In the beginning of this chapter, Paul urges his readers to participate in a special offering for the church of Jerusalem. One of the reasons Paul was so insistent about this offering was that it was seen as a bridge between the Gentile and Jewish streams of first century Christianity. We need bridges in the Church of our own day. We need bridges between denominations. We need bridges between conservative and liberal churches. More than a billion people claim to follow Christ across the globe. What could happen if we were really all united — not in a false ecumenicism but in true unity of the Holy Spirit?
Advertisement
