Imagine you are out to share the gospel at a park in a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which is home to immigrants from over a hundred nations. You ask a man, “What do you think about Jesus Christ?”
He squints and spits, “Jesus is for white people.”
You could ask him, “I’m curious as to why you would say that.”
If he is willing to engage in conversation, what could you say to his idea that Jesus is only for white people?
Jesus Christ is for everyone. God created all of us different physically, but all in the image of God. Jesus commanded us to go into all the world and preach his good news to all people, not just to those who look the same or believe the same. There were people from Africa following Jesus even during the New Testament times, such as Simon of Cyrene and the Ethiopian eunuch. Some of the early church fathers were from North Africa (Tertullian from Tunisia, and Athanasius from Egypt). * Most of the current new converts to Christianity come from Asia and Africa. We may think: “That ethnic group believes in ___ religion. They won’t be open to hearing about Jesus.” This demonstrates a lack of faith (unbelief) in Jesus’ ability to change hearts.
Romans 16:25-27 is Paul’s conclusion to the New Testament book of Romans and a short hymn of praise to God for the excellence of his plan to save us. All glory goes to God, not to us. God deserves the glory because he can make us strong and steadfast in our trust in him, while we are naturally weak and prideful. It is very exciting that God opened salvation through Christ to all people everywhere. Anyone might believe and obey him. Many of us have people from various nations living among us in our own cities and towns. We have the opening to share Jesus’ love with people from around the world. Jesus came to rescue us from sin and to give us a peaceful relationship with God. “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9 NLT). Let us take the opportunity he is giving us, with boldness from his Spirit. Pray first, for the darkness and lies of the evil one to be dispelled by God and for the people to receive the light of his truth.
Forgive me Lord for prejudice, for writing certain people off, for not persevering in prayer, and for not believing that you are able to draw them to trust and obey you. Forgive me Jesus for fear of people’s reactions or of conflict. Give me your courage and the words to share your good news. Help my friends, family and neighbours to receive your light and not believe the devil’s lies. Open their minds to hear and understand the gospel. Convict them of sin. Bring them to repentance. Thank you for choosing to partner with us in prayer to see your will accomplished. Amen. **
Throughout this Day: Make a list of friends, family and neighbours for whom you can pray and put it in your calendar daily. See what God will accomplish through your prayers.
- Many ideas in the first paragraph come from this article: Christianity a White Man’s Religion? by Lakeia Bradley March 1, 2023
** Some of the concepts in my prayer are from this book by Dr. Alvin VanderGriend: Praying God’s Heart: Prayers That Make a Difference. Chapter 16, Praying Your Friends to Christ
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