There is Power in Unity

Here I am, an African-American urban preacher, at a predominately white, rural Bible convention, doing a workshop about overcoming sexual temptation from a book co-authored by 7 African-American Christian leaders. My message could not have been more warmly received. Why is that? Because the Truth is color-blind, and Jesus only has one church, and His Word saves and sanctifies all of God’s children.

I just returned to Los Angeles from Eugene, Oregon and the IFCA International Annual Convention. I try to attend the conventions as often as I can. This year, my good friend Executive Director, Dr. Les Lofquist, invited me do a workshop on my book. The plenary speaker was Dr. Alex Montoya, one of the world’s foremost visionary church planting pastors who serves the Lord in East LA. Listen to one of his sermons about church planting at the conference: ifca.org/home/140001498/140001498/audio/montoya02.mp3

We heard reports of the work the Lord is doing through IFCA chaplains in Iraq. The Lord enabled me to network with the chaplains to see if God would open up doors to use Secret Sex Wars: A Battle Cry for Purity, in the military theater to help our soldiers win their battles against sexual temptation. The Lord led me to missionaries who labor in Uganda, Kenya, and the Congo. We are exploring the possibility of the co-authors making a trip and to hold purity conferences to help our brothers in Africa.

God is working all over the world. We were blessed to also hear how God is using a Korean pastor in the Cal Berkley area to plant churches in Taiwan. We heard from believers laboring in Belarus, Brazil, and India. It is amazing what the church can do when we don’t emphasize the differences in our color and instead labor together for Christ on the basis of the cross. As Les Lofquist reminded me at the conference, Jesus said, “He would build His church” not my church and that He would build it and not me. Jesus is Lord of all in all places, and by faith He wants all believers to be involved in reaching the lost all over the world. May God bless the IFCA’s vision to plant 100 new churches throughout the US by 2020. I am humbled and grateful for the small part I played in encouraging the saints at this convention, and I am proud to be a co-laboring IFCA member with like-minded believers glorifying Christ all over the world.

Grace and peace