In my quiet time on Saturday I was reading through the book of John. In Chapter 17 a few verses really hit me differently that morning. I’ve read these verses before but for some reason, this time, the words of Jesus’ prayer, found in verses 20, 21 and 23, echoed loudly in my heart. My eyes could not go any further. I read these three verses about 15 times and stopped to ponder Jesus’ prayer.

After praying for his disciples Jesus prayed: “…I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, (21) that ALL of them MAY BE ONE, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the World MAY BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE SENT ME.” Verse 23 goes on to read: “…May they be brought to COMPLETE UNITY to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Jesus prayed to our Father for His followers to be in “complete unity.” That was (is) a desire of Jesus’ heart. He was praying this prayer close to the end of His ministry. His heart was heavy. These were some of Jesus’ last prayerful words on earth!

WOW!

Complete Unit for followers of Jesus.

That is Jesus’ prayer. What, then, should be our response?

The Holy Spirit!

Now before you politely yell “cop out,” under your breath, hear me out.  On the day of Pentecost, Diaspora Jews gathered in Jerusalem witnessed the undoing of the curse of the Tower of Babel. The wall of suspicion, prejudice and hostility collapsed as diverse people groups heard the apostles praising God in their own language. As they were amazed, they realized that the new day of God’s redemption had dawned. Not only were individuals brought to the saving grace of God, but ethnic groups were reconciled to each other through the workings of the Holy Spirit.

The good news is, the Holy Spirit has not stopped working.  He is still at work all around us today.  The question then becomes, are we making room for the Holy Spirit to work within our ministry in ways that foster naturally diversity?

In what ways can we be more intentional about reflecting the changing demographic of our communities more accurately within our church bodies? Pastor Rick Rusaw in his book, Externally Focused Church, encourages ministries to embrace and impact their communities by embodying four basic principles.

Principle #1:  The Good News and good deeds go hand in hand. Chuck Olsen says, “common grace and saving grace are two sides to the same coin.”  The Good News give purpose to the good deeds we do.  The good deeds we do in and for our community creates situations where people actually experience the Good News.

Principle #2:  How the people of God live in their communities is “vital” to the health and well being of their communities. The Christian church is the soul of the city. If the city is dead, what is that saying about its soul?  It’s imperative that we encourage our church membership to actively engage the community in ways that demonstrate that our God is real, relevant, and changes lives if we let Him.  When we do that, God has a way of drawing “all” men unto Him.

Principle #3: Ministry and service should be “normal” expressions of the church. Being an important resource to the rest of the community should be “the church’s” modus operendi.  As the foot is built to walk and run, the church is built for ministry and service to its community.

Principle #4: Evangelism becomes a natural product of the “ever presence” of the church in the community. If you think evangelism is just telling people how to get eternal “fire insurance” and that’s it, you are missing the power and freedom that Jesus offers to those who desire to follow after Him.  When we say it’s all about Jesus, it really is!  That statement is so profound.  Jesus gives life and purpose to everything we do, so if we are truly doing things as an act of worship, people will be drawn to the one who brings what we do to life.  At that point, our only job is to not get in the way and allow the Holy Spirit to use our words and our deeds to draw all people unto Him.

Here’s my point: because the landscape of our communities are already becoming diverse, if we just become intentional about being externally focused and truly connecting, in meaningful ways, with the community around us -as Christ uses the lives of His body to draw all “man” unto Him, diversity will just happen!

What do you think?

Embedded video from CNN Video

A justice of the peace in Louisiana who has drawn widespread criticism for refusing to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple says he has no regrets about his decision.

“It’s kind of hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you haven’t done wrong,” Keith Bardwell told CNN affiliate WAFB on Saturday.

Bardwell, a justice of the peace for Tangipahoa Parish’s 8th Ward, refused to issue a marriage license to Beth Humphrey, 30, and her boyfriend, Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond.
(CNN.com repost)

Let’s talk about this. What are your thoughts?

This is a re-post from Eric Bryant.

Like Thabiti, I believe that connecting to a local church remains an important part of the life of a follower of Jesus. According to Paul, whether we like it or not, when we choose to follow Christ we become part of the “body of Christ.” I agree with Thabiti that Paul could not imagine a follower of Jesus who was not connecting with other followers of Jesus in homes or gatherings in the city in which they lived. Rather than thinking we should get rid of church membership, then, I do not believe that church membership is enough.

Too many churches have more members than attenders. In other churches, members may attend, but they are not engaged whatsoever. Unfortunately, membership in a local church sometimes feels like joining a gym. You start going for a few weeks and then stop when you get too busy.

In other cases, churches have allowed the mantra from American Express—”membership has its privileges”—to infiltrate their culture. Church members become more consumeristic or concerned with power than the apostle Paul ever intended.

Finally, the word “member” ends up emphasizing who belongs and who doesn’t. As a result, too many of our churches have become a fortress from the world rather than “salt and light” in the world.

Eric Bryant is an elder, speaker, and navigator overseeing the leadership team at Mosaic, a church in Los Angeles, and is the author of Peppermint-Filled Piñatas: Breaking Through Tolerance and Embracing Love.