A Difference in Christ: Whether Jew or Gentile, white, black,Asian, or His...

A Difference in Christ: Whether Jew or Gentile, white, black,Asian, or His...: Whether Jew or Gentile, white, black, Asian, or Hispanic, people are people, so why not make a difference in their lives? They speak the s...

Whether Jew or Gentile, white, black, Asian, or Hispanic, people are people, so why not make a difference in their lives? They speak the same language, but some may argue that they speak different languages. Be it English, Hebrew, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Hindi, or Japanese, but does that really matter which language they speak? They are all one in Christ even if they communicate in a native dialect. To identify with any particular group often politicians will say a few words in Arabic to show they understand Middle Eastern cultures, but do they really understand these cultures? Further, this may continue to happen during an election year, when voters see a democratic or republican candidates making pitches to specific blocks of voters. This may be at synagogues, by uttering a few Jewish words, rubbing shoulders with rabbis, and trying to convince these folks that they know about the Jewish culture.

But regardless who people really are, it's a good for them to know what they really are. Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011), an American pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s observed, “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” A true measure of who persons become are what their minds keep coming back to, reminding them to take that next step to pursue their hearts' desires. This is especially true for all people, for their consciences will be telling them to invest their talents and treasure in particular ministries. These are personal choices between you and your God.

Making a Connection

Some persons, young and old alike, may make decisions to join the Peace Corps, while others may participate in a Fulbright programs to Asian, African, or South American countries. They will live with the natives, showing them how to plant crops, build wells for pure water, construct modest homes for the natives, or teach English as a foreign language in their schools. Missionaries may be involved in outreach to village churches, laboring among and with different ethnic groups, in many far flung places of civilization. By so doing, they will be fulfilling Christ's mission by bringing the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Interestingly Maya Angelou (1928 – 2014), an American author, poet, dancer, actor, and singer, proposed, “The thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in somebody else's cloud. Somebody who may not look like you. May not call God the same name you call God – if they call God at all. I may not dance your dances or speak your language. But be a blessing to somebody. That's what I think.” Angelou touched on missions of services which people are taught to accomplish as believing Christians. Involvement in such activities is a natural way in empowering people for Christ.

Verbal and Non Verbal Contact

To begin understanding people call for more than being able to master the spoken word. It's the Holy Spirit who works verbally and non verbally and in diverse ways. People also communicate with their eyes and by body language. Missionaries can read these signs in people as they seek their help. This is why it's often said that with interpersonal communication, all real barriers will be broken down. People like people everywhere have one spirit in common. It doesn't matter if a person is a Westerner dressed in fashionable and expensive clothes being able to communicate with beggars in rags will be a given. All the challenges of communication are facilitated by the Holy Spirit who will dismantle every communication barrier.

Barbara Bush (b. 1925), wife of the 41^st President of the United States George H.W. Bush, who served as first lady from 1989 to 1993 encouraged us, “Cherish your human connections – your relationships with friends and family.” With God, every human being is a friend and a family member. It doesn't matter if he or she lives in a small Guyanese town like Ituni, or a far away place like Timbuktu. While interacting and building up the body of Christ, volunteers will come to know like Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955), a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity that “the only source of knowledge is experience.” As Christians they will bring their experiences to the building blocks of life – the knowledge to make the world a better place in which to live, and in paving the way for mankind's future salvation.