Paul's words to the church in Ephesus (Ephesians 4) should serve as a mantra for every church fellowship. Allow me to break it down in such a way that we can hear his heart. Remember, he's talking about how we walk as those who have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light:
WALK WITH ALL HUMILITY
AND GENTLENESS
WITH PATIENCE
BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE
EAGER TO MAINTAIN THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT
IN THE BOND OF PEACE
Many of you know that I am not a fan of denominationalism. This does not mean that I have a problem with denominations per say, it just means that I do not like the mindset that comes with the "ism". Like a lot of other "isms" in the world, denominationalism causes schisms (division) that leads to deception, destruction, and defeat. When it comes to the Body of Christ, we need a mentality like the Three Musketeers: "All for One and One for All."
For centuries now the main glue that has been used to hold church unity together has been theology. Denominations have been established to recognize those who are of the same belief system. In other words, you should be able to go into any particular church of any particular denomination and they will believe the same things. Some denomination will take this a step further and focus in on the practices of the individual churches as well. This means that their particular brand of Christianity will look, sound, and function the same. I understand why these things are in place. They are not inherently evil. Division comes when we are not willing to recognize the legitimacy of another denomination. This is what I term as denominationalism. It's the idea that only one denomination is right and all the others are wrong. It creates a mindset that all those other churches out there are deceiving people. While I'm okay with people being able to find a common ground in their faith, I'm not okay with simply marketing our brand of Christianity.
The question then becomes for us: Can I walk in confidence in what I believe and yet recognize that someone else is a legitimate follower of Christ although we differ on some things? Isn't that what walking in humility is all about. It's recognizing that I don't have it all together and that I don't have the final say in all our beliefs. Doesn't gentleness require that I stop being so aggressive with my faith and learn how to walk in patience with others? Does not "bearing with one another in love" require that I walk alongside a brother/sister in Christ regardless of where they stand? I think it does. In fact, I think the world would be better served if all churches would stop harassing other churches. I think if we could learn what it means to walk in true unity - not a unity that revolves around common doctrines - a unity that knows what it means to be in the bond of peace, we would see such a sweeping revival in our communities that we wouldn't know what to do next.
I realize that some people have a problem with this type of thinking. It's quite different than what we have known. I mean...if we are not connected through doctrine then what would be the basis of our fellowship? I'm glad you asked. Listen to Paul's words that are inspired by the Holy Spirit. The BOND that ties each of us to the unity of the Spirit is not "truth" but peace. What we are to endeavor to do as followers of Christ is to keep the unity of the Spirit IN the bond of peace. What denominationalism has created in us is the mindset that the only bond that keeps us united in the Spirit is our belief system. Could it be that we have missed out on what makes for true unity? I think we have.
The bond of peace is a powerful thing. It's none other than the peace that comes from God. It's a peace that was given to us through the finished work of Christ. It's a peace that not only means peace with God but peace with one another. Therefore, the basis for our unity in the Spirit (in my opinion) should not be whether or not we believe the same things but the relationship that we have in Christ. How are we saved? According to Romans 10:9 says that "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." My plea to the Body of Christ is this: If that is all that is necessary for us to be saved then why isn't that enough for us to base a common fellowship? The unity of the Spirit will be kept in the bond of peace when we learn how to rally around relationships rather than doctrines.
Please hear me out. I'm a pastor so I understand the importance of doctrine. I don't know if we will ever see a time in our lives where believers do not choose their community of faith based upon principles and practices. What I'm after in all of this is that we learn how to live in relationship with those who differ. That we would learn to stop arguing, stop competing, and start walking in love with one another. We also need to stop with the idea that we must win every person who is of a different persuasion than us. Just because people choose to fellowship with other Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, etc. does not mean they are wrong or that they are lost. It typically means that this is how they found Christ or found a genuine expression of the love of God. Let's honor that. Let's walk in humility, gentleness, and patience with them. Let's bear with one another in love. AND let's be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This is what Paul refers to as "walking in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called."
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