Harrisonburg First Church of the Nazarene
Thanks for joining us as we begin our new series, "A World of Difference." The Gospel calls us to build bridges across a great many divides – race, culture, ethnicity – to go beyond our comfort zones to form relationship with people who act, think and feel differently than we do for whatever reason. And in that, we are agents of reconciliation in Jesus Christ!
Galatians 3:26-29 NIV
-The church in Galatia was experiencing Jews and Gentiles worshipping on equal footing, which previously represented a significant cultural divide.
-There was opposition, not just coming from outside of the church, but within the church.
-We are all children of God, meaning there should be no barrier. Specifically:
*No cultural barrier (Jew or Gentile)
*No socioeconomic barriers (slave or free)
*No gender barrier (male or female)
-Paul is saying that I am to see Christ in you first. If I see Christ in you first, then how I treat you is a reflection of how I see God.
-We are all one IN CHRIST, meaning we find our identity and calling in Him first.
Jesus deliberately and intentionality sought out the unacceptable and the marginalized in society.
-Matthew 9 (calls a tax collector)
-Mark 2 (eats with sinners)
-Luke 5 (ministers to lepers)
-John 5 (engages the Samaritan woman)
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NIV
-The ultimate barrier between us and God that ever existed was sin, and God sent Jesus to eliminate that barrier.
-And He has now called us to His ministry of reconciliation.
-There’s something all ambassadors do: THEY GO. They leave their home to go to a foreign land.
-Likewise, the implication of your ministry of reconciliation is not that we all huddle within these four walls and wait for folks to come.
-Our ministry of reconciliation is active, not passive. In fact, you cannot reconcile passively.
The bottom line:
We are called to BUILD BRIDGES not BARRIERS.
Building bridges- When you reach across boundaries as Jesus did to build loving relationships.
Our response must be personal. Jesus built bridges one person at a time. We must do the same.