Just thought I’d share some pre-post thoughts since they’ll prove both relevant and irrelevant at the same time.
1. After writing my last post, I thought a lot about the topic. Such intense thought (sike!) led to a conversation about the relative importance of every book of the Bible. That led to other thoughts. Then I woke up this morning and noticed I had a daily Bible verse email. It was from Proverbs 2:6: For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. That led to more thoughts (and a big “I see what you did there, God!” moment). In any case, I haven’t come to any conclusion about the topic because everything that seems like a good answer also seems a little less than satisfactory (but that’s probably just some issue with me, not the answers). In an ironic turn of events, it has actually left me a little more confused about some things (see: Ecclesiastes 1:18). So maybe I’ll revisit the topic when my head is less foggy.
2. I was listening to Ephesians 4:4-5 today (one body, Spirit, Lord, faith, baptism, etc.) and I couldn’t help but shake my head. We, as Christians, don’t really live that out. One body? One baptism? This is one of the problems with the way we practice Christianity. God is one. Why would He have so many bodies? We shouldn’t see this faith as the type of thing that can be divided based on people’s comfort. You don’t believe that the Holy Spirit still moves and acts today? You do? Ok, let’s separate you guys into two different denominations. I’m not trying to condemn anyone or say who is right or wrong, so I apologize if this sounds like an angry rant. I don’t know the answers to the questions that divide congregations so I understand why these divisions happen. I just think they shouldn’t. But then again, it’s easy to make these definite statements from my position. I’m not a leader of a church. But as a leader as a Christian organization I can truly say that I’d love to see every Christian group united. And for me, that doesn’t just mean singing together or co-sponsoring events, that means actually being a cohesive community bound together by the love of Christ. That means being able to make professions of faith that everyone can agree on. And not the type of agreement that would mirror compromise. Not the watered down stuff that would just make everyone comfortable. The stuff that God said is true. The stuff that Jesus said we’d have to do if we were to call ourselves His followers.
The stuff that would make everyone uncomfortable. That’s what I want to see.
SC,
DJP
Second Chance 