tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509807555139145353.post1011925793290885478..comments2008-04-03T17:00:41.138-07:00Irwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13897272823624923315noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509807555139145353.post-53827515161411812842008-04-03T17:00:00.000-07:002008-04-03T17:00:00.000-07:00dbl L,<BR/><BR/>Your question does remind us to take care and not make our personal heart conviction (and calling) prescriptive for all. <BR/><BR/>Paul indeed had a burden for his Jewish brothers and sisters, yet the Lord saw fit to make him the apostle to the Gentiles. He pursued that apostolic calling with a zeal that I pray Christ would grow in me. <BR/><BR/>It's not an either/or, rather it's a both/and. Praise God that he grips our hearts with particular passions and calls that bring glory to Jesus Christ! We can set up a false dichotomy, and that dishonors our Lord. <BR/><BR/>I would also add that whether we consciously go into a mono-ethnic environment or a multi-ethnic environment, it's Jesus who builds the church and ultimately determines what it looks like.<BR/><BR/>dbl IIrwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13897272823624923315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509807555139145353.post-1597648152822533082008-04-02T06:30:00.000-07:002008-04-02T06:30:00.000-07:00hey dbl I. <BR/><BR/>thanks for the encouraging post. How would you advise those of us who believe we have a strong call (cf. Romans 9:1-2) to take the truths of the gospel to our ethnicity and therefore consciously move into and serve in a mainly mono-ethnic environment?<BR/><BR/>Peace<BR/>dbl LPastor Lancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06332221019537547577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509807555139145353.post-43813118063241040282008-03-30T21:19:00.000-07:002008-03-30T21:19:00.000-07:00Hola, Well said Pastor Irwyn. Let us all be purposeful in our pursuit of restoration by working to remove the sterotypes and barriers present in society, our churches, and our hearts. Predjudice is taught - it can be UNtaught through the Gospel. My family and I look forward to the journey ahead as God leads our church down this path.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509807555139145353.post-13757013893832535942008-03-27T14:02:00.000-07:002008-03-27T14:02:00.000-07:00Thanks, Irwyn, for graciously acknowledging that we will make mistakes in this pursuit and for giving us the freedom to try anyway! <BR/><BR/>Looking forward to the summer sermon series!Periwinkle Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09427793027840410808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509807555139145353.post-10418324723698308282008-03-25T14:49:00.000-07:002008-03-25T14:49:00.000-07:00Virgil, Starr & Howard... Amen!!<BR/><BR/>Lionel, feel free to post this on your site. I enjoy your blog as well.<BR/><BR/>IrwynIrwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13897272823624923315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509807555139145353.post-69735271343475396832008-03-25T07:58:00.000-07:002008-03-25T07:58:00.000-07:00Praise God!!!! If possible Sir can I post this on my site? I want to do this one and Pastor's Lance for people to really look at this truth and wrestle through it.<BR/><BR/>In Christ,<BR/><BR/>Lionel WoodsLionelhttp://www.blackandreformedministries.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509807555139145353.post-18827826547672899482008-03-25T06:32:00.000-07:002008-03-25T06:32:00.000-07:00How right you are Irwyn. The Spirit is not hindered by our flesh and its preferences. That is why the most "unlovely" people are so beloved in the churches. We need to keep at it, as He does.Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11611627645467585882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509807555139145353.post-56067800247059184842008-03-25T05:44:00.000-07:002008-03-25T05:44:00.000-07:00A beautiful and realistic account of the state of the church today. Thank you for the reminder and wake-up call to which we should all heed. It will be a "hard" work to accomplish but I pray that many, including the "Jeremiah Wrights" of the world would lend themselves to this commissionStarr Nnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509807555139145353.post-90477923995447280502008-03-24T21:45:00.000-07:002008-03-24T21:45:00.000-07:00Bonjour tout le monde,<BR/>By this all men will know you are my disciples if you:<BR/>a)Have a dynamic, transparent, engaging etc. preacher (It can't hurt but...)<BR/>b)Have a professing Christian president who will stem the tide of immorality (It'd be nice to have a believing president but our struggle isn't against flesh and blood..... or public policy)<BR/>c)Have a large church building complete with gymnasium and coffee bar (It would be convenient but....)<BR/>O.K. we all know what the answer is....or do we? If it truly is by our love for one another that we show ourselves to be Christ's disciples, does it not stand to reason that our lack of demonstrated love for one another casts as shadow on our profession?<BR/> In the states the divide is white and black. Where we live the divide is French and English. You might think that in a place where the believing population is less than 1% my attention would be focused on evangelism. However I would suggest that in a community where 1.the gospel has already gone and 2. where 2 or more believing cultural communities exist, there can be no greater tool for bearing witness to the reality of the resurrection than a truly integrated community of believers be it black/white, French/English, Arab/Israeli etc. It takes intentionality and a mighty work of the Holy Spirit! I think the Spirit is willing, are we?<BR/> Should we bridge the divide? We have no choice.<BR/><BR/>Joyfully laboring in Christ,<BR/>VirgilAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com