Pastor's note: ministry of reconciliation, March 2

For those who couldn’t be here on March 2 and are earnestly wanting to know what the “ah-ha” moment was, we will be putting the sermon on CD, which you can have, or you can read some of my thoughts and notes from the sermon on my blog (http://braveturn.blogspot.com/). The “ah-ha” had to do with the foundation of our church and who we are. I believe that each church has a unique calling, in addition to the obvious calling of making disciples for Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) and bringing the Kingdom of God to an area (Matthew 6, etc.). The calling of CrossRoad fits within that framework of discipleship and revealing the Kingdom of God. What is that calling? To show that in Christ people from every language, tribe, people and nation (Revelation 7:9) can serve and love one another. I just read this week about a young man who was gunned down in his neighborhood, just a few houses from his home. Why? He was a different color from the ones doing the shooting. There is an increasing amount of gang violence in a neighborhood not far from here. The battle lines have separated along color lines. And that story could be told over and over again, throughout our county and other cities and counties around the world. No amount of legislation, government intervention, political rhetoric or pleading from individuals has been able to eradicate a centuries old problem: separation because of color. How do we overcome that kind of hatred and fear? By demonstrating the power of the Gospel and loving one another in the midst of our differences.

Ephesians 2:14-16 says, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one
and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing
the law of commandments and ordinances, that HE might create in Himself one new
man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in
one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”

How does that fit with us? We are the visible demonstration of the power of Jesus, who destroys the dividing walls of hostility. He shatters the differences and unites us around our God. Isn’t that His prayer? (“I pray that they would be one even as we are one.” John 17)

Why put a sermon on unifying the community of CrossRoad in the midst of a sermon series on sin? Because it is a sin for a community of believers to highlight differences rather than walk in the oneness of Christ. That doesn’t mean we choose not to disagree, but that in the midst of the disagreements we realize that there is a bigger purpose, the cause of making Jesus Christ known to our world. The great tool for making Him known is when we, as believers, from so many different backgrounds, ethnicities, ages and personalities love and serve one another (John 15).