Friction or Traction?
Theme of the Week: Mixing It Up
Erwin Raphael McManus
Sunday, June 29, 2003
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: "Your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9). Bonus Reading:Ephesians 2:14-18
Migration has made Los Angeles the world's second largest Mexican city, second largest Salvadorian city, and largest Korean city. For churches locked into homogenous mindsets, migration creates friction. In our pre-global society, our churches were filled with people just like us. Then it wasn't difficult to justify isolation and exclusivity.
Communities in transition reflect radical global migration. People move all the time, so neighborhoods are constantly changing. We find white churches in new black communities, black congregations in immigrant Latino communities, and Latino congregations in emerging Korean communities.
But what creates friction for the church can also be traction: The nations are at our front door, we have an opportunity to love our neighbors as ourselves, and the practical application of reconciliation is right across the street. For years the bulk of American Christians who were committed to "missions" could only participate through giving and praying. Today the call to cross-cultural ministry doesn't even require going; it just requires staying with a purpose.
—Erwin Raphael McManus in An Unstoppable Force
Adapted from An Unstoppable Force (Group, 2001) by permission.
Copyright © 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.
1 of 1
 share this page
Lord, don't let my belief remain private and detached. Push me out into Your world to demonstrate Your love.
Men of Integrity
Connect with God | Transform my Mind | Live by His Power
Relate Better | Make an Impact
Home | Archives | Contact Us
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Try an Issue of Men of Integrity
Free!
|
 |
|
No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders.
If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless.
Give Men of Integrity as a gift
Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| |
|
RSS Feed
