Spirit and Life Devotional is a daily publication by Pastor Chinaemerem Ibezim, senior pastor of Able Ministers Chapel, a church based in Calabar, Cross River State.
“Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek.” – Acts of the Apostles 16:1 NLT
In the Early Church, the Bible says that as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. In other words, there was discrimination as a result of tribalism.
You see, tribalism is as old as you can imagine; I’m sure that it can be traced back to the Tower of Babel. It’s sad that despite our progress and advancement tribalism and racism are still very big issues in the world today. Even in the church!
But as we grow up and mature in Christ, we put such sentiments aside. Galatians 3:26 and 28 says that we are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. We are all one in Christ Jesus. There’s no Nigerian, South African, Ghanian, American, etc, in Christ; we are all children of God and citizens of heaven! That’s how we must see ourselves, and we should relate with one another accordingly, in love. Hallelujah!
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