Undivided Group Curriculum Introduction
At Grace Alive we recently began our Justice for All series focused on the book of Amos. Justice is rooted in the nature of God but as his people there are implications for our lives. As we see what God has to say from Scripture about justice we are focusing on some strategic initiatives and partnerships as a church. When we started the Go Bold campaign, a two-year discipleship journey, we challenged ourselves to put faith in a mighty God. We are seeking to Go Bold not only in our faith but in our engagement of our neighbors, nations, and generations. As part of Justice for All we are focusing on our neighbors, by seeking to serve those who have been oppressed or exploited economically, sexually, and racially. As part of the racial justice initiative we will be starting an exciting study this week in our community groups called Undivided More than a Hashtag. I personally want to encourage everyone to take part in this study and the unique opportunity we have as Christians and members of a multiethnic church to pursue racial reconciliation.
If you have been around Grace Alive you have likely heard someone say, “growth happens in groups”. This simple truth is essential to all we do as a church. The New Testament knows nothing of Christians that follow Jesus individually. Instead it reveals that our reconciled relationship with Christ puts us in direct contact and community with others (Eph. 2:14-16; 1 Jn. 1:5-7). As we walk in Christ and others walk in him, we walk alongside each other. This is why the church devoted itself to gathering together, praying, and hearing the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42). Other believers are called to walk alongside us, encourage us, bear burdens with us, disciple us, and many other tasks. This happens not only when we gather on Sunday but at a deeper and more intimate way in our community groups. Without the impact of other believers its safe to say that I would not be where I am, and I am sure you can say the same. It is regular, healthy, and expected for believers to gather and pursue God together.
We should be wary of anything that disrupts this normal pattern of Christian life. Unfortunately for many of us in America there are historical factors and institutions that have caused this norm to be less than normal. Although Christ has broken down the dividing wall it seems that we often live as if it still exists and in some cases there have been attempts to reconstruct it. Segregation is rampart in our country, our communities, our churches, and in our living rooms. Pursuing racial reconciliation is a unique opportunity to visually display Christ’s redeeming work to the outside world. If we want to walk faithfully after Christ and in his will, we must take seriously any rupture of fellowship between brothers.
Undivided is an opportunity for us to engage in the conversation of racial reconciliation as believers. No matter what your knowledge level is on the issue you have some thoughts and have received some information that has shaped your thoughts on race. We must carefully consider whether the views we have adopted are from the culture or from Scripture. While we can certainly get helpful information from other sources, we want to ensure that we are testing everything by Scripture and ultimately our worldview should be gospel centered. Undivided will be a great time for us to align our minds and hearts with God’s will. It will be a time for us to hear what Go has to say, to hear each other, and to pursue gospel community in a deep and meaningful way. Being a multiethnic church is not simply about having proximity to people different than yourself but truly knowing them, engaging them, and loving them as brothers and sisters in Christ. Scripture warns us that this may be a challenge. Paul continually reminded the New Testament churches about unity in Christ and called them to it. To get to authentic unity, community, and reconciliation we must truly engage each other. In his introduction to Undivided Dhati Lewis desires for us to “model healthy conversations with healthy conflict and diverse opinions”. Such conversations are the cost of authentic community, but they will ultimately bring us to godliness and bring glory to God.
If you are a member at or attend Grace Alive, I encourage you to be a part of this study. Commit to being present for the entire series, to coming to each session prepared, and to seeking God’s guidance on this important issue. May this series challenge us, encourage us, and lead to transformation in the church, in our cities, and our country.