In a powerful Dr. Tony Evans sermon, the esteemed pastor challenges all of us to respond to rising racial tensions as Kingdom Disciples. He’s calling us to let God’s word guide us, not just our feelings.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic already had the nation on edge. But after the death of George Floyd, things descended into chaos.
RELATED: Tony Evans Family Comes Together, Honors Lois Evans with Deathbed Song: ‘Victory Belongs to Jesus'
The tragic events surrounding George Floyd’s arrest and subsequent death while in police custody set off a ripple of division across the country. It forced everyone to take a closer look at the social injustices plaguing our society.
View this post on Instagram
And in a climate so fully charged with racial tensions, Dr. Tony Evans’ sermon delivers a poignant call for unity.
Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas. This devout man of God has published hundreds of books and Bible studies. He has a knack for using God’s Word to hit right at the heart of a problem.
And with the issue of racism, it’s no different.
Dr. Tony Evans tackled the issues of social injustice first in a heartfelt message to his church.
WATCH: Dr. Tony Evans Speaks Out About Social Injustice
He then later delivered a more in-depth sermon and has even gone on to appear on National TV, calling upon the church and Christians to unite together for change.
RELATED: Tribute Sermon By Tony Evans Reveals His Wife Saw ‘A Glimpse of Heaven' Before She Died
In these trying times, Dr. Tony Evans’ sermon clarifies that we need to see healing in four levels.
The Four Areas Of Change To End Racism
- The Individual Level: Each of us needs to “develop a heart that cares for your fellow man because they’re created in the image of God.”
- The Family Level: We must be transferring these values to our children, teaching them to judge people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.
- The Church Level: The church must unite to implement and model righteous principles. We must speak with one voice because we have one God, one Lord — Jesus Christ.
- The Community Level: We must challenge all of our civil leaders to be agents of healing in the division that’s been created. They must speak in such a way where unity is reinforced, using words of strength and kindness, not vitriol and meanness.
The only way to see this kind of change is to realign each one of these areas — individual, family, church, and all civil government — under God’s authority. God is calling us to become Kingdom Disciples.
Dr. Tony Evans Sermon On Becoming Kingdom Disciples
Dr. Tony Evans went on to explain this concept of becoming Kingdom Disciples more in-depth during his Sunday sermon.
A Kingdom Disciple is a person who reflects the values of Heaven in the decisions that have to be made on Earth. Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:18 that He has been given all authority over Heaven and Earth. That means He calls the shots.
As he often likes to do, Dr. Tony Evans further expands on this concept by using a football analogy in his sermon.
In a football game, two opposing teams come on to the field to compete. They bring with them different world views and different playbooks. And this puts them in conflict with one another.
But there is actually a third team involved in the game — the officials. They aren’t on either team’s side because they belong to another order.
Tony explains that the officials have been given a book that governs all the rules on the field of play. During any conflict in the game, the officials huddle together to make a call. And their call is not determined by popularity or their own personal opinions. It is subject to obedience to the rules of the book.
This is how we as the church and as Christians are called to operate in times of conflict.
“We belong to another Kingdom, run by another King, who has His own playbook,” Dr. Tony Evans says in his sermon.
So, as Jesus’ disciples, we must submit everything in our lives under His rulership. That means following what the Bible says — not just picking and choosing the parts we like while ignoring those we don’t. Tony warns that too many people are looking for acceptance from their “team” rather than looking for Kingdom acceptance.
Tony Evans Points To Biblical Guidance In Times Of Conflict
In Dr. Tony Evans’ sermon, he reminds us that the Bible is God’s Word. So, when making decisions, especially in times of conflict, we must turn to the Bible. He reminds us that it’s not just having the book or holding the book — it’s using the book for decision making.
“You’re not just a Christian, you’re a disciple,” Tony says. “If you’re not a Christian, you need to come to Christ. If you are a Christian, you need to be ruled by Christ, as you grow in intimacy with Him by learning what that rule looks like.”
View this post on Instagram
As a Kingdom Disciple, you must let Jesus’ authority rule over all levels — individual, family, church, and community.
“I’m submitting to the biblical authority on all four of those categories of the Kingdom and everything has to adjust, ” Dr. Tony Evans goes on to say in his powerful sermon. “Even if it’s against how I was raised — even if it’s against what my mom and daddy taught me. Even if it disagrees with my politics or my race or my class or my culture.”
Who He is defines who we are.
Be Kingdom Disciples In Words And In Deeds
God not only wants us to be disciples but He also commands that we go and make disciples. And in his sermon, Dr. Tony Evans reminds us that God’s Word tells us there are three things we must do to make disciples: go, baptize and teach.
To go means we must live out our faith publicly. We must visibly represent Jesus in our choices and actions.
“That has to show up in your decisions,” Tony says. “Your walk, not your talk — your life, not your lip — your movement, not your mouth.”
Dr. Tony Evans points out how it’s easy to act like Christians inside the church walls. Going back to his football analogy, he says the worship service is like a huddle. The world isn’t watching the huddle, but rather what difference the huddle makes.
“We’ve talked about love, but we haven’t broken huddle with it. We’ve talked about justice, but we haven’t broken huddle with it,” Tony emphasizes, “We’ve talked about righteousness, but we haven’t broken huddle with it. We talk to each other in the huddle, but we don’t GO and let the public see what Kingdom Disciples look like in unison.”
How To Go And Make Kingdom Disciples
Dr. Tony Evans goes on to explain in his sermon that after “go”, comes baptizing and teaching.
Baptizing isn’t just with water. Tony explains it is to become immersed in Jesus’ rule. Being baptized has to do with your classification — you become Christian meaning your identity is in Christ.
Going back to the football analogy used in his sermon, Dr. Tony Evans explains that this baptism puts us all on the same team. Each player on a football team can have different cultural backgrounds but they all wear the same uniform. They have the same team identity.
And Tony applies this principle to the issues of racism beautifully.
“God is not calling all of us to be the same. He’s calling us to wear the same uniform without losing the uniqueness that He’s given each of us,” he says.
Tony goes on to explain that the teaching aspect of making disciples has to do with showing evidence of Jesus’ rule in our lives. We have to teach others how to live it, not just learn it.
A Time To Unite
So, the whole point of Dr. Tony Evans’ sermon is that, in the face of racial tensions, it’s up to the Church to bring about unity.
“It’s time for the Church of Jesus Christ to wear the same uniform,” he says. “Publicly, not just privately, in church, where the other team’s not there.”
Dr. Tony Evans concludes his incredible sermon with powerful advice on how we, as Christians, are to respond to the racial conflict around us.
“You are defined by your faith, not your feelings.” The church leader goes on to say, “I’m wearing one uniform here! And it’s defined in my decision-making by Jesus Christ. And I’m calling it like He calls it, on every level of life.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Should Christians Be Afraid In Times Of Crisis?
What a powerful message and a beautiful reminder that we are all God’s children!
WATCH: Dr. Tony Evans Sermon On Being Kingdom Disciples
h/t & Featured Image: Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church