Romans 15:24-25 (ESV)
[24] I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped
on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. [25]
At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints.
There is a theme running through Romans that sometimes gets lost in the
shadow of the larger theme of the gospel. This secondary theme is that of unity
and acceptance of those who are different. Romans begins with a reference to Jews
and Gentiles, Greeks and barbarians. The theme of unity between, and compassion
toward these diverse groups runs through almost every chapter in Romans. Here
in chapter fifteen Paul is anxious to go to the barbarians in Spain with the gospel.
But before he can go to Spain he needs to go to Jerusalem. The Gentile
believers in Macedonia and Achaia have taken up an offering to help Jewish
believers who have been experiencing drought and famine.
The church in Rome appears to be small house churches that may or may not
network between themselves (See chapter 16). In our world today we tend to
segregate by culture. We have Cowboy churches for those who like that culture.
We have Black churches, Hispanic churches, Chinese churches, and Korean
churches in the United States. When Swedish and Norwegian Christians immigrated
to this country they spoke Swedish and Norwegian. It was natural for them to
start Swedish and Norwegian churches. My grandfather remembered a Norwegian
church that offered German services once a month. But as the next generation
became proficient in English the need for Norwegian, Swedish, or German
services was no longer necessary. But the culture carried over. We too often
find churches that are largely a meeting of people that are alike, but is that
biblical?
Paul argues for unity between those who are different. Unity requires energy
and hard work. Diversity is easier than unity, yet unity reflects the heart of
the “God of peace” (Rom 15:33). Christian unity means that we recognize
believers who are different from us as brothers and sisters, not crazy cousins.
Experience shows that it is easier to celebrate differences from a distance. We
see a group of new tribal believers dancing for joy over their salvation and it
warms our hearts, but if someone starts dancing for joy in our congregation we
get nervous. We pray and send money for Christian organizations rebuilding
infrastructures in other countries that have been devastated by war or natural disasters,
but when it comes to spending energy and money to help those who are different
from us in our own backyard, we get nervous.
Unity is not easy. I understand. Several years ago there was a movement in
Houston, Texas to gather all the pastors to pray and worship together. I was
part of the very first Pastors Prayer Summit in Houston. It was an amazing
time. But I observed that after a couple years of annual gatherings the grumbling
began. Some felt like it was time that we begin to “really worship,” while
others felt that they had been stretched about as far as they could go in terms
of worship that was unfamiliar to them. The discomfort of our differences caused
us to turn inward. Unity was too hard.
We have an Enemy that loves to sow discord, but unity reflects the heart of God. I’m not talking about unity at all costs. I am talking about unity around the foundational truths of the Triune God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It makes me wonder whether our worship services are too much about our preferences and too little about a God who loves those who are different from us. Perhaps being a little uncomfortable is worth the price of demonstrating the unity of the Spirit before a broken world.
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