In the book of Ephesians, Paul is writing to a church that is divided along ethnic lines. The Jews hate the Gentiles and the Gentiles hate the Jews right back. And to this church, Paul says one of the most remarkable things recorded in the New Testament:
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
In this one passage, Paul tells us that the reconciliation of people groups is not a peripheral issue, rather, it sits at the heart of the gospel. Jesus' reconciling work includes the reconciling of people divided to make peace and a new humanity. In other words... you cannot have ethnic divisions (racism) and still be true to the good news of Jesus.
You are either united in Christ or, you do not know Christ.
Introducing, Josh Koh
In our second pandemic event, we've invited Josh Koh to come and teach us about race, racism and the needed response of the church. Josh is a Chinese American living in Vancouver and a pastor at Fraserlands Chruch, a multi-ethnic church in our city. He's also done significant thinking and teaching around race and race-relations as he leads an online group, "Our Broken Table."
Registration Required
Because we're using Zoom, we need you to register in advance. We'll send out a zoom link the day of the event. And, BTW, anyone is welcome... even those not part of simplechurches.