“I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – Matthew 16:18
Christ is building a multiethnic church. He is building his church by saving people– people like you and me. We are Christ’s personal possession purchased with His own blood (Acts 10:28; 1 Peter 1:18-19). It consists of all believers, regardless of ethnic background, who are uniquely owned by and associated with Christ.
In this great endeavor Christ has granted believers the privilege to participate as workers with Him (Matthew 28:19-20; Ephesians 4:16). The church will be completed, even though at times the workers may walk off the job or fail to follow the blueprints. Saints are commanded to participate in the building project. Jesus says, “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you and, lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Here we have both a command to build and directives as to what to build.
Disciples are to come from “all nations” from every ethnic group. We are responsible to proclaim the saving gospel of Christ to all peoples within our community. We have a debt to pay to all mankind and not just to our kind (Romans 1:14).
How can local churches justify the mass exodus of their congregations from our cities when the racial makeup begins to change? People are born again by the incorruptible seed of the word of God (1 Peter 1:23). The removal of the impregnating seed from a community is paramount to spiritual birth control. The declining birth rate of true Disciples of Christ in our cities is devastating. The consequence of withholding the word of God from those who are not our kind is the growing moral crisis within our cities.
We know that people need to be saved. Yet how convicting is Romans 10:12-14,
“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”
When as the people of God we fail in our responsibility to proclaim the gospel to all nations how can we fulfill our duty to make disciples of all nations?
Having departed from the biblical blueprint, many American churches are constructed according to cultural norms rather than the commands of Christ. The American culture of racism is well reflected in the American church. We, the church, are still trying to live down the reputation that the most segregated hour in America is still 11:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings.
God has communicated, by special revelation, that the New Testament church is a multiethnic church. Paul says that God made a mystery known to him by revelation (Ephesians 3:3). This mystery of Christ was not made known to previous generations (Ephesians 3:4-5). The Holy Spirit revealed it to holy apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:5). The mystery, which was conceived in the mind of God and revealed to the holy apostles and prophets, is that the Gentiles and Jews should be fellow heirs and of the same body (Ephesians 3:6).
Christ is building his church. Believers are to be co-workers with Him and the blueprint for the New Testament church is ethnic inclusive.
This article contains excerpts from Dr. Ware’s book, Prejudice and the People of God.
