November 3rd, 2013 Morning Message **ANNOUNCEMENT – November 5, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. the NAACP will be sponsoring a forum to discuss the disparities and ways to correct the unequal system of justice that has affected too many men and women from minority communities in our Nation; specifically this meeting will be focused on the State of Indiana. Minority communities have generally in the past been thought of only as ethnicity based but sadly it has spread into areas on criteria as gender, social class, as well as religious affiliations. sentencingproject.org/template/page.cfm?id=122 law.jrank.org/pages/12130/Race-Ethnicity-Sentencing-minorities.html courts.wa.gov/programs_orgs/pos_mjc/reports/FinalReport.pdf (This State has decriminalization.) 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. biblegateway/passage/?search=genesis%201&version=NIV We must as a Nation as well as our immediate area of Statehood strives for moral correction in the justice system to ensure our God given rights as human beings are ensured; no matter the wrong course that has been taken. There are no more acts of ‘grace’ being given by our Court systems under the direction of our elected leaders. Mandatory sentencing has made our correction system one of Pharisees making money off of human failures. If one is going to stand in judgment, the judgment should fit the actual sin/crime; God still is our ultimate Judge. Romans 14:13 (NIV) 13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. Exodus 22:8 But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges, and they must determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’s property. Deuteronomy 16:18 (NIV) on Judges 18 Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. Deuteronomy 19:17-19 18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, 19 then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. As we can read in the above verses from the New and Old Testaments that God did think it correct to have chosen persons to help decide our fleshly problems; Judges. The problem has come about from delegation of authority from behind the Judges bench to that of the Prosecutor themselves. This is not Biblical; not what God obviously had in mind. People whose sole mission is to create a scenario of guilt by whatever means available should not be the sole decider of the punishment given to the offenders. When a person takes on the role of prosecutor of a life, their only means of climbing higher on life ladder is to have more convictions. This is where it leads into the never ending cycle of abuse on those who cannot defend themselves. It may be from lack of finances or it may be from social circumstances. If you cannot pay to recreate the charge to show your version, you become a person who now has lost their humanity. We need to stand up as people who have seen injustice for too long and try our best to change what has turned into not only the ‘prison industrial system,’ but the taking away of God’s natural order of correction. Prosecutors should show the case/evidence they have; Judges should be the ones who decide what the punishment for each single individual. We can only hope and pray earnestly that the elected and appointed Judges on our U.S. Court and State benches are listening to their inner Holy Spirit. We as voters must use our inner voices to ensure that those given our highest powers are truly worthy of what they have been empowered to oversee. This is how God planned it under the Period of Law and under his merciful Grace. God is not a one size fits all kind of God! Judges may not realize truly the standards that our God is going to hold ‘them’ accountable too when we all see him face to face. 1 John 4:17-18 (NIV) 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. When people do wrong things, as Christians we should show them the firm still compassionate Love of God. Call to Worship came from Romans 10:9-10 and Isaiah 1:13-18 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. 14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! 16 Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. 17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. 18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; 20 but if you resist rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. We all must follow the teachings of our God whether we are in the Sanctuary or in our daily lives. Even the least of these deserves an equal chance. We are all able to ask for the washing of our souls in the Blood of the Lamb. PRAISE THE HOLY NAME OF GOD and please pray for these efforts that are being under taken. Many lives are being needlessly wrecked from the failings of the flesh while the evil spirits that reside which seek to kill and steal have refuge from the light because the light/law is always looking for the least of these. Satan has surely succeeded again in his plan of switch and bait tactics to deceive. He does not want compassion and forgiveness, deliverance from sin; he wants especially the youth to have their lights extinguished before they ever get a chance to shine brightly in his name under his grace. Attendees at the NAACP Sponsored event which will be held at the Showers Building, City Council Chambers, 401 N. Morton, Bloomington, IN will be: Professor Audrey McCluskey, Indiana University Mr. Chad Padgett of LEAP, Law Enforcement against Prohibition Steve Dillon, VP of NORML, National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws …….To the Congregation, there will be an additional posting of the contents relating to Rev. Vance’s sermon; thanks for your patience. The cause above is a very important one to many who it affects! /ab
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 19:04:46 +0000