As a Gentile among Jews!

Hi, and welcome back to Journey with Jesus. This is your host and author, Johnny Singh, and I appreciate you spending a little bit of your time with me today as we go through today's reflection. If you're a listener to the reflection, whether the audio recording on Substack or through the podcasting app or in your email or wherever it might be, feel free to comment where you're from, whether that's your state or your country, or if you've migrated like I have and you want to share from where to where. Today's reflection, as a Gentile among Jews, a reflection on cultural assumptions, assimilations, and Christ-centered unity. Social interactions may truly be afraid of me. That might sound dramatic, but here's what I mean. For as long as I can remember, I have always been outspoken, curious, willing to step into conversations, even when they carried risk. I enjoy the unknown, new places, new people, new ideas. Because of that, interacting with strangers has rarely made me anxious. Not every exchange goes well, but fear has never been the loudest voice in the room for me. Before migrating to the United States, I traveled among Caribbean and South American neighboring countries. I loved it. I learned from it, and in all of that traveling, I rarely had to introduce myself. The people around me shared similar cultural instincts. No one needed a lesson just to understand where I was from. My background was never a subject. It was simply a part of the air we breathe. That changed when I moved here. Suddenly, my story became the talking point. I found myself given geographical summaries, historical overviews, and sometimes even anti-stereotype clarifications. To be clear, I enjoy learning about my ancestors. I'm not ashamed of it, but there's a difference between sharing your story because you want to and feeling like you need to present a short orientation session just to be understood. That has not only happened in broader society. I have felt that in church spaces as well. Let me say this plainly. This reflection is not meant to be an attack, but rather, I hope it is an invitation to learn. From my limited perspective, it can sometimes feel as though. Immigrants are expected to know a great deal about American culture, politics, and humor, while others are free to know very little about us and still feel comfortable leaning in on stereotypes or asking narrow questions. Many people are well-meaning. I believe that. But good intentions do not always soften the impact of careless jokes or dismissive assumptions. Even growing up with American missionaries living in and out of my family's house throughout the years, I saw how they were being treated. I knew how easy it is for all of us to misunderstand one another. There are fewer people who truly know than those who simply assume they do. Many of us from third world countries have been conditioned to handle these moments with patience. We smile. We explain. We simply move on. That is just our culture. But I've been sitting with something that is a much deeper concern. Despite our efforts to be spiritually discerning, we sometimes overlook a subtle attitude of It is the quiet expectation of assimilation. What I call figuratively, Jewish assimilation from Gentile Christians. I do not mean that literally. I mean the expectation that the outsider should do the most of the adjusted, most of the learning, most of the explaining, and most of the tolerating in order to belong. That tension is not new. The first century church wrestled with it deeply. Paul writes, We were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 13. This is not poetic language. It is Christ-centered reality. The church is one body. He says it again. There is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord is Lord of all. Romans 10, verse 12. If the Lord is Lord of all, then no culture holds a higher spiritual status. Or so we would hope. His words in Colossians sharpens it further. A renewal where there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, but Christ is all and in all. Colossians 3, verse 10-11. Culture is real. Heritage is real. National pride is real. But Christ is ultimate. And yet, even with those truths, conflict surfaced. In Acts chapter 15, some insisted that Gentile believers adopt Jewishness, to be fully accepted. The apostles had to confront it directly. Peter reminded them that God had already cleansed Gentile hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? Acts chapter 15, verse 10. In other words, do not place cultural burdens where God has not placed spiritual ones. That principle still matters. Not only for us, but for all of us. Not only for Christians, but for anyone watching the church from the outside. When unity fractures over culture rather than conviction, it sends a confusing message. So what can we do? Here are five practices that I believe can help us move forward. Number one. Choose curiosity over assumption. Ask instead of guessing. Let people define their own story. Respect begins where we begin to listen. Number two. Listen without rushing to defend. If someone shares an experience that stung, resist the impulse and temptation to immediately explain it away. A body cannot heal if one part refuses to acknowledge another part's pain. Note 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 13. Number three. Refuse assimilation as the price of belonging. Unity is not become like us so you can stay. Unity is come to Christ and grow with us. Acts chapter 15 reminds us not to bind cultural expectations where God has not bound them. Read Acts chapter 15, verses 1 through 11 for clarity. Number four. Read more, learn more, and be resourceful. Love does not stay ignorant on purpose. The ear of wisdom seeks knowledge. This means studying how racial and cultural tensions have shaped churches historically. It means learning from what hindered unity and from what helped it. I've linked a thoughtful resource that I believe can help us if we've spent some time reading it. For those listening, it's titled It's There in Black and White, Scriptural Answers to 37 Questions People Are Asking About Racial Tension in the Church. Number five. Build Relationships Beyond Sunday. The book of Acts tells us that those who gather gather together on a daily basis, sharing meals from house to house, note Acts chapter 2, verse 46. Shared tables create shared understanding. People stop being categories and start being friends when we spend time in each other's spaces sharing something as personal as a meal. Here are a few closing thoughts. Some of the most harmful divisions are really not that loud. They're subtle. They're quiet. It's the expectation that only one side should really adjust. The silent pressure to shrink parts of your story to make others around you feel comfortable. The gospel calls us to higher. If Christ is all and in all, as Colossians chapter 11 says, and if in fact that is true, then no Christian should feel like a permanent foreigner in the family of God. Okay, if this resonates with you, I would genuinely like to hear your perspective. What has your experience been? Have you seen growth? Have you seen tension? I believe that if we have thoughtful dialogue, it is definitely one of the better ways to move forward. And if this reflection encourages you or makes you think a little deeper, thank you for reading and for listening. And if you're encouraged and moved to support this in any way, you can do so by the link listed here as buy me a coffee. As I've shared before, it doesn't really mean that you're buying me a coffee. It's a platform that can be used in which you're able to support me in this effort. So thank you for reading, for sharing, for commenting, and for encouraging me in the many ways that you do. Let's keep learning. Let's keep growing. Let's keep choosing unity that is rooted in Christ rather than the comfort of our culture.