There is such staggering beauty in the diversity of the body of Christ. I forget that so often, but I need to fight to remember it every chance I get. And that is what God did for me on a recent trip to South Africa, where I was sharing about The Gospel Project for Kids and Gospel Foundations, a new sibling resource designed for adult and student small groups. (I know, what a job, right!?)

South Africa, a Diverse Land

One of the things I love about South Africa is the diversity of its people. The country is made up of people from various ethnicities who are from various regional tribes and European origins. There has also been a more recent increase in immigration from other Africa nations, such as Zimbabwe. So wherever you go, you see this beautiful diversity on the smiling faces around you and you hear it as well—there are so many different languages spoken in South Africa! Yes, South Africa is still healing from its years of apartheid, but, by God’s grace, it is making progress. (If you are interested in learning more, check out this Hero of the Story podcast interview I did with Danie van Tonder, a pastor of Urban Life Church in South Africa while I was there.) The Sunday I was there illustrates this diversity. In the morning, we worshipped in a small church in one of the townships where the pastor normally would have preached in Xhosa, I believe. That morning, he preached in English though for our benefit. That evening, I was able to speak at a church where Afrikaans is normally spoken. The first song that night was sung in Afrikaans and then a pastor greeted everyone, again in Akrikaans. Until, that is, he introduced me when he seamlessly slipped into English. The songs following alternated between Afrikaans and English without anyone missing a beat (well, except for me, the only one unable to speak Afrikaans!). It was a beautiful day of worship, one that only hints at what our worship will look like in eternity (see Revelation 7:9-17).

God’s Heart for the Nations

Let’s be clear: diversity is not a social issue or a political issue primarily, it is a gospel issue primarily. That is why we need to be a people who love it and pursue it—because when we do, we are a people who share God’s heart for the nations and are part of His plan to reach them. Neither racism, sexism, nationalism, or any other -ism can stand with the gospel. They are all antithetical to it. The gospel is about God’s plan to provide salvation to the nations—about how, in Jesus, all people who trust in Him are united as one, His one bride. The gospel does not look past differences of people, it celebrates them. What a beautiful picture of redemption diversity within the body of Christ is!

A Big Little Word

This week, we have the opportunity to help our preschoolers and kids see God’s purpose in redeeming people from every tongue, tribe, and nation through Jesus. And we see it in the big little word “all.” All is such a small word—only three letters. It’s so easy to read past, but notice how critical it is in verse 3. You remove that word, and that sentence is changed completely. You remove that word and you remove the sentence’s power. That word might be little, but I hope you see how big it really is. It carries with it the grand scope of God’s plan of redemption. The gospel is a big plan from an even bigger God. That is what “all” tells us. And that is what diversity within the church shows us.

The blessings of God were not restricted to Abram and those who were good to him, but were to flow from him to all peoples on earth. This is the first hint of God’s ultimate purpose for Abram and his descendants.” — Jesudason Baskar Jeyaraj [1]

Preschool Tip: We know that preschoolers are more concrete thinkers and it can be challenging to teach them some of the more abstract ideas of the story of the gospel. But hopefully, this week you have a great opportunity to help them connect some of the dots. In the Abrahamic Covenant, we see God promising to bring blessing to the world, a reference to Jesus ultimately. Yes, God would protect Abraham and bless him in other ways, but the greatest blessing would be salvation through Jesus. This week seek to help your preschoolers see that God provides so many blessings in our lives, but none are greater than Jesus. Kids Tip: Notice that God told Abraham that He would not only bring blessing to him (v. 2), but also through him (v. 3). That is so important! God would use Abraham as an instrument to bring blessing to others. Of course, He was talking about how Abraham would be an ancestor of Jesus, but we can help our kids take away more than that. God’s plan is to do something similar through us, His church. We have been called on to bring the gospel—the good news of the One who came from Abraham’s line—to the world. That is how God wants to use us to bring blessing to the world today. God could have chosen angels to bring forth this gospel message, but He didn’t. He chose us. What a great privilege! What a great responsibility! Let’s help our kids see this and encourage them to live on mission wherever the soles of their tennis shows tread. [1] Jesudason Baskar Jeyaraj, “Genesis,” in South Asia Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Brian Wintle (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015), 27. https://vimeo.com/279048544