Thursday, April 10, 2014

Oneness of Purpose

I've been so saddened by what seems to be the latest fad in Christianity these days. I realize this is probably nothing new, but it seems that it is hitting me full force right now. Godly men attacking other Godly men because they don't agree on certain areas of Scripture, or because they aren't the same denomination and hold to the same interpretations of certain passages of Scripture. They are spending thousands of dollars to hold conferences and produce the dvds and books of these conferences, all based on what? On a difference of opinion.

The Word of God gives allowances for a difference of opinion in some areas that seem quite huge to us. But, as much as we may want to be dogmatic on our opinion and no matter how much we think we are right, we are all fallible. We are all growing and changing in our understanding.

(side note: I'm not saying that there aren't wrong interpretations that actually do go directly against the Word, or have been taken to an extreme that changes the Gospel. We should not stand for obviously unbiblical interpretations that change the Gospel and teach a false view of who God is. But, that isn't my point. My point is when we DO agree on those primary things, and our differences of opinion on these other areas are treated as primary when they shouldn't be).

I don't know why the Lord allows for these differences of opinion, and why He doesn't just come right out and clearly say what we are to think and how we are to interpret these passages. Or maybe He does and we are just not listening clearly enough. Or maybe He doesn't intend for these differences, but sin and pride have caused division. Not to mention how we  tend to forget that we are fighting against "principalities and powers" not against "flesh and blood." Regardless...He IS clear on what NEEDS to be clear! #1, the Gospel!! He is VERY clear on what it is and what it is not. He is VERY clear on His character and His Sovereignty. He is also VERY clear on Unity and Love in the body of Christ.

So, why are we spending thousands of dollars to attack our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord, calling them heretics or false teachers, because of a difference of opinion instead of being obedient to what God is quite clear on...one of those things being Unity! and another Love!

I love this quote by Pricilla Shirer, "Unity is not sameness. Unity is oneness of purpose." 

Fellow followers of Jesus, we have a common purpose! We desire to see the Gospel taken from here to the ends of the earth, and see His Kingdom advanced and our God glorified. Let's be unified! Let's love one another! John 13:35, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." We agree on everything that is important, so let's stop preaching about who NOT to listen to, and just start preaching the beautiful truths of the Word! Let's stop pointing fingers, and start joining hands!

This can also lead to how we treat unbelievers as-well. Why are we expecting unbelievers to act like believers? They don't know Jesus! They don't have the Holy Spirit! Maybe instead of preaching against immorality and pointing fingers, we should be preaching on the love of Christ who came to save sinners just as they are, sinners acknowledging they are separated from God and need Jesus to give them a right relationship with the Father. The reward of salvation isn't heaven (although that's a enjoyable benefit), the reward is HIM! HE is the reason we need to be saved! We are separated from Him, lost in our darkness. We need to be with Him again to be whole! We need His light! We need His Grace! We need ALL that He is because HE is the prize! I think if we lose sight of that, we lose sight of how to speak the truth into someone's life, and our message becomes one of brimstone and fire rather than a message of Love and Grace.

Instead of approaching unbelievers with "turn from your sin so you can get saved and act like people are supposed to act" speeches, let's start loving them! Showing them it's not about good behavior! It's about a God who came down to die for us! To pay our debt, to make us right with God! When they trust in Christ, they will receive the Holy Spirit who will empower them to produce the fruit of the Spirit and not the flesh.

All that to say, let's stop pointing fingers and show the world the love of Christ in how we treat our brothers and sisters, and also how we treat the world.

I'll end with a few lines from the song, "Love You with the Truth" by Casting Crowns. You can look it up on Youtube if you want to listen.

"When we love, we earn the right to speak the truth.
When we speak truth, we show the world we truly love
I'm not pointing my finger
I'm holding out my hand
I lay it all out on the line now to see God save my friend

Let my life and my words be the proof
I'm going to love you with the truth

It's not about religion or earning God's forgiveness
or magic prayers or new behaviour
It's all about your heart
He'll meet you where you are"


2 comments:

  1. Love this Sarah! Great thoughts and great blog. I really believe God's going to do amazing things through your family. Love Kim

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree. I've really come to love the different variety around me instead of want to "fight it" our church right now has everything from Brethren background to Pentacostals and everything in between. We probably don't agree on a LOT of the grey areas but we can all worship together knowing what isn't a grey area...that Jesus - God - paid the debt we couldn't pay and is the only way to heaven.

    ReplyDelete