Are mono-ethnic churches, churches that focus on a specific race or ethnic group, following a biblical model?

You will understand how very easily a great division might have come into the Church of God: forming on the one hand a Jewish church with its center at Jerusalem, and on the other hand a Gentile church, with its center at Antioch. We in China can very easily understand how jealousy and rivalry came in between the Jews and the Gentiles, just as we have seen it come in in some parts between the Chinese and the foreign Christians; so that in some parts an "Independent Chinese Church" has been formed.

After the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in His people on earth. The Holy Spirit then united every true believer into one body (1 Cor. 12:13), which the New Testament calls "the church" or "the assembly." The Greek word means "called out ones" and it tells us that God called those who believe in His Son out from this world to form one new body, the Church. The believers may have been Jews or Gentiles, but in Ephesians 2 we find that the Lord Jesus has "broken down the middle wall of partition" between the Jews and the Gentiles, "for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." Eph. 2:14-16. In Ephesians 4:4-6 we read, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all." So we may see that in God's sight we are all one in Christ Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile; whether Chinese or foreign. There is no such thing in the Scriptures as a Jewish church, or a Gentile church: a Chinese church, or a foreign church. "An independent church" is something invented by man, not formed by God.

Well now, to come back to 1 Cor. 12, it says in verse 13, "By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." Now I feel a constraint upon me to say what I am going to say. The great point here is that all, whether Jew or Gentile, are made of one mind — one spirit — for the setting forth of Christ. Now I want you to weigh what I am going to say, which is this, That although we here are not a company composed of Jew and Gentile, yet in this tent there are two quite different races, two different nationalities with different natural ideas, ways, and methods. In consequence of this I believe that we have an opportunity for the display of Christ, which scarcely any other people on the face of the earth enjoy. An opportunity, for instance, which the Christians have not in England. What have they in England? English Christians, in France French Christians, in America American. In America they have the opportunity, but as far as I know they do not generally avail themselves of it. The white and black races are not manifestly one in Christ. In South Africa the negroes form separate congregations. They are not one. We, in this country, of India, have a splendid opportunity of shewing out a little bit of the truth that was being pressed on the Corinthians at that time; that, no matter what the nationality, one spirit animates the whole. Let this be true, then the Jew no longer exhibits the Jew, or the Gentile the Gentile. It is no longer English and native: the natural tendencies are overpowered by a stronger power still, and instead of the display of what is national, Christ is displayed in all.

This marvellous display is unknown where all the company is composed of saints out of one nation only. Social differences are very strong, but national are far stronger. When the power of the Spirit causes one and the same display in saints nationally diverse it is a most wonderful testimony. I verily believe we are very guilty in this matter. Oh! you say, it is very difficult. Of course it is. If it was meant to be otherwise, where would the wonder be? Do not you think that I feel the difficulty as much as you do? Oh, you say, I have come across so much that is counterfeit and unreal. Be it so, this will not in the least exempt you from responsibility. We have an opportunity in this country which is, as far as I know, unique on the face of the earth. If we had really drunk of the one Spirit we would shew that one spirit animating saints both the Europeans and the people of this land. We Europeans are very guilty as to this, and will have to answer for it at the judgment seat of Christ. I find that when an Englishman goes to France, within two years at most he is perfectly familiar with the French language, and has made many friends in the country; and so when he goes to any other country where he finds social equals and an interesting literature.

The first, — that in all meetings of what you would call the Christian assembly (I do not speak of Gospel meetings), we have no leader as men speak. The white man is there on the same footing at his black brother and very very often the whole meeting, including the breaking of the bread, is conducted in a happy, orderly way and with unction by the black brothers, and without any audible part taken by the white.

But with all this, numbers of them were real Christians, and these Mr. and Mrs. Grant recognized as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Both church and chapel had mixed congregations, but the colored portion had a section of the building (usually one side) allotted to them, and were not allowed to sit among the whites.

The church of God is composed of all true believers, wherever found, of whatever nationality, of whatever social position. So we read, “There is neither Greek nor Jew [no national distinctions], circumcision nor uncircumcision [religious distinctions], Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free [no social distinctions], but Christ is all, and in all” (Col. 3:11).

The chief corner stone unites two walls at an extreme angle. We know what an acute angle, as it were, existed between Jew and Gentile. The exclusive Jew despised and outside Gentile. The Gentile nothing loth returned the bitter feeling in full. There is no feud so deadly as that of a religious character. We have seen a wave of a anti-semitism sweeping over Europe. Gentiles murdering Jews by the hundreds of thousands, nay, by millions. Never in the history of the world have these divergent peoples been brought into harmony till the church of God came into existence. It is to the glory of God that these warring elements have been fused, and brought together in happy fellowship. Only as Jew and Gentile come under the power of the cross of Calvary are their prejudices melted. The following Scripture shows how this truth is emphasized:

We see in this striking passage how very definitely Jew and Gentile are blended together in one body IN CHRIST. There is a need that Christians should study this passage carefully. We may say that it concerns Jew and Gentile only, but there is a principle in this that can be applied today. The writer has had the privilege of visiting Christians in several foreign lands. He found the tendency to look at the assemblies in their own country as a separate entity, and found them asking the question, Why need we trouble as to what obtains in the way of Christian fellowship in other lands outside of our own? The writer felt deeply that the only way of counteracting this tendency is to pay attention to the teaching we have just been considering. We need to have engraved on our hearts the truth that there is one body and one Spirit and one hope of our calling. The church of God is one wherever Christians are found, whatever their nationality, language, social position, or colour of skin may be.

This new unity was formed, implying the setting aside of all differences. This is very well demonstrated in the early church in Antioch in Syria (Acts 13). There believers from among the Gentiles and the Jews, even different social groups, were all together in one assembly. The doctrinal exposition of this is found in more detail in Ephesians 2 how the wall of separation, the law, had been set aside and there was now this remarkable unity of believers taken from among Jews and Gentiles. It is not that Gentiles had been introduced into Judaism or that they had been brought into the blessings of Judaism, no, the believers taken from the Jews and the believers taken from among the Gentiles had both been introduced into something entirely new, into a new system of things.

The second characteristic of this unity was that there were no social differences. There may have been social differences in their worldly positions, but that did not count in connection with the unity in the assembly, they were still there, just as the differences between Jew and Greek will still be here as long as we are on this earth, but in Christ they no longer exist. This is the point, in Christ there is not even a difference between male and female, but as long as we are on earth there is still a difference so we have to be very careful how to apply this. There have been people who have said, ‘Well, there is no difference between male and female anymore,’and so they have come to all kinds of conclusions. But this new position is “in Christ.”As long as we are on earth these differences still play a role but they should not interfere with the position we together have “in Christ.”For instance, Peter interfered with this truth when he did not eat with Gentile believers at Antioch.

I often say to Christians in England when they talk of the one body, I do not think you know very much about it practically, for this reason, we are not tested as to this truth until we have a company composed of saints from diverse nationalities, which naturally do not amalgamate. The presence of a stray Christian or two from another nation is no test, for he has to fall in with the ways of the mass, but it is when those of another nationality are numerous enough to make their presence felt, if they walk in the flesh, then the test is felt, and it is very severe. Here in India we have this test, and we shew how poorly we have learnt the truth. How far have we advanced in the carrying out of this truth in heart and spirit? Very little. If this be so we are missing a most glorious opportunity. If we do not realise this now, then when we get to heaven we shall find out what an opportunity we had and we did not take advantage of it, and we shall see what a loss it has been. See that you do not lose this great blessing. If we have drunk of the one Spirit it will be effectual in making us overcome natural prejudices, and the testimony thus manifested will shew forth the attraction of Christ, and the power of the Spirit, more than anything else.

In considering the unity of the Spirit, its features or elements, this is the first thing; that Christians all the world over are one body (Romans 12:4-5). A number, or multiplicity of bodies, is unknown in, and is foreign to, the unity of the Spirit. To form Christians into parties or organizations of any kind whatsoever may be done in ignorance or wilfulness; or with evident zeal in promoting a cause, or furthering a service or upholding a doctrine; but whatever the motive, it is dividing them into sections and is contrary to keeping the unity of the Spirit. A "national church" for example is necessarily an organization affecting one nationality as distinct from other nations. A church, carrying the name as identified with a person or place or system of worship, in its very essence is contrary to the unity of the Spirit. That Christians are in it may be true, and that their being in does not invalidate them as Christians is also true; but to be in it or to join it is not using diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The Church of Christ is but one body, though its members are multitude, each one differing from the other, and scattered over the whole earth. "We, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another," wrote Paul to the Romans (Rom. 12: 5). So also he wrote to the Corinthians, "We being many are one bread, and one body" (I Cor. 10:17), and to the Ephesians he said, "There is one body" (Eph. 4:4).

This is the truth of God regarding His people who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ. By the one spirit they have all been baptized into one body at conversion, no matter what their nationality or race, and now they are "one body in Christ." This was a fact in the apostle's day and it is still the divine truth today. God's Word does not say, "There was one body," or "There shall be one body," but "There is one body."