Have you ever noticed how easy it is to profile people? Here are some examples. Do we look at a person's clothing, skin color, age, hair style, disability, church denomination, etc. and categorize them? If we're honest, many of us probably do on some level. So we end up saying to our self or others, "Those people are always like this..." Do we know what is behind this statement? Usually fear and/or anger.
Prejudice was a HUGE issue in the early church and unfortunately it still is today. In the early church, there were Jewish people and Gentiles (Non-Jewish people of every ethnicity) who were coming together to worship our Lord Jesus Christ. Jewish people considered every Gentile a "dog". No wonder when the Gentiles were first saved under Peter's ministry beginning with a Roman soldier named Cornelius, the other apostles were stunned! See Acts 10-11.
It was quite a scandal when God made it clear that Jews AND Gentiles would be in Christ and were going to worship, eat, and hang out together. Talk about cultures clashing! How did God make this possible? Ephesians 2:14-15 says it this way, "For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups."
Sadly, the most segregated time every week in this country is Sunday mornings! 90% of the churches in America are segregated. Yet, in Christ, the racial divide has been destroyed through our death, burial and resurrection with Christ. Many of us just aren't living like who we are in Christ in this area of our lives.
Think of our identity in Christ for a moment. Every person who is a believer in Christ is righteous, holy, beloved, a saint and more, regardless of ethnicity, disability or age. Galatians 3:28, exalts who each of us are in Christ by saying, "There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." NLT
A friend of mine shared that her son married a girl of a different ethnicity who was an authentic lover of Jesus. My friend's Christian family apparently didn't care about that as they would not have anything to do with this couple. How sad.
Wouldn't it be great for us to trust Christ to live through us so we could embrace diversity? What would it be like if we were in a small group in a home or a Sunday school class that had yellow, red, black white, disabled, and different ages all together? I think those outside of Christ would look in amazement and say, "Wow! These followers of Christ really love each other." Jesus said, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples." NLT
Are you enjoying your freedom in Christ in this area or are you living from the flesh in fear and/or anger? Would you stop and ask God what He is saying to you?
Live Free In Christ,
Prejudice was a HUGE issue in the early church and unfortunately it still is today. In the early church, there were Jewish people and Gentiles (Non-Jewish people of every ethnicity) who were coming together to worship our Lord Jesus Christ. Jewish people considered every Gentile a "dog". No wonder when the Gentiles were first saved under Peter's ministry beginning with a Roman soldier named Cornelius, the other apostles were stunned! See Acts 10-11.
It was quite a scandal when God made it clear that Jews AND Gentiles would be in Christ and were going to worship, eat, and hang out together. Talk about cultures clashing! How did God make this possible? Ephesians 2:14-15 says it this way, "For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups."
Sadly, the most segregated time every week in this country is Sunday mornings! 90% of the churches in America are segregated. Yet, in Christ, the racial divide has been destroyed through our death, burial and resurrection with Christ. Many of us just aren't living like who we are in Christ in this area of our lives.
Think of our identity in Christ for a moment. Every person who is a believer in Christ is righteous, holy, beloved, a saint and more, regardless of ethnicity, disability or age. Galatians 3:28, exalts who each of us are in Christ by saying, "There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." NLT
A friend of mine shared that her son married a girl of a different ethnicity who was an authentic lover of Jesus. My friend's Christian family apparently didn't care about that as they would not have anything to do with this couple. How sad.
Wouldn't it be great for us to trust Christ to live through us so we could embrace diversity? What would it be like if we were in a small group in a home or a Sunday school class that had yellow, red, black white, disabled, and different ages all together? I think those outside of Christ would look in amazement and say, "Wow! These followers of Christ really love each other." Jesus said, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples." NLT
Are you enjoying your freedom in Christ in this area or are you living from the flesh in fear and/or anger? Would you stop and ask God what He is saying to you?
Live Free In Christ,
Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2013 Mark Maulding
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