“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.” (Ephesians 2:14)God knows only one breed of human beings: His children. So if heaven looks like a varied group of saints, shouldn’t the Kingdom of God on earth look the same? True Godly reconciliation means we should be united with people who are not like us; we are no longer strangers-we are all one-because of Christ’s death. We have all sorts of ways of dividing ourselves, and many of us fear our differences and the unfamiliarity which those differences bring. But in order to become one, we first have to overcome our fear of differences by facing them head on and by changing the way we perceive them. As Christians, we are called to take seriously our part in knocking down the barriers and the walls that divide us, and to build bridges of love and reconciliation instead. If we leave this wall standing, it prevents others from seeing what Christ has done in our lives and from sharing the gospel with those who live without hope and without God in their lives – the very people who need to hear Christ proclaimed the very most! :) As we live in harmony with each other, they will see that God is love!
I don’t think there’s really anything wrong with associating with like-minded individuals and people with similar backgrounds as long as we don’t put up a wall of division to others who are different in nature. God certainly doesn’t put up these barriers, and the walls we can build up, He can certainly tear down! God’s desire for us is that we look beyond any economic, gender, or racial barriers that divide us and prevent us from living and loving as one entity. To complete this task that He has set before us, we have to be willing to be led and work in harmony to break down the barriers that we construct between each other so that the world may believe and know the love of Christ as reflected in our love for each other.
Christ formed all of us into a body and into a group of individuals whose purpose is to be united and reconciled in our love for one another and for the Lord. Our goal as a Christian should be to have unity among us and to reflect Christ’s love for the world through our love for each other.
“The union of men with God is the union of men with one another.” Thomas Aquinas
Hi Denise - this is really encouraging - we shouldn't fear those who are different from us, but we do. I suppose when the situations arise we should pray the Lord open a common door, break the ice, and in faith step out and "make every effort to keep the unity..." Great post
ReplyDeleteGod bless
Tracy
Good post Denise,
ReplyDeleteI read a book about a famous native american chief (can't remember who now) who said he would have converted to Christianity, but he couldn't understand how people who are so divided could say they were of the same tribe.
(he was speaking of denominations)
I don't believe it was ever God's intention to have His children who call themselves Christians being so divided when it comes to the things of God. I mean the churches who actually condemn other denominations for things such as how they worship, pray, or other traditions. As long as we pray in Jesus' name and worship with our hearts and in spirit. We follow Christ, that is the only qualification one needs in order to be named a Christian! I will get off my soapbox now;)
~Blessings & Peace In Jesus~
* if this comment looks familiar it's because I accidently left it on your previous post, so if you read it there and it seemed irrelevant to the topic; it's because it was :0
(just gotta laugh sometimes!)
Love this gentle reminder. Your genuine heart that pursues our Father's heart is so evident in your writing. Thanks for sharing your gift.
ReplyDeleteA delight to meet you today. i hope you don't mind if I splash around a bit to get to know you. This looks like a refreshing place to dip my toes in God;s goodness.
ReplyDeleteBe blessed bunches,
Sarah