Thursday 10 May 2018

One Blood

Acts 17:26 tells us that God made all the nations- (or ethnic groups) from one blood. I love that verse, it tells me that everyone I walk by in the street is a relation, no matter what skin colour they have. I often naively think this is the opinion of every Christian so it always pains me to see otherwise. Yet I know that I have my own prejudices too, when I discover these I am horrified and desire to do something about it.
One of the most beautiful things I ever saw was three Indian men singing a Gospel song in Hindi. They were the same shade of brown- if you didn't know their background you would think there was nothing special about this moment, but it was divine moment, a glimpse into heaven. You see despite their common shade of melanin one was from a Hindu background, one from a Christian background and the other from a Sikh background, they were naturally enemies but in the Gospel these one enemies were now brothers, they were able to sing a song that means in English, 'Salvation comes in Jesus Name'.

David Platt in his Together For the Gospel 2018 conference address pointed out that in Amos, God says to His covenant people that they shouldn't look to the Day of the LORD as a good thing because though they are doing the outward forms of worship they are neglecting justice- Amos 5: 24 'But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everlasting stream'. Platt rightly identified the positive changes that have happened in America with regard to racism but he also rightly pointed out there is much to be done.  He was preaching in the States to an American issue, I have seen it's been widely criticized on social media but I have no idea why. It's both faithful to the text and crosses the bridge nicely into a culturally relevant equivalent. In using the text that Martin Luther King used and even citing him he isn't affirming King's theology but his campaign for social justice, King was right to fight this, Platt was right to raise it as issue today. I again naively thought Britain is different to that, certainly we didn't have segregation in the C20th. Yet I was visiting a church a few months ago that was beautifully diverse to a newcomer like me but the minister dismissed the black families within his flock as 'cultural Christians who don't stay long' (I wonder why they don't stay????) . He also pointed out a street you wouldn't like to go down because 'it's full of immigrants and the underclass'. Though this is an extreme example I still often see racist things coming from Christian friends on social media, especially people just reposting stuff from Britain First a racist organisation. Their inner most thoughts laid bare and they are not pretty, and not part of God's plan- remember when Abraham was called out from among the Nations to enter into a covenant with the living God he was called out from the Nations to be a blessing to the nations. This we see fulfilled in Revelation when gathered around the throne of God are an untold number from every tribe, every tongue and every people group. Brothers and sisters of all shades worshipping their God together. I believe the Gospel is powerful to change lives, I've seen it in my own life and as I said above I could see it worked out in a multi-ethnic church where former enemies become not only friends but brothers. 

May God extend His Grace to You.

Stephen 


No comments: