Keeping Your Head In The Game

“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”

It’s also true that you don’t have to go very far or look very hard to find examples and illustrations of this alienation, this “dividing wall of hostility.”  You have the tribalism in Africa that often carries genocidal tendencies like what happened in Rwanda between the Hutus and Tutsis, which much of the world turned a blind eye to.  In the Asian community, the Koreans don’t like the Japanese, and vice versa; plus they both dislike the Chinese.  I live in Arizona where the label ‘racist’ is attached to any attempt to address the problem of illegal immigration.  Among some Latino people they get very offended and say, “Don’t call me Mexican; I’m Spanish.”  Amongst the Native Americans you find the neighbor on neighbor conflict between the Navajos and Hopis that has been going on for generations; also including their neighbors to the north, the Utes.  Then there’s the Islanders.  In the Micronesia, the Chamorros hate the Chuukese.  Not to be outdone, in the Polynesians, the Samoans and the Tongans are not wild about each other.  My chaplain friend, Bob Mecado, confirmed that the prison system is one of the most segregated places on earth where you’re forced to make a choice about “what car you’re going to ride in.” Will it be white, or Mexican, or Black?  It’s hard to fight a war and bring stability in Afghanistan to a people where tribes or clans have been fighting one another for generations.  Dear ones, this is just a small sampling of the world we live in, with all its walls.  I haven’t even got into the travesty of apartheid in South Africa, and the wall between whites, blacks, and colored.  Or Sierra Leone, where you have the Mende and the Temne, with the Creole feeling superior to all the indigenous people.  We can look around and find the ancient political tactic of DIVIDE & RULE is being propagated, and originated with and learned from the “father” of it all, which is the devil!

Oh yes, God has something in mind!  Something much bigger, much deeper, much broader than any human solution!  God’s answer to all this was to create a whole new race!  “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility....that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”  Only God could think of something so radical!  He’s going to take from the mess around that wall and “create” something brand new: a whole new humanity; not Jews, not Gentiles, but the church of God.  Clement of Alexandria commented on this, “We who worship God in a new way, as the 3^rd race, are Christians.”  Paul goes on to spell out the Church’s charter in vs.18, 19, “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”  The death of Jesus Christ has created a new humanity (a 3^rd race) reconciled first to God, then through Christ to each other.

Never mind the propaganda.  The Cross of Christ is the greatest unifying force in the world, “might reconcile us both to God in one body through the Cross, thereby killing the hostility.”  The meaning here is not that we feel a little bit closer to “our kind” but those who were formerly hostile, divided and hating each other, now experience a profound bond of love and unity.  It also helps to define our task, where Jesus said, “Go make disciples of all nations.”  The word “ethnos” refers to various ethnic groups. This means in the church there are no 2^nd class citizens, but dignity or full acceptance for all, and expression, enabling people to fulfill the destiny of God, is open to all.  It reminded me of the “snapshot” we’re given of the church at Antioch. “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 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." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:1-3) This church on fire for Christ had an amazingly diverse or heterogeneous staff.  Barnabas, a native of Cyprus; Simeon or Niger (Latin for “black”); Lucius of Cyrene (region of North Africa); Manaen who was raised in Herod’s household with privilege; and a young Rabbi named Saul or the Apostle Paul.  This is a kind of microcosm of what the church would and should become in the world, a racially integrated group of Christ-followers and missions-minded people.

The word “mystery” in the Bible is not talking about a crime thriller or an Agatha Christie novel.  The word indicates something beyond natural knowledge; something that has been previously hidden, but is now manifest.  It refers to an open secret!  Paul is over-the-top thrilled that he would have an opportunity to preach among the Gentiles “the unsearchable riches of Christ” and to bring to light this mystery. “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”  (Eph.3:6) The mystery involves a “miraculous togetherness” that is the fruit of Christ’s reconciling work on the Cross.

I must point out that there is a cosmic drama to all this since not only is there a witness to our broken world, but there is a heavenly audience to all of this. The text says that this “might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” I’m not sure if I fully grasp the entire meaning of this, but there’s something about a local church that is first, committed to the process of tearing down the wall, and second, committed to manifesting God’s “many colored wisdom and plan” that draw the attention of the angels!  They long and love to peer into the nature and purpose of God being played out.  Not only is the world watching, but angels are watching as well!  Wow!  That’s why the place where you’ll find a demonstration of this is not the U.N. but the C.I.C. (Church In Christ)!

I was talking to Pastor Artie Aragon in Chinle, AZ about some of this.  He had conducted a funeral service for one of the original Navajo Code Talkers. What an amazing story and confirmation and conclusion to what we’re looking at.  During the war in the South Pacific, from Guadalcanal to Okinawa, the Navajo Code Talkers became one of the Marine Corps most valuable secret weapons. The pilot project began with 29 Navajo volunteers in April of 1942, and grew to a force of more than 400 by the end of the war.  They were an integral part of the South Pacific strategy, and only God knows how many 1000's of American lives were saved because of the unique contribution of these “code talkers.”  The Navajo people were used for victory and freedom for the whole of the United States.  To me, one of the amazing features is what they had to overcome.  They fought for a country that had caused them great pain and struggle.  How easy it would’ve been for them to be trapped in the past, and become prisoners of bitterness.  They fought for a country that had broken 197 treaties.  They were willing to submit to the training of a different culture and race, some of them under General George Patton.  They chose to be United States Marines first, embracing a new culture of character, discipline and excellence.  Because they “manifested the mystery” they have been memorialized forever, and rightly so, in a way that brought them great dignity, and a cause much greater than themselves. 

Note: Pastor Warner is a white guy from New England, married to a Mexican girl from the barrio, going on 40 years.  He is also glad and privileged to serve in the same church made up of numerous ethnicities, with a burning desire to “manifest this mystery” as a living illustration.  They seek to do this in the context of a passion to reach the world with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, which at this time includes people from 5 different continents, and 26 different countries.

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”  (Heb.10:24,25)

I love the testimony of the Colossian church in (Col.2:5) where Paul told them, “For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.” They displayed the discipline of staying put in God’s place for your life.  It is very doubtful that without steadfastness to God, our spouse, our church, our work, our vision, that we can enjoy the fullness of human life and God’s blessing.  There are those who would argue, “I don’t have to go to church to be saved.”  Exactly....just like you don’t need to bathe to keep on living, but, trust me, it will affect you and others!  There was a brochure entitled “Why I Never Take A Bath” where someone had listed reasons for avoiding bathtubs and showers.  It included things like:

1. I was forced to bathe as a child.
2. People who bathe are hypocrites; they think they’re cleaner than others.
3. There are so many different kinds of soap, I can’t decide which is best.
4. It’s boring.
5. I wash only on special occasions, like Christmas and Easter.
6. The soap makers are only after your money.
7. The last time I bathed, someone was rude to me.
8. I’m too dirty to get clean; I’d clog up the drain.
9. I can watch other people bathing on television.
10. I’ll bathe only when I find a bathroom exactly right for me.
11. I can bathe at the golf course.
12. The bathroom is never the right temperature, and I don’t like the sound of the plumbing.

Here’s the exciting challenge before us, vs.24, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” (NLT) Let’s give some thought and consider how we can spur one another to grow in love and good works.  This makes plenty of room for creativity, but there are two simple ways here for every Christian to be involved in meaningful ministry.  First, is the ministry of showing up!  Yes, as simple as that, if you make assembling together a priority, it becomes a real blessing to others.  Over the years I’ve learned that for people just to make it to church sometimes is a huge accomplishment.  The second opportunity is the ministry of encouragement, vs.25b, “but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”  This introduces the edification factor to our coming together.  (1Cor.14:26) “How is it then, brethren?  Whenever you come together...let all things be done for edification.”  The word means “to build up” but we can simplify that we’re talking about friendliness.  I was reading an interesting study from the White House Office of Consumer Affairs (I’m sure you all have a subscription).  It found that 96% of unhappy customers never complain about rude or unfriendly treatment, but 90% of those unhappy persons will not return to that place.  Furthermore, each one of those unhappy persons will tell 9 other people about the lack of friendliness and courteousness, and 13% will tell more than 20 other people!  A later study discovered that the number one reason why individuals do not return to a particular establishment is an indifferent, unfriendly employee attitude.  Work on your attitude and the church will be blessed; because one unfriendly saint can do a whole lot of damage. 

“I’ve been married for 30 years now.  In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals.  But for the life of    men, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.  But I do know this: they all nourished me    and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.  If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be    physically dead today.  Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead    today!”