Learning How To Live As A Minority From Blacks In The Bible

BLACKS IN THE BIBLE

How Living Right Puts You in the Minority

OR

How living in the minority better prepares you to choose Right

TEXT

Galatians 3:28. Here it is:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (KJV)

PROLOGUE

God’s Story Has Always Included Africans

Many people read the Bible and assume it’s a purely “Middle Eastern” or “European-looking” book.

But from the beginning, Africa is right there in the story.

Hagar (Genesis 16). An Egyptian servant, mistreated, sent into the wilderness. She felt forgotten, but she named God El Roi—“the God who sees me.” Her story teaches that no one is invisible to God, not even the oppressed and voiceless.

Zipporah (Exodus 2). Moses’ wife, called a Cushite (Ethiopian) woman. This means Israel’s lawgiver built his household through a marriage that crossed cultures. God honored it.

The Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10). An African queen who traveled hundreds of miles to hear Solomon’s wisdom. Jesus later used her as an example of spiritual hunger (Matthew 12:42).

Ebed-Melech (Jeremiah 38–39). An Ethiopian servant who courageously rescued the prophet Jeremiah from prison. God rewarded him with a personal promise of protection.

Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:21). A North African man forced to carry Jesus’ cross. The symbol is breathtaking: when others fled, the minority man bore the weight of Christ.

The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8). A high official under Candace, queen of Ethiopia, who traveled to Jerusalem searching for God. Philip was sent to him personally, and he became the first recorded African convert in the church.

👉 For the beginner: notice that these are not background extras. They are key figures in God’s plan. From Exodus to the cross, Africans were present, faithful, and remembered.

I. LIVING IN THE MINORITY

Each of these individuals lived as outsiders in the biblical story. They were foreigners, servants, or ethnic minorities. They knew what it felt like to be overlooked.

Yet in their minority position, their faith shines brighter:

Hagar shows us God sees the oppressed.

Ebed-Melech shows us one person can be courageous even when no one else will.

The Ethiopian eunuch shows us God sends His gospel to the margins as much as to the center.

Their lives illustrate a principle Jesus taught centuries later:

“Enter by the narrow gate… For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. But narrow is the gate and difficult the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13–14)

The faithful are often in the minority. The road to life is narrow.

II. BLACK FAITH IN MODERN LIFE

Fast forward to today: surveys show that Black Americans are, percentage-wise, the most religious racial group in the United States.

Nearly 80% say religion is very important in their lives (compared to about 49% of White Americans).

Black adults are more likely to pray daily, attend church weekly, and say their faith shapes their daily life.

Why?

Because faith has been a survival tool, a source of dignity, and the foundation of community life through slavery, segregation, and injustice. The same resilience we see in Hagar and Ebed-Melech echoes in the Black church today.

Living as the minority has trained a people to cling to God.

III. THE PROPHETIC WORD

Isaiah 49:6 is the capstone:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will also make you a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

God says: it would be too small a mission to save Israel only. Christ was always meant for the nations—for Africa, for Europe, for Asia, for the islands, for the whole earth. The inclusion of Black believers in Scripture is not accidental—it is prophetic.

IV. THE LIFE LESSON

For beginners: this means God’s story is bigger than you ever imagined. It’s not about one color, one nation, one majority—it’s about a global kingdom.

For the mature: this means the narrow road will never be popular. Being faithful will often make you stand out. And that is where God does His best work—through minorities, outsiders, and the faithful few.

EPILOGUE

So here is the challenge:

Don’t fear being in the minority. Jesus said the majority is heading the wrong way.

Don’t doubt your value if you feel overlooked. God sees you, as He saw Hagar.

Don’t underestimate your influence. One minority voice—Ebed-Melech, Simon of Cyrene, the Ethiopian eunuch—can echo across generations.

And remember this: You may feel in the minority now, but heaven’s vision is clear: