Presence Weekly 9/09/2024, "Maintaining Unity through Diversity"

Now in these days, when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. Acts 6:1-7

Over the past two weeks, we have seen that the church maintains its unity by practicing service and by developing character. Finally, we come to the most counterintuitive point – the church maintains unity by embracing diversity.

Look again at the passage. What is the problem? Verse 1 says, “a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.” The better translation here is probably in the NIV. The Grecian Jews brought a complaint against the Hebraic Jews. But what does that mean? Let’s remind ourselves where they are. They are still in Jerusalem, and all those who are being saved are Jews. The Gentiles will not enter the picture until Acts 10. So, what we are dealing with is two different camps of these Jews. These camps, or, in Washington-speak, “parties,” are made up of those who speak and read Hebrew and those who speak and read primarily Greek. 

Delving deeper, we learn that even Paul, who spoke Greek and was from Antioch, considered himself a Hebraic Jew. So, the differences are deeper than simply language – they are cultural. Some of the Jews in Jerusalem have returned from an earlier Jewish dispersion and have returned more “Greek than Jewish.” But the leadership of the church is Hebraic. It’s likely that those in charge of the food distribution are not intentionally overlooking the needs of the Grecian Jewish widows on purpose, they are just not the first people that they consider. They are not on their radar screen, so to speak.

The solution to the problem addresses this issue – all of those appointed have Greek names. In other words, the leadership of the church is incorporating diversity in order to maintain unity. Look at the list, Stephen – who will be stoned for his service in Acts 7; Philip, who would take the gospel to Samaria and to an Ethiopian eunuch (a God-fearer) in Acts 8; and Nicolas, whom we are told was from Antioch – where the Gentiles are, and is a proselyte – one who was a Gentile and converted to the Jewish faith first and then became a Christian. As the church has grown, it has become more diverse. And it has embraced its diversity. 

This situation was a real test of the early church. Had the church not met the needs of the widows, or had it acted with poor character, the church may have split in two – the Hebraic church and the Grecian church, which would have been deadly. Although the church is still in Jerusalem, it is about to be propelled outward, following the speech and martyrdom of Stephen, into Samaria and to the ends of the earth. 

As the church is sent out to “proclaim the excellencies of the one who called them out of darkness and into his marvelous light,” the church must remain united. As such, the Hebraic Jews do not ask the Grecian Jews to be more Hebrew – they figure out a way to meet their needs, and because they do, because they embrace diversity – the church remains united.

This is a critical point to remember: the gospel embraces diversity – it does not obliterate it. In Revelation 7:9-11, we read that at consummation, people from every tongue, tribe, and nation will worship at the throne. And the church in Jerusalem was modeling that truth.

When going to the nations, the practice of the Western church used to try to westernize other cultures. This was a terrible mistake. What this communicated was, "Your culture is unimportant – you are savages and need to 'be more Western.'" Yes, the gospel brings changes, but it does not obliterate cultures. As missionaries take the gospel into other cultures today, they seek to build bridges and transform culture to renew it and restore it.

But here is the challenge: it is difficult to minister to people who we do not understand. Having them do their thing while we do our thing is easier. When people speak a different language, it makes us feel uncomfortable. When they look different from us, it can make us feel uncomfortable. Those two things are easy to see. But when others are culturally different or politically inferential, that is a more subtle difficulty. Those who are politically different are reading different books and are interested in different social causes. How do we react to them? How do we reach out to them and keep them as part of our body? 

Addressing these questions is the purpose of the upcoming 4th Lausanne Congress in Seoul, South Korea, September 22-28. There, over 10,000 people from many tongues, tribes, and nations, will gather together to discuss the importance of maintaining the unity of the church through diversity. Started in 1974 by Billy Graham, the Lausanne Congress is a reapplication of Acts 6 for the church of today. Together, participants seek to promote evangelism followed by whole-life discipleship of all nations by sharing insights and best practices. It's unlikely that participants will agree on political ideology.

Using this as a passage about party unity and purity would be easy. That would be an interpretive mistake. Luke is not concerned with keeping a political party together as new ideologies come into the party. He is not discussing Republican fractions between the Freedom Caucus, Main Street Caucus, or the Problem Solver Caucus. Luke’s application is not on how to get the Justice Democrats to make nice with the Progressive Insurgents or the Liberal Establishment. 

However, for the Christians in these various Hill-based party factions, there is a message: membership in the body of Christ trumps party affiliation and public policy ideology. For Christians serving and leading in the public square, embracing the diversity of Christ’s body, and seeking to maintain the unity of the church will undoubtedly offer foretastes of the coming kingdom to all who witness this gospel-centered love. What if the Church, and especially those of different parties, sought to maintain unity as an act of missional obedience to Christ rather than showcase to the world that any division you can do, we can do better? As Christians, we more than anyone understand that the us-against-them that matters is us against the Trinity. In that conflict, the Father sent his Son to die for us so that we could be indwelt with His Holy Spirit. 

We should find a way to embrace diversity and see how the church can benefit from uniqueness. Even though it is sometimes uncomfortable, we maintain unity through embracing diversity. Don’t hear me saying that there are no moral absolutes, that sin must not be confronted, and that lives are not changed by the gospel. All of that is true, but as we come into the community of God's people, there is uniqueness, and our culture and personal uniqueness are preserved.

Here, again, is where Satan does his best work. He wants us to see the political differences of other Christians as the litmus test for true membership in the Church. He wants Republicans worshipping in one church and Democrats in another. This accomplishes something very profound – when the church is politically divided, it no longer sings together, prays together, eats together, or weeps together. We lose understanding and appreciation for those different from us because we are no longer around them. Yet, in this passage, we see God bringing differences into the church for His glory and advancing Christ’s mission of making all things new. 

Look at the passage one last time. Specifically in the first and last verses. In both, you see the phrase, “and the disciples were increasing.” This is an intentional literary technique called an inclusio. Basically, it’s a theological messaging sandwich. Luke wants the reader to see that the number of disciples is increasing. In the middle, you have the meat: a test of unity, a response to a difficulty, a decision, and a resolution. Unity was maintained, and the church grew. In John 17, we have the touching and heart-wrenching story of Jesus’s High Priestly Prayer, which he prayed for his disciples. In that prayer, Jesus says, in verse 23, “that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me that they may be perfectly one so that the world may know that you sent me and that you loved them even as you loved me.” 

As Christ prayed, he was praying for Simon the Zealot and Matthew the Tax Collector. He was also praying for quiet and contemplative John and loud and reactionary Peter. Jesus’s prayer was not to “make them all alike” but to make them all one - united, in their diversity, through the gospel.

Application Questions 

What types of differences are the hardest for you to accommodate within the body of Christ? What about outside the body of Christ?

Consider the differences between these two classifications. What do you make of the difference between them? 

How can reflecting upon the gospel help you maintain unity through diversity, even if the person is not a Christian?

• Monday: Morning: 1 Samuel 22: 6-23, Romans 15:14-33, Psalm 38, 39, 40 // Evening: 1 Samuel 23, Luke 8:1-21, Psalm 38, 39, 40
• Tuesday: Morning: 1 Samuel 24, Romans 16, Psalm 44, 45, 46 // Evening: 1 Samuel 25:1-43, Luke 8:22-56, Psalm 44, 45, 46
• Wednesday: Morning: 1 Samuel 26, 1 Corinthians 1:1-25, Psalm 50, 51, 52 // Evening:1 Samuel 28:1-29, Luke 9:1-17, Psalm 50, 51, 52
• Thursday: Morning: 1 Samuel 30, 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:16, Psalm 56, 57, 58// Evening: 2 Samuel 1, Luke 9:18-50, Psalm 56, 57, 58
• Friday: Morning: 2 Samuel 2:1-3:1, 1 Corinthians 3, Psalm 62, 63, 64// Evening: 2 Samuel 3:2-39, Luke 9:51-62, Psalm 62, 63, 64
• Saturday: Morning: 2 Samuel 4-5:12, 1 Corinthians 4:1-17, Psalm 68 // Evening: 2 Samuel 6, Luke 10:1-24, Psalm 68
• Sunday: Morning: Judges 16:4-31, Mark 9:30-50, Psalm 71, 72 // Evening: 2 Samuel 11, Acts 8:26-39, Psalm 71, 72

• Cabinet Agency: The staff of the National Technical Information Service (Commerce), which “provides a variety of information management services to Federal agencies that are looking to collect, classify, coordinate, integrate, record, and catalog scientific, technical, and engineering information products.”
• Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: The advocacy staff of the Data Center Coalition, a “membership association for the data center industry, empowering and championing the data center community through public policy advocacy, thought leadership, stakeholder outreach, and community engagement.”
• Weekly delegation: The congressional delegation of Iowa
• News events: This week, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the appointment of 4 new experts to the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (NAIAC), which advises the President and the White House on a range of issues related to artificial intelligence (AI). The U.S. Department of Labor “announced the award of $90 million in grants to organizations in 44 states and Puerto Rico to provide training and career services and related support services, and work-based learning to help migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents develop skills to pursue careers in agriculture or non-agriculture sectors.”
• Personal requests: For someone contemplating a significant job opportunity. For a couple who want to conceive soon. For a couple considering a “snowflake adoption.” For someone with a terminally ill parent. For someone working on language for a bill. For someone settling in as a new elder at their church. For someone who just started a Master’s program while working full-time.

• Read this first → Hedgehog Review has James Davison Hunter’s latest, The Denial of the Moral as Lived Experience: What became of moral formation in a democratic society?
• Watch/Listen to this first → Creed & Culture recently posted an interview with Dr. Oliver O’Donovan on Democracy and the Legacy of Christendom. 
• The Lausanne Congress has the first of a four-part series on workplace evangelism that is excellent. We will share each one separately over the weeks leading up to and after the 2024 Lausanne Congress.
• Barna has the results of a recent study: Here’s What Happens When You Explain Artificial Intelligence to U.S. Adults.
• First Things has a thought-provoking piece from Carl Trueman on the need for better Christian ethicists. 
• The Pillar has an in-depth interview with the 3rd-party candidates for President from the American Solidarity Party.

• Tuesday, September 10, 9:00 pm ET, ABC News will host and moderate the Presidential Debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. 
• Thursday, September 12, 2:00 - 3:00 pm, The Brookings Institute will host an online discussion on What we learned from the first Harris-Trump presidential debate.
• Thursday, September 12, 5:00 - 6:30 pm, The Hoover Institute in DC hosts Ideas Uncorked: Restoring Public Confidence In Our Elections.
• Friday, September 13, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, Faith & Law’s Friday Lunch Series kicks off the fall with a panel discussion, Religious Liberty and Regulations: Implications of Overturning Chevron.
• Weekdays 12:00 - 1:00 pm, LIVE! CONCERT SERIES ON THE PLAZA at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center’s Wilson Plaza. On stage this week,
• • Mon. 9/9 - Trio Caliente, Flamenco
  • Tues. 9/10 - Desiree Jordan, R&B/Soul
  • Wed. 9/11 - Heat Stroke, Go-Go
  • Thurs. 9/12 - Pebble to Pearl featuring Dari J, Pop
  • Fri. 9/13 - The Joseph Brotherton Quartet, New Orleans Jazz

Drawing on deep theological training and marketplace wisdom, Fr. Sirico focuses on the economic teaching embedded in 13 of the most well-known parables. As the co-founder and president emeritus of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and History, Fr. Sirico’s insights and pastoral application of Christ’s teaching rests on the shoulders of well-established Catholic social and economic teaching advanced most eloquently by Pope John Paul II. Readers will quickly discern that Fr. Sirico is a strong proponent of free and virtuous markets with a deep understanding of Natural Law theory and a classical-liberal appreciation in matters of philosophy.

What I appreciated most in The Economics of the Parables is his pastor’s heart, profound understanding of sin, love of the gospel, and mankind’s role in participation in Christ’s mission of making all things new.
(200 pages, Regnery Gateway, 2022)