Day 104

“And they *sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation. ¹⁰ You have made them into a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.” Rev 5:9-10 NASB.

According to this text the focus of the gospel is incredibly international. The death of the Lamb purchases people for God from every tribe, language and nation. This kind of openness goes far beyond anything the contemporaries of early Christianity would have known. And this international welcome was so successful that no one today is surprised that the vast majority of Christians are “Gentiles.”

Nevertheless, the gospel’s complete lack of prejudice can still teach us a great deal today. The gospel embraced and still embraces people that we would not expect. This goes against the grain of our natural suspicion toward anyone who isn’t like us.

In our treatment of others, we can offer a foretaste of the multicultural heavenly chorus of Revelation 5.

Imagine a choir filled with the saints of all ages: ancient Israelites worshiping with tambourine and joyful dance, African saints swaying and chanting, European Reformers with their majestic hymns, faithful monks with their medieval solos, Messianic Jews dancing around the Torah, Muslim followers bowing with forehead to the ground, maybe even a street Christian or two doing a gospel rap! Do you think you could handle the complexity of that harmony? I’m sure that God will be able to teach us how to blend. Why not begin practicing God’s harmonies right where you live?