{"id":283904,"date":"2024-07-22T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T08:46:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/unity-in-diversity-in-the-church-rechab-brittany-gray\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T17:14:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T21:14:57","slug":"unity-in-diversity-in-the-church-rechab-brittany-gray","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/unity-in-diversity-in-the-church-rechab-brittany-gray\/","title":{"rendered":"Unity in Diversity in the Church: Rechab &#038; Brittany Gray"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Rechab Gray is no stranger to racial prejudice. But loving the church, he and his wife, Brittany, offer tangible ideas to embrace diversity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rechab Gray is no stranger to racial prejudice. But loving the church, he and his wife, Brittany, offer tangible ideas to embrace diversity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47000,"featured_media":280865,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/traffic.omny.fm\/d\/clips\/cbd16f10-ac60-4f09-b4df-b15400ce35aa\/33aaac7e-3581-4e21-a3df-b154011ba58c\/11a27fe1-d210-473e-b278-b1a8011480e4\/audio.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:31:57","filesize":"29.29M","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"2024-07-22 08:00:00","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2867],"tags":[2716],"podcast_series":[8778],"cwp_profile":[9810],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-283904","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-involvement","tag-unity-in-diversity","podcast_series-unity-in-diversity-in-the-church-rechab-brittany-gray","cwp_profile-rechab-gray","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/06\/image-scaled.jpg?w=1024","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/283904\/unity-in-diversity-in-the-church-rechab-brittany-gray","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/283904\/unity-in-diversity-in-the-church-rechab-brittany-gray","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"vsK6qgtXN4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/unity-in-diversity-in-the-church-rechab-brittany-gray\/\">Unity in Diversity in the Church: Rechab &#038; Brittany Gray<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/unity-in-diversity-in-the-church-rechab-brittany-gray\/embed\/#?secret=vsK6qgtXN4\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Unity in Diversity in the Church: Rechab &#038; Brittany Gray&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"vsK6qgtXN4\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/06\/image-scaled.jpg",1024,1024,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Margaret","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/margaret-coylefamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Rechab Gray is no stranger to racial prejudice. But loving the church, he and his wife, Brittany, offer tangible ideas to embrace diversity.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"<ul>\n<li>Find Rechab on other episodes on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/guest\/rechab-gray\/\">FamilyLife Podcast Network<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Catch more of R<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cp5Kd9wsHzV\/\">echab's thoughts on Insta<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Check out his article on TGC\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegospelcoalition.org\/article\/grandma-help-better-christian\/\">How My Grandma Can Help You Be a Better Christian<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>This week, for a donation of any size, we'll send you\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/donate.familylife.com\/july-2024\/purposefooled\/?cru_source=FLTD24&amp;cru_medium=Icare&amp;cru_campaign=July2024\">Purposefooled: Why Chasing Your Dreams, Finding Your Calling<\/a>, as our way of saying a huge \"\"Thank you!\"\" for partnering with us toward stronger families around the world.<\/li>\n<li>Find resources from this podcast at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/product-category\/radio-resources\/\">shop.familylife.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/product-category\/past-radio-resources\/\">See resources from our past podcasts.<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Find more content and resources on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/app\/\">FamilyLife's app<\/a>!<\/li>\n<li>Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303\">Apple Podcast<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm?si=d6dfa8d2415f4750\">Spotify<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/familylife-podcast-network\/\">FamilyLife Podcast Network<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2024-07-22.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>FamilyLife Today\u00ae National Radio Version (time edited) Transcript<\/p>\n<p>References to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete.<\/p>\n<p>Unity in Diversity in the Church<\/p>\n<p>Guests:Rechab and Brittany Gray<\/p>\n<p>From the series:Unity in Diversity in the Church (Day 1 of 3)<\/p>\n<p>Air date:July 22, 2024<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: The reality is that the kingdom of God is here and now, and it\u2019s not yet. But the here and now aspect of the kingdom of God means, as Jesus prayed, that we should be asking the Lord for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. [Matthew 6:10] Not simply \u201cLet Your kingdom come, Your will be done in heaven when we get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It feels like we understand that when it comes to all the other parts of our sanctification, but when it comes to the issue of diversity, we think, \u201cWe\u2019ll wait until we get there. We\u2019ll see it when it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shelby: Welcome to FamilyLife Today, where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most. I\u2019m Shelby Abbott, and your hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson. You can find us at FamilyLifeToday.com.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: This is FamilyLife Today!<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Rechab and Brittany Gray are with us today, Pastor of New Creation Fellowship here in Orlando.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: We\u2019ve had you guys on before, and we love being with you.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: We have been, yes. We enjoyed it.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: We\u2019ll just keep having you on, because you\u2019re right down the road from us.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes, we are close.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Yes, we are very close by.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Today, you are going to lead us. We are talking about\u2014it could go a couple different ways, but one of the things we found out the last time Rechab was here is that this guy memorizes the Bible.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Books! Books of the Bible.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Not verses; many verses.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Many books.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: As I was thinking about it, I thought, \u201cLet\u2019s talk about Ephesians 3 and diversity.\u201d I was going to say, \u201cGet your Bible out, so we can read it,\u201d but [I thought], \u201cHe doesn\u2019t need a Bible!\u201d [Laughter] He could just quote it for us, and we can talk about it.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Brittany, are you used to this now, that he just quotes books of the Bible?<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Yes. I like to challenge him sometimes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: You do?<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Sometimes, I say, if I hear a Scripture, \u201cWhere\u2019s that at? Why don\u2019t you give me that whole chapter.\u201d And he can do it.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Really?<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Yes, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: So, are we going to have him do Ephesians 3:14?<\/p>\n<p>Dave: I don\u2019t know. You tell me. This obviously is a passion point for you guys, the theology of diversity.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Explain what that means.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: The depth of it for us is personal and theological. Personally, my pop was in the military. I grew up moving around a whole bunch. So, true story, I just saw some stuff growing up: the danger in being a black dude in different pockets that we were in. To be a hundred percent honest, the demographic I was the most afraid of were older, white dudes.<\/p>\n<p>I definitely knew, growing up, that would never be anything that I would ever pursue. And then, God was hilarious enough to give me two mentors who were older, white dudes. [Laughter] What\u2019s funny about it was, I\u2019m in Philly when these brothers come into my life; I\u2019m in North Philly, and we\u2019re living in West Philly. This is as black as black gets in America.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Really?<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: And it\u2019s like God said, \u201cThis brother and this brother are going to be the primary dudes to pour into you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I share that to say, it was super persona,l coming to an understanding of God\u2019s heart for diversity. But also, not from the standpoint of \u201clittle tag texts,\u201d which we all\u2014which is fine. We\u2019ll go to Revelation 7, \u201call nations, tribes, tongues, and languages\u201d standing around the throne of God\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014yes\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: \u2014crying out, \u201cSalvation belongs to our God.\u201d [Revelation 7:10] That\u2019s a passage that many of us will use, which is beautiful and awesome.<\/p>\n<p>But what it can feel like is that heaven\u2019s portrait is disconnected from earth\u2019s reality. It\u2019s something we are waiting for, not something we\u2019ve entered into. But the reality is that the kingdom of God is here and now, and it\u2019s not yet. But the \u201chere and now\u201d aspect of the kingdom of God means, as Jesus prayed, we should be asking the Lord for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven; not simply, \u201cLet Your kingdom come, Your will be done in heaven\u201d when we get there.<\/p>\n<p>It feels like we understand that when it comes to all the other parts of our sanctification, but when it comes to the issue of diversity, we think, \u201cWe\u2019ll wait until we get there. We\u2019ll see it when it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It has been God\u2019s bleeding heart throughout the entirety of Scripture. It just so happens that every culture, not just American culture, just refuses to accept that in our flesh. But what happens when the Spirit takes over? The Lord God Almighty starts to do a different kind of work. You start to see what\u2019s always been in Scripture.<\/p>\n<p>We were just talking this morning about Ruth, the Moabitess, in the line of David; Zipporah and Moses; Rahab, the prostitute. All of these non-Jewish people in the line of the Messiah intentionally, because God was saying from the rip, \u201cI\u2019ve got a plan that\u2019s bigger than one nation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Hmmm.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: I came across Ephesians, and like I shared some time ago, I was challenged by a brother to memorize 1 John and, then, I got to Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 3 hit me different, though, because the prayer in Ephesians, Chapter 3 comes after all this amazing theology.<\/p>\n<p>Chapter 1 is: \u201cThis salvation is crazy!\u201d He says\u2014and I love the language; He says\u2014\u201cThe plan is for the fullness of time is to unite all things in Christ. [Ephesians 1:10] This plan is for unity, for shalom, for all things under the title page: \u201cJesus.\u201d That\u2019s the whole plan.<\/p>\n<p>The end of Chapter 1: \u201cI pray that you would have an understanding of your being grafted into the plan.\u201d [Ephesians 1:15-16, Paraphrased]<\/p>\n<p>Ann: This is what Paul is saying?<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: This is what Paul is saying. Chapter 2, \u201cYou don\u2019t deserve to be in that plan, though. You were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked following the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.\u201d [Ephesians 2:1-2]<\/p>\n<p>And then, he goes on to say, \u201cBut God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loves . . .\u201d [Ephesians 1:4] You don\u2019t deserve it because you\u2019re evil; but not only that, I\u2019m talking to Gentiles. You don\u2019t deserve it because of your ethnicity. It\u2019s not only your morality, it\u2019s also your ethnicity.<\/p>\n<p>He says, \u201cRemember, at that time, you were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope.\u201d As Gentiles, we don\u2019t think of that. But being outside of the Jewish promise, we have no hope and [we are] without God in this world. \u201cBut now, in Christ Jesus, you who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.\u201d [Ephesians 2:11-13]<\/p>\n<p>He goes on to say we are one, and we are now the temple. We don\u2019t get access to the temple. We are the temple. [Ephesians 2:21-22, Paraphrased]<\/p>\n<p>Ann: We are the temple!<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: That is crazy!<\/p>\n<p>What does Paul do? He loses his mind, like we are right now. [Laughter] I always say, at that point and time, if you are in a black church, we are going to pull out the hymns, and there are going to be three organs. [There\u2019s] going to be shouting in that joint, because that is a crazy reality.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Good news.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Sheesh, Paul! So, Paul loses his mind while he is writing, and then, in the middle of that, he drops his prayer: \u201cFor this reason I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named that, according to the riches of His glory, He may grant you to be strengthened with power by the Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, length, height, and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.\u201d [Ephesians 3:14-19]<\/p>\n<p>And then we get the part we like: \u201cNow to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we can ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.\u201d [Ephesians 3:20-21]<\/p>\n<p>Why do we have that doxology? It\u2019s from that prayer. Where is that prayer coming from? It\u2019s coming from Paul pondering what he just said.<\/p>\n<p>I love, in 1 Peter, where it says, \u201cThe prophets wrote, and they searched and inquired carefully about what they themselves wrote. [1 Peter 1:10, Paraphrased]<\/p>\n<p>God is revealing things so that they don\u2019t even know what they are talking about. [Laughter] And Paul is literally\u2014we get to see in real time\u2014writing such amazing truths that he loses his mind in the middle of it and says, \u201cDo you see and hear what I am saying to you?!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s deep about [it] that puts it all together\u2014literally, the whole Bible together\u2014is this salvific work to unite all things in Christ is fully portrayed through the snapshot of the Church.<\/p>\n<p>He says right before that, \u201cThe manifold wisdom of God is made known through the Church.\u201d [Ephesians 3:10] Manifold means \u201cmultifaceted or multi-dimensional.\u201d Think about what I just said, though: \u201cthe breadth, width, height, and depth.\u201d That\u2019s geometrical language\u2014multi-dimensional. So, it all got summed up in this one statement. What Paul is saying is that it requires a multi-dimensional, multifaceted, manifold people to understand and display God\u2019s multi-dimensional, multifaceted, manifold love.<\/p>\n<p>Dave and Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: When you realize that we need all the saints to be able to understand and display God\u2019s multifaceted love, it takes diversity from being a novelty to being a necessity. It\u2019s no longer just a fad that we can jump into when it\u2019s dope in culture. It becomes something that we have to pursue for the rest of our lives until, ultimately, we see Jesus in glory, and it\u2019s all perfectly fulfilled in that moment.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: As you say that, I am super-inspired. What you are saying is, \u201cNo, we need to pursue this!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Go after it.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: We need to go after it. It\u2019s not just something where we say, \u201cOh, whatever.\u201d You\u2019re saying this is really important to everyone\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: \u2014yes, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014who is listening; to all of us, as believers. Why?<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Because our sanctification is at hand. Paul is literally saying, \u201cThat we might know along with all the saints\u201d\u2014he just got done telling you which saints\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014all of them, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: \u2014not just Jews, not just Gentiles, everybody.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: So, if that\u2019s the case, my understanding of the salvific work of God in my own life is at a detriment when I am only in an echo chamber with my own culture.<\/p>\n<p>I need my\u2014can I just talk? I need my white, stoic, pondering brothers and sisters who are quiet and sit with the text and just contemplate; my contemplaters. I need them to understand my salvific work, because Christ has not only saved my heart, but my mind. I need someone who knows how to contemplate the salvific work of Christ in order to be able to understand it and explain it.<\/p>\n<p>I need my Latino, _entecostal brothers and sisters to show me how to use my body to express my gratitude for what He has done. Without that, I am not living into the Psalms.<\/p>\n<p>I need my brilliant, black preachers who know how to tie in the story\u2014they say all the time, especially in the black Baptist church: \u201cTell the story, Doc. Tell the story; tell the story.\u201d I need someone to help me see the whole narrative of Scripture and how I fit into a story. Nobody does that like the black Baptist preacher in the black Baptist church.<\/p>\n<p>And that is just scratching the surface.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: I haven\u2019t even talked about my Korean brothers and sisters who help me to see ecclesiology from a different landscape.<\/p>\n<p>I haven\u2019t talked about my Native American brothers and sisters and my Indigenous brothers and sisters around the world who help us to see how Paul says it\u2019s true that \u201call creation groans and waits.\u201d [Romans 8] This isn\u2019t just about humanity, but even the cosmos\u2014the land itself\u2014is waiting for the redemption of the sons of God; because when our redemption comes at the return of Christ, not only do we get made-over bodies, but the whole cosmos is getting a makeover. I need my Native American and Indigenous brothers and sisters to help me see that.<\/p>\n<p>I could go on and go on and on with different cultures. And that\u2019s just cultures! I didn\u2019t even talk about individuals. You see how exciting it gets?<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Now it\u2019s, \u201cYo, man, I want to talk to this person just because they\u2019re different.\u201d Because I know them, redeemed, is going to give me an angle on the grace of God that I did not have in my own culture and my own individual person. Now, I need you to better understand this salvation I\u2019ve been brought into. That\u2019s why it\u2019s a necessity.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Ah, you know me. This lights me up! Probably because we\u2019ve traveled the world a little bit more. I remember, one day, being at Jesus\u2019 tomb in Israel, and you have all these pockets of people all over this garden, and they are all singing in different languages. This is the part of me that wants to go into each group. I want to hear what they are saying. I want to experience their part of it, because we learn so much more from our brothers and sisters\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: \u2014yes\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014from their history and from their pain. It strengthens us. It encourages our heart as we hear them. That\u2019s a little piece of heaven to me, when we are all together, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Come on.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: It\u2019s beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Yes, it is.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: God sees it as beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: But\u2014I don\u2019t want to throw a cloud on this thing, but [Laughter] there\u2019s the other side, where there are people who don\u2019t have that perspective.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: I know.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: They don\u2019t want that perspective. They think, \u201cI like my group. You keep your group over there.\u201d We are different in so many ways, not just the color of our skin; it\u2019s our history and everything.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: The way we worship.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: The way we worship. How? We know the \u201cwhy,\u201d but how do we do it? Because we aren\u2019t doing a very good job at it.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: I think the number one thing\u2014we talk about this a lot, and it seems so simple what God calls us to, but it\u2019s so profound\u2014really is love. Love expresses itself in humility.<\/p>\n<p>We see that so clearly in Paul\u2019s words to the church in Philippi. He says, \u201cIf there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy\u2014\u201d [Philippians 2:1] Wouldn\u2019t it be a more joyful church if we had this?<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Oh, yeah.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: \u201cComplete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being of full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others as more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look out not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. And have this mind among yourselves\u201d\u2014that\u2019s where we find the end of that \u201cwhich is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTherefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.\u201d [Philippians 2:1-11]<\/p>\n<p>The \u201chow\u201d is embedded in humility.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Let me ask you Brittany, because one of the things I think we can do is start in our family, with our own kids, in the way that we talk about this and desire it.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Come on.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: How have you guys done this? What can that look like?<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: That\u2019s a good question. I think it bleeds through both of us. We\u2019ve always had a love for other cultures and languages, specifically for me. That\u2019s literally\u2014it\u2019s ironic\u2014[for] our toddlers right now, most of their friends speak other languages.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Do they?<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes, that\u2019s legit.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Because the church my husband has started is a multi-cultural church. We have Haitians, Spanish\u2014multiple languages spoken.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: It was really funny when our son was going through speech therapy. I said, \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have anybody to talk to because they all speak different languages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: \u201cThey\u2019re all learning from each other right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: That\u2019s real.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: The languages start from friendships; friendships with other families; being joined together with people of different cultures which is challenging to even find. I don\u2019t think I would have ever said, \u201cLord, send us someone who is Haitian,\u201d but He did. We just had our hands open, and God brought friends from all different cultures to live life with us.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Oh, that\u2019s so good!<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Is that how you started the church? A lot of churches are not multi-cultural. They\u2019re white, they\u2019re black, they\u2019re\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014and that\u2019s important to you guys.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Pastor Ike\u2014I\u2019ve been with him since Philly\u2014really wanted to emphasize this idea of perfect unity. Jesus prays for perfect unity in John 17. The theology of it is tied with the concept of shalom in the Old Testament: perfect unity, peace, eir\u1e17n\u0113 in Greek; all the same concept.<\/p>\n<p>When we think of peace, we think of the absence of beef. \u201cMe and you ain\u2019t got no problems anymore. There\u2019s peace now.\u201d But that is not how the Jewish community lived at peace. Peace was not the absence of something, but the presence of something. Peace is harmony, when everything\u2019s working right.<\/p>\n<p>We talk in sports, when the Golden State Warriors had Kevin Durant. The ball just moves from player to player, and you don\u2019t know who is going to shoot the three because it\u2019s like the ball is on a string. Each part\u2014Paul\u2019s language\u2014is working properly.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s shalom, that\u2019s eir\u1e17n\u0113; that\u2019s peace. You see the deficit when each part is not working properly. What happens when one culture says, \u201cWe are the part. We\u2019re the only part necessary?\u201d You\u2019re still working from a deficit, but you don\u2019t know it. Now, you\u2019ve created a new kind of culture that is okay with not having all the parts.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the danger. What Pastor Ike was so serious about was not simply us saying, \u201cHey, let\u2019s get together--white people and black people, and let\u2019s sing some songs together.\u201d Rather, let\u2019s first understand God\u2019s theology around this.<\/p>\n<p>He has three different pillars. It begins with the nature of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They, in and of themselves, are perfect unity, because they are a community of persons in right relationship with one another.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Think about it. The Muslim god cannot brag like that, because the Muslim god is one being and one person. But our God is a community in His essence. So, we don\u2019t have to look at a god who had to create in order to have something to love. Within Himself, He is love, because there are multiple persons within Him.<\/p>\n<p>So, out of the overflow of that, He creates, not in order to have something to love. Every other god has to create something outside of himself in order to love something, but our God can literally say\u2014He\u2019s the only one who can: \u201dI am love. I am love in its essence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, then, if that is the case\u2014if that\u2019s the nature of God\u2014what should the people of God look like? A community of persons in right relationship. We should look like perfect unity. Diversity shouldn\u2019t scare us, but it should be something that is honored. As the Father honors the Son and the Son honors the Spirit, so we should also honor one another as individuals, but also as different cultures.<\/p>\n<p>I love looking at the Trinity. It\u2019s almost like the Father is like, \u201cYo! It\u2019s all about my Son! This is my Son, in whom I\u2019m well-pleased.\u201d The Son is like, \u201cYeah, I don\u2019t do nothing outside of my Father. Oh, and by the way, you can blaspheme Me, but don\u2019t you dare blaspheme the Holy Spirit.\u201d And the Holy Spirit is sent to just glorify Jesus!<\/p>\n<p>So, who is seeking their own glory? Neither one. But when it comes to our cultures, we seek our own glory. We believe we are the right ones: \u201cWe have it together. It\u2019s all about us.\u201d We get echo chambers, We say, \u201cWe do worship the right way. We do preaching the right way. We do theology the right way.\u201d It\u2019s so antithetical, not just to what the Bible teaches us, but to what the Bible is about: namely, the Person and nature of our God Almighty.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when it moves from a novelty, a little fad. Right now, it\u2019s cool to talk about diversity, \u201cAh, that\u2019s cool.\u201d But what happens when it\u2019s not cool anymore?<\/p>\n<p>Dave and Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: How do you stick in the game then? It\u2019s not going to be, \u201cYo! Teach me how to cook chicken like you do.\u201d That ain\u2019t enough. [Laughter] No, you need deeply-embedded theology about this. That\u2019s the only thing that\u2019s going to keep the fire going, that the Spirit of God dictated that this would be shown and revealed to us as the heart of God, so that we could pursue this with the rest of our lives.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: So good.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Because this is who God is!<\/p>\n<p>Shelby: I love how Rechab and Brittany model humility. You can probably sense that in their time with the Wilsons. In fact, I\u2019ve known Rechab for several years now, and I can say that he\u2019s the real deal: exalting Christ above all in his \u201cbigger conversations,\u201d along with the fun little side conversations that I\u2019ve had with him. He loves Jesus, and it\u2019s just so obvious. It spills out from him. Great stuff today from the Wilsons and the Grays.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m Shelby Abbott, and you\u2019ve been listening to Dave and Ann Wilson with Rechab and Brittany Gray on FamilyLife Today. If you enjoyed this conversation and were challenged by it, I recommend that you talk about it around your dinner table tonight. Engage in that conversation with your family. Ask good questions, and see where the conversation leads.dLater on this week, we are going to be talking with Kelly and Jimmy Needham. Kelly has written a book called Purposefooled. Here\u2019s the subtitle\u2014get this: Why Chasing Your Dreams, Finding Your Calling, and Reaching for Greatness Will Never Be Enough.<\/p>\n<p>That is provocative, and I\u2019m excited to hear that conversation coming up on Thursday. Make sure you tune in for that.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly\u2019s book\u2014it\u2019s called Purposefooled\u2014is going to be our gift to you when you give to the ministry of FamilyLife\u00ae. You can get your copy right now with any donation that you make. Just go online to FamilyLifeToday.com and click on the \u201cDonate Now\u201d button at the top of the page. Or you can give us a call with your donation at 800-358-6329; again, that number is 800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in\u2014you guessed it\u2014life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And feel free to drop us a donation in the mail if you\u2019d like. Our address is:<\/p>\n<p>FamilyLife<\/p>\n<p>100 Lake Hart Drive<\/p>\n<p>Orlando, FL 32832<\/p>\n<p>Now, I\u2019m excited because Rechab and Brittany are coming back tomorrow to talk with the Wilsons. They are going to talk about the transformative power of hospitality and give you some practical insights and challenges in order to make that happen in your life, with your family. That\u2019s coming up tomorrow. We hope you\u2019ll join us.<\/p>\n<p>On behalf of Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Shelby Abbott. We will see you back next time for another edition of FamilyLife Today.<\/p>\n<p>FamilyLife Today is a donor-supported production of FamilyLife\u00ae, a Cru\u00ae Ministry.<\/p>\n<p>Helping you pursue the relationships that matter most.<\/p>\n<p>We are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider donating today to help defray the costs?<\/p>\n<p>Copyright \u00a9 2024 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<p>www.FamilyLife<\/p>\n","theme_header_position":"Sticky","post_header_is_sticky":"default","is_header_overlay":"0"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/283904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47000"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283904"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=283904"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=283904"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=283904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}