Calling all “bridge” people 

 
Acts 6:1-6

Cultural offenses in the church can be painful to experience. The church in Jerusalem was made up of Jewish believers, but not all had grown up in the same culture. Some came from a very orthodox background and spoke Aramaic and/or Hebrew. The others spoke Greek and came from a background influenced by Greek thought and customs. The dominant Aramaic speakers failed to notice the needs of the Greek widows. That same kind of insensitivity is not uncommon today.

A Dutch Christian who was hosting some American Christians was appalled at how they piled their slices of bread high with meat. The next morning she suggested eating “in the Dutch way,” serving just one slice of meat for each piece. Silence filled the kitchen as the group contemplated the meager serving. Finally one American said, “Oh, silly Dutch! Let’s do it our way!”

The dominant cultural group in a church often overlooks the sensitivities of a minority group. In most cases they don’t really intend to hurt anyone; they simply assume that everyone thinks and acts like they do. Note how in Jerusalem the Aramaic leaders responded by appointing Grecian Jews to be “bridge” people who could promote unity and inclusion.

Note the differences in those around you. What can you do to honor others’ perspectives and customs and values?

Digging deeper: Zech. 2:11; Acts 16:1-3; 17:10-14; 18:1-5; Rev. 7:9-10.

Germany: The Key to World Revival Pt. 1 
by Loren Cunningham. Reprinted from MINISTRIES TODAY, May-June 1992.

How many movies or TV shows have you seen where the villain wears a swastika and has a thick German accent? From Casablanca to Raiders of the Lost Ark, we have been raised with German villains. What is it like growing up in a land with the dark shadow of the swastika on your past...one of the darkest shadows in the history of the world? How does this affect your image of yourself and your nationality? Can a country escape its past and find itself again?

Several months ago, one of the leaders of newly-reunified Germany went to Israel and met with her political leaders. He carried a message. He asked them to forgive Germany for the holocaust against the Jews. Their answer? Not in this lifetime!

Recently, my wife Darlene and I completed a ministry tour of Germany, where I spoke --- times in --- days in 15 cities. In each place, I opened my message by reading the entire genealogy of Jesus from the first chapter of Matthew. By the time I read aloud all the "begats," along with interpretation into German, the congregation was laughing.

Why All the "Begats"?
Why did God include His "telephone books" in the Bible? The genealogies show us that our roots are important to God and should be important to us. They are a part of who we are--deny them and we die a little. Jesus accepted His roots, including Rahab the prostitute, David the murderer, and Rehoboam who ruined his country. We can never have a healthy image of ourselves--either as individuals or nations--or find God's destiny for us if we don't accept our heritage, forgiving the wrongs and being grateful for the blessings.

Most of us realize that God has a unique destiny for every baby born on earth. Each individual has been gifted in a combination different from everyone else in the world. We are each a gift to the rest of humanity, with a calling which we will either lay hold of, or allow to remain unfulfilled. If we miss our destiny, we miss the reason we were born.

God also has unique callings for every country on earth. In His Word, God makes it clear that He is the one who gives birth to nations and each nation has a destiny to fulfill. If that destiny is unfulfilled, it affects all of us.

I have given this message in many countries, but never with such a sense of historic importance as when I preached all over Germany that they should accept their roots, as Jesus did.

(To be continued...)