Garbage people And The mystery of God

Garbage People

Garbage people. Calling anyone or any group of people “garbage” is beyond me. It grieves me.

I’m really surprised at how I’ve been emotionally affected by the constant flow of degrading tropes from our government.

I don’t need to say any more about this. Others are. Google it.

I’m thankful to know that there is a different kingdom, not of this world, that is available to anyone who cares to listen. Maybe that’s you.

The Mystery of God

One of the writers of the Bible (the apostle Paul) wrote a letter to a group of followers of Jesus in the first century. He spoke about the mystery of God. That is, something that had been previously hidden but had suddenly been revealed.

What was that mystery?

It may not be immediately obvious how relevant it is to us today, but at the time, it was earthshaking.

The mystery was that a day would come when God would bring all things together in unity. Paul, speaking about God, said…

He poured his grace on us. … he showed us the mystery of his plan. It was in keeping with what he wanted to do. It was what he had planned through Christ. 10 It will all come about when history has been completed. God will then bring together all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. Ephesians 1:9,10

There it is. In the end of time, when history has reached its culmination, God will bring all things together in heaven and earth. Even Jews and Gentiles.

Hatred, prejudice, and division

Paul said this because he was appealing to a divided church. The church had both Jews and Gentiles and they didn’t like each other. They hadn’t liked each other for centuries but Paul came to understand that Jesus didn’t just die for Jewish people. He died to save non-Jews as well. And so they needed to learn how to love one another and walk in unity.

This was a bitter pill to swallow for both sides because hatred runs deep and dies a slow death. There are many cultural reasons for this that I won’t bore you with. But if you have a pulse, you know what it means to judge others who aren’t like you. You might even go so far as to call them “garbage.”

A better way

But Paul was calling these followers of Jesus to a better place. A higher place. A place of unity.

He wanted them to show the world a better way…a way that ran counter to the world system. A place where people who were not like each other could still respect one another and work toward the same purpose.

This was God’s way. His kingdom. And Paul wanted God’s people to start living out God’s kingdom here and now…not wait for Jesus to return.

Paul got very specific about how they should speak to each other…

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29

Paul told them that Jesus’ death actually put to death everything that separated these two groups. And that’s why he declared to another church that…

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

God’s Heart is Unity

Oneness. This is what God does. He brings people together.

Sadly, the church hasn't always done this, but rather pushed people away through the years, demonizing people, judging them and causing division. But that was never God’s intention.

If you keep reading in Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church, he tells them…

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:2,3

True followers of Jesus make every effort to keep the unity that God’s Spirit offers: at home, at church, in the neighborhood, in the office, at school, in the government, and among nations. It’s not always possible, but that’s the goal. It’s something to work toward.

I mention all this, because if you are as troubled as I am with the rhetoric flowing out of Washington and even some churches, just know that this is not reflective of God’s heart. It’s not something that should be ignored or that should become normative behavior. It is not a model to follow. We need to actively oppose it before it consumes us. We need to follow a better way.

A day will come when hatred, prejudice, and division will be abolished and all things will come together in heaven and earth in Christ. I’m grateful to know that. It keeps me from despairing.

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