The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Act 17:26, Matthew 28:19, and My Thoughts

Let me introduce myself before I start. My name is Michael and I belong to a Reformed Baptist Church who hold to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. That should pretty sum up my faith of what I believe the scriptures teach.

Now for the topic, Warning this is a sensitive topic, but I am struggling with some issues and I need some help reconciling them.

The issue is reconciling Act 17:26 with Matthew 28:19.

Act 17:26 - And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the Earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.

Matthew 28:19 - Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age, Amen.

The Issue is over Multiculturalism and what is has become, and reconciling it with scriptures.

I believe Multi-culturalism is turning into Singular-Culturalism. Creating one Ethnic mix and One global culture.

Do not take me the wrong way, I believe in Multi-culturalism, but not the same way that America and the world views it to be. I believe that true global multi-culturalism is allowing each ethnic and cultural society to develop into it own distinct cultural ways and to develop on its own without interference from others.

Sharing of technology and knowledge has led into disastrous consequences through out the ages, and even more so in our Century. The sharing of technology to other Ethnic/Culture that are not ready for such technology has turned into disastrous global calamities. A society must and should develop technology and knowledge on its own, only then would it be ready to use the knowledge and technology without dire effects not just on themselves but also on others.

Some examples of disastrous effects of sharing technology.

Europeans giving Guns and other guns to African tribal nations in the 1500s has lead to one bloody war into another.

Americans giving a maleria vaccine to a village in brazil led to the death of everyone in the village due to a genetic variation that caused 2500 death in 1968.

There are countless more examples, but you get the point. We have no idea how destructive our technology can be to another group of people. Even medicine that is suppose to save lives can have destructive force. Their is enough variations in the Ethnic groups of man to have tremedous impact when one type of medication is develop for one type of people and then given to another type of people. And given technology to other group of people before they are ready for it can just be destructive.

This of course is also governed from Acts 17:26 where God has preappointed each culture its own preappointed times and boundaries for which they are to live. Which also creates a form of isolationism from other ethnic and cultural societies so as not to contaminate other cultures and honor God's boundaries of their dwelling.

Now for the question.......

But how do we reconcile this to go into all the world and witness to all the world's people?

If God has such boundaries which are good for us to stay within our boundaries and our preappointed times, and if we do not stay within our boundaries and times it has such a tremedous effect and so we should isolate to some form, how do we go into all the world and make disciples of all nations?

Some may reply with Galatians 4:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

I have thought about this verse already and after carefully studing, reading, and praying about it I am certain this verse has no bearing on the topic what so ever.

There is neither Jew nor Greek...all one in Christ... is only within our spiritual life and in heaven and does not tear down the physical barrier between peoples in the physical world. Some groups are more advanced, and some are less advanced then others. Some people are slaves and some masters. Christ commands slaves to be obediant to their masters in the Lord, and to not run away from their masters. We are not all equal in this physical world, but in the spiritual world we are all one in Christ. In this physical world there are differences between male and female Proverbs 31, First Cor. 11, and Genesis. Differences between ethnic groups, and yes differences between classes of people.

So this verse does not tear down anything in this life and so has no bearing to this topic.

This is where I am, and stuck. Any help or insight would be grateful.

In His Hands,
Michael

thunaer,

Welcome to the Board.

Personally, I believe that your first premise is in error and thus the need to "reconcile this to go into all the world and witness to all the world's people?" is moot; there is no reconciliation necessary. I am not poking fun at what you wrote concerning "multi-culturalism", but I couldn't but help think it sounds too much like the "Prime Directive" of the "Star Trek - Next Generation" series.

The application, the obedience to the Lord's commission to make disciples of all nations as you go about your daily life is not subject to speculations concerning the legitimacy/illegitimacy of contemporary "multi-culturalism". Scripture, being the sole and final authority, interprets itself and is not to be subordinate to men's ideas no matter how good they may seem, especially to the one who has them.

In His Grace,