Core Conviction 5 | Diversity Celebrating

To read previous core convictions, check out the links below:

CORE CONVICTION 1 | Jesus Treasuring
CORE CONVICTION 2 | His-Story Honoring
CORE CONVICTION 3 | Disciple Making
CORE CONVICTION 4 | People Loving

If we are a local church in Worcester who treasures Jesus, honors His story, obeys Him in making disciples, and loves people sacrificially, then we will become a church that reaches into every area and ethnicity of our city. And we will celebrate what God does through Jesus by His Spirit among "every tribe, tongue, and nation."

This means our worship music is going to have range. This means that our future pastors are going to have different styles. This means that different languages may be spoken throughout a service of worship. And this means when someone sees us, they're going to have to wonder how all these different types of people somehow came together. And when they begin to wonder, Jesus may be the only answer they can come up with.

The article, "You Want Salsa or Kimichi with That?" about Spirit and Truth Fellowship in Philadelphia captures what we hope to see happen in Worcester. And I love that this story was written nearly 10 years ago. Spirit and Truth is still going strong. May God make the story of Emmaus City mirror the faith and perseverance of our friends in Philly.

CORE CONVICTION 5 | Diversity Celebrating
A Church Where People from All Areas of Worcester – Histories, Social Classes, Backgrounds, and Nations Can Come Together to Love Jesus and Each Other

We want to be a church that represents the spectrum of people and ethnicities in Worcester, because we want God to receive the glory for only something He could do in central Massachusetts. And, in Worcester, it will be proof that He is on the move when old and young, black and white, Latino, African, and Asian get together in community to love, serve, and worship Jesus as King. The good news of Jesus relates to and applies to every person, so we have hope in the God who gave us this gospel. 

We want every type of community in Worcester to have a neighbor who looks nothing like them, but loves them and shares the Gospel with them anyway. This means we will pray that God will bring us college students and retirees who will worship together. We will pray that God brings Ghanian, Korean, and Albanian immigrants who will worship together. We will pray that our more materially blessed people will be convicted to serve and help our neighbors who are poor and needy. And we hope to see people who have been nurtured in Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Reformed, Baptistic, Congregational, Charismatic, and Pentecostal traditions to follow Jesus learn how to share Him with those from Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu and other religions who are curious about Him.

We want followers of Jesus from all seven hills of Worcester worshiping together at a local church that serves the City of Seven Hills. We want people in the city to stay in the city and be a church of and for the city so that neighborhoods and communities in Worcester are being reshaped by the Gospel.

First reaction: "Is that even possible?" Good. That means when it happens, God gets the credit. We can't orchestrate this, humanly speaking. But we can hope and pray, because when Jesus returns as King, this is how it's going to look. And it's the new song we want to be singing now.

"And they sang a new song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation'" (Revelation 5:9).

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:26-29).

"...he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, 'Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water'" (Revelation 14:6-7).

For us to be a church that points to and begins to do what Jesus has done and will do with people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, we are going to have to pray. And listen. And do what's necessary. Which means the majority is going to have to learn how to serve the minority. The last are going to have to become first. And we are going to have to search our hearts and minds to see how we regularly and blindly miss the mark of being one in Jesus' name.

But God is faithful. And we see Him move, and walk with Him, when we pray.

Check back next week for CORE CONVICTION 6 | CONSTANTLY PRAYING
 
– Sully

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