Sorry I'm a little late to the blog today. It's been an interesting few days. There will only be two entries to the blog this week. Hope to be back to a normal routine after this week.
Now...Let's go back to my original statement. It's estimate that there are 6.9 billion Christians in the world (and there are plenty of people who will put that number up to debate). They are also the people that probably think that there particular brand of Christianity is the only one out there. I'm serious folks. If you don't think that people who claim to follow Christ could possibly think this way then just pull up a list of Protestant denominations. Our denominations have denominations.
This is a reality that we will probably have to live with for quite a while. I would love to the Church overcome some of these disagreements but I'm not sure that I will get to see it in my lifetime. Regardless of what happens, and regardless of what we may think about "so and so" over in "that" denomination, the reality is that there are 6.9 billion people who claim to follow Christ. So it seems to me that there's at least one aspect of our faith that we can all agree on: Jesus.
There was a time that I didn't think like this. I used to believe that it was my purpose in life for people to think just like I do. Those days are gone. All I can do is try to help people understand why I communicate the gospel the way that I do. This change occurred in my heart when I became more concerned about being rightly related with people rather than just being right. I have learned to respect other Christians in their beliefs, have conversations (rather than debates), and seeks ways to create fellowship around our agreed upon beliefs. It's not always easy but I'm thinking that it's worth a shot.
Think about it this way:
How long has the debate gone on about zebras? Are they white with black stripes or black with white stripes. I'm sure there is a scientific and educational explanation but the reality is that people see things the way they see it. Outside of revelation from the Lord, people are going to do the same thing with Scripture and doctrine. Your view of God, your church background, and your own understanding of the Bible will shape the way you understand Christianity and how you communicate it.
The question then for us is not how do we get people to see things the way we see it? The question is: How Christlike will we be in our interaction with them? The reality is that the person of Jesus can change the way a person thinks quicker than any argument that I could come up with. As people encounter the living Christ in and through our lives then they will be faced with a decision.
There are certain big name preachers that I have met personally that some people don't like. They disagree with their doctrine or their practice of the Christian faith. However, because I have met them and encountered the Lord through them, it has changed how I view them. There's something about encountering the Lord through an individual that will make all the difference. It doesn't necessarily mean that you will believe everything that they believe, but it should mean that you will handle them differently. It should mean that you will respect the Christ in them.
More and more I hear the Lord talk about the necessity of relationship. Love for our neighbor ranks right up there with love for God. The problem in the church is that we have put so much emphasis on "right believing" (because...remember that our particular group is the only one that lines up with Scripture) that we have neglected right relationships. We need to learn how to agree to disagree in certain areas, respect Jesus in our brothers/sisters, and look for ways to promote fellowship among the church as a whole. If we don't then that 6.9 billion people will remain out there - outside of our touch, outside of our love, and definitely outside of our fellowship.
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