11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
There are no racial, ethnic, religious, economic, or class distinctions in the Body of believers. I like churches that look like Baskin Robins, 31 flavors all in one place. But there are not many of them around. Most have one or two flavors. There are many reasons for this, some economic, some sociopolitical, some personality driven, and some culturally shaped. But the reality of eternity is that all those manmade boundaries don’t actually exist from an eternal perspective. We are all one, united and free to be so. We feel no pressure to pull together because we are together. We feel no pressure to push apart because we are all an intimately connected family. We are one. I have had some marvelous experiences in churches that worked at being open to this type of openness. Some were successful, but not without resistance. You can’t get the stupid out of humanity! Some great, God-loving individuals can still have problems based on their own issues. Even when they know the truth their gut gets them in trouble. Years of prejudice can be hard to undo in a moment’s time. I think of the woman robbed at gunpoint by someone of another race. That woman could have difficulty with others of that race for a time. That would be natural. It is self-preservation. God wired us to learn from experiences. But the Spirit can wire us as well. We can have Him work in our hearts and minds and change us, but we must be willing to accept those changes. I don’t know what your experiences in life have been. I don’t know the pain you have been through that center around racial, ethnic, religious, economic, or class, but I do know that the Lord wants to bring you beyond those experiences. Someday, in eternity, those barriers will not exist. They don’t need to exist today.
The Arnold Journey 