Unveiling the Transcultural Kingdom 2015 Conference with Pastor Leonce Crump Part 1 of 2
Last month, I went to Kainos 2015 and I've been posting my notes from the strong collection of pastors, nonprofit leaders, authors, and sociologists who prophetically spoke into our segregated American culture. I also went to the Unveiling the Transcultural Kingdom conference a few days after Kainos, and the Lord continued to speak on the beauty of His redemptive plan.
Our prayer, hope, and striving is that Emmaus City will be a transcultural and multi-ethnic church in Worcester, of Worcester, and for Worcester. As we move forward, we will continue to have much to gain from those like Pastor Leonce Crump who have gone before us and lead the way in seeking first God's Transcultural Kingdom in Jesus' name.
Part 1 | God's Design for the Transcultural Kingdom
Pastor Leonce Crump
Pastor of Renovation Church, Atlanta, GA
God's goal in redemptive history throughout all Scripture is to form a family for Himself from all people. The Torah, Historical Narratives, Prophetic Texts, Gospels, Letters, and Apocalyptic Literature all point to this. Nothing less.
If this is so, can we then plant churches in our transcultural society and not intentionally work to represent God's good news for every ethnicity and culture in our city? Who are we seeking, loving, and inviting in? Does it mirror what God is doing?
If this is so, can we then plant churches in our transcultural society and not intentionally work to represent God's good news for every ethnicity and culture in our city? Who are we seeking, loving, and inviting in? Does it mirror what God is doing?
There are three groups that tend to shift to these approaches in answering this question:
Approach: This is a good idea, but not essential for a thriving church
Reaction: People need to adapt to us (majority culture)
Approach: This is a good idea that is worth the tension it will cause, but it can be seen as an additional value instead of a core gospel value
Reaction: We have the desire, but we don't know how
Approach: This is little more than an annoyance and not worth returning to reevaluate our hermeneutics and how we have perceived the redemptive narrative of Scripture
Reaction: We don't want to serve others in order to be transcultural; we want to be comfortable
Transcultural | Every human being is made in the Imago Dei; we are meant to reveal God's beautiful woven tapestry of people together over and above and through and under in relation to how we live our lives with each other and how we view the world through each other – what we have together is more beautiful and Godly than what we have apart
Every text has a context. In Genesis 12:1-3, God comes to Abram with promises connected to His commanding word: Abram is to leave his family, his comfort, his status, his homeland, his provision, his position to become an immigrant and choose God's mandate over managing his comfortability.
Are we willing to move past our ethnocentrism to see a God's view of His family and a renewed view of the whole world? Are we willing to take into consideration the state and status of everyone where we are called to be His sent Church to in order that we might become all things to all people in order that some may know and believe the good news of Jesus? Are we willing to be fools that follow the Scriptures? And when we do, we respond out of a full view of His redemption and grace.
Everything that God did – make you a great nation, bless you, make your name great (give you influence) across generations, make you a blessing – for Abram was so that God could execute His redemptive and glorious plan for His Transcultural Kingdom. What would the opposite be? The sublimation of the exaltation of God by exalting man.
Do we want a full showcase of God? It includes a collection of all His creation to express all of His creative genius and goodness. We need to step out of our comfortability and into His conformity with His Word and His plan.
All throughout the Scriptures, God reminds us His good news is for all nations:
Solomon dedicates the temple and includes all the peoples of the earth in his prayer and blessing | 1 Kings 8:22-61
The suffering servant's blood would be sprinkled for people from all nations | Isaiah 52:15
Jesus knew there were many outside the people of Israel who He will bring and will follow Him | John 10:1-18
Peter denied the gospel when he denied that God's family is already diverse | Galatians 2:11-14, 3:27-29
How is God calling us to go and be immigrants in other people's worlds today? Are we willing to be hospitable to anyone and everyone? What is the next step? How will we choose to forsake our preferences and prejudices to follow Jesus' ways to reflect His Kingdom and be His people from every tribe, tongue, and nation together?
The Pharisees accused Jesus of being demon-possessed and racially mixed when they called him a "Samaritan" in John 8:48. They had seen Him and heard about how He crossed religious, cultural, ethnic, and gender borders that they saw as unapproachable and irredeemable. Jesus' response to them? "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad" (John 8:56).
– Sully
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