One of the great distinctives of the family of Christ is that we do not prescribe culture, thinking, communication and behaviour based on our personal preference. God in creation creates such diversity that our minds are blown by the incomprehensible level of difference and detail under his sovereignty and will.
The sheer immensity and power of the Sun, which forms 99.86% of our solar system, should alert us to the smallness of humanity within living existence and created order. Under this heat and light, the fine balance of diverse life is maintained (not too close to fry, not too far off to freeze). Under this power order, man is less than a speck, yet each of us entertains the idea that the world should work our way or somehow be under our control. How small our minds are. (Psalm 8:4-8). This unity within the solar system, however, is just a micro-speck in the universe. There is an order outside of this, which is still being discovered and still operates in perfect unity and motion every nanosecond of every day and night. Who is in control of such a thing? Who and what sustains this? (Hebrews 1:3) How gracious God is to treasure mankind in relationship as He does.
The best scientists may be able to spend a lifetime trying to master such detail and diversity of the known world and what happens under the sun, telling you and me something of how they think that diversity happened and continues. Still, they will always fall short of telling you why. Since the rebellion of man and the Tower of Babel fell, diversity in our world has been confusing society and communication. The anti-Babel grace of God (Gen 11;1-9, Acts 2:1-11) brings together one humanity, under one head, within the culture and unity of his grace and love. Christ dies, works, reverses the rebellion of man, and reigns not merely for one race, language, or time, but for all peoples, all cultures and all generations in their diversity who accept his grace and rescue.
Notice in the coming of the Spirit upon the new community, there is no favouritism (Acts 2: 1-4), and communication becomes effective (5-11) to each language and culture.
I mention this because during the present instability of our world, some nations and their dictatorial leaders continue to increasingly restrict diversity to impose their own preferences for dominance within the world order. I am not a prophet, but I humbly suggest that this may ultimately be unsuccessful. The goal of unifying things to a common denominator is to influence the world in our way. The way of the family of Christ is inversely different; it is to encourage His people under His Lordship to live within their diversity for His contextual glory, by His eternal power.
From a human perspective, language is seen to have such a critical role in empire-building. Linguistic Imperialism in human history has proved to be unsuccessful. There will ultimately only be one unifying logos (John 1:1). He who was from before the beginning will have the last word.
The Roman Empire and its language are not generally present in my country, except in the museums and historic cities I may visit as a tourist, and some legal and religious phrases. Uncovered archaeological sites point to a world and way of life long forgotten. I can say whatever I want about Ceaser today in Chester, and it turns out I will not face a lion unless I walk down the road to the zoo.
We see the same in all the attempts of all empires. Yet, in current news, so many attempts of many potential empire builders continue. Russia is encouraging the use of its government multiplatform for communication, an attempt to control and homogenise communication through the banning of Telegram and WhatsApp. China today passed the law to minimise the diversity of 55 people / ethnic groups in favour of growing uniformity from Beijing in Mandarin. For others, the homogeneous language is tech, oil, conglomerates, satellite placement, wifi wires under oceans, or parcel delivery networks. It makes me laugh (and cry) how a small item of office stationery (from a well-known global delivery company) landing at my doorstep may be packaged in a gigantic, inappropriate box, and independently delivered in a gigantic diesel-fuming van. 1,200 logistic megacentres and 900 data centres in 50 countries did not compute how ineffectively a small issue would turn out. When we say that one size fits all, we end up with ludicrous results and consequences of failure. Sometimes our "big" ideas can fail spectacularly in context due to the smallest of things we have not fully considered.
What should we take from this as the new community on His mission?
1. Do not fear worldly powers. The folly of man before God will be shown for what it is. Sleep in blissful and settled peace, knowing that God is in control over all things. (Romans 8:28, Psalm 22:28, Proverbs 21:1). I do not say this glibly. The reality for many reading this is a warzone (physical or spiritual), a dictatorial government context that hates diversity and those who bow before the Lordship of King Jesus (John 19:20, John 15:18-19). As I bow before the King of heaven and earth, I simply need to be reminded each day that, as Nebuchadnezzar fell and his season of leadership was confined, so the reign of Christ will be eternal. (Read Daniel 2, 4:31, Isa 42:8, Col 1:16-17)
2. Do not encourage dictatorship in the church or within His mission. Get over yourself and see your smallness. Many church leaders have come and gone on the back of offering a kind of unbiblical uniformity. We can fall into the trap easily as mini dictators of wanting people to live the Christian life based on our experiences and preferences. As an old lecturer once said, "It's not that we don't have a Pope in the evangelical church, actually, we have many. Sadly, we have so many that they operate thinking they are unaccountable." We are all accountable to God, in Rome or Rotherham.
Older saints cannot dictate to the young, male to female or vice versa. Pastors puffed by pride and title are still to remember they are servants and should be stooppers. British or Western culture cannot dominate mission advance; likewise, honour, caste, and shame cultures cannot dominate from the East. God will not bless those who seek to dominate, however impressive numerically, financially, or geographically their mini-kingdom appears or grows to be. Diversity in the church is a beautiful (and effective) thing under Christ, used by his grace and power to reach all peoples with the gospel.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.
Eph 1: 9
3. Do encourage each made in God's image to find their unique path under his lordship, redemption and witness. The nature of belonging to Christ and His community is that we are loved as we are. Encouraging each to find their redemptive story in Christ always leads to them being unique expressions of Christ's grace. The Spirit loves to use so many different friends to share the same glory of Christ with each other and those for whom they are ambassadors of grace.
- Pray for diversity, not monochromaticity, in the local church or national denominations,
- Pray for a truly open, humble, biblical mindset in your walk. Give away your kingdom and kingdom privileges for his glory.
- Pray for the mobilisation of unique expressions of grace to reach all peoples from our small speck of the universe, and depend on the God who controls all things by his word and power to do "immeasurably more" with our humble prayer and desire.
“I saw in the night visions,and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude,
like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
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