The last few weeks have been different, to say the least. Three weeks ago today, my family and I were worshiping with the church in Córdoba, Argentina. A week ago today, I was on a trip for Herald of Truth to Matanzas, Cuba, worshiping with the brothers there and witnessing several dozen baptisms. Now we’re here, enjoying the first combined service that I’ve been a part of since we moved here three years ago.
It’s always interesting when traveling to other countries to observe those that are doing so for the first time. Having studied Intercultural Communication, I’m especially aware of the concept of culture shock. When people arrive to a new place, they generally step off the plane in honeymoon mode. How cute. How quaint. How interesting. Everything is wonderful. After a time, however, the honeymoon ends.
At first it’s: “Isn’t it fascinating how everyone crams into the buses like that?”
Later it’s: “Can’t I even take a bus without people hanging all over me?”
At first it’s: “I so enjoy hearing their beautiful language”
Later it’s: “Doesn’t anybody here speak English?”
What was new and appealing becomes tedious and disagreeable.
I think something of the sort happened to the church in Jerusalem in the book of Acts. We’re going to look briefly at an incident in chapter 6. In the first few chapters of Acts, we see a united church, an excited church, a growing church. Jews from all over the world are coming to Christ and joining this dynamic body. They meet daily for learning and for worship. They share food together in their homes. They show a willingness to sell what they have to provide for others. At some point, however things began to change. What was once exciting becomes annoying. What was interesting and invigorating becomes irritating and inconvenient. The variety that was the spice of life becomes the root of bitterness that causes trouble.
Let’s read in Acts 6: “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.” (Acts 6:1)
The Grecian Jews were, well, those that spoke Greek. They came from other lands, possibly having come to Jerusalem for Pentecost, staying after their conversion to Christianity. The Hebraic Jews spoke Hebrew or, more properly, Aramaic. They were from Palestine. This was their homeland. The language they spoke was the language of that place. Isn’t it interesting that the first recorded “church fight” was provoked by language and culture? Notice that Luke doesn’t say who was right; he merely reports that a conflict arose. The fact is, when the unity of the church is threatened, nobody’s right. When brother criticizes brother, when neither side is willing to compromise, the battle is already lost. No one can win in that situation. We’re not talking about doctrine, this isn’t a doctrinal problem here in Acts. It’s a problem of language and culture. Jews had flocked into Jerusalem from around the world, many of them staying upon becoming Christians. Can you imagine how the Jews from Jerusalem felt? At first it was fun. But it must have gotten old. “Aren’t they ever going home? If they’re going to stay, couldn’t they at least learn the language? Can’t they try to fit in?”
Putting up with people that are different than us isn’t easy. We grow tired of accommodating, we become weary of compromise. Why are we always the ones who have to change? Why can’t they give something up once in a while? Why can’t they do things our way for once? Isn’t anybody thinking about us?When the terminology of “we” and “they,” “us” and “them” makes its way into our church vocabulary, a storm is brewing on the horizon. Our unity is in jeopardy. Our very identity as the Lord’s church is in danger. For you see, Jesus is all about bringing people together. Eliminating differences. Breaking down walls of division. It’s not “us” and “them.” It’s always “us” and “us.”
Jesus brings people together. That’s why I’m so excited about what we are doing here today. It’s important for us to remember that we don’t have two congregations meeting under one roof. We don’t have one congregation here in the auditorium and another in the chapel. It’s not “you people” out here and “us people” in there, nor vice versa. It’s the University church. One body. Brothers and sisters. Anglos and hispanics. Blacks and whites. People of Asian descent and African descent and European descent and Latin descent, all joined together in one family. We may speak different languages, but we speak with one voice. We may come from different cultures, but we are family. Our passports may say otherwise, but we are all citizens of the same kingdom, the kingdom of heaven.
The church in Jerusalem got past this problem here in Acts, becoming the stronger for it, as new leaders were identified from amongst the Greek-speaking Jews. Years later, a new, bigger challenge would arise, the challenge of bringing Gentiles into the church, making Christians out of people who weren’t even Jews. Jews had gone for centuries knowing that Gentiles, the non-Jews, were not God’s people, knowing that anyone who was not a Jew was little better than an animal. The Jews were the chosen people. Then God shows Peter a sheet full of animals, and everything changes. Christians begin to preach to Gentiles, telling them that they too can be part of God’s chosen people. For some of the Jews, it was very hard to take. Picture, if you will, a church in the Middle East today, with Jews and Arabs worshiping together. Israelis and Palestinians. If you can imagine that situation, you can begin to understand what it was like for many in the first century. The question of how to accept the Gentiles into the church comes up time and again in the New Testament.
In writing to the Ephesians, in chapter 2:13 and following, Paul talks to the Christians about how Jesus had brought them together. Listen to what he says about the unity that Christ creates: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:13-22) Jesus is our peace. Jesus makes the two one. Jesus destroys the barriers, tears down the walls, and brings people together. In chapter 3, Paul says that bringing together Jews and Gentiles was God’s plan all along. He says in 3:6: “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 3:6)
Gentiles are heirs TOGETHER with Israel. Members of one body. It seemed unthinkable then, just as many people can’t fathom people from different backgrounds coming together today. Before coming here to Abilene, we lived in Stockdale, Texas. I was hired to be the preacher for the predominantly Hispanic church there, but before we arrived, that church merged with the predominantly Anglo church in town. Hispanic and Anglo, in one congregation, equal partners in building the church. One of the members told me about being approached by a friend at a football game. It was obvious that the friend wanted to ask a question, but didn’t quite know how to say it. Finally, he blurted out: “Are those white people really gonna let Mexicans go to church with them?” It’s the old question:
Will Greek-speaking Jews and Hebrew-speaking Jews really be treated the same?
Can Gentiles really worship in the same church as Jews?
Can we have people of different ethnic groups sitting on the same pews?
Can we really worship together in two languages?
It’s easier not to. It’s easier to stay separate. Days like today are a hassle. Those of us that meet in the chapel gave up our normal meeting place, giving up the familiarity and warmth of that smaller room. Some of you came in to find someone sitting in your seat today! You’ve had to listen to English and Spanish, back and forth. Some of our Hispanic members had to remember that church really was going to start at 10:00. And all of you’ve had to listen to me today instead of getting to hear Bill! Coming together is often inconvenient.
But it can make a difference. Acts chapter 11 tells us about the Antioch church. It was started during a time of persecution, as members of the church in Jerusalem fled to the surrounding areas. At first, the Christians preached only to Jews. Then some of them began preaching to the Gentiles as well. Non-Jews. Those people. And God blessed their efforts. Soon the Antioch church was made up of Jews and Gentiles. The surrounding community noticed. They watched and noted for the first time that this wasn’t just a sect of the Jews. It wasn’t a Greek group either. It was something new. You can’t call them Jews. You can’t call them Greeks. What do you call a group of people that includes everybody: Jew-Greek, slave-free, male-female, rich-poor, a group that brings together people of different cultures and different races and makes them all part of one body. Acts 11:26 says, “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”
I want to be called Christians. I want people to notice that we’re different, that we’re not like them, that we love and accept people who aren’t like us. We are in a unique position here at University, a unique position to touch the world. Refugees are coming here from everywhere, and we can touch the world through our outreach to them.
We’re also in a unique position to touch Abilene, to shape our community, to be salt and light in this city. With our actions, we can send out a message more powerful than any sermon. We can send the message that we are a new creation, born again into the kingdom of God, viewing the world not in the old, human way, but through Spirit-shaded glasses. Those around us will see that we are one body, we are united, we will not divide on the basis of race, culture or language. They will look at us and say, “Wow! Now there’s a group of Christians.”
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Let’s pray.
