Abiding Grace

A Multi-Cultural Church

Abiding Grace Community Church (AGCC) is a fellowship of people of different ethnicities and cultures gathered for the cause of Christ.  It is only by the power of Christ that a fellowship such as ours can exist harmoniously...in unity and unconditional love.

We believe that God created all humans in His image and likeness and that He created one race, the human race, all sharing the same red blood (Acts 17:26).  The true differences in the human race come through culture and ethnicity.  The differences in our physical features and the color of our skin are defined as ethnicity.  Culture is best defined by the differences in our behaviors, habits and languages.

Time and time again in God’s Word we see how He loves to unite the differences in people for His glory.  God wants us to demonstrate that diversity is a blessing and to celebrate different ethnic and cultural groups.  This is confirmed Biblically through God’s people. Some examples include Noah’s three sons: Shem (olive), Ham (dark brown) and Japheth (fair) and also the scattering of all people after the introduction of different languages at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 5-11).

Abiding Grace is a body of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural believers that chooses to lovingly join together, in Christ, in celebration of both our ethnic and cultural differences. We celebrate these differences through the diversity of the leadership, our different styles of music and worship and so on. We choose not to take a worldly, color-blind approach to ministry where we pretend or convince ourselves that we don’t see each others’ differences. Because we choose to love each other through the differences, God says in His Word, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another,” (John 13:35).

The love that we share in the midst of our diversity will require more than tolerance.  True unity demands diversity, not conformity.  We have to remember that in spite of our differences we all  experience some of the same God-given emotions.  It is very difficult to love and enjoy people that are different when the sins of judgment and control get in the way.  As a church family we will have to forgive each other’s failures. This forgiveness is one of the hardest choices we can make, but choosing to forgive always pleases God and brings Him glory.

The success of multi-ethnic/multi-cultural relationships is dependent on our desire to be diligent, un-biased learners and accepters of each other.  The heart of offense in most cases comes through ignorance and a lack of humility to admit this.  We can bless each other most by being offense-free, like Christ, through His power and accepting our roles as both teachers and learners.

Our God has made it clear over and over again in the Bible; His desire is to see every tribe and nation dwell together in unity since He is glorified through the oneness of the body of Christ. (Revelations 5:9)

For Further Study:

            Moses’ foreign wife- Exodus 2:16-25, Number 12

            Noah’s three sons- Genesis 5:28-32 through chapter 10

                        Book - Noah’s Three Sons by Arthur Custance

            Tower of Babel- Genesis 11:1-10