The Gospel – A Universal Message

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is God’s saving power for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith, as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17.

I’m reminded each time I turn on a news program that we are a divided nation. The financial reality for most media outlets illustrates that herding us into labels allows us to be divided by politics, religion, race, gender, age, or social standing. The slanted, and sometimes biased, media presentations create loyal followers and attract profitable corporate sponsors. But it’s not about what the media does or says. The Gospel is the universal message of truth, redemption, renewal, and revitalization… “it is God’s saving power for everyone who believes.” We easily find examples of how we may be different, but in God’s perspective we are one massive congregation serving our Lord Jesus. In simple terms, we are all brothers and sisters bound together by our love for Christ and one another. We are Christian.

Throughout Paul’s letters to the early churches, he offers guidance for relationships for the faithful. “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor One another above yourselves.”¹ Be Kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”² “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”³

Our obligations to one another are not defined by geographic, political, or socio-economic borders. We are all united in Christ.

Lieutenant Colonel Brian Reed was serving in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003 patrolling with his unit in densely populated neighborhoods given the mission to protect the citizens and build peace. The patrols were tense and dangerous with few opportunities to develop positive relationships. As the unit passed a church, one solider noticed a wrought iron nativity and they stopped the armored vehicle to investigate. Heavily armed, they entered the church to find Arabic-speaking Coptic Christians singing and praising God. They were invited to communion, and despite the service in Arabic, participated in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Lt. Colonel Reed later  wrote, “Jesus was there. He showed up in the very place some of us were ready for our Air Force brethren to blow them off the face of the earth. God spoke to me that evening… Celebrating the Lord’s Supper and remembering Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins was the most important bridge builder and wall destroyer we could have experienced.”⁴

We accompanied our grandchildren to their church, Trinity Baptist, this past Sunday in Seneca, South Carolina. I was reminded that in the Palmetto State an estimated 60% to 70% of the population define themselves as Christian. It suggests that many we meet at school, at work, in the grocery store, or driving across town are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We may see people displaying a cross, or a tee shirt, or bumper sticker that acknowledges their faith but most times we pass them by and never know they follow Jesus. They may be Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic or one of the many Christian denominations, but we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. These are the people who love God, seek eternity, and are praying for the daily presence of our Lord Jesus.

So… under the guidance of Jesus we don’t allow the media, or anyone in the world, to divide us. In the words of Paul, we address our brothers and sisters “clothe(d) …with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” With a smile and warm words, we speak to the world and seek to support our Christian brethren. When we learn that the stranger we meet is not Christian… well I guess we have something to talk about.

Prayer: Heavenly Father we pray for an ever-present Christian attitude practicing humility and embracing patience, compassion, and gentleness. Help us to recognize the things we have in common rather than the issues that we may allow to divide us. May the light of our Lord Jesus shine through us. We make this prayer in the name of our Redeemer and Savior. Amen.