“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one” (Ephesians 2:14).

There is nothing unusual about people gathering with people like themselves. Bikers gather with bikers. Cowboys gather with cowboys. The wealthy tend to associate with the wealthy, cultures gravitate toward their own cultures, and generations often prefer their own generations. Affinity is natural. But the Church was never intended to be merely natural.

Paul says that Christ “has made both one” (Ephesians 2:14). Jews and Gentiles did not cease being Jews and Gentiles, but those differences no longer determined who belonged together. Through the cross, Christ reconciled them to God “in one body” (Ephesians 2:16), and people who had once been separated became “members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).

There is certainly nothing inherently wrong with reaching particular groups of people. Culture can become a bridge for evangelism. The danger comes when the bridge becomes a boundary—when “we want to reach these people” quietly becomes “this church is for people like us.”

The world already knows how to organize itself around race, class, culture, age, occupation, interests, and preferences. The Church is supposed to show the world something different. It is a family composed of people who might never have chosen one another, but whom Christ has chosen to bring together.

Perhaps the glory of the Church is not that our differences disappear, but that our differences cease to determine who belongs together.

The Gospel does more than reconcile individuals to God. It creates a reconciled people. The question, then, is not simply, “Are we reaching people like us?” but, “Does the way we live together demonstrate the reconciling power of Jesus?” (C)

–PGR