Is Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream relevant today? How are we to live, as a nation, with respect to the dream that was declared almost 50 years ago? Even more specifically, what is the responsibility of the church today? If you look at history, the silence of the church has caused people to suffer. There must be a desire to understand the times that we live in and to do what is right (1 Chronicles 12:32). There will be a negative impact on society if people do not care about getting an education and if values are continuing to erode from God’s standard. A believer in Jesus Christ should care about these things and many others. Believers must take the lead to provide the best courses of action to help the church, help those who are in need, and to make the message of Christ relevant in today’s world.
1 Chronicles 10:13-14
Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD because he did not keep the LORD’s word. He even consulted a medium for guidance, but he did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
If you fail to follow the Lord’s teaching, it has a negative effect on you and it also has a negative effect on others.
The social issues of the today should also be a part of the church. We are in the world but not of the world, yet, the church should take action in the community about issues related to marriage, children having children, education, and helping people become gainfully employed.
Do you believe that God had a plan for Martin Luther King’s life? If you were to look at his life, you would learn that he was not called to lead a church, but he was destined to lead a nation.
Jeremiah 29:11-12
For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the LORD’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
Martin was very smart–an intellectual–and had questions in his early years about matters of faith and teachings, yet he grew and developed over time to become a dynamic speaker. He learned and studied from the very best, and was heavily influenced by Martin Luther. Religion was always a part of his life, and he grew up reading and studying from the age of 15 at Morehouse through seminary and a doctorate at Boston University. He looked at life as it existed in his time, and concluded that many of the things that he learned were at conflict with life for himself and for many Americans.
“Segregation is morally wrong because it seeks to defeat the purpose of God.” –Martin Luther King
Ephesians 2:13-19
But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh, He made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. He did this so that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death by it. When the Messiah came, He proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.
Hebrews 10:32-39
Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession. So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.
For yet in a very little while,
the Coming One will come and not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back,
I have no pleasure in him.
But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.
When you have been taught right from wrong and when you have the light, will you take a stand? If you, as a Christian, know what is right and you fail to stand up for truth, God refers to your inaction is sin. If believers are sanctified and set apart for the Lord’s work, it should be evident in everything that is done–in spite of any opposition or conflict. You don’t draw back from doing what is right–you continue to do it, and never lose sight of Him in your righteous living.
To do the will of God is never easy, especially in the face of those who oppose you. You will receive God’s blessings and loving kindness because you choose to do what is right and endured because you were obedient to His will. Martin Luther King pressed on and persevered in spite of those who readily opposed him, but he made a tremendous impact on many who embraced his dream.
Akron Alliance Fellowship 