Today is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In 1983 our Congress established the 3rd Monday of every January as a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., what he stood for and all that he accomplished in this nation to bring civil liberties to African-Americans and all minorities. There is no doubt God’s hand was on his life. Even though freedom had long since been declared, it’s very evident that as late as the 1960s, there really was not true freedom. God used Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to bring a new sense of justice and understanding, and as Americans we owe a debt of gratitude to him and the other leaders who forced everyone to look at these injustices. Beyond just enjoying a day off today, I encourage you to take a moment and think about our country, where we are, and where we’ve come from. Watch some of the specials on TV and learn a little about some of these dark days in our country’s past. Then, say a prayer for our country that we would continue to make progress. For those of you who think we’re over all of that stuff now, let me assure you, we still have quite a way to go.

I spent some time yesterday in our services talking about a really important aspect of our vision so that we can really understand who God has called us to be as individuals and as a church.

I want to remind you of our vision as a church:

We see The Life Church of Memphis as a dynamic, Spirit-filled, multi-cultural church numbering in the thousands, impacting our city, our nation and our world through leadership development and church planting.

That one word – “MULTI-CULTURAL” – it literally means a church representing many cultures. Not just a “White” church or a “Black” church or an “Asian” church or a “Latino” church. Those would be called “unicultural”. A multi-cultural church is a church with Whites and Blacks and Latinos and Asians all worshipping together.

We are called to be a multi-cultural church. And here are three reasons why…

1. Multi-cultural churches are a clear picture of the church the Bible describes.

Let’s take a peek into heaven…

Revelation 5:9 – “And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God members of every tribe and language and people and nation.’”

Revelation 7:9 – “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”

This is a picture of the bride of Christ, the church. All together as one! We’ve all been redeemed. No race is superior. No ethnic group or tribe above any other. WE ARE ALL ONE.

And we could dismiss that with the thought, “Oh, but that’s heaven, not earth.” And that might be true except that when Jesus taught His disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9, He said…“This, then, is how you should pray…Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Here’s another thing Jesus said in Mark 11:17, “My House will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”

It’s very obvious to me that the Kingdom of God coming on earth like it is in heaven means that the picture of the church on earth should begin to resemble the picture of the church in heaven – multi-colored, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural.

All white people gathering to worship together…all black people gathering to worship together…it’s not the true picture. It’s not complete.

2. Because multi-cultural churches are relevant.

Did you know that by the middle of the 21st century, by the year 2050, the United States will have no single majority racial or ethnic group? The face of America is changing!

I don’t consider myself a prophet but I’m going to give you some insight, the churches that refuse to open their doors and embrace other races and ethnic groups will become outdated and irrelevant. In the next 20 years the largest churches in cities across the United States will be churches that reflect the multi-cultural mix of their cities.

3. Because being a multi-cultural church is a part of our DNA.

This is who we, The Life Church of Memphis, are called to be! We’re called to be a church of many colors and many cultures. It’s just a part of us.

We’ve had this vision since we started this church and we had it printed on our materials since the first Sunday. I remember back in the first year or so a young African-American lady walked up to Leslie and pointed to the word “multi-cultural” and said, “I guess that’s me.” Leslie said, “YES!”

When I think of how I’ve been raised…by a father who embraced all cultures and celebrated diversity…to living in Africa for 3 years…everything in my life has been in preparation for building a multi-cultural church in one of the most racially divided cities in the United States.

We’re not there yet. We haven’t arrived, but we’ve come along way. And I think if Dr. King walked into one of our services, he would be pleased, especially knowing it was Memphis, TN – the very place where he was martyred for the cause. And it’s my hope that we continue to become even more diverse and reflective of the diverse world in which we live!