Nicky Gumbel, the founder of the
Alpha Course, once shared a story about how challenging it can be to maintain
the unity of the church. There was a man who was standing in the middle of the
Golden Gate Bridge, admiring the view. And he heard another tourist say
quietly, “What an awesome God!” Intrigued, he turned to the tourist and asked,
“Oh, are you a Christian?” The tourist said, “Yes, I am a Christian.” He said,
“So am I,” and they shook hands. Then, he asked, “Are you a liberal or a
fundamental Christian?” The tourist said, “I'm a fundamental Christian.” He
said, “So am I,” and they smiled and nodded at each other. Then he asked, “Are
you a covenant or dispensational fundamental Christian?” The tourist said, “I'm
a dispensational fundamental Christian.” He said, “So am I,” and they patted
each other on the back, agreeing to exchange Christmas cards every year. Then
he asked, “Are you an early Acts, mid Acts, or late Acts dispensational
fundamental Christian?” The tourist said, “I'm a late Acts dispensational
fundamental Christian.” To which the man shouted, “You heretic!” and he pushed
him off the bridge.[1]
Through the Cross
When we look around, peace seems
impossible to find. We hear almost daily of wars, conflicts, and divisions
among different tribes, classes, nations, and races. But this isn’t new. Even
in Jesus’ time, these problems existed. Jews and Gentiles did not associate
with one another. They were hostile toward each other. But something incredible
happened. By his sacrificial death, Jesus created peace. Ephesians 2:14 tells
us, “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles
into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the
wall of hostility that separated us” (NLT).
When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. At that moment, a double reconciliation took place. First, reconciliation with God. No longer was access to God reserved for the high priest once a year; now anyone who repents and believes can enter God’s presence at any time. Second, Jews and Gentiles were reconciled to each other. Together, they could approach the Father. Through his death on the cross, Jesus created one new humanity (v. 15). In himself, he created the new society – the church.
The Apostle Paul describes how the church was born and how it grows this way: “You [Gentiles] are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.” (vv. 19-22, NLT) The church is God’s idea. The church is God’s new society, made up of all who confess Jesus as the cornerstone. Through the church, we get a glimpse of God’s reign – here and now. The church is the sign of God’s kingdom.
Christ the Cornerstone
Peace is not something we create on
our own. It was created by the blood of Christ. Our role is to keep that unity.
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”
(Eph 4:3).
In the early church there were mainly two groups of people in terms of language and culture. The majority of the church believers were Hebrew-speaking Jews, and there were some Greek-speaking believers as a minority group. Satan tried to distort this "diversity" into "division." For some reason, the Greek-speaking widows were neglected in the daily distribution of food. So the Greek-speaking disciples started to complain against the majority group, that is, the Hebrew-speaking disciples. Satan put a barrier between the believers. That division made the apostles “distracted” from their ministry. Now the peace and unity of the church were at stake. So how did the early church overcome this crisis and keep the unity of the Spirit?
The apostles designated and empowered others. They said, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task.” (Acts 6:3) So the church chose seven people. We can find a very interesting fact here. All seven were Greek names. In other words, all of them came from the minority group. The majority of the early church believers did not choose their own people. They did not insist on their own way, but instead, they chose the right persons for this issue. They chose the seven people from the minority group to take care of their neglected widows. In this way, the early church could overcome division and maintain the unity of the Spirit.
The Politics of God’s Kingdom
St. Augustine once said, “In
essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, in all things, charity.” There
are some essentials we cannot comprise such as Trinitarian faith and the
lordship of Jesus Christ. They are the foundations of our Christian faith. But when
it comes to non-essentials, such as politics, we Christians have liberty. Both
political sides have their strengths and their weaknesses. Republican
candidates often emphasize issues like abortion, marriage and family, and
religious freedom, while Democratic candidates may focus on racial justice,
economic fairness, and the environmental protection.
Even among Jesus' disciples, we see political diversity. Simon, a Zealot, worked against the government, while Matthew, a tax collector, worked for the government. But both of them were Jesus’ disciples. Jesus himself is nether conservative nor liberal, but he is also both. Sometimes Jesus is more conservative than the far right. He rebukes liberal Sadducees and says, “not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matt 5:18). Sometimes Jesus is also more progressive than the far left. He rebukes conservative Pharisees and upends religious traditions of his time, saying, “You have heard that it was said this… but I say to you that…” Jesus is outside the lines. Pastor Tim Keller once said, “The more we faithfully preach Jesus, the longer it takes people to figure out where we stand on politics.”[2] It is because Jesus is neither conservative nor progressive. John Wesley gave three pieces of advice to voters this way:
1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy.
2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against.
3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.
If we place Jesus as our
cornerstone, it becomes possible to disagree with others while loving them
deeply at the same time. “In nonessential liberty, and in all things love.”
Journey to the Peaceful Kingdom
Do you think it’s possible Israel
to be reconciled with its neighbors? For Republicans and Democrats to get along?
For traditionalists and progressives in our denomination to work together? With
the world’s politics, these things seem impossible, but with God’s kingdom’s
politics, all things are possible. In the church, God’s new society – with
Jesus as the head and cornerstone – we can experience peace and unity in all
circumstances.
Dr. King had a vision of building a beloved community, famously saying, “I have a dream today.” In fact, his dream was deeply rooted in the Prophet Isaiah’s vision of God’s peaceful kingdom: “The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). My prayer is that we, the church, may faithfully follow Jesus and make every effort to keep the unity given to us. Then, we will foretaste and live in God’s peaceful kingdom. May God’s name be honored, may God’s kingdom come, and may God’s will be done. Amen.
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