Panel: Specific Skills-Part I

TAKE 2 minutes FOR TRAINING

TAKE2 TRANSCRIPT – Antidote to Racism

Interviewer:

The question is: If we have been offended in the past by a different culture how do we not let those feelings of prejudice and insecurity rise up in us, if being offended again as a volunteer?

Phil Taylor:

So sometimes when we’re involved in working with other cultures it’s going to bring out stuff in us and we’re going to realize we’re not as Christlike as we thought we were. So it’s a great opportunity for us. We’re all a little bit racist right? Or maybe, am I the only guy? Just me, right?

You have your stereotypes and someone cuts you off don’t you speed up to see who it was? “Ah, those guys.” So what do we do with that? Well we want to get the right feelings to come up so, “Take captive every thought; make it obedient to Christ.” Many of our feelings are wrong, they are not Christlike, so we need to deal with them.

And here’s the best thing to lay a foundation for that. “Why are they here?” There are some people in Canada who don’t feel other people should be coming here. And so the basis of our ministry was in Acts 17:26 where it says, “From one man God made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole Earth. And He determined the time set for them and the exact places where they should live.” It’s God’s will that they should be here. God is the one bringing these people here.

And so, in the great judgement you remember when we’re all going to stand before God in Matthew 25 and it says the sheep and the goats are on either side? One of the things, when they say, “Lord, when did we see you?” He’s going to say, “I was a stranger and you invited me in.” So your politics might want to be right so make sure you get on the right side too with that attitude. Strangers are here. God brought them here and many of them, God not only is bringing them here so we can reach out to them, but many of them are here now volunteering and helping us to reach others. They’re a great gift to us.