Gospel Proof

Hindus can produce as many miracles as any Christian miracle worker. Islamic saints in India can produce and duplicate every miracle that has been produced by Christians. But they cannot duplicate the miracle of black and white together, of racial injustice being swept away by the power of the gospel. Our credibility is at stake. If we are not able to establish our credibility in this area, we have not got the whole gospel. In fact we have not got a proper gospel at all. -Vinay Samuel, at the Lausanne II Conference on World Evangelism, 1989

Over the years of our public ministry together, Spencer Perkins repeated this quote dozens and dozens of times all over the nation. His legacy is that the miracle of "black and white together" with "racial injustice swept away" took on flesh and blood in his own life.

"Black and white together," "racial injustice swept away" wasn't about some kind of harmonious, integrated American society. Spencer's expectations for America were low; the national creed didn't ask that much of its citizens. But the standards for kingdom citizens were different—their Master required everything.

Igniting Spencer's vision was a great evangelistic sermo—one that was not preached, but demonstrated. In the daily life of several thousand believers in first-century Jerusalem, a miracle of togetherness and justice swept away social barriers. "All the believers were together and had all things in common" (Acts 2:44). "There were no needy persons among them." (Acts 4:34). The witness was simple, but the result was extraordinary: "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47).