THERE IS NEITHER...NOR

HOW MI SI IT: THERE IS NEITHER...NOR

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

Since I have been here one of the things that have disgusted me the most at Murlough is the constant references of national identity. The Jamaicans...this is what is used to categorize the four of us who are here from Jamaica. Of course we are Jamaicans, but the reality is that's not what is being said. When I first came here in 2005 I was told that we were a confusion to the natives because of our names. Most of us on the first team were protestants but yet some of us had Catholic names.

One of the sad things about the history of this place is the fact that people here MUST fall into a category. Everything here is used to put a distinction between one and the other. Hence, in reference to the Jamaicans, the ignorance of our culture often times follows where even though no one here knows anything about the culture of Jamaica, there ignorance is used as a measuring rod to judge. We are classified, categorized and placed in a jar like specimens labeled Jamaicans, pros and cons.

I am guilty of this at times as well, but my antidote to this and I try to make a habit of thinking this truth is the fact that the culture that is superior to the Jamaican culture and all other cultures is the culture of the kingdom of God. One of the amazing things about culture is the fact that the culture of the dominant nation (super-power) normally spans most of the world and is known to most of the world's inhabitants. This can be seen in the exportation of English to west during the years of colonization and British reign. Now we can see the influence of America on the world in just about every sphere of life. Fashion, Sports, Slangs, Movies, etc. this is due to there currently position as the most public country in the world.

What if we as a people of God should elevate the culture of the Kingdom of God and discard these racial and national classifications, where there is neither...nor, but everyone is seen as all one in Christ. If we trace the abolition of slavery we will inevitably come to this realization. Men and women came to the truth of equality and oneness in Christ. If we trace the beginnings of any oppressive system or genocide we will recognize that these ensued from one persons elevation over the next in one way or the other. The culture of the Kingdom of God as I share on Sunday at Reach Out is a tacsy-turvy culture in which the first shall be last and the last shall be first...to keep your life you have to lose it...to be exalted you have to be humble...to gain wealth you have to give it away...to live you have to first die...to be the greatest you have to become the least...to love God you have to love man...and the list goes on and on.

I have often times heard "we have been doing it this way for 30 years." Might I say that that is the problem and the insanity of Christian work. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

John 21
5 He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered.
6 He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.

Probably these disciples had been fishing on the left side of the boat all night and caught nothing. They were fishing in the same spot and expecting a different result each time they cast their nets out. When Jesus came and he brought a different angle to the fruitless situation immediately their labour bore fruit. This caused them to recognized that it was Jesus standing there. They had not gotten any closer to where he was, but because of the fruitfulness of their change of method they immediately knew that it was not there doing, but it was the doing of the man who had spoken and that Man was Jesus. Change is vital for growth and for staying alive. The culture of the Kingdom of God demands the neither...nor attitude in a deeper sense than just national categorization and it also calls of us to makes changes and align ourselves with God's commands and words.

Well a suh mi si it...wha yu tink.