So we’ve covered a handful of the problems that
must be addressed if one is to build a multi-ethnic church.
But
the biggest question is who is right?
Is the church that stays mono-ethnic right, or the
person who advocates for diversity?
Remember how we started this conversation. “I am by no means stating that every church “MUST BECOME
MULTI-ETHNIC.” That would be idiotic because not every church sits in a diverse
area in which they are called to minister. If your church is surrounded by only
one ethnicity, then by all means reach them mono-ethnically!!! But know this, if
you are in a diverse area of town and are not “becoming all things to all men
to reach some” you are living in direct disobedience to the Gospel of the
Christ. This applies to all churches regardless of ethnicity. (White, Black,
and Brown churches)”
We can’t pin the right or
wrong on any one ethnicity. We can
pin right and wrong on obedient or disobedient churches. You may be struggling
to see that this concept of Diversity is a “biblical mandate.” So let’s reflect
on some of Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12.
Paul starts the chapter
with stating, “all people have been given a useful spiritual gift.” (Mario’s
translation) Paul continues this teaching on being useful for the Body of
Christ, “12 For
just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body,
though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For
in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or
free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” (ESV) Some have taken this
passage to only refer to the catholic church (universal church). This may be a
portion of the Scriptural understanding. However, if my hermeneutic is correct
on this passage, Paul is telling the Corinthian church to quit being divisive
and realize that all believers are needed and useful for the edification of
their church.
This teaching is very different from our American
church landscape. We can almost segregate the denominations by their spiritual
gifts. Teachers and preachers in one congregation, Worshipers in another,
another has the servants, another has leaders and so on for the full 22 gifts
listed in the New Testament. So, what would it look like if churches in America
were to be diverse in ethnicity, because of gifting? It would look rare! We
must admit that all believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit to edify the
saints and glorify the Father regardless of their ethnicity.
The problem that Paul is handling in 1 Cor. 12 is
the same problem I hope to have been handling in this series. We (Human kind)
are prideful, and our pride is breaking the church.
If we are indeed in a holy war (Eph. 6:12) then
we need every capable soldier we can get. We also need to be unified, not
divided. The U.S. military would not be able to wage war against another force
if the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force did not work together. Even though
these branches are unique (like an ethnicity) they fight unified for the
greater good. Let us unify for the greater good and Glory of the King.
