Loving Across Cultural Lines
ACTS 2:1-12 NKJV
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one
accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven,
as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they
were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire,
and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men,
from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the
multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone
heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed
and marveled, saying to one another, “ Look, are not all these who
speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own
language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and
Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of
Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and
proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own
tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and
perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”
GENESIS 11:1-9 CEV
At first everyone spoke the same language, but after some of them
moved from the east and settled in Babylonia, they said: Let’s build a
city with a tower that reaches to the sky! We’ll use hard bricks and tar
instead of stone and mortar. We’ll become famous, and we won’t be
scattered all over the world. But when the Lord came down to look at
the city and the tower, he said: These people are working together
because they all speak the same language. This is just the beginning.
Soon they will be able to do anything they want. Come on! Let’s go
down and confuse them by making them speak different languages—
then they won’t be able to understand each other. So the people had
to stop building the city, because the Lord confused their language
and scattered them all over the earth. That’s how the city of Babel got
its name.
Two Cultures:
Earthly Culture and Kingdom Culture
ACTS 2:44 NKJV
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common …
ACTS 4:32 NLT
All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that
what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they
had.
JOHN 13:34-35 NLT
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: LOVE EACH OTHER.
JUST AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, YOU SHOULD LOVE EACH
OTHER. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are
my disciples.”
COLOSSIANS 3:10-14 NLT
Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your
Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you
are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric,
uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all
of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must
clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility,
gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults,
and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave
you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with
love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
How Do I Learn to Love Cross-Culturally?
- Love with a new identity.
“We all tend to identify most with the area where we’ve had our
greatest struggles.”
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-19 NKJV
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have
passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are
of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and
has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in
Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses
to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
GALATIANS 3:26-28 NLT
For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all
who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like
putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or
free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
GALATIANS 2:20 NLT
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the
Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Love with righteousness and justice.
PSALM 89:14 NKJV
Righteousness and justice are the FOUNDATION OF YOUR
THRONE; mercy and truth go before Your face.
PSALM 97:2 NKJV
Clouds and darkness surround Him; RIGHTEOUSNESS and
JUSTICE are the foundation of His throne.
ISAIAH 28:16-17 NLT
Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a
foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a
precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need
never be shaken. I will test you with the measuring line of JUSTICE
and the plumb line of RIGHTEOUSNESS…”
RIGHTEOUSNESS: LIVING RIGHT; deals with conforming to a
moral code of conduct prescribed by the Word of God
JUSTICE: DOING RIGHT; deals with correcting the injustices of
society, defending the poor and marginalized - Love with intentionality.
God’s love is proactive not reactive.
“You can’t allow the immaturity of the world to define how you will act
toward people of other cultures.”