Diversity...

So about a month or so ago I was sitting in church and God was just speaking to me and I was writing furiously all these notes and scriptures and I put it all together and wrote somewhat of a sermon on diversity. Our BSU used it as an article but unfortunately I do not have a copy of that I only have the copy of how I typed it out as being a sermon...So here it is.......

Whether you realize it or not we still live in a segregated society. Think about your home church and the diversity of it. How diverse is it? The church’s job is to live by example, what kind of example are we setting for society by the most segregated time in America being Sunday morning at worship? Why do we refuse to diversify ourselves? Have you ever opened your home to someone of another race? Have you ever invited someone of another race to attend your worship service? We have subconsciously set racial barriers and we continue to segregate ourselves when we should be working to become One. It is our fault that we have these racial barriers, not our parents and not our ancestors. Yes, our ancestors may have been completely segregated, but to this day we as the body of Christ have done very little to try and reverse it, for fear of I don’t know what, persecution maybe. When we abide by our subconscious barriers we tend to play it off or lay the blame on somebody else or even on society and our culture. If people in your congregation don’t want others of different races and cultures to worship with you then they need to take a look inside and see if they are truly followers of Christ. There is no reason that all believers no matter what race should not be worshiping God in the same room. As it is written in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all ONE in Christ Jesus.” We are One race; the human race. We are told to love one another as Christ has loved us (John 13:34). When people look at us and at our congregations do they see bickering, jealousy, and division or do they know that we are followers of Jesus by our love for one another?

One thing, if you have noticed, I have not been saying that when we go to church we are segregated but rather we as the church are segregated. This is because the church is not a building that we come to, to have a beginning to end worship time. Our lives are to be lived out in continuous worship and our reasons for coming together as the church is not have a 1-2 hour worship time but rather to join together in worship with ALL of our brothers and sisters in Christ to become the church body and to lift our voices, hearts, and souls as One body to give glory and honor to God.

Revelation 5:9-10 states, “And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” People around the world from every nation and every tongue are praising God. God’s message of salvation through Jesus the Christ is not limited to a specific race, ethnicity, or culture. Anyone who comes before God in repentance and in faith is accepted by Him and will be part of His kingdom. We should be spreading the Gospel to everybody! Do not let our own prejudice and racial barriers hinder us from sharing Christ with others. If Christ died for every single person on this planet then why can we not accept everyone and share His name and show them the true meaning of Love which is Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.

John 12:26 states, “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”Here Jesus is saying that anyone who serves Him will be honored by God the Father. Jesus did not say. If the white man, or if the black man, or if the whatever race you want to be man; NO Jesus said ANYONE who serves Him will be honored. Jesus did not care what race you were. He was sent by our Father to save every single one of us whatever skin color you may have.

Acts 10:34-35 reads, “Opening his mouth, Peter said: ‘I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”Here is an example of a barrier that first-century believers faced. Since most of them were Jewish the greatest struggle for them was to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Back then it was wrong to even think about associating with a Gentile. But here we have Peter obeying God and sharing the Gospel with a Roman Gentile despite Peter’s Jewish background and personal feelings. God had made it clear to Peter and is making it clear to us today that the Good News of Christ is for everyone! Again we should not allow any barrier whether it be language, culture, prejudice, geography, economic level, educational level, whatever it is, do not let it keep us from telling others about our Savior.

Interracial Relationships...
I hope that you will take in everything that is said and take it to heart. Since we have now established that we are all one in the body of Christ and that we are one race, then how can there be interRACIAL relationships? Some of you are ready to spit some scripture at me and I’m going to beat you to it. So many people use these scriptures in their defense of why interracial relationships should not be, but let me tell you something right now: THERE IS NOWHERE IN THE BIBLE THAT STATES ONE SHOULD NOT BECOME INVOLVED WITH SOMEONE OF ANOTHER RACE. Rather what is says is this: 2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light and darkness?” Deuteronomy 7:3-4 “Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you”
Exodus 34:12 “Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst.”

The previous scriptures again are what people will use to say that the Bible says one should not marry/get involved with someone of another race or culture. Nothing in the scriptures says this, rather it states not to become involved with somebody of a different religion or with a nonbeliever. When it states that you shouldn’t marry somebody from another nation, it is not meaning somebody of a different culture or race. Back then different nations had their own beliefs and own religions therefore to marry somebody of a different nation was to jeopardize your own salvation.

Therefore, I urge each and every one of you and challenge you to tear down these racial barriers that we have set. Invite others of different races to be in your ‘group’ of friends and invite them to your church. Do not look down or have disgust in others when they are in a relationship with somebody of another race, but instead rejoice for they are showing the nation that we are one. Let us begin the desegregation of the congregation now. Let us become ONE as we are the body of Christ. If we do not do something about the segregation and the prejudice in our congregations and our society today then it will continue to worsen. We are the generation that has been called to bring the body back together to become ONE again.