When my children were small, I wanted them to know Jesus. As the African-American mother of bi-racial children, I desired a church where my kids could see the gospel of Jesus lived out in a loving way between people of different races and cultures. It bothered me that I’d grown up singing that Jesus loved all the children — red and yellow, black and white — but I’d seen Jesus-followers look at other-colored brothers and sisters in Christ in unloving ways.
I’d seen an advertisement about a new church meeting in a school. I grew up in a traditional Black Baptist church, so it was a little weird going to church at a school. As I opened the doors, I wasn’t surprised that none of the adults looked like me. But I was shocked when two small African-American children ran by and disappeared around a corner. I looked for their parents but gave up and went into the auditorium. People were friendly, but it was still uncomfortable for me. It was a similar feeling that my Caucasian friends would describe when they drove across the unfamiliar side of town at night and got caught at a traffic light.
The pastor came out and introduced himself by his first name, Lee. My eyebrows raised because that kind of informality was shocking to me. At some point in the message, Lee mentioned that he and his wife were foster parents and I realized that those two little Black kids were his foster children.
That was the moment I decided I would attend that church.
Not only was I grateful to hear Lee teach about the gospel, but he also lived the gospel — lived like he truly believed God loved the whole world, meaning all people. The pastor not only embraced color but invited color into his home with love.
Far too many Christians get defensive or uncomfortable when skin color comes up in church. Let’s not forget that color was divinely created by a holy God and therefore, inextricably woven into the gospel story. Racism is an injustice against God’s creation that grieves the heart of God. Therefore, our problems with race and color need the blood of the cross, too!
For centuries around the world, the topic of race is and has been one of the biggest barriers between Jesus-followers. Even after the massive civil rights movement of 2020, the most segregated space in America is still within our churches. If the gospel that we preach is only to people who look like us, we’re robbing ourselves of witnessing the full beauty and glory of what a colorful gospel looks like. The early church shows us an intentionality few churches have today. Most of all, the early church shows us the blessings that we’re missing out on.
After the Day of Pentecost, Peter taught and thousands came to Christ. Then, Acts 2:39-47 documents how all the believers met together. Who were all the believers? You better believe that “all” included Jesus-followers from different races and cultures who’d come to Jerusalem. They had differences in how they looked and lived, but they still intentionally tucked themselves around communal tables. Look at what happened next. Notice the word “together” after their activities:
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.
Acts 2:46 (NIV)
After the sermon, people didn’t have to continue to worship together, meet together, or eat together, but they chose to! As a result, non-believers were attracted to the remarkable community. Non-believers were probably astonished by the unlikely love and shocking unity between people who looked and lived differently. That visual scene plus the power of the gospel message resulted in many non-believers getting saved (Acts 2:47).
It’s my belief that we can never be the best version of the gospel if we’re not connected to those who look different from us but are an essential part of our “together.”
As a Black person, I’ve wondered often why God created us with different skin colors because it has created much hardship and heartache. Yet, God shifts the atmosphere of any struggle when we let Him in. So, if God’s character is love, grace, holiness, and justice and we invite God into the abyss of our racial struggles, then God’s glory will overpower what we can’t fix on our own.
In the most well-known civil rights speech of all time, Dr. Martin Luther King cast his vision. Notice how Dr. King’s words reflect the beauty of the Jesus-followers’ togetherness in Acts 2:
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
Dr. King is right. God’s gospel glory is revealed when we as believers are intentional about standing together. Maybe today God is prompting you to pray about finding the Jesus-followers who are the other part of your “together.”
If you are passionate about the gospel and excited about taking a new fresh dive into your faith this year, check out Barb’s new book, Finding Jesus in the Psalms.
I love your message today! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I’m the proud Nana of a precious biracial granddaughter; an innocent child; who I never want judged by her skin color.
Hi Rita, I’m so glad that you enjoyed today’s article. As a Nana to a precious granddaughter, you’re showing her the love and grace of God by loving her and seeing her soul, spirit and her skin color. That’s so good!
We are all one race mankind in Christ. There’s a fascinating video showing genealogy through dna thanks to the human genome project showing we all have a common ancestor in span of thousands of years only instead of millions years. Very fascinating proving Bible is real. No red yellow black white. We are all one race.
Hi Ariel! Thank you for stopping by and joining today’s conversation. Yes, we are one human race, yet in His sovereignty God created many skin colors from one race.
Beautiful encouragement. Thank you, Barb.
You’re welcome, Ruth. I’m so glad that today’s article encouraged you. Thanks for stopping by (in)courage!
Amen!!!
Thank you for joining us today at (in)courage, Janice!
Thank you, Barb, for always being a voice of hope. I especially appreciated this truth: “If the gospel that we preach is only to people who look like us, we’re robbing ourselves of witnessing the full beauty and glory of what a colorful gospel looks like.”
Thank you, dear friend. I love how you live out the beauty of a colorFULL gospel in your life each day!
Thank you, Barb. Our sermon at church yesterday wss about inclusiveness. Much food for thought. And action.
Hi Irene! Thanks for stopping by today and joining the conversation. I love that your church is having these conversations AND discussing how to live it out. So good!
A beautiful, need word. Thank you, sister. I needed this story and these words <33
Thank you, my friend.
God created us to all be in community! Our blood is the same color, even if we are different on the outside…we are all God’s children, beautifully and wonderfully made! Things that are happening around us today, are so hurtful to me. I grew up with different nationalities, different ethnicities, different colors…but we were all children in the same school. We never questioned, we simply accepted! We played together, ate together, studied together, we were friends! And as an adult, I know and love and have been so blessed by so many that do not have the same color of skin, but praise God, we “are” the same in so many, many other ways! We were all created by God, and therefore we are all brothers and sisters, all living in the same community! I pray continually that God will open all hearts to acceptance, respect and sharing and caring for each other, no matter what! How dull it would be if God made everything the same color!
P.S. Another thing we have in common Barb, is loving to eat desert first!! Love it!! Love you!
Hi Kathy, thank you for sharing your comment and your story. You were blessed to grow up in such a diverse environment and I love that you champion God’s creation of all colors.
How wonderful would it be for nonbelievers today to be “astonished by the unlikely love and shocking unity” among believers? Thank you for this message. I am praying John 13:35 for the church today: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” And for each of us to understand and act on the specific part we can take.
Agreed, Jennifer! Thank you for your prayers for the church today. Joining you in that prayer for the church as well.
Thank you Barb for this meaningful message.
I am an Oma to a beautiful biracial grandson. Love him to the moon and back. May we all hear God’s command to love one another.
Amen, Lisa! Amen – love your comment. Thanks for sharing it!
I need to ask forgiveness of my non-white Christian Brothers & Sisters, for my non-intentional actions. I didn’t seek out cross-cultural relationships very much, throughout my life. I now see, my non-actions showed a real lack of empathy & instead showed exclusion. I’m sorry!
I have often examined my heart, mind & words down through the years, for Discrimination. When I didn’t find any, I thought it was enough. But I see now, that I Need To Do More, to seek out ways to show my acceptance & care for non-white people, on a regular basis—instead of waiting for a specific instance to happen 1st, before taking action.
Please understand that I’m not trying to excuse my non actions. I guess my hesitations, came from my own inadequacies. I let them stop me from taking more actions.
Hi EL, it takes great humility to acknowledge where God is working in your heart and your willingness to show love and grace to others. We appreciate your commments.
I must tell you a story. Quite some time ago my family had left to go on a cruise. I did not go along and on Sunday I decided I would visit a new church. I had met a pastor who also was a black man. I liked him and wanted to hear him preach. I found his church that Sunday morning and I was one of 2 non black persons there. But I must say I never felt so accepted and loved as I did at that church service. I truly felt “one” with the body of believers that day.
We can only change our hearts but by making sure our hearts are one with God’s heart is when other hearts can change and we will all be the better for it.
Hi Loretta, thank you for joining us on (in)courage today and sharing your story! I’m glad that you enjoyed your experience worshipping with at the new church!
Barb,
This post brings to mind the story of Samaritan woman at the well. First of all Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans & they surely didn’t talk to women. Yet Jesus willingly talked to that woman. The result was that community came to know & believe in Christ. If Jesus can break barriers then why can’t we? He wants ALL people to come to a saving knowledge of Christ. That includes red, yellow, black & white, Asian, German, American, etc. Let’s do our best to connect with those that are different.
Blessings 🙂