Don’t Go It Alone

Skin color. Nationality. Language. Gender. Health. Economic status. Social status. Political views. Opinions…We experience so many divisions in this broken world. We can feel blocked off from others, as if we’re living in a different world than they
are. Our experiences in life can be vastly different based on the families we were born into and the ways we grew up. But as Christians, we have some essential things in common that far outweigh any differences.

We are all human, created by God in His image (Genesis 1:27). God loves variety, and He made people to be different on purpose. His good design was for us all to live in harmony with each other and enjoy our distinctions. But, starting with the very first humans, we have all gone away from God, forsaking His good ways, and we are left broken by sin (Romans 3:23). More than anything else, we need to be rescued from sin and death (Romans 6:23).

So, into our sinful, broken, divided world stepped Jesus. He broke down the barriers created by sin. He hung out with the outcasts of society: the notorious sinners, the greedy tax collectors, the gamblers, and the drunkards. He healed the people others shunned. He asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water at a time when Jews refused to eat from a dish a Samaritan had touched. Jesus taught women during a
time when only men and boys were allowed to be students. And Jesus died for them all. After He rose back to life, ascended, and sent His Holy Spirit, He revealed that the gospel is for all people, from every nation and people group. Today, everyone who has put their trust in Jesus is part of the same family: God’s family. Categorizations of people should hold no power in the church because we’re all equal: equally sinners and equally forgiven. We are all centered around the same gospel, and we are all united by the same Holy Spirit living in each of us. And God’s love breaks down barriers through us.

When we face divisions in our society, we need to remember that we are all broken people, but God has offered us all His redemption. God calls us as Christians to reach out to everyone and make disciples of all nations, inviting people of all backgrounds to become part of the family, no matter who they are or what they’ve done (Matthew 28:19). God is waiting with open arms for anyone who will turn to Him. His love breaks down all barriers. • Abby Ciona

• Have you felt separated or distant from others? How does Jesus’ love reach across barriers?

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Luke 10:1; Acts 15:40; Galatians 2:1