This story has been corrected from its broadcast. The exchange with the A3 team and hotel staff in Indonesia actually took place several years ago, not at A3’s most recent Global Leaders Summit.
Indonesia (MNN) — In today’s world, the beauty of diversity is often marred by divisions. But what happens when there’s every reason on earth for differences among Christians, and yet there’s love? People pay attention.
The team at A3 has seen this firsthand. A3’s Joe Handley says that at a gathering a few years ago, twenty different nations and a wide range of theological backgrounds were represented. Yet these believers cared for each other and mingled freely.
“It’s not like the Indians are at one table and the Cambodians are at another and the North Africans are hanging out one place. But the intermingling is a much more robust, healthy kind of environment,” Handley says. “We play volleyball, we play soccer, we do a lot of fun stuff in the afternoon between our main sessions where we’re going over stuff together.”
At this particular gathering, people observing from the outside noticed the difference.
“The hotel staff just came up to one of my colleagues and said, ‘Who are you guys? Like, this never happens, you know?’”
Questions like that open the way to share the hope of Jesus.
“When you look at the world around us, the hotel staff is thinking of the polarities. Nobody gets along with each other. We’re fighting these wars. We’re arguing with each other and throwing each other under the bus every day on the news,” Handley says.
“Jesus is the unifying force for the Body of Christ, and when we’re at our best, we’re able to show the depth of that unity because of our diversity. It’s just a beautiful design that God has given for us in the world.”
He points to Jesus’ prayer in John 17 that His people would be one as He and God the Father are one. Please join in similar prayers! Handley explains A3 has recently begun working with Christian leaders in new countries in Africa, Europe, and Latin America.
“[Please pray] that we could continue to be a display to the nations. The potential diversity is growing for us, and we need prayer so that we can still be on the same page and see that kind of unity,” he says.
Pray for oneness in the global Church as well, for the glory of Christ.
“If A3 and the Church globally can display our unity, our love for each other, our care for each other despite our differences, it will be a clarion call to the world at large. I pray that more and more people will be out there that see this, and they will be saying, ‘Who are you people?’ and give us the opportunity to share the hope of Christ.”
Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Herlambang Tinasih Gusti via Unsplash.
