Watch a video of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, and you’ll be struck by the charm and grace with which they performed. It’s easy to assume that the four musicians were simply born with the skills they displayed. But in his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that what made the Beatles a hit with fans was lots of hard work. Before that celebrated performance, the band had done nearly 1,200 shows—practice that prepared them for greatness.
The early church worked hard to protect and encourage diversity, leading to some great results. Already on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:7-12), the believers in Jesus enjoyed differences in language, geography, socioeconomic class, and race. The diversity—a work of the Holy Spirit—can be clearly seen throughout the book of Acts.
But unity amid diversity doesn’t come easily. In Acts 6, when a conflict arises about how the widows of different cultural backgrounds were being treated, the apostles didn’t sit on their hands and wait to see if things would work themselves out. No, they did nothing less than create a completely new level of leadership for the church, filling it with seven respected men “full of the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:2-4). In Acts 15, “the apostles and elders met together”—the Council of Jerusalem—to make sure that Gentile Christians were not discouraged in their faith (Acts 15:6). Diversity might have been a gift of the Spirit, but they worked hard to cultivate that gift.
We all want diversity in our churches and in our relationships, for it reflects how God loves all people and calls us to form a new family—the body of Christ. But I have to remind myself regularly that even though diversity is a gift of God to be celebrated, it’s also one to be cultivated. May the Holy Spirit help us do that well.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 2 Samuel 18:1-18
More:
Read Acts 8:26-40 to see another example of how the Holy Spirit worked through a leader to grow diversity in the early church.
Next:
Do your relationships reflect the beautiful diversity of the early church? What can you do to promote and protect diversity among believers in Jesus today?
Gary Shultz on April 10, 2017 at 5:51 am
Hi Peter: It would seem to me that if there is any where that people should be treated with respect and equality it would be the church. Thankfully many times it does does sometimes it doesn’t. There is not one person who can stand up and say that they had something to do with how, when, where, why and so forth they were born. As Christians, we if any body, should understand diversity has been planned by God. Our lives are a gift from God and He has made us to be His in any place, from any nationality, or ethnic background. If your breathing air, God loves you. If God loves you, His children, we would expect, should be doing the same. I find choices make the bigger difference, the things people chose or do not chose to do or be. Today choices are many, and many are crazy things people do with and to there lives, but if there still breathing, God loves them. Great diversity with unity speaks of great love. Thanks Peter
sandy229 on April 10, 2017 at 10:45 am
People should be treated with respect Gary, you are right, so we shouldn’t participate in or encourage foolish and stupid arguments that lead to conflict rather than peace. Instead we should calm troubled waters. Thank you Peter for this lesson about how to love and treat others.
Gary Shultz on April 10, 2017 at 5:54 am
Note to those who maintain the site. It is very difficult to get to the site (ODJ) and work with it. Thank you, just letting you know.
Tom Felten on April 10, 2017 at 8:20 am
Gary, we’re very sorry for the challenges you and others have been having in trying to post comments to the website. Our Web team is working on the issues and hope to have them resolved soon. Thanks for your patience!
sandy229 on April 10, 2017 at 10:38 am
The early church learned quickly that their prayer had to be continuous because spiritual warfare is continuous. It became their first priority because Satan sought their defeat as his first priority. Thus, their earliest recorded administrative decision after Pentecost places ministry of prayer(with the Word) as highest in importance.
As the church grew, circumstances required more of the apostles’ time. But realizing they needed more prayer, rather than increased activity, the apostles chose seven men to serve as deacons to care for the church. This freed them to focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word. Of the two, prayer, rightfully , is listed first. Faithfulness to prayer recurs throughout Scripture. Paul would later tell the church at Rome to “love each other with genuine affection….keep on praying”
minkjh on April 10, 2017 at 11:07 pm
Some interesting takeaways here, Peter. The Great Commission beckons diversity, and the outward movement from the day of Pentecost forward gives impetus to that mandate. Historically, the church has struggled with accepting other believers because of racial, ethnic, or social differences. Yet despite our issues, we still have God and the Gospel to place us back on the course that unifies the body of Christ. The greater danger today lies not so much with our internal struggles, but with those who champion a different flavor of diversity, one with no God and no Gospel. A quick trip around the globe will answer the question ‘how’s that working out?’