By Your Sacrificial Death

YOU (JESUS) WERE KILLED, AND BY YOUR SACRIFICIAL DEATH YOU BOUGHT FOR GOD PEOPLE FROM EVERY TRIBE, LANGUAGE, NATION, AND RACE. Revelation 5.9. (GNB)

Most of us worship in churches were we see only people of the same colour, race and language. Many live and die in the same church (thank God for their faithfulness and perseverance) and seldom visit any other church in their locality. Since we do not travel far and wide, we probably have never been to a church in another nation, race, colour, culture or language! To many it may be news that there are over 2.5 billion Christians and 1.5 born again believers all over the world. You may be surprised that all of them worship the same God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit as yours. Even if some are aware of it, very few have actually experienced the thrill of being in ‘a multi-national, multi-racial, and multi-language congregation or gathering’.

Those who are shielded by their own small and narrow church life may sometimes feel that they are ‘the only true church and Christians’ that exist. Surprisingly, most churches consider all the other churches in town as ‘false or cults’! It is a pity that pastors are fearful of their flock visiting other churches for any reason and do not encourage it!

It will be a life-time experience for all of us to be in a gathering of a few thousands of believers. It would do you great good to attend some ‘citywide Christian meetings’ at times and get a feeling of heaven! The visits I make to the different churches in my country and sometimes overseas gives me soul-stirring experiences. It makes me think of the heavenly scenes described in the Book of Revelation, chapters 5,7, 19. Read these passages and let it help you to expand your spiritual horizon and see a picture bigger than your own church!

Let us go with the apostle John and get a glimpse of what he saw in heaven and even try to get lost in that vast multitude that worship God on the throne, “I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!" (Rev 7.9,10).

What you have just experienced should remove from you all prejudices about colour, cast, creed, culture, race, language and open your mind to the ‘oneness we have in Christ’. Together let us praise God for His Son Jesus Christ, and sing. “You were slain, and by Your blood purchased us to God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign over the earth” (5:10,11).

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, help me to shed my prejudices about other believers and begin to accept all in love. Help me to acknowledge ‘Your sheep in other folds’ about which You told us (Jn 10.16). Amen.