This Sunday we’re going to be studying the idea “One Nation Under God.” It’s the theme for this year’s Gospel Crusade (which starts Sunday Night at 7pm, UCA Reynolds Performance Hall) but it’s also a very timely subject in light of recent events around our country.

On Tuesday, the day after Independence Day, a gentleman in Baton Rouge was detained by police and, during an altercation, was shot to death while being restrained on the ground. There are multiple videos of it online. It’s terrible.

Protests and demonstrations erupted immediately in response and then, last night (Thursday evening), at a protest rally in Dallas, a sniper opened fire, killing multiple police officers. I don’t know if there’s a video. I don’t need to see it; it’s terrible too.

The whole thing’s a mess.

The fact that the original victim was a black man has only exacerbated the situation with a lot of people.

We need to remember that in Christ there is no color, gender, nationality or social status. We are “one” and we are all “under God.”

America is not a Christian nation. This week has proven that once more. But America is a nation with Christians living in it, and it’s up to us to shine the Christian light and preach the message of “one-ness” under God. America is not one nation under God, but the church is the nation of God that is under God. Are you in the church?

There are a lot of examples of people in the Bible who stood up to their national/earthly governments, because they recognized they were “under God” even if their nation wasn’t (that’s what we’re talking about Sunday). I stand–as “one”–with those great Bible heroes, and with all others who put on Christ and become a citizen of His one spiritual kingdom, under God, with liberty (salvation) and justice (justification) for all (thanks to the Cross).