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#TheRoofTop Urges Christians to Tackle Racial Division

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PORTSMOUTH, Va. -- A Virginia man is calling for Christians to step into the middle of the debate on race that's been heating up across the country, following grand jury decisions not to indict police officers for shooting and killing unarmed civilians.

Lionel Harris is taking to the rooftop on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to make sure his message is heard. He's also inviting people to join him from where you are in national movement called #therooftop.

Harris shared with CBN News the significance of the rooftop prayer. It comes from the scripture .

"Initially, I thought just because it was overlooking the city, and in my own mind I thought it was cool. But God gave me a word particulary pertaining to a rooftop in which guys took a friend to a roof top to lower him down to be healed," Harris said.

"I think prayer is always the answer. And I think it is the first step. I think you go to God and he will give you the appropriate action to follow," he added.

Harris is encouraging believers to pray for at least five things:

  • Unity in the body of Christ,
  • Healing in the hearts of our country's leaders,
  • Healing for those who have been the victims of racism,
  • True equality, and
  • Guidance on what to do after the prayer ends.

Harris said that it is simple for other believers to get involved.

"Consider just grabbing a group of friends," he said. "It doesn have to be a big gathering, but get together on some kind of rooftop and pray. And just upload the video and then we are all going to do it on MLK Day together with #therooftop, so that people are encouraged."

"I think a lot of times, we people of faith, we don't always believe what we read," Harris continued. "And I think it is time for us to really step out and try God and who He says He is."

"He says He can change hearts and He controls the hearts of the kings as the rivers of water," he said. "So we want to see people's hearts changed."

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About The Author

Efrem Graham
Efrem
Graham

Efrem Graham is an award-winning journalist who came to CBN News from the ABC-owned and operated station in Toledo, Ohio. His most recent honor came as co-anchor of the newscast that earned the station’s morning news program its first Emmy Award. Efrem was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but his formal television and journalism career was born across the Hudson River in New York City. He began as an NBC Page and quickly landed opportunities to work behind-the-scenes in local news, network news, entertainment, and the network’s Corporate Communications Department. His work earned him the NBC