Guarding What?

All too often humans become possessive.  Selfish.  The childlike expression of ‘mine, mine, mine’ comes to mind.  Unfortunately, churches often operate under the same mentality.  I come from a fundamental baptist background.  I saw it all the time.  We didn’t get along with the Southern Baptists.  We didn’t get along with the Presbyterians.  We sure as heck-fire didn’t get along with the Methodists or Catholics.

Then there were the other denominations we didn’t get along with like Church of Christ, Lutherans, and the unique denomination of non-denominational churches.  But what struck me odd was we didn’t really get along with other fundamental baptist churches either.  What gives?

John 17:21 — that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. (ESV)

Maybe I was just too young to see that scripture through years of tainted sectarianism.  I actually believed Jesus meant it when He prayed that we would be one and show love for one another.  Sure we need to guard the gospel. But we let minor differences separate us.  Sometimes its as small as which side of the tracks you come from.  Or that they don’t preach out of the same bible version as your preference.

Seriously, what kind of mentality is that?  Are we trying to protect the offering plate?  I thought God was our provider.  And while we may be shepherds, He is the Chief Shepherd and “our flocks” are really His flock.

My heart is to see the church at large, those who believe in justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, actually start to function like one body.  Do you think our world would be different?  I do.

Maybe in our efforts to guard the gospel, we just forgot how to live it.

— Pastor Rick