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of my favorite long-running television shows since my high school
days is Law & Order. I’m not quite sure why I like
the show so much. It may be because there’s a level of mystery
involved, and I love the way the writers develop the story line in
a way that’s unpredictable and entertaining. Or it could be
that the cast of characters is diverse and unique. Then again, I may
feel a bit of identification with the show because its setting is
the city of my youth. One thing is for sure, though: its popularity
over the years is unmistakable. What do they have now … three
or four versions of the same drama? I think there’s the regular
show, then there’s the Special Victim’s Unit, then there’s
Criminal Intent … they’re even coming out with a new spin-off
next year called “Law & Order: Trial by Jury.”  It’s
always interesting to me when an episode airs in which the Internal
Affairs Bureau is involved. They call it “IAB.” I find
myself disliking Internal Affairs as much as the main characters
do, because it always seems like IAB comes around when the cops
are “just doing their job.” The detectives perform an
aspect of their duty a little unconventionally (so that the suspect
can get trapped in his/her web of lies), and, next thing you know,
here comes Internal Affairs! Grrrr! Doesn’t that work your
nerves? Just let the coppers catch the crooks! Pulling a few strings
doesn’t change the fact that the fool committed the crime
… right?
I became a little curious about the Internal Affairs Bureau of
the New York City Police Department (NYPD), so I did a little research
on the organization. Here’s a bit of what I found:
The
Internal Affairs Bureau
is charged by the Police Commissioner with the institutional
accountability, implementation and maintenance of the Department's
anti-corruption programs. IAB acting as a guardian of the Department's
reputation, is a police Bureau of unparalleled integrity that
is thoroughly and effectively intolerant of corruption throughout
its ranks. It is the investigator of complainants of serious
misconduct and allegations of corruption. |
“Institutional accountability.” Hmmm.
One thing that comes to mind when I read the above statement is,
“What happened to that ‘institutional accountability’
when Haitian immigrant Abner Louima was sodomized with a wooden
handle of a toilet plunger at the hands of several cops back in
1997?” Of course, scores of other cases of police brutality
cause one to question the “institutional accountability”
claims of the IAB. But then another thought emerges. This whole
“rap game” I love to observe … maybe it needs
some institutional accountability. Interesting. And what about Christ-centered,
“spiritually conscious” hip hop? Is there a place for
institutional accountability in our genre? Perhaps there is a way
we can ensure that lyrics that misrepresent Christ simply don’t
reach the public…
Mission: The
Internal Affairs Bureau mission is to provide effective corruption
control by analyzing allegations and trends, and conducting comprehensive
investigations designed to ensure the highest standards of integrity.
It’s deliciously tempting to think of having an organization
that forces artists to spit Christ with clarity and authenticity.
If I had it my way, the rappers I would get rid of first would be
those who rhyme more about themselves than about Almighty God. Surely
everyone reading has one pet peeve or another that they would tackle
with fierceness if ever given the chance. Fortunately, a Scripture
steps forward with illuminating relevance at this juncture:
 "Don't
pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults
- unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical
spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge
on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on
your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your
face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt?
It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again,
playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your
part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might
be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.”
– Matthew 7:1-5 (MSG) |
Whoa. Jesus was something when he walked
the Earth, wasn’t he? Still is. Talk about an offensive statement!
Especially coming from someone the religious leaders saw as “beneath”
them. But this brings us back to the mission of Internal Affairs.
Something that stands out to me in the mission statement is where
it says that it conducts “comprehensive investigations”
in order to promote the “highest standards of integrity.”
Question: How in
the world can Internal Affairs know what or whom to investigate?
How can it approach a case and hit it upside its head with a review
… without a standard to review it by? Shouldn’t we assume
that in order for an investigation into misconduct to occur, it
needs to be clear what standards the person or institution is being
measured against?
Let’s make it personal:
What standards are we, as Christians, expected to uphold? Before
you answer, take these three Scriptures into account:
| “One of the religion
scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question
and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers,
he put in his question: ‘Which is most important of
all the commandments?’
Jesus said, ‘The first in importance is, "Listen,
Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God
with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.”
31And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you
love yourself.' There is no other commandment that ranks with
these."
– Mark 12:28-31 (MSG)
“If you preach, just preach God's Message,
nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over;
if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging
guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put
in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid
to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to
respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself
get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile
on your face.
Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for
dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good
friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don't
burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert
servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant.
– Romans 12:6-12 (MSG)
“And the One who climbed down is the One
who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts
above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth
with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet,
evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled
servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until
we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other,
efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature
adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like
Christ.
– Ephesians 4:10-13 (MSG) |
In order to know the standard we are to live by, we need to know
our purpose. Without a purpose, well, why are we here? The dictionary
definition of purpose is, “The object toward which
one strives or for which something exists; an aim or a goal.”
Studying the above bible verses and countless others, it becomes
clear that our overall purpose on this planet, as given us by our
Creator, is two-fold: to grow in a passion-filled, intimate
relationship with Almighty God; and, to use the abilities
He’s gifted us with to direct others into a passion-filled,
intimate relationship with Almighty God.
Wow. What a relief. Millions of people have wondered their entire
lives what their life’s purpose was … and there you
have it! Now clearly, each of those two main purposes entails a
little somethin’ somethin’. For example, in order to
for you to have a passion for and intimacy with God … you
have to get to know Him! Studying God’s Word, staying connected
to His Spirit through continual prayer, and using the many resources
you have available to sow to your spirit are just a few. Nevertheless,
having a relationship with God and using your gifts to help others
gain salvation through Christ are why you’re here!
The fascinating thing now is that there are many wonderful things
about life on this Earth. Going away to college, playing volleyball,
windsurfing, getting married, having children, meeting new people,
attending parties, watching television, taking great showers, shopping,
swimming, talking on the phone, listening to your favorite music,
going to friends’ weddings … these are all fantastic
aspects of life. Living is wonderful! But if you do all the above,
and never find Christ, you’ve missed it. Badly. Worse than
a Shaquille O’Neal foul line airball.
Our time here is designed for us to accept Christ and connect with
the Father in a true, ever-growing relationship. Eternity is a long,
long time. I’m convinced this is one of the first steps before
we can move on. God has gifted each one of us in our own unique
way so that we can help others connect to God as well.
Do you have your internal affairs in order? Do you have a tendency
to preoccupy yourself with the internal affairs of others?
The tough thing is, this world is replete with distractions. We
can easily get so caught up with “life” that we never
truly live. To live is Christ; He is the only Way. That’s
why everyone who doesn’t truly know him is in a constant state
of lack of fulfillment. Ever wonder why wealthy people make dumb
choices or commit suicide, while we sit back and say, “If
I had their money, I would …” It’s because
they’re still searching. Possessions don’t fill a soul’s
hole.
All in all, you only have two major things to accomplish while
you’re here. How is your time being spent? I challenge us
all to engage in an internal investigation from time to time. Are
your affairs in order? God asks that no matter who you are, it’s
necessary to take time to sort out your life and make the necessary
adjustments. Stick to your two-fold purpose. Make sure you’re
not doing everything else – essentially wasting time –
except what you were put here to accomplish.
- Eve the
Zealot (Yuinon Local 202) |
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