Embracing Our Ethnicity

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How have you struggled to embrace your ethnicity or the culture in which you grew up? (If you don’t identify with or understand this question, describe how you feel about the question. Why do you think that is?)

Cultivate

Summary: Every human being has an ethnicity. This means each one of us has a language, culture and values, and we share physical characteristics common to a group, or groups, of people. We should all embrace our ethnicity because God has made all of us.

Read Acts 17:26-27 and ask the following questions:

1. What do you like about this passage?
2. What do you find uncomfortable or difficult to understand in this passage?
3. What appears to be the main idea emphasized in this passage? (Look for repeated words or ideas.)

Consider how the following passages increase our understanding of this topic:

A. Read Philippians 3:2-9

1. Paul considers it “loss” and “nothing” that he’s “of the people of Israel.” What’s the difference between embracing our ethnicity and using our ethnicity to give us worth apart from faith in Christ?
2. How are you tempted to believe some ethnicities are inferior or superior to your ethnicity?
3. How can we appreciate our ethnicity without boasting in it pridefully?

B. Read Revelation 7:9-10

1. What’s the significance of “every nation, tribe, people and language” worshiping God forever?
2. Why do you think God chose to save people from every ethnicity throughout history?
    

4. What are the beliefs and values promoted in these passages?

5. What do they reveal about our human condition and God’s response?

6. How are these beliefs and values similar or different from those that have influenced you? (such as your family, culture, peers, church, etc.)

7. How might our faith increase and our lives change as we embrace what is true and important?

8. In light of what we’ve discussed, how can we pray for each other right now?

Care

Since we last met, what happened as a result of expressing Christ’s love to others?

How can you, or we, express Christ’s love to others this week?

Here are a few ideas:

• Pray God would meet their deepest needs.
• Help meet a felt need they have.
• Encourage them with a text, note or verbally.
• Give them a thoughtful gift or buy them coffee.
• Invite them to do something fun or meaningful.
• Listen to their story.
• Explore their thoughts on the gospel.