One of the greatest challenges followers of Christ will face in 2019 will be making sure that our faith is what defines us and nothing else.
If we do not stay grounded in God’s Word, centered on Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, then we will act, look and sound much like the divided and polarized culture around us. We need to remember Jesus did not say we would be known by our creeds or our doctrinal statements or by what denomination we belong to. He said we would be known by one thing alone: our love for one another. But for that to happen, the church in America must overcome its own divisions and rise as one.
We are not black churches, we are not white churches, we are not Latino churches, we are not Asian churches, we are not Native American churches — we are the church of Jesus Christ, and the people of Jesus should be known by their love.
Floyd is the president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force and senior pastor of Cross Church in Springdale, Ark.