The Equipped For Life Podcast
The Equipped For Life Podcast is dedicated to providing men with spiritual knowledge and insight from the teachings of Jesus and the Bible. Whether you're just starting your journey of faith as a Christian or you're a seasoned disciple, Equipped For Life is here to ensure you have the tools you need to handle life's many challenges.
The Equipped For Life Podcast
Navigating the Immigration Debate: A Christian Perspective
The immigration crisis sweeping across America has exposed deep fault lines in our society, with Christians finding themselves on opposite sides of a divisive debate. How should followers of Christ respond when protests turn violent and political tensions reach a breaking point?
Journey with host BC Vine as he tackles this explosive issue head-on, offering a refreshingly nuanced perspective that transcends partisan politics. Drawing from both Leviticus 19:33-34 and Romans 13:1-7, he articulates how seemingly contradictory biblical principles can coexist - showing compassion to immigrants while respecting national sovereignty and the rule of law.
"Our Messiah Yeshua is not a Republican or a Democrat," Vine reminds listeners, challenging Christians to examine whether they're placing political identities above their primary calling as disciples. As National Guard troops and Marines deploy to Los Angeles amid escalating unrest, this timely discussion explores what's truly at stake spiritually when a nation becomes so polarized it can no longer find common ground.
The episode delves into troubling footage of looters exploiting protests for personal gain and examines how the spirit of divisiveness prevents meaningful dialogue. Vine offers a thoughtful analysis of how Christians can simultaneously advocate for just immigration laws while treating all people with dignity and respect as fellow image-bearers of God.
What emerges is a powerful call to resist being swept up in America's culture of extreme positions and instead embrace the Holy Spirit's guidance toward wisdom and discernment. Subscribe, share, and join the conversation as we seek to be equipped for these challenging cultural moments with grace-filled, biblically-grounded perspectives.
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Another explosive night in Southern California. As protests continue over immigration raids, police and crowds facing off in Los Angeles and Orange County this morning, law enforcement is gearing up for a fifth day of unrest.
Speaker 2:All right, welcome back to the Equip for Life podcast. I'm your host, bc Vine, aka Brandon C Ricks, and today is a different episode, ricks, and today is a different episode. I had a different topic queued up but I had to switch it because of the fact that what we have going on across our country, in Los Angeles, that spread to New York and has also spread to Texas, and there are riots, there's violence, there's protests, and I would be remiss not to address it. Before we get to that, I want to remind you that Equipped for Life Media is a media organization by Equipped for Life, a men's discipleship group that meets several times a week for in-person group studies. You can go to EFLmencom If you like the drip that you see. This Jesus Saved my Life. You can go to EFLmencom. You know, see, get you looking right, man. The material is good, it's soft. You know we got dope designers that take care of us and the men rock the EFL merch. You gotta go get you some. Every time I record, you're going to see me rocking some EFL swag, because I try to look fresh and look clean. You know what I'm saying when I'm repping Jesus, man. So you got to get on my level, if you know what I'm saying. So EFLmencom is where you can find the merch if you want information about the in-person group studies. If you are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and you reside in that area, then come on by. Get fed with the word of God. Shout out to all the men that media EFL weekly. We are growing, the Holy Spirit is moving and I am just proud to be a part of what God is doing.
Speaker 2:All right, so without further ado, we're going to kind of hop into the subject of the day, and it is the protests and the riots around immigration. And this is a very difficult situation to discuss because I see Christians advocating for both sides. That's right, christians advocating for both sides. And I know that if you're listening to this and you're a Christian on either side, you're probably turning your face up saying, well, the Christians on that side of the aisle are wrong. Well, I'll just be truthful with you that our Messiah Yeshua is not a Republican or a Democrat and he does not care about your political party affiliations, he just doesn't. But that doesn't mean that we cannot identify and find truth in everything. There's always going to be divine principles and I'm hoping that we can pull some of those out today.
Speaker 2:Before we get into that, let's see what actually is happening, because from day to day it seems like an escalation and probably by the time you hear this these things may have subsided. But I don't know if the topics themselves are going to ever subside, because I don't really see a resolution to this. In our current climate as a nation, we just seem too divided and I think that that's a spiritual reason. But before we get into that, let's see kind of where we are right now in the conflict. The last time I checked it looks like there was the National Guard was deployed and now there are Marines being deployed. So check this out.
Speaker 1:As protests continue over immigration raids, police and crowds facing off in Los Angeles and Orange County this morning, law enforcement is gearing up for a fifth day of unrest. Here's a look at the latest developments. President Trump is mobilizing an additional 2,000 National Guard members to help protect federal buildings in LA. Now. That doubles his initial deployment. Also, 700 US Marines are headed to LA. The Marines are from an infantry battalion based in 29 Palms. The LAPD says more than 70 people were arrested over the weekend and five police officers were hurt. The Trump administration's decision to put more boots on the ground is being met by strong criticism from LA leaders.
Speaker 2:Mario Ramirez kicking off our team coverage of the protest. So you know, one of the things that I think is interesting as I listen to this is that my first reaction, right like most, is that violence is not a solution or an answer. Right, when you look at individuals within our history like MLK that organized civil protest and there was civil unrest, if you will, and he organized things like the Montgomery bus boycott, and even though the extremely racist Southern governors descended dogs and sprayed them with water fountains, they never broke into a store, they never fought against the police, they never assaulted, they never vandalized, they just allowed the violence to be done to them and a lot of people disagreed with that. But when you begin to break and destroy the very places that you live, I don't know if that's God honoring, I don't think that that is us being image bearers and I think that's part of the problem.
Speaker 2:Now, on the other side of it, you would say, well, perhaps, maybe it's justified, because if there were peaceful protests and you send out the National Guard and you send out police, who tend to kind of be antagonistic and agitating in a certain way, you can take the position that well, we didn't start the violence right, and there's that back and forth. He said, she said. So, whichever side of the aisle you're on, I think that we can equally agree that, no matter what, if you are a disciple, that violence is never the solution for resolution. Bob.
Speaker 3:Rick, good morning. As local law enforcement is preparing for another day of demonstrations, we can tell you that the National Guard is stationed here, around federal buildings. We're just outside the detention center. You can see them there. This federal building really became a focal point for protesters after it emerged that ICE detainees were being held here, and now hundreds of Marines are expected to join the National Guard under Trump's orders, as tensions continue escalating. Take a look About 700 US Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, out of 29 POMs, received weekend orders and are on the way, expected to arrive this morning. And although they're trained for close combat, officials say these Marines won't be on the front lines. Instead, they'll be focused on crowd control and de-escalation.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you take Marines that are trained for close combat and you want them to go just de-escalate. That's odd. I don't know if that really makes a lot of sense to me, just hearing that If somebody is equipped and skilled and they've been trained to do a certain thing, and then you deploy them to do something that they're not trained to do, they're not trained to de-escalate, they're trained for combat, so why would you deploy them into a situation, unless that you were expecting that they were going to meet violence? That that seems a bit odd to me personally, just listening to it on the surface skills that they've been trained in specifically for this mission.
Speaker 3:that, according to US Northern Command, which confirmed that those Marines will support the more than 2000 National Guard troops already activated across the area. And late yesterday the Pentagon said it's mobilizing an additional 2000 National Guard troops under President Trump's order and that now pushes the number of military personnel to more than 4,000, with growing opposition from Governor Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass, the governor calling the deployment unnecessary, saying it'll only inflame tensions. Now, if we come back out here to our live shot, we've been seeing these National Guard troops checking IDs for employees entering the building. The president's move to activate these National Guard troops marks the first time the federal government has done so.
Speaker 2:There's a verse that comes to mind as I'm reading this, and I know that you know what's funny is. Now we have this terminology in our country liberal Christian and conservative Christian. I push back against that idea. I just like to say that we're disciples. If you are identifying yourself as a liberal Christian, you're putting an identity in front of Christ's identity and I think you need to question your heart. Um, our Messiah was not a liberal or a conservative. Um, all of his teachings both have conservative principles and liberal principles melded into them.
Speaker 2:One of the things that I think that I see a lot is Leviticus, chapter 19,. Verse 33 and 34 is in people that that advocate for how we treat immigrants Right, and I and I agree with these things. I think that the way that you should treat the foreigner in your land is with grace, compassion and love and empathy, but that doesn't mean that there is a excuse to break the law of the land, and I think that both things can be true, but for some reason, we want them to be in opposition to one another. So Leviticus 19, 33 and 34 says this, and this is the context of the land of Israel when a foreigner resides among you in your land. Do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native, born. Love them as yourself, for you are foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord, your God. So this is a commandment that Yahweh gives to the Israelites to say hey, listen, when somebody comes into the land of Israel the 12 tribes and they are not of the 12 tribes I want you to treat them just as if they were one of yours. Give them the same grace, the same mercy, the same love, the same compassion, the same care, and I agree with that. So us, as individual Christians, when we encounter somebody in our community, if they are an immigrant, if they are not American born, then we should treat them in the same way that we are instructed to do so. For you, as a Christian, to mistreat someone who is here illegally? Because, whether they're here illegally or legally, as an individual, they deserve to be treated as God's child. Let the American government worry about their legal status and their citizen status. That's none of your concern as an individual Christian. Now, as a nation state, we have to have the rule of law, there needs to be borders, there needs to be standards and statutes that we follow as a society, because we can't have a lawless society.
Speaker 2:And I think Scripture also supports that, when you see in things like Romans, chapter 13, 1 through 7, let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against that which God instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, for for rule, yes, for rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended, for the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid for rulers. Do right. Rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, right?
Speaker 2:So this idea is that, listen, if you don't want to worry about the law and the force of the law and all the legal recourse to come down on you, then don't break the law. And you also see this, this the idea, right? It says that the law is for the lawless and not the law abiding, and you see that later in first Timothy two as well. And so it's, it's. It's the argument that, okay, well, you don't have to worry about immigration, police or ICE if you came into the country legally is also a valid argument, right, as a nation state, and we as Christians should always encourage those around us to live according to the laws of the land. Now, some of you are going to say, well, what happens when the laws are unjust? And I'm going to get to that, but let's see some other things here that are happening. I think I saw this video that, but let's see some other things here that are happening. I think I saw this video that was quite interesting too as well. Not good.
Speaker 4:It's day five of the riots in Los Angeles and they're spreading. We've seen protests in New York, in Chicago, in Austin, in Dallas and in Tampa, but Donald Trump is not backing down, he is doubling down. He is sending more security personnel to LA, and not just any personnel. These are active duty Marines. Basically, these are soldiers of the US military, some 700 of them. They are stationed at a base in California. They have already begun the journey to Los Angeles. Reports say the Marines will arrive by Tuesday night, and we'll tell you why this is significant. But first let's look at the situation on the streets In Los Angeles. Most of the action was seen in downtown areas near detention centers and courthouses. This is where many migrants are being held.
Speaker 2:So this is international, okay, so you're wondering, like that's definitely not un-american, lady, this is. This is uh, first post. Um, this channel is, I think, one of the largest channels, I think, international news channels on the internet, on YouTube, anyway, there's one. That's not the one that I wanted to show you guys, though there's another one that I wanted you guys to see. It was these looters that I saw. Yeah, here it is.
Speaker 3:Look at this. What are?
Speaker 2:you doing yeah, I agree, that's where I work With a Mexican flag. That is crazy. That is crazy. Wow, they just got in the car, oh my gosh. They just got in the car, oh my gosh. Okay, so these are the kind of things, right? So this is supposed to be a protest about immigration and here you have these individuals that are breaking down an Adidas store, like they kicked the door down. They broke the door down. They broke the door down. One of the guys. He's coming out of the Adidas store with a handful of fresh Adidas shirts, fresh white tees and a Mexican flag.
Speaker 2:The optics of that just doesn't look good. If your whole thing is that, hey, I'm protesting because I want to stay in America, because I'm a law-abiding citizen and because I'm here in the country to contribute, and then you're caught breaking into vandalizing an Adidas store, you're coming out of the Mexican flag. I don't know if that's the optics that you want people to see. And this is my issue, right, that with the spirit of violence and dissension, it it starts to, it starts to bring out wickedness in man, right, right, because what would a person who is coming with good intentions think to themselves? You know, I think that I want to use this opportunity to go in and steal merchandise from the Adidas store.
Speaker 2:So we have an element of lawlessness, and this is the reason why I mentioned that scripture earlier from 1 Timothy is that we also know that the law is made not for the righteous, but for the lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers. Right, so it's when you have this idea in your mind that I don't care about what the law says, I don't care about what the governing authority says, I'm going to do whatever I will. Now you're starting to get into, you know, alistair Crowley and type of Book of the Lima do what thou wilt is the whole the law. This is a very Luciferian mindset when you don't care about authority, and I think that there has to be boundaries, we have to have borders, we have to have standards and statutes, but in the same regard as individual Christians, when we encounter human beings. We have to have borders, we have to have standards and statutes, but in the same regard as individual Christians, when we encounter human beings, we have to treat them with grace, love and mercy. So, like I said before, both things can be true. We can have a nation state that has rules and laws and those citizens within that nation state can operate according to divine principles in terms of how we treat one another with love and respect and kindness and courtesy. We really don't need to be rioting in the streets over it, and the fact that we as a nation can't come to an understanding of agreement is more indication to me that we are in a place where the spirit of divisiveness and division has caused so much turmoil that I don't know how we reconcile.
Speaker 2:At this point, it's very difficult for me to see a path forward, and I really want us to think about this long and hard as a nation. Not looking at yourselves, for those of us that call ourselves by the name of Jesus as Republicans or Christians Christians, or should I say Republicans or liberals or conservatives, because liberalism and conservatism are just ideologies. Republicans and Democrats are political parties and affiliations, but the affiliations that should be the most important is what is my responsibility as a disciple of Jesus, and I think that we owe it to one another to be honest in those, in those matters, and looking at this at face value. Rioting for what you believe in is not a resolution, peaceful protest, absolutely. If you need to protest what's unrighteous, if you really believe that the way that is things are being done is the problem, then that's what you should be protesting, correct. And I think ultimately, at the end of the day, that's really where we can probably find some common ground. If we are going to find common ground, it's in how we go about deporting.
Speaker 2:Is there a heavy-handed approach, perhaps? I think maybe sending out 700 Marines may be a bit excessive. At the same time, do I think that LA has a very, very fast and loose way they handle crime? Absolutely, I don't know what's happening in Los Angeles. I'm from Southern California and every time I go out there it seems like the crime is getting worse and worse. California, and every time I go about go out there, it seems like the crime is getting worse and worse.
Speaker 2:Why do we have to be a nation of such opposite extremes? Why can't we come to a more centrist view of things? There's such an imbalance in how we view topics in our country is that we cannot concede any ground to either side, that there's no amicable way to solve things. And this is what happens when you want what you want and you want what you want only and the word is very, very clear about this, and if you don't believe me, you can just hear it from James. James, chapter 4, 1 through 3, it says this what causes fights and quarrels among you, don't they come from your desires? That battle within you? You desire but do not have. So you kill, you covet, but you cannot get what you want. So you quarrel and you fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. And when you ask, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives. You see, most of the things that we want are selfish in nature.
Speaker 2:I don't really think that most people have true conviction about these topics, but they feel compelled to bandwagon and go along with certain ideas and certain subjects Because in three or four days no one will be talking about it. We'll be talking about Love Island or the Diddy case, or we're talking about whatever school shooting, or we're talking about whatever food we want to eat for that day, and we'll forget that five days prior, people were breaking into Adidas store, lighting cars on fire and jumping on Waymos with Mexican flags. We just won't even be thinking about that. We've become so short-sighted as a people that it really, really pains me to see these kinds of things happening. I would like for us all to come to the understanding and the knowledge and the truth of Jesus Christ, but I doubt that's going to happen. Now. Is there a great revival? Absolutely, and I've seen some of that, and I think there's stories that we can talk about about mass baptisms and things happening in that nature.
Speaker 2:But along a lot of these very kind of firebrand issues, we seem to be so divided, we seem to be so polarized and we cannot concede that. Well, maybe there's some valid points on the other side. I can admit that as a nation, like all nations do, we should have immigration laws. If you look at all nations around the earth, okay, they are not nearly as liberal as we are in terms of allowing people to come across their borders. In fact, they're far more strict than we are. And I understand that we are. In terms of allowing people to come across their borders, in fact, they're far more strict than we are. And I understand that we are a nation that was born of immigration and we came into a place that was someone else's land, and I understand all those things are true, but now we are several hundred years removed from that. And so today the United States of America is a country that has to have borders, and we should honor those borders and we should have laws and we should enforce those laws. But we should also enforce those laws with compassion and care and grace and understanding, and we should do it in a way that makes people feel like we're not maybe out to get them.
Speaker 2:Now, is some of that perceived and is some of that real? I don't know, because it's even hard to know what's true and not in the modern day American media. Sometimes you watch Fox News and it looks like one thing. Sometimes you watch CNN and it looks like one thing. You turn on TikTok and it looks like another. Who knows what's real? And that's because the spirit of deception is so alive, and that's because the spirit of deception is so alive. So my charge to everyone here is to be very, very cautious and mindful that our nation is going to pull you into this divisive spirit. Don't fall into it. Don't fall into it. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you in truth and wisdom and discernment. So that's all I have to say about this topic.
Speaker 2:You've been listening to Equip for Life. Once again, eflmencom, for all of your swag needs and all of your information about the in-person group studies, retreats that we do, family night events that we have every month, and also, as usual, you like this content. You know what to do. Hit the bell, ring that thing, ding-a-lang-lang, whatever. You know what I'm saying. Subscribe, do all that stuff. I don't know. I just need you to watch the content, like it, follow it. It feels like I'm selling something. It's lame, I know, but this. So just whatever floats your boat, just do it so you'll get more of the videos. So, with that being said, be blessed and be strong in your journey, peace.
