
lie.
This
issue
of
ethnicity
is
really,
really
diverse.
And
any
trained
missionary
knows
that
when they
go to
a new
place,
you can't
automatically
assume
that
everybody
there
is like
you
are
or
thinks
like
you
do.
So
the
old
missionary
thing
was
you
go to
India
or you
go to
some
jungle
place
and
people
are
running
around
in
loin
claws
that
really
say
they'll
wear
pants.
And
we took
superficial
things
from
our
culture
and
imposed
it
upon
the
Christianity
of
others.
Instead of
letting
the
Holy
Spirit
build
out
of
that
culture
we
imposed
on
that
culture
our
preconceived
notions
of what
Christianity
looks like
or doesn't
look like.
And so
we haven't
been highly
successful.
William
Carey
is the
father
of the
what's
called
the
modern
missionary
movement
and he
took
his
clues
from
the
Catholics
and when
he went
to what
is now
modern
Bangladesh
then it
was
India
and he
started
a work
the first
thing he
did is
he built
what in
the west
we would
have called
a fort.
And
then you
set up a
medical
clinic or
school
and everybody
comes to
you.
Imagine
how they
looked at
Hudson
Taylor
when he
went to
China
and he
said
this is
dumb
this is
wrong
the gospel
is supposed
to go
to the
people
not go
and build
a fort
and say
y'all
come
and hear
the gospel
and yet
we do
it over
and over
again
with
buildings
and property
and
look at
and want
to be a
lighthouse
y'all
come
it's
safe
here
Hudson
Taylor
said
not
we
got to
become
a part
of the
people
that we
want
to reach
he
began to
dress
like the
Chinese
did
he
grew
his
hair
like
the
Chinese
men
would
grow
his
hair
when he
would go
back to
England
to
speak
on his
work
a lot
of people
quit
sending
money
to him
about
the only
guy
that really
supported
him
big
time
was
George
Mueller
looked
past
the
surface
stuff
to the
stuff
that
God
was
looking
at
number
three
God
created
ethnos
number
four
it ought
to be
obvious
to us
but it
isn't
obvious
to
every
believer
today
that
God
is still
at work
he
really
is
for
many
believers
in the
missionary
parts
of
the
work
of
God
they
see
Jesus
standing
on the
mountain
and there's
a whole
bunch
of folks
around him
some say
you know
twelve
some say
a hundred
and twenty
but there
was more
than twelve
I believe
and there
was a whole
bunch
of them
and Jesus
is there
and he's
about to
ascend
and Jesus
says
all y'all
some
believe
he said
and commanded
go
I don't
believe that's
what the
bible says
I believe
that when you
dig into the
original language
what he
did is he
assumed
we were all
going to go
somewhere
how many of you
have been to
walmart
!
in the last
month
come on
raise your
hand
come on
this is
a participatory
you're going
to go
somewhere
aren't you
tomorrow
afternoon
I'm going
to go
drive a
school bus
take kids
to me
we're all
as we're
going
then he
commands
disciples
teach them
all that
I've commanded
you
not just
some things
not the
convenient
thing
but everything
I've commanded
baptizing
them
oh I'm
with you
always
to the
end of
the age
God's
still at
work
some believe
he just
said
ok y'all
go
and
create
good
things
to bring
glory
to my
name
go out
there
and build
beautiful
crystal
cathedrals
and y'all
have heard
what happened
to the
crystal
cathedral
the man
that built
it died
and they
couldn't afford
to keep
the glass
clean
so they
had to sell
it to
another
church
this is
what God
would have
said go
to go
do
I don't
think so
so
I have
to believe
forcefully
more
fact is
that God
is still
at work
so the
issue is
not oh
God come
help me
the issue
is God
what will
you include
me in
in what
you're doing
we don't
have to go
out and make
it up for
God
we don't
have to go
out and
bang on
doors
we don't
have to go
out and
raise the
roof or
bring it
low
I don't
have to
when set
free
sets out
we don't
go out
looking for
black folks
we don't
go out
looking for
white folks
we don't
go out
looking for
people of
color
Martin Luther
King
I think
said it
the best
in his
I've got
a dream
he said
let's not
judge
he said
I dream
of a day
when we're
not judging
one another
by the
color of
our skin
our socioeconomic
status
or our
educational
levels
or any
of that
stuff
but by
the content
of our
care
my wife
keeps telling
me I
am
she says
you are
a character
that's not
what I'm
talking about
for when
the power
of God
comes within
us
from the
inside out
he is
generating
and creating
a character
quality
that is like
Christ
in us
through us
to us
by us
and for us
the great
truths of
the New
Testament
is not
what I
can do
for God
but what
God is
willing to
do
in me
through me
to me
by me
and for
me
see
it is not
my work
it's his
work that's
important
so the
process
how do you
tap into
that
and here
I am
63 years
old
finishing up
my 63rd
year on
the face
of the earth
I was
saved when
I was
25
out of a
bunch of
drunkenness
and partying
and all that
kind of stuff
in the
60s
God gloriously
saved me
out of all
this stuff
I'm going
to give you
the irreducible
minimum
of what
all that
has made
over this
40
year
I've been
involved in
church planting
I've somehow
or another
been involved
in probably
over 3,000
different churches
whether mentoring
or providing
resources
or some
way or
another
I've had
and have
tucked over
3,000 new
churches being
birthed here
in the United
States alone
and in other
parts of the
world
and I say
to you that
God's invitation
to you is
real
first to get
saved
it all
begins with
salvation
some point
you've got to
believe that
God
created
the heavens
and the
earth
and he
has a
purpose
for your
life
God is
one of the
great works
that he's
doing today
if you read
about it
it's the
works he's
doing with
Chinese people
underground
church
they're sending
out mission
they're sending
out mission
to Mongolia
and to India
they don't
have no
money
people that
are going
out are
walking
not jumping
on jet
planes and
being jetted
off and
and creating a
mission center
and establishing
if they're
sneaking off to
these lands
them
because in
some places
like North
Korea
they'd be
killed
I have an
acquaintance of
mine who
got in
spent time
in North
Korea
was helping
feed people
in North
Korea
and got
out just
in time
the
Mexico
the
policia
were chasing
him
he didn't
really know
it but they
were following
him and
got across
into China
before they
caught up
to him
God
didn't want
to include
you in
what he
did
he really
does
that isn't
for a select
few that's
for all
of us
but isn't
that where
we get
fearful
oh no
I can't
see myself
in
Africa
now
if you
send me
to
Ireland
maybe
on a
beautiful
island
somewhere
beautiful
beach
process
how do
you
engage
with
God
so that
he
can
invite
you
into the
things
that he
is doing
and
include
you
not
because
he
has
to
because
he
wants
to
include
you
in
the
things
he
does
so I'm
saying to
you
our
challenge
is not
to go
out
and
reach
all the
ethnics
in
North
Georgia
some have
said
you know
because of
our
unwillingness
to go
to other
lands
to help
the gospel
get to
those other
lands
God's
bringing
them
here
I
believe
that
sometimes
I
stood
on a
corner
in
Flushing
New
York
usually
when
the
new
waves
of
immigrants
come
to
the
New
York
City
area
they
start
in
Flushing
where
they
settle
down
to
you
can
tell
what
last
ethnic
group
lived
in
Flushing
by
the
funeral
homes
you
can
tell
who
the
new
ethnic
group
is
by
the
grocery
stores
and
I
stood
on
a
corner
in
Flushing
and
there
were
four
Hispanic
grocery
stores
on
this
one
corner
why
my
Hispanic
friend
that was
with me
said
well
he said
that
one's
from
Spanish
speaking
but
they're
from
the
Dominican
Republic
and
that
one
over
there
it's
from
Venezuela
and
this
one
over
here
represents
Mexico
and
this
one
over
here
yo
I gotta
know
all that
stuff
I'm
just
telling
you
don't
have
to
know
anything
I'm
telling
you
God
already
knows
that
stuff
and
what
we
need
to
engage
in
as
a
church
and
you
as
individuals
is
only
what
God
invites
you
into
he's
doing
a
whole
lot
more
than
this
church
could
ever
get
involved
in
he's
doing
a
whole
lot
more
than
any
of
you
as
individuals
could
ever
say
yes
to
how
do
you
decide
how
do
you
know
the
will
of
God
at
the
point
of
engaging
with
God
in
his
work
the
cost
of
discipleship
Matthew
how'd
you like
that
for an
introduction
Matthew
16
24
you all
know
these verses
I'm sure
my Bible
here has
a little
heading
for this
section
calling it
the
discipleship
is
costly
Matthew
16
24
then
Jesus
said
to
his
disciples
if
anyone
wishes
to
come
after
me
let
him
deny
himself
take
up
his
cross
and
follow
me
earlier
in
Matthew
he said
those
that
will
not
take
up
their
cross
and
follow
me
are
not
worthy
of
me
sound
like
that's
an
option
for
us
does
it
sound
like
if
you
say
I
believe
in
Jesus
I
believe
God
created
I
believe
the
Holy
Spirit
lives
within
me
that
it's
an
option
for
your
life
no
way
Jose
not
an
option
it
does
cost
something
it
always
starts
with
death
Jesus
says
in
the
gospel
of
John
several
times
about
six
times
I
take
no
initiative
of
my
own
I
take
no
initiative
of
my
own
I
only
say
what
I
hear
the
father
say
I
only
go
where
the
father
sends
me
I
didn't
even
come
on
my
own
initiative
he
sent
me
but
then
in
one
spot
he
says
but
this
one
initiative
I
can
take
because
the
father
already
told
me
prior
that
I
could
take
this
one
initiative
he
said
I
can
die
that's
where
we
all
start
the
fear
starts
welling
up
within
us
because
Jesus
says
as
the
father
sent
me
so
send
I
you
oh
we
know
what
happened
to
Jesus
at
the
end
of
his
run
right
could
that
happen
to
you
and
the
process
you know
I've
discovered
one
thing
through
the
word
God
makes
no
hesitation
to
take
that
which
belongs
to
him
and
use
it
for
his
own
purposes
first
missionary
story
I ever
read
was about
the
missionary
going
to
the
Aka
Indians
cannibals
headhunters
in
South
America
and how
they died
landing on
a beach
with a
piper
cub
after having
made
attempts
by air
to
touch
the
Aka
people
and
the
Aka
men
came
and
killed
the
pilot
and
this
missionary
and
thought
no
way
Jose
I
ain't
going
back
there
some
months
later
here
comes
a
woman
out
of
the
jungle
from
Aka
India
have
you
read
that
the
gates
of
splendor
God
says
you
know
when
God
invites
you
and
what
he
doing
it
is
always
as
big
as
he
is
as
small
as
he
is
or
it
could
be
old
me
because
that
requires
on my
part
some
kind
of
faith
because
if
it's
as
big
as
he
is
not
as
small
as
I
am
there's
a
good
chance
I'm
going
to
be
uncomfortable
with
what
he's
calling
me
to be
it's
going
to
challenge
me
down
to
the
!
Are you
ready to
be
challenged?
Do you
know
yourself?
Then you
must take
up your
cross
scripture
says
daily
you
got to
redo
that
every
day
you
got to
say
with
Isaiah
here
I
am
you
got to
say
with
Jesus
at
Gethsemane
not
my
will
but
thine
a
friend
a
friend
of mine
says
that
taking
up
your
cross
daily
that
the
cross
is
the
instrument
of
discipline
spiritual
discipline
in your
life
to
engage
freshly
in a
fresh
experience
with the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
that's
why
you
don't
wait
until
the
evening
to do
that
you
do
that
first
thing
you
engage
with
him
here
I
am
and
then
it's
that
discipline
taking
up
your
cross
is
that
discipline
of
life
while
you're
working
through
your
day
as
you
are
going
wherever
it is
Walmart
school
you're
always
your
eyes
are
open
sharp
ready
to
see
and
join
the
father
at
his
invitation
into
what
we
do
that's
where
I'm
going
that's
where
I'm
going
we
all
want
to
sit
here
in
church
and
say
here
I
am
Lord
y'all
come
on
in
but
I
don't
know
about
you
but
my
Jesus
you
know
the
only
time
he
did
a
miracle
that
had
roof
over
it
they
cut
a
hole
in
the
ceiling
he
was
moving
around
some
people
say
well
if you
just
sit
around
waiting
for
God
to
lead
you
ain't
going
to
be
doing
anything
I'm
busier
than I am
once
for when
you're
open
and
giving
it
to
him
for
his
leadership
God
will
invite
you
into
more
stuff
than
you
can
even
imagine
you
the
trouble
with us
men
is
we're
always
wanting
it
to be
something
big
for
me
or
I
can
receive
a badge
!
God
said
probably
the last
thing
we're
ever
going to
do
is
give
you
a
badge
!
Men
are
always
wanting
to
carry
their
authority
around
with
them
God
said
I
am
here
for
them
!
God
may
just
come
follow
me
I'm
moving
constantly
I'm
moving
in
people's
lives
I'm
dealing
with
people
all over
the place
maybe
the
cashier
at Walmart
maybe
somebody
at
one of
the
restaurants
you all
meet
and
God
may
just
keep
you
say it
another
way
there
is
somebody
in
this
world
that
the
only
Jesus
they'll
ever
believe
in
is
the
Jesus
they
see
in
you
for
every
one
of us
there's
only
there's
somebody
or
some
people
or
some
people
it
may
be
a
whole
culture
of
people
but
there's
somebody
somewhere
that
the
only
Jesus
they'll
ever
believe
is
the
one
that
they
see
it
up
with
them
you