Unity Fuels Evangelism

Have you ever heard the statement, “We shouldn’t be so focused on developing genuine multiethnic unity within our church but should instead focus on evangelism.”  The belief often suggests that efforts to build multiethnic unity compete directly with evangelism and bringing new people into a relationship with Christ.

However, one of the most significant barriers to evangelism is that the world perceives the Gospel as irrelevant.  They observe our lives and often don’t see God actively at work, powerfully changing us.  In John 13:35, Jesus, in a prayer for unity, declares, “By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Indeed, when multiethnic unity flourishes within the Church, it becomes a powerful witness to the world, drawing people closer to God.

Despite Jesus instructing His disciples to spread the Gospel worldwide, they initially remained in Jerusalem.  However, persecution following Stephen’s martyrdom, caused Jesus’ followers to scatter, traveling to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch.  Everywhere they went, they shared about Jesus, but initially they focused only on Jewish communities.  Yet, a notable exception emerged in Acts 11, where men from Cyprus and Cyrene also spoke to Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.  This led to the formation of the first multicultural church, planted in Antioch.  Acts 13:1 highlights the diverse leadership team that sent out Paul and Barnabus. This team included Barnabus, a Jewish Cypriot; Simeon called Niger, meaning “dark or black”; Lucius of Cyrene, from North Africa; Manaen, a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul, a former Jewish Pharisee.

Three times, from verse 21 to verse 26, Acts describes a “great number” and “great many”, believers being added to the Lord.  I believe there is a direct connection between this multiethnic body of believers and the significant number of converts.  In the first century, seeing people from different ethnic groups unite was truly unusual.  That unity alone was a powerful sign that God was at work in this fellowship of Jesus’ followers, leading to a magnified response to their message.

If we aspire to be credible witnesses to our community, we must understand that our message begins not with evangelism alone but with the unity we cultivate within our walls.  It is not about elevating multiethnic oneness over the Gospel but recognizing that the two are inextricably linked.

I celebrate that my congregation values a gospel of both multiethnic unity and evangelism, reflecting a holistic approach to faith.