A House ... For All Nations
In the book of Isaiah the Lord tells us that His house will be known as a "house of prayer for all nations." In the Old Testament, that message applied to the temple. In the New Testament that message corresponds to the Church. In Revelation we are told that the Lord is gathering His people from every "tongue, tribe, nation, and people" on the earth. In short, the Lord is creating one new man from every people on earth. Our churches ought to reflect that.
But many times they do not. More often than not, our churches tend to be homogenous, that is to say, that are all of one type of people.
If we are serious about seeing the Lord's plan for His Church we need to see our churches reflect the diversity of heaven. That means getting way out of our comfort zones. Our churches ought to be known as houses where everyone can come, truly and without reservation, to find the word of God and the good news of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. It means being open to people who are radically different from ourselves. I am not only talking about racial diversity here but also diversity in all it's forms.
I am not trying to be funny. Not only should our churches reflect a great diversity in race, but also in types of people who are in the church. Rich people and poor, janitors and lawyers, saints and sinners, every type of person should be found within the walls of our churches. Anything less is falling short of the Lord's intention for us. Church ought to be church for everybody.
It is important, in these present days, that we stop being comfortable and start being the Christians God has called us to be. That means being comfortable with all the people the Lord is dealing with. It means opening our churches to any one who feels called to be there. It means being a congregation of Christians. Red and yellow, black and white, they are (all) precious in His sight. Right?
In the book of Isaiah the Lord tells us that His house will be known as a "house of prayer for all nations." In the Old Testament, that message applied to the temple. In the New Testament that message corresponds to the Church. In Revelation we are told that the Lord is gathering His people from every "tongue, tribe, nation, and people" on the earth. In short, the Lord is creating one new man from every people on earth. Our churches ought to reflect that.
But many times they do not. More often than not, our churches tend to be homogenous, that is to say, that are all of one type of people.
If we are serious about seeing the Lord's plan for His Church we need to see our churches reflect the diversity of heaven. That means getting way out of our comfort zones. Our churches ought to be known as houses where everyone can come, truly and without reservation, to find the word of God and the good news of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. It means being open to people who are radically different from ourselves. I am not only talking about racial diversity here but also diversity in all it's forms.
I am not trying to be funny. Not only should our churches reflect a great diversity in race, but also in types of people who are in the church. Rich people and poor, janitors and lawyers, saints and sinners, every type of person should be found within the walls of our churches. Anything less is falling short of the Lord's intention for us. Church ought to be church for everybody.
It is important, in these present days, that we stop being comfortable and start being the Christians God has called us to be. That means being comfortable with all the people the Lord is dealing with. It means opening our churches to any one who feels called to be there. It means being a congregation of Christians. Red and yellow, black and white, they are (all) precious in His sight. Right?
posted by John | Saturday, June 23, 2007
1 Comments:
John,
While I appreciate your zeal for maintaining the cooperative program for such things as "missions", here is something I think you may not have considered: A person considering becoming a missionary thru the IMB has to meet certain qualifications, and go thru an application process. Looking thru the application process, it doesnt look very promising for "calvinists". One of the application forms requires the candidate to submit his statement of beliefs and thoughts on the baptist faith and message. This is then reviewed by certain trustees on the IMB board. ARe any of these trustees "calvinists"...I honestly doubt it. How do you think it would turn out for those that have calvinistic convictions after their application is reviewed? My guess is, it wont turn out very good. Something to consider before we continue on the "cooperative program bandwagon."
In Christ,
Jason Young
Post a Comment
<< Home