It hit me again this morning. I was praying in preparation for our weekly Bible study. I'm supposed to be in I Peter, but my mind and heart were led over to the Book of Revelation. There's a curious truth hidden there that many Protestants need to hear.
Since our exit from Romanism lo these many hundreds of years, we protest-ors have been dividing and re-dividing and sub-dividing until we are more known for our splinters than our solid wood. We love to think of ourselves as "separated" when many times all we are is separate. There's a huge difference.
A truly separated, or holy brother, stands out in a crowd. And that's the point. He has to be in the crowd to begin with before he can stand out. He stands out not because he leaves but because God has filled Him and He is different.
Too many of the bretheren are just out-standing, not standing out! Imagine a guy going to a picnic and spending the whole time sitting under a tree thinking nasty thoughts about the picnickers. Some of us are like that. Everyone else is enjoying Jesus, while we sit back and "spy out their liberty", just knowing that they couldn't possibly be real.
God never called His church to walk alone. Once we have come out of Babylon we are to come together in Zion. We are not called to be loners, judges, monks. The calls to one-mindedness as in I Peter 3, are not calls to doctrinal purity but calls to the compassionate mind of Christ, the brotherly love of believers, tenderheartedness, and the like. These things we can experience. Doctrinal unty will not happen until we are all made perfect with Him.
One does not reject his infant child because the child lacks understanding and "agreement" intellectually. So in the churh we do not exclude those with whom we disagree. If they are born again, eventually one or both of the 2 arguing parties will see things exactly the same. Eventually.
But I was talking about the Book of Revelation. You remember the seven churches. Consider, and weep with me when you do, because I have spent much time at the "church picnic" sitting under my tree of judgment, that not once does God tell believers to leave the churches that are described. And some of them are pretty bad. One is lukewarm, one is corrupt, one is actually dead!
But the command is to repent, to hold fast, to continue on, not to walk out! Leaving a church dooms it, if perchance you are the last hope that church has.
Stay with your congregation. Lay down your life for it. Offer your gifts and your prayers and your finances and whatever you have. More importantly, avail yourself of all the giftedness that is available to you in that fellowship. When you stop seeing all the faults God will open your eyes to your own great needs, and to a member of that body that has the answer for it.
http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com
And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.
Power Of Affirmations
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