I have jotted down sections of the book which I think gives us a good idea of what God's New Tribe is all about......
"The message of Jesus Christ is fundamentally a 'message of reconciliation' 2 Corinthians 5:19. As christians we worship God on the one hand and are still deeply intrenched in cultural practises on the other which are horrendous to God. The sad/horrific part is that as christians we seem to live quite comfortably with tribalism.
Tribalism is the idea that one's own tribe is superior to all other tribes. Wide spread discrimination, injustice, division and wars have resulted from this sinful belief which has taken root in people's minds. We therefore allow customs and traditions to take precedence over the holy word of God - infact, the word of God does not find a comfortable home in our hearts. The sin behind tribalism is human pride and arrogance.
God is looking for a people who have been drawn from every tribe and language and nation (Revelation 5:9) and joined together. How can this come about if we reject each other simply because of cultural differences. We need to line up our thinking with God's. Whenever God gets involved, he rebuilds lives that have been torn down, restores that which has been devastated and heals and makes whole that which has been destroyed.
Building new communities which reflect the glory of Jesus Christ as they seek to work out the implications of being God's new tribe will require God's chosen and annointed leadership. Every culture in every nation of the world is faced with the same key questions about leadership: Who should be the leader? How should a leader be chosen or selected? What is the work or role of the leader? Should the leader do any work at all? etc, etc.....
Leadership positions have been abused so often that in many parts of the world today the concept of leadership has become almost synonymous with any or all of the following: oppression, robbery, authoritarianism, harshness, dictatorial rule, plain wickedness and an attitude of lording it over the people. In such contexts, leaders become liabilities to the people they lead rather than the blessing that God intended them to be. Today all over the world people are crying out for a new kind of leadership. They are looking for a new style of leader one with a genuine heart and concern for the people they are leading.
God is always looking for a people who are a people - a community.........this community should be a people of Ephesians 4:4 - 6 .........One vision, one purpose, one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all. We have been redeemed from our cultures by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:18 - 19.
Part Two tackles practical and heart issues like leadership in God's New tribe, marriage, work and death."
God's New tribe is an excellent book. It's one of those books that you can read over and over again.
Molly Manhanga
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