How Did the Church Transform the 1st Century Roman World?
What was is it about the 1st century Church that transformed the Roman world?
I believe it was birth of multi-ethnic local churches comprised of Jews and Gentiles. In the 1st century, this simply should not have been possible. Unless the resurrection actually occurred.
In the 1st century, many Jews considered Gentiles, that is everyone else in the world that is not Jewish, created to be fire wood for hell.
In the 1st century Roman world, it unlawful for a Jewish man to help a Gentile woman in labor because that would help bring another worthless gentile into the world.
In the 1st century Roman world, if a Jew touched a Gentile, the Jew would consider him/herself unclean.
In the 1st century Roman world, Greeks called anyone who did not speak Greek the derogatory term Barbarian.
In was in this racially turbulent, 1st century world that “Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.” (Ephesians 2:14-16)
The 1st century Roman world looked in awe as Jews and Gentiles who formerly hated each other were now worshiping Jesus together, living in multi-ethnic community together, and were on mission together for the sake of the Gospel. This miracle, in light of the extreme hatred between Jews and Gentiles, could only be explained by the resurrection of Jesus.
Question: I wonder if America could be transformed by the power of the Gospel if we allowed the Gospel to reconcile us to God and to reconcile us to another one another by creating local churches that reflect the ethnic diversity of the community they are in?
Currently, 95% churches in America are mono-ethnic.
If you’d like to learn how about the multi-ethnic church movement, check out The Mosaix Network, where I’m one of the board of advisers. The Mosaix Network is the relational network for leaders in pursuit of a multi-ethnic church for the sake of the Gospel. Click here
Marinate on that,
Pastor Derwin
