No Divisions Among Us

"A Word Regarding Charlottesville, Virginia: Non-violent Conflict Resolution—for the 21st Century"
by Dr. Alveda King, Atlanta, GA


Then and Now!

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, spiritual problems and social issues were slowly destroying God's work among them. SUCH IS THE CASE TODAY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST.

As Paul was thankful for his flock (1 Cor. 1:4-8), so are we as was Paul; but we too are also called to a high purpose as servants/leaders of God. Consequently, our gifts and callings, as God's microphones, often require us to say what people don't want to hear. The divisions among the Corinthians then and the divisions among us now are designed by the enemy to rip the Church apart.  Consequently, following the pattern God gave Paul, we must implore the Body of Christ today to make some difficult transformations:

"Now I exhort you, brothers [and sisters], by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that...there not be divisions among you, and that you be made complete in the same mind and with the same purpose. For...there are quarrels among you" (1 Cor. 1:10-11). 

Amazingly, Paul was able to set aside his fleshly tendencies, all strife and bragging, to leave us this advice:
"Each of you is saying, 'I am with Paul,' and 'I am with Apollos,' and 'I am with Cephas,' and 'I am with Christ.' Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I give thanks that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that you were baptized in my name" (1 Cor. 1:12-15)."

Yes, Paul challenges and reminds us that Christ deserves all the credit. Don't we all have opportunities like this—to take credit for someone else's work—or even worse, to touch Jesus' glory?

Are we still stumbling about in the outer courts of politics and social justice, failing to conquer the 7 mountains illustrated so powerfully by Lance Wallnau? Are we able to tackle the 3-headed monster that is before America—Racism, Abortion and Sexual Perversion? Are we ready and able to slay the "skin color dragon" and embrace each other as brothers and sisters, the one blood, one race, of Acts 17:26?

"He made from one blood all nations who live on the earth. He set the times and places where they should live" (Acts 17:26).

Six Steps and Principles for Non-Violent Social Change—A Sequential Journey to Victory

I've often been asked to share the King Family Legacy's approach to non-violent conflict resolution which is introduced here briefly:

Principle 1: Non-violence is not passive, but requires courage.
Principle 2: Non-violence seeks reconciliation, not defeat of an adversary.
Principle 3: Non-violent action is directed at eliminating evil, not destroying an evildoer. 
Principle 4: A willingness to accept suffering for the cause, if necessary, but never to inflict it.
Principle 5: A rejection of hatred, animosity or violence of the spirit, as well as refusal to commit physical violence.
Principle 6: Faith that justice will prevail.

Understanding this, we apply the six steps of non-violent conflict resolution:

1. Prayerfully enter into a process by conducting research and gathering information to get the facts straight.
2. Continuing in prayer, conduct education and awareness campaigns to inform adversaries and the public about the facts of the dispute.
3. Prayerfully commit yourself to live and manifest a non-violent attitude and actions.
4. Prayerfully mediate and negotiate with an adversary in a spirit of goodwill to correct injustice.
5. Prayerfully apply non-violent direct action, such as prayer vigils, marches, boycotts, mass demonstrations, picketing, sit-ins etc., to help persuade or compel an adversary to work toward dispute-resolution.
6. Prayerfully anticipate reconciliation among adversaries in a win-win outcome in establishing a sense of community which should now be achievable. 

Considering the times, I am grateful to be a part of a biological family as well as a spiritual family who embrace these truths. Won't you join us?

"We must learn to live together as brothers [and sisters] or perish together as fools." –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
"Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8). (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)

To purchase Alveda King's latest book America Return to God click here.

Dr. Alveda C. King, Evangelist and Author
Alveda King Ministries and Priests For Life 
Email: ak@alvedaking.com
Website: www.americareturntogod.com |www.alvedaking.com | www.priestsforlife.org

Dr. Alveda King is an evangelist and civil rights activist; niece of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.; daughter of Rev. AD King; and guardian of the "King Family Legacy." Alveda King Ministries aims to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the catalyst for salvation and being born again; promoting traditional family morals and values, from a Biblical worldview. Building strong, healthy families is a cornerstone – where individuals and families are given the necessary tools and resources to live prosperously to their full potential. An aim is to educate through community events, mentoring programs, media campaigns scholarship awards, coalition-building Christian advocacy groups and other means of positive reinforcement in order to lead people to Christ in expectancy of life, family, hope and "agape love" in the global community. You can purchase her latest book "America Return to God" from Elijah List Publications here.
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