1 Mutuality: What does it mean to be one in Jesus? Galatians 3:26-28 Pastor Joyce Reed Crossroads/La Paz, Mexico/January 29, 2012 This morning we re going to study out of the book of Galatians. This is a letter in the New Testament that Paul wrote to churches in Asia Minor that were established during his first & second missionary journeys. Paul wrote this letter not only to establish his apostolic authority which some Jews were openly challenging but also to say that it was by grace through faith alone that people acquired salvation in Jesus Christ no more legal requirements needed to be followed. Because what was happening is that a group of Jewish Christians believed that certain practices of the Old Testament were still binding on the New Testament church especially circumcision. Therefore, if Gentiles converted to Christianity, these Jews were requiring them to be circumcised before they were fully accepted as true believers of Jesus. Paul reminds them that Christianity is based on belief in Jesus alone, nothing else is required. And in the middle of this letter, he states something so radical, so preposterous, so bizarre that the Jews who first read this letter were mostly shocked and outraged. Turn to Galatians 3:26-28. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (NIV) Another version of the Bible reads like this: All of you are God s children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. (CEV) Now, you and I read those verses and probably think, I don t get it. What s the big deal? Every morning, when a Jewish male woke up, he would recite the following prayer to God: I thank you God that thou hast not made me a Gentile, hast not made me a slave, hast not made me a woman. Paul takes a traditional, daily prayer of the Jewish faith and reverses it. The old distinctions are gone, he says. All of us are made one in Christ.
2 Paul is advocating that not only does circumcision not make a difference between Jews and Gentiles a physical difference but also all the social, economic, educational, gender differences you want to erect between each other don t exist for Christians either. Basically, it s never about us, it s all about Jesus. And Jesus says, In the eyes of God, we re equal. Well, there s a show-stopper. In a culture where women were considered property, where slavery was still practiced, where religious rites were followed to the letter of the law, Paul s words would have seemed outrageous. Paul was stressing a principle of the Christian faith that we still struggle with today: mutuality. Mutuality says that as Christians we are all equals, no one person or group has more power or leverage over another. We are to love each other, respect each other, and to partner with each other in the name and kingdom work of Jesus. Last week we looked at mercy, or compassion, and how that is impacting the future of the church. We learned how the next generation connects with the Gospel at the point of mercy. Our kids and grandkids are disillusioned with the institutional church, but they will engage with Jesus when it comes to acts of mercy. This morning we re going to look at another key area for the future of the church: mutuality. What does it mean to be equal with one another in the name of Jesus? Pastor Zac Niringiye, a leader in the Ugandan Anglican Church says this: Like Jesus we need to open ourselves to people without education, wealth, or contacts, and we must not seek power in order to ensure that ministry is done on our terms. Mutuality requires concessions and intentionality on the parts of all players, and this is especially difficult for the people with a voice and access to power. I have come to the conclusion that the powerful, those at the center, must begin to realize that the future shape of things does not belong to them. The future shape of things is not in Jerusalem, but outside. It is Nazareth. It is Antioch. If you really want to understand the future of Christianity, go and see what is happening in Asia, Africa, Latin America... God very often is working most powerfully far from the center. i
3 Hopefully, the end of that quote just sharply brought into focus what this word mutuality means for you and me today. First, we are in Latin America, one of the places where God is powerfully at work. Second, we are in a city, La Paz, that is far from the center of what are considered the powerful cities in Mexico. La Paz is not considered the center of the universe by many people. Third, we are a multi-cultural congregation. Crossroads Christian Fellowship in La Paz is the perfect microcosm to live out Christian mutuality! How do we, people who are different, model Christ to each other and to the world? How do we do that? 1. Think Upside-Down: Some of you may be familiar with the upside-down map. The point of this map is to give honor to global south countries countries not in North America or Europe. Sometimes called the 2/3rds world countries or majority world, because these countries are full of thriving Christians. It also means that the mission field today has become entirely multi-directional. It used to be that missionaries all came from North America or Europe. But today, ou are as likely to meet a Brazilian missionary in North Africa, as a British missionary in Brazil. Mission today is from everywhere, to everywhere. ii So, for those of us who are Americans, Canadians, or even Chilangos (Mexicans from Mexico City), it means that we have a lot to learn about life and ministry from our fellow pacenos. Just because we come from countries or cities that have more cultural opportunities, advanced technology, reliable public transportation, or schools with better resources, does not make us superior or more right on any given issue. Our perspectives, our ways of doing things are merely another option, and not necessarily the best option. We need to listen, observe, and learn from this part of the world. What is Jesus teaching us in La Paz? Because I can guarantee you that Jesus did not show up in La Paz when we did! God was alive and well in La Paz long before we ever chose to live here. As American Baptists we practice a missiology of partnership. This means that David & I didn t come to La Paz with our own agenda. We were extended an invitation by the Mexican Baptist Churches of Southern Baja to come and minister here, to join in the efforts of what they were already doing. This means that we have a local accountability group, people that we agree to live and listen to, people to reign us back in when we would rather assert our own culture or American way of solving problems.
4 One place this stood out for us is in regards to how our Mexican brothers & sisters start new churches. In the states, what do we do first? We gather data & statistics for a demographic study, we make sure we have enough money in the bank to make a downpayment on a piece of property, we usually have 25-50 people from an established church to seed the new church, we canvass the neighborhood and pass out fliers... all wonderful and usually helpful steps in my culture. In Mexico, however, not so much! We ve seen churches start under tarps, in run-down shacks, under a palapa, with 5 people, with 25 people, on a piece of land, in someone s living room, and almost always with no money in the bank. And it works! All it takes is a passion to share Jesus, and a willingness to meet with people. And after 12 years, I ve learned to appreciate it because it s a lot less complicated! Mutual ministry, mutual missions, is messy and marvelous at the same time. It s hard work. You are continually grappling with your prejudices, your preferences, your personal theology as God invites you to step into something bigger than yourself. That s why I call it upside-down thinking. 2. Second, relationships are more important than money. Mutuality proves especially challenging when money is involved. All too often relationships mimic common wisdom and secular patterns, rather than Biblical standards when we re trying to figure out where money fits in mutuality. Let me give you an example. An Asian pastor came to visit a large church in the U.S. that donated 60% of his mission s budget. He came because he wanted to thank them and to spend time with them. However, when he arrived, all the pastors were on a staff retreat. He then asked to meet with the mission board, but none of them were available to meet with him either. He says, I wanted to pray with them, to share challenges, and wisdom, perhaps a cup of tea. I never intended to take someone s money without also sharing their lives their hopes, needs, questions, and insights. He was not interested in charity, but rather in an exchange. He also said, I will give that money back if it will not be accompanied by a relationship. I can trust God to provide the financial resources another way. iii Mutuality means relationship. It means investing in people s lives. It s not onedirectional giving. At the moment, we have several mission projects that we support as a faith community. Rancho El Camino, The Halfway House for Men & Women leaving prison, and Ciudad de Los Ninos. For those of you who have personally visited these ministries, who have spent time in work projects or the horse ministry at the ranch, who have donated food or assisted with the Christmas program at the orphanage, you visited the Halfway House and met some of the men & women starting new lives, and you know
5 first-hand the joy of getting personally involved. Something changes, something shifts inside you, when you take the extra step to get be personally involved. Yes, money is needed for ministry. It is a resource that allows much ministry to take place. And God calls us to be generous with our financial resources. But money is never more important than the people we minister to. Relationship building is key to Christian mutuality. 3. Follow the One Another Plan. Mutuality means that priorities and concerns are for the greater good of each member of the body of Christ. And Scripture gives us nine wonderful principles of how to respond to each other, how to take care of each other, so that we can practice how to set aside our differences. iv And these are all verses that use the phrase one another. a. Love One Another (John 13:34) b. Pray for One Another (James 5:16) c. Forbear One Another (Ephesians 4:2) d. Forgive One Another (Colossians 3:13) e. Be Kind to One Another (Ephesians 4:32) f. Admonish One Another (Romans 15:14) g. Bear One Another s Burdens (Galatians 6:2) h. Edify One Another (I Thessalonians 5:11) i. Comfort One Another (I Thessalonians 4:18) So when we choose to practice Christian mutuality, we are going to: 1. Think Upside Down. 2. Realize that Relationships Take Priority Over Money. 3. Follow the One Another Plan. Because, as the Apostle Paul would say to us: It s not about being Jew or Gentile, Baptist or Methodist, Presbyterian or Anglican, Protestant or Catholic. It s not about being slave or free, African or Chinese, Canadian or Japanese, American or Greek, Mexican or Russian. It s not about being male or female, young or old, educated or uneducated, poor or rich. For we are all one in Christ Jesus. Faith in Jesus is what makes each of us equal with each other. Put on Christ the same way you put on new clothes. It s a new look. It s a new set of attitudes and behavior.
6 We are all in common relationship with Jesus Christ. We are a family. Look around at the people in this room for a minute. How you are alike, how you are different. Think about family, friends, and even strangers in other churches where you have worshipped, or where you attend when you re not in La Paz. Ponder the Christians meeting for worship today in many other parts of the world. With all those people, you are one in Christ. What your Christian brother or sister is doing in Lebanon is just as important as what you are doing here in La Paz. What your Christian sister or brother is doing in Lima, is just as important as what you are doing here in La Paz. What your Christian brother of sister is doing in Oaxaca, is just as important as what you are doing here in La Paz. We are all connected together in the name of Jesus. We are called to love and serve Jesus to the best of our ability, networking with each other when the need or opportunity arises. So where is God calling you to practice mutuality in your Christian life? Where are you struggling with someone who looks different than you, perhaps theologizes differently than you, has political viewpoints different than you, is from a culture different than yours, but this person is still a Christian. Is someone faithfully striving to serve Jesus. Is someone that is part of your Christian family despite all your differences. How is God calling you to love this person? To pray for this person? To bear this person s burdens? To forgive this person? Mutuality is messy and marvelous all at the same time. It s not easy. And like the Jewish Christians in Galatia, sometimes we too need to be reminded that it is by grace through faith alone that we receive salvation in Jesus Christ. Grace, the free gift of God for all persons. Let s pray. i The Meeting of the Waters: 7 Global Currents that will Propel the Future Church, by Fritz Kling. Kindle Version. ii Ibid. iii Ibid. iv God s One Another Plan a sermon by Rodelio Mallari from sermoncentral.com