The emphasis for the church in this generation should be the one Jesus established for the first century church. There were two imperatives given them by Jesus. The Great Commission and the Great Commandment.
I The Great Commission; Win the lost and make disciples.
Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (KJV)
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (KJV)
II The Great Commandment; Love one another.
John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (KJV)
1 John 4:20-21
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. (KJV)
hateth 3404 miseo (mis-eh’-o);
from a primary misos (hatred);to detest (especially to persecute);by extension, to love less:
Love one another.
o "If God is your Father, then you are my brother."
o I am commanded to love you and you are commanded to love me.
Colossians 3:9-13
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor circumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. (KJV)
Galatians 3:26-28
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (KJV)
The Church of today is like the one in Corinth that Paul rebuked for their immaturity.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? (KJV)
1 Corinthians 3:3 (Ampl.)
For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men.
We are divided over racial, denominational, national, sexual, and other differences.
• The Jews gloried in their ancestors.
• They were in covenant with God because they were the sons of Abraham, Isaach, and Jacob.
1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (KJV)
generation 1085 genos (ghen’-os); from 1096; "kin" (abstract or concrete, literal or figurative, individual or collective):
KJV-- born, country (-man), diversity, generation, kind (-red), nation, offspring, stock.
Thayer’s Dictionary
1) race
a) offspring
b) family
c) stock, race, nation, that is, nationality or descent from a particular people
d) the aggregate of many individuals of the same nature, kind, sort
priesthood 2406 hierateuma (hee-er-at’-yoo-mah); from 2407;
the priestly fraternity, i.e. sacerdotal order (figuratively):
KJV-- priesthood.
nation 1484 ethnos (eth’-nos); probably from 1486;
a race (as of the same habit), i.e. a tribe; specially, a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually by implication, pagan):
KJV-- Gentile, heathen, nation, people.
people 2992 laos (lah-os’);
apparently a primary word; a people (in general; thus differing from 1218, which denotes one’s own populace):
KJV-- people.
They believed their ethnicity gave them privilege.
eth•nic (e»¿nik) adj.
1 [Now Rare] of nations or groups neither Christian nor Jewish; heathen
2 designating or of a population subgroup having a common cultural heritage, as distinguished by customs, characteristics, language, common history, etc. Also eth¿ni•cal n. a member of an ethnic group, esp. a member of a minority or nationality group that is part of a larger community eth¿ni•cal•ly adv.
(C)1995 Zane Publishing, Inc.
(C)1994, 1991, 1988 Simon & Schuster, Inc.
ethnocentrism (etno sentrizem, -ne-)n.
1 the emotional attitude that one’s own ethnic group, nation, or culture is superior
2 an excessive or inappropriate concern for racial matters ethnocentric adj. ethnocentrically adv. Etymology[prec. + centr- + -ism]
(C)1995 Zane Publishing, Inc.
(C)1994, 1991, 1988 Simon & Schuster, Inc.
We who were not an ethnic group, who were from every nation, tongue, tribe, and people, have been made to be of one ethnic group in Christ.
The Body of Christ is a unique ethnic group in and of itself.
We are the children of God. We are part of one family by the new birth.
Romans 8:14-17
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.(KJV)
The only ethnic roots that should be emphasised in the church is that of the Body of Christ.
There is a lot of emphasis on ethnicity today.
We are told to be proud of our ethnic heritage.
We become ethnocentristic when we emphasis our ethnic roots over others.
When we emphasize differences we promote division.
When we emphasize our oneness in Christ we promote unity.
1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (KJV)
Divisive tendencies promoted by emphasizing differences.
1) I am different from you, so I don’t fit. You don’t need me.
1 Corinthians 12:14-16
14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? (KJV)
I do things different from you. ( the foot not the hand )
I perceive things differently than you. ( the ear not the eye )
2) You are different from me, so I have no need of you.
1 Corinthians 12:21-22
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: (KJV)
We must be careful to promote unity in the Church.
Psalm 133:1-3
1 A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. (KJV)
Much of our worship and preaching distinctives are culturally based. We think ours is the best and the others are somehow less.
• Our unity is not based on our worship or preaching style, but on the Christ we worship and preach.
• It is in the Word made flesh, not our fleshly words.
• It is in the God of creation, not the creature that God created.
• It is in the honoring of Christ in our service to Him, not His honoring us by serving us.
• It is our Father God, not making Gods of our fathers.
We should not glory in ethnicity.
1 Corinthians 1:29-31
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (KJV)
Galatians 5:6
6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. (KJV)
1 Corinthians 7:19
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. (KJV)
Galatians 6:15
15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. (KJV)
We should glory in Christ.
1 Cor 1:23-31
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because thefoolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (KJV)
