Recently the larger denomination that we are part of had its annual general meeting. I am part of a facebook group where we received regular updates into the goings on. I have to admit, some days the reports were hard, hard to see the denomination split so badly. Hard to see truth be lost by people firmly convinced that they are right, denying centuries-old truth, redefining scripture to suit their own ends. SO very hard to see, but it’s something that Christians have always done you know? Redefine scripture to suit their present day, just hard to have to live through it! 🙂
Anyways, in that hardness it’s hard to remember this truth that we see in Rev.7:
and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
I know it’s a future seeing. I get that. But to have that in the future, you need to have that in the present eh? The future doesn’t “just happen”. We need to remember that the church united…from every language, people, tribe, nation… the believers of God are one great multitude.
We are! It’s a stunner when you sometimes think about it.
Today I had lunch with a gal from a Lutheran church. It was so cool to listen to her enthusiam for her church, and her church away (when she goes down to Texas over the winter). To hear her heart of the Lord. It was a GOODLY thing to be part of (even just vicariously).
One could focus on the differences between our congregations, how we see scripture, and intrepret God’s word … but in reality what I saw was…her love for the Lord and the Lord’s people. Such a goodly thing. She wasn’t caught up in differences and in forcing her own way, but of enjoying the people that God puts in front of her and in her path.
Do we remember to do that? Do we remember that despite our difference, if we believe that Jesus is the ONLY path to salvation, that He was sent via the Father God, and stirs our hearts through the Holy Spirit… we are all just one big old family. One united bunch whose SOLE PURPOSE is to help others see God’s glory and to be part of spreading that glory here on earth until one, oh.. one day we’ll worship him together giving him ALL the glory we can muster.
It’s so easy to forget though isn’t it? To forget what is says in Galatians 3 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.“
You may be asking yourself (like I am) how does one see this unity… what does this unity really mean? “God has but one church, the body and bride of his Son. Our Lord Jesus has only one body and one bride. Their is only “one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” ….There is only one Bible, which every true believer believes and loves and obeys. Christian unity is not an illusion, it is a fact. (p 28 The faith-shaped life).
So how do we stop tearing each other down or justifying the divisions among us? How do we stay true to the faith and yet stay true to what we are supposed to be? One body, One Baptism, One Faith… how do we do this? How do we heal schisms and divisions and what not? How do we reprove wrong and yet remember this is family that we are dealing with?
I don’t know. Honestly I don’t know. I just know that somehow we need to do better. We need to stop letting selfishness in the name of faith get the better of us. See the good in other believers. Strive for something more than what we have currently.
Want to read along? Join me as weekly I read a new chapter from “The Faith-Shaped Life“.
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