That is the uniqueness of Christianity. No matter what the culture, it’s important to remember that Jesus is at the center of everything.
Culture isn’t an obstacle. I heard of an American soldier in France during one of the world wars. It was Sunday, and he was off duty, so he stopped in a small church. They were observing the Lord’s Supper, a memorial ceremony where believers remember the Lord’s death for them till He returns. The believers knew no English, and he knew no French. Despite the fact they couldn’t understand a single word of each other’s language, that man could feel the loving, gentle Spirit between them as they passed the wine and the bread, which symbolized the Lord’s blood and His body.
Always remember that if someone has truly trust Jesus Christ as their personal savior, they are a new creature, made unto good works. That is, they were made to do good for Him. We have that in common with every believer who lives now, and every one who has lived throughout history. We’ll all celebrate together someday.
Because we’re people, we make too much out of differences at times. But, some are important enough that we don’t feel comfortable all the time. I imagine that soldier had second thoughts at first, being in a church where he wouldn’t understand a word they said. I imagine most of us would. If we had the choice, we certainly wouldn’t choose to worship regularly there. Unless, of course, we put all our effort into learning it for the sole purpose of worshipping God with people of that language. (And, if you’re led to learn a language for that reason, the Lord is probably calling you into missions.)
Christ is totally inclusive. That’s why it was so easy for that man to worship with people when they couldn’t understand each other. He sensed something; something Jesus gives to anyone who comes to Him seeking forgiveness. From the oldest to the youngest. No matter what the situation.
This is why Christ is so unique. Every other religion talks about some path or something else we must do, and even then it’s not a sure thing.
But, Jesus is God come down to earth in flesh, for us. And yet, he doesn’t want us to be all the same. It’s possible to have great diversity within the body of Christ, while still keeping the same core values; values of love, mercy, goodness, serving others, humility, and so on. Values that edify us, instead of tearing us down. Values that say, “You’re special, no matter how much you can or can’t do.”
