Diversity of People—Found in God’s Family
When I was nine or ten, we attended a small church in northern Indiana. Everyone in the church looked like me in skin color, until suddenly they did not. One particular Sunday, a man parked a van in front of our church and out of the double side doors jumped a large number of young high school boys, all of a different skin color. To say these boys made an impact on the congregation is an understatement.
When I was a sixth grader, my family moved to south-central Kentucky, and we began attending my dad’s childhood church. Again, everyone inside the church looked like me in skin color. Unfortunately, there was never a van-load of boys who started attending my new country church.
As a high schooler, I attended a fairly large high school, one filled with almost 2,000 students who looked just like me in skin color. That remained true until suddenly a family moved into the community, a family of a different skin color. To say this family made an impact on the student-body is an understatement.
For twenty-five years, I taught school, and within that span of time, I have had the pleasure of teaching a diverse population of students: different socio-economic levels and different cultural backgrounds and different skin tones.
During the years, I have become close to fifteen young women from various cultures, languages, and nationalities. They hail from Ireland, Afghanistan, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, Kuwait, Central America, and America. The blessing these young women bring to my life permeates my mind and my days.
In visiting my daughter’s church in Germany, I sang and worshipped with Iranians, Europeans, Americans, and Asians. Some are civilians and some are members of the military. All attend to worship and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. To say her church is made from an impactful culture of people is an understatement.
The other day, I sat conferencing with students: Americans, Koreans, Filipinos, Egyptians, Irish, and Salvadorans. Next week, I will sit across from students who are Europeans, Cubans, Americans, and Asians. To say my current population of students spans a diverse group is an understatement. What I find in my students most—A Blessing.
The Bible proclaims that one day, all God’s children will stand before the throne of God worshipping Him with palm branches in their hands, shouting praise to their Lord. See this great scene with me.
“After these things I looked, [the Apostle John did] and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;
and they cried out with a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation belongs to our God
who sits on the throne, and to the
Lamb.”
(The Revelation 7: 9-10 NASB)
- God’s family is made from a great multitude of nations, tribes, peoples, and languages.
- God’s family is filled with people of different skin tones and of various cultural traditions.
- God’s family comes from all places across the earth.
Nevertheless, God’s family is only filled with people who claim Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord!
There is a wrong statement in this world in which we live: “We are all the children of God.”
This is a wrong statement because not everyone alive claims Jesus as their Savior.
- A TRUE statement is this: “We are all God’s creation!”
- Another TRUE statement: “God wants all people to come to know Him as Father through His Salvation found through His Son Jesus.”
- A TRUE statement is also this: “The great multitude who surrounds the throne of God in the Great Tribulation will be filled with a diverse group of people from EVERYWHERE!”
Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” belongs to the Father. The Bible tells us so. The only way to know God as Father is to believe in God’s only Son Jesus, accept Jesus as Savior & Lord, and confess our sins committed against Almighty God.
The Word of God records this truth this way, words given from God to the Apostle John.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
(John 1: 12-13 NASB)
Diversity Found in God’s Children!
The Word of God tells us so!
Within my student population where I teach, there are ninety-two countries represented, forty-six American states, and one hundred and sixteen counties from the state in which I live. To say that we all come from the same place is an understatement. To say that all who walk the face of the earth comprise the family of God because they belong to God is in fact—Quite an understatement!
- Within our churches—
- Around our tables—
- Inside our vehicles—
- Sitting in our classrooms—
- Worshipping in our homes—
- Working next to us in our workplaces—
God’s family is filled with His children who are comprised from a diversity: of cultures, traditions, skin tones, and languages.
God’s family must be filled with His children who are witnessing to a diversity: of cultures & of traditions & of skin tones, & of languages.
Let us be a welcoming family to those who remain in darkness, who are, today, still lost.
Let us be a reaching group of brothers and sisters to those we know who need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.