Diversity for Glory
“Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:1-3)
Background
Perth is a relatively small and greatly isolated city but home to a huge variety of people from across the globe. This is easily explainable by our geographical location on a shared time zone with a ¼ of the planet’s population, our political peacefulness and our mining-driven prosperity. (Most of our residents are now foreign born!) The invisible spiritual dynamic (2 Cor 4:18) involves however a profound divine design for the people of God to share in hiss own trinitarian glory (John 17:20-26). We are on the threshold of awakening as the one Church in Perth (CIP) to the reality of being an “Antioch City” (See https://cross-connect.net.au/antioch-church-perth-church/). Just as in the CIP we have a throng of folk from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, as well as native born Aussies, so in the original Antioch assembly (Acts 13:1-3) we find Barnabas, a native Greek speaker and member of the Jewish diaspora from Cyprus, Simeon, a black African (Niger means “black ‘ in Latin), a prominent Gentile (Lucius= Luke of Cyrene in North Africa (the author of Luke-Acts?)), Manaen (a Jewish aristocrat and acquaintance of the Herod who killed John the Baptist), and the intellectual genius Saul from Tarsus (5-6 days away by road). The Church in Antioch exhibited a degree of unity-in-diversity that scandalises today’s denominationally and culturally divided Church. The Church in Antioch was multicultural/multiethnic and undivided and a model for all later assemblies, let alone nations-states!
Foundations of Diversity
Needing to exhort various ethnic groups across the CIP to co-mingle, we must ask “Why?” “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb 10:24-25). As the vast multitude “from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Rev 7:9) needs no such exhortation to assemble as a single Body in heaven they are be seeing/sensing what we do not! Their inspired end-times/eschatological vison of the Lamb vastly exceeds ours. “when the glory and honour of the nations” is brought into the New Jerusalem by her “kings and priests” (1 Peter 2:9, Rev 1:5-6; 21:24, 26), this is the offering of who we currently are already in Christ. We need a revelation that the glory of every discipled people group/nation/ethnicity (Gk: ethnos/ἔθνη Matt 28:18-20) is a gift created in Christ for every other people group (Eph 2:10). The gift of African praise rhythm, the Chinese business brilliance, Japanese precision, German focus, Korean orderliness, American practical courage, European style etc. etc. are given in Jesus’ beautifying generosity to bless the whole Bride of Christ (cf. Isa 60:7; 61:3). As the glory of the Son is in the Father, the glory of the Father is seen in the Son (John 14:9), so our richest splendour can only shine through one another in our harmonious unity (Acts 1:14, 2:46, 4:24) We generally fail to live this out because glory is attacked at its foundation.
Diversity Attacked
Jesus commanded concerning the inseparability of male and female: “what God has joined together, let no one separate.”” (Matt 19:6). Adam and Eve however ignored the primal reality that “a man is the image and glory of God and woman is the glory of man” (1 Cor 11:7) robbing God of his glory as their Creator-Protector by idolatrously obeying false mental images of a humanity that would never exist (Gen 3:5; Ps 104; Rom 1:23 https://cross-connect.net.au/living-beyond-the-gender-divide/). Competition between sexes plunged the nations into global quarrels through succeeding divine judgements (Isa 13-23; Jer 46-51; Ezek 25-32; Am1-2).God’s resole however is that, “the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Gal 3:14). Your ethnic group exists to bless all other ethnic groups (Rom 11:5ff; Rev 12:17). The Church is a multicultural/multiethnic reality that confesses allegiance to Jesus as “Lord of all” (Acts 10:36) without compromise to other faith confessions, sacred or secular. The person who confesses Jesus cannot be cursed by another believer ( 1 John 4:2 https://bbhchurchconnection.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/jesus-be-cursed-or-jesus-grants-a-curse-1-cor-123-reconsidered/). To have negative thoughts about brothers or sisters of diverse race, culture, spirituality/denomination is to be tempted by “another spirit” than the Holy Spirit of blessing.
Look Deeper
God is “the ground of all being”, and created being is “essentially good”. Through the eternally blessed Christ as the medium of creation (John 1:3; Rom 9:5; Col 1:16; Heb 1:3) these are necessary truths. Let me use an awkward popular example. When the deceiver departed Eden, he went abroad to deceive the while world (Rev 12:9) successfully sowing idols everywhere. Yet, looking more deeply in the Spirit (Eph 2:6; Rev 1:10; 4:1) we can discern how Jesus sees the peoples of Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, Europe, Australia. He sees them, not as what they have become, nor even in their old original brilliant createdness, but as essentially good in the “new world/cosmic regeneration” in himself (Matt 19:28). In Christ “everything is beautiful” (Eccl 3:11; Gen 1:31; Rev 21:6; 22:13). Let me illustrate: some years ago, after an intense healing experience overseas, I suddenly saw a group of very geriatric folk at a communion service as intensely beautiful. This is how Jesus sees his Body “in the Spirit” beneath the layers of trauma, sin and idolatry sowed by evil powers. This is how we are called to see his glories in each other.
Conclusion
Let me use a clumsy but potent illustration about culture. I cannot savour or digest spicy food of any variety (due to childhood trauma). Yet because such foods are vital ingredients of what it means to be Burmese/Indian/Chinese/Nigerian/Jamaican/Thai/Indonesian/Mexicans/Sri Lankan etc. by culture, I am called to love all these cultures in Christ by faith. To love as Jesus perfectly does (Heb 12:2)! In this way we may live and beautify each other (Isa 60:7; 61:3) with “love incorruptible” (Eph 6:24). The perfection of each culture can be seen in Christ in the heart of every group destined by God for the heavenly places. This is the power of grace alone. PTL for his call on our Church in Perth; and every other citywide assembly!