"Jesus wasn't Baptist, Jesus wasn't Catholic, Jesus wasn't Adventist, Jesus wasn't Presbyterian, Jesus wasn't Mormon and Jesus wasn't Methodist. What does an enemy do when he can't conquer? He divides."
The above was a Facebook status update I composed about a year ago which, as you can safely assume, didn't get very many "likes". People like their religious titles and people like to think they are the best. And, they really don't like it being implied that Satan's sneakiness has penetrated any kind of breach in their holy ways.
It wasn't meant to be a judgmental statement, just one that made people stop and realize that there is a division in the Christian church. If there wasn't, we wouldn't have different words on the signs out in front of them.
You see, I grew up thinking that Catholics weren't going to heaven, that some Lutherans weren't (particularly the ones who sprinkled their babies instead of dunking their grown-ups) and that pretty much only the Baptists had things entirely figured out. Maybe some Presbyterians. (The ones who didn't drink alcohol, at least.)
I don't know why, as a child, I thought these things to be true. Whether I assumed them, was explicitly told them, if it was preached to me or if I simply just dreamed these rules up on my own. I didn't even wholly believe it in my heart. Most of my school friends were Catholic! I just for some reason thought, to be a "good" Christian, I was supposed to train myself to feel that way. And, it's very embarrassing to admit to it decades later... let me make that absolutely clear!
***Also let me slip in this disclaimer before the hate mail floods in: This is not Baptist church doctrine. Just something I misunderstood as a youth and knew many others who misunderstood this as well.***
Do you ever stop and wonder if Christ is sitting on the right hand of our Lord right now, wondering what in His name did happen to His church?
"The church" in biblical days was simply the body of believers as a whole. Somehow, over the centuries, the bones of this body have splintered off into too many fractures to count. One building disagreed with another building and formed their own title to separate themselves from the others. One preferred to focus on confession, one preferred to be solely evangelistic, while another decided that speaking in tongues was the bees knees. This congregation will be drinking grape juice, not wine with their communion. That congregation thinks unleavened bread tastes like flesh. These pews have hat-wearers, those pews have covered knees and that auditorium has no pews, but folding chairs occupied with denim and tattoos.
Some tweak the doctrine to suit their own needs. This group, omitting Scripture that is no longer politically correct. Others, using that same Scripture (via megaphone) as a vessel for judging and condemning the politically correct. This group is angry, that group is blissful, this group will protest, another group will meet at the bar after services. Some meet on Sundays, some meet on Saturdays, others are overly ambitious and show up every morning or night. And, too many think that all the others are wrong.
On my ride to teach my niece and nephews Sunday School each weekend, I can pass no less than a half-dozen churches in my fifteen minute drive. All Christian, all different denominations. This could be thought of as a sad thing; that these believers, all living in the same community, can't agree enough on what the Bible says to meet under one large communal roof. But, instead I choose to be grateful that, in this day and age, people are still choosing to read the Bible at all.
It's great that believers can select a place of worship of their choosing; one where the music and preaching style suits their learning curve best. We just have to be careful to stop saving one another from the others' congregation. There's no bigger religious pet peeve of mine than other churches showing up on my doorstep and trying to convince my family that we're not truly saved, because we haven't been saved by their church yet.
Christ commissioned that we, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel..." (Mark 16:15) Not that we should seek out those who say they already believe, tweak their convictions ever so slightly so they believe more correctly, and then transfer their tithes to your own church's building fund.
Division is not of God. Christ made that clear in John 18:20-23. The biggest confusion about the devil is believing that he's an Atheist. He believes in God, he's just opposed to God. Satan knows of God's existence. He's met Him. He knows that Jesus is God's son. He can quote Scripture better than most humans and proved this when tempting Christ in the wilderness. Christ was perfect and strong enough not to be fooled by twisted theology. Many humans are not and that's when the enemy claims his small victories.
When the numbers are too large an enemy's best strategy is to divide. So he whispers to the weak, making them feel stronger in the misbelief that they are better then the rest of the pack and need to break away. He convinces the self-righteous that they're allowed to judge the holy and publicly condemn them. He deceived our ancestors long ago into splintering the bones of the body of the church and left them in hundreds of piles to oppose their own. And, it was to the enemy's delight when a little girl cast doubt that her friends might not be really believers because they went to catechism during the week instead of to Sunday school.
Children create big ideas out of small impressions. Sending them to Sunday school (or catechism) is not enough. Be sure to lead a non-judgemental example in the home as well. Children, as well as new or immature believers of age, need to be milk fed before given meat, as I Corinthians 3 implores.
Put whatever sign you want on the front of your church, but remember that all churches teaching God's Word is what makes up the body of Christ. Be on the same team whether your head is covered, your knees are showing or your denim is torn.
This is thought provoking indeed, but also dangerous. Faith is no easy thing. Faith is blind and extremely easy to lose. For a church who is strictly Bible based gaining all truth, beliefs and practices from only the Bible, it's vital that all Faith is put in this Word. Satans daily work is to try and break that faith and skew the Word.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between most churches lies in translation of the Bible. The members of these churches must put their blind faith into the Word they are taught and preached about at their church. There is nothing wrong with this. God expects nothing less. God expects our undying faith. Members of these churches believe their faith is based on the true Word of God and nothing else. This is faith. Believing in other ideas or translations would be a waiver in third own faith and now Satan has his hand in the pot.
The problem isn't different churches strongly believing in their own translations. The problem is when someone either inside or outside of the church points fingers and begins judging. That needs to be left in His hands. :)
DeleteI completely agree with you. And, that's exactly how this post was formed. Certain attitudes and comments made in my childhood led me to believe my family's religion was the only true Christian faith throughout my very young years. Even though I knew in my heart that "by grace are we saved by faith" was the real answer. What's dangerous to the body of Christ when children grow into adults who still think this way and then teach the next generation that attitude.
DeleteAfter turning 18 and choosing my own place of worship, I realized that gut feeling (spirit led?) was right and I personally ended up in a non-denominational Christian congregation. Meanwhile, I worked with a Catholic school student who says that his priest teaches that all Protestant religious are either "Wannabe Catholics, or wannabe Jews." Another coworker was Jevohah's Witness and my faith wasn't enough for her, I didn't have her degree of works.
I could go on and on with examples of interactions with people who's spiritual leaders were teaching them to judge other Christian faiths and commissioning them to save the already saved (not to mention all the ones that keep showing up on our doorstep).
And, THAT'S the division I believe the devil has his hand in. When believers are turning against each other and losing their focus on saving the lost instead of each other. And, then shepherding the found, to be "meat fed" so when it's their turn to teach, they're not midleading a whole new generation. It was scary as an adult to hear others saying that their priests and teachers were telling them such things. (I was hoping my confusion as a child was dreamed up on my own. Now I was having it confirmed that some ARE misled directly from the pulpit.)
Most Christian churches are great, regardless of the denomination. Looking back, I could probably stand to revise this article a little. I wrote it very late at night and I can see how it's a little sloppy and may come off as "anti-church" which wasn't the intention at all. The intention was to motivate leaders to take James 3:1 to heart and be very cautious of the seeds they plant and to leave the judging, as you said, "in His hands."