V
viltglance007
Guest
You know the feeling of looking back on a situation and wishing it had gone differently. You wish that you had made a better choice; that you had not given into your arrogance and pride. I remember one such conversation my sophomore year in college.
It began when some friends and I were waiting to visit with some inmates at a juvenile detention center. We were all part of a prison ministry and often times had to wait to visit with those we were ministering to because of visitation restrictions. Everyone in the group attended one of two churches and at some point the conversation turned to the two different churches.
Our group proceeded to argue back and forth as to why the church we each attended was the better church. One would say, " Your pastor is too intellectual and talks too long." Another would say, " Your pastor is too opinionated." We went on to share negative things we had heard about the other church and so it went back and forth.
I often look back on that conversation with great regret. We were putting the two churches on opposite teams instead of cheering each other on as different yet important members of the same team.
Later, I felt great conviction. I was quick to tear down instead of build up. I was arrogant enough to think my opinion about their pastor was right and should be shared. Instead of working toward Christian unity, my words caused dissension. I sinned against the body of Christ and against God.
God used that experience to cause me to really take a look at unity. I recently learned that Protestants got their name from "protesting" against certain doctrines of the Catholic Church. It has been noted that Protestants have continued to "protest" with the result being that there are now countless different denominations. I need to be aware of this heritage as a Protestant.
Jesus told his followers that all would know that they were His disciples by their love for one another (John 13:35). Paul wrote to the Philippians, "Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose (2:2). My words and my mindset did not show my love for fellow disciples of Christ, nor did they reflect being of the same mind, being united in spirit, or being intent on one purpose. God desires love and God desires unity.
I challenged myself after that to think hard and pray about ever saying something negative about another church or Christian leader. The Lord is at work in our world in many different people in many different ways. I want to be a team member and supporter for the body of Christ, not the one booing from the crowd.
A man who has served a lifetime in ministry recently spoke on the campus of the seminary that I attend. He told the students in the audience that one of the hardest things about ministry is when you feel you have been betrayed. This feeling comes, he said, when people inevitably attack your talents and your character. He told us that if we were pursuing a life of ministry that we would surely experience this sense of betrayal as well.
I knew how true his message was, because I am guilty of such an attack. It is sad that our future pastors are being warned that they will one day be wounded by their congregation or by fellow ministry staff. We need to be a part of the solution to this problem.
Think about your own life. Do you tear down or build up the body of Christ? May we be known as followers of Christ by our love for one another!!
"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give, grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29)
It began when some friends and I were waiting to visit with some inmates at a juvenile detention center. We were all part of a prison ministry and often times had to wait to visit with those we were ministering to because of visitation restrictions. Everyone in the group attended one of two churches and at some point the conversation turned to the two different churches.
Our group proceeded to argue back and forth as to why the church we each attended was the better church. One would say, " Your pastor is too intellectual and talks too long." Another would say, " Your pastor is too opinionated." We went on to share negative things we had heard about the other church and so it went back and forth.
I often look back on that conversation with great regret. We were putting the two churches on opposite teams instead of cheering each other on as different yet important members of the same team.
Later, I felt great conviction. I was quick to tear down instead of build up. I was arrogant enough to think my opinion about their pastor was right and should be shared. Instead of working toward Christian unity, my words caused dissension. I sinned against the body of Christ and against God.
God used that experience to cause me to really take a look at unity. I recently learned that Protestants got their name from "protesting" against certain doctrines of the Catholic Church. It has been noted that Protestants have continued to "protest" with the result being that there are now countless different denominations. I need to be aware of this heritage as a Protestant.
Jesus told his followers that all would know that they were His disciples by their love for one another (John 13:35). Paul wrote to the Philippians, "Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose (2:2). My words and my mindset did not show my love for fellow disciples of Christ, nor did they reflect being of the same mind, being united in spirit, or being intent on one purpose. God desires love and God desires unity.
I challenged myself after that to think hard and pray about ever saying something negative about another church or Christian leader. The Lord is at work in our world in many different people in many different ways. I want to be a team member and supporter for the body of Christ, not the one booing from the crowd.
A man who has served a lifetime in ministry recently spoke on the campus of the seminary that I attend. He told the students in the audience that one of the hardest things about ministry is when you feel you have been betrayed. This feeling comes, he said, when people inevitably attack your talents and your character. He told us that if we were pursuing a life of ministry that we would surely experience this sense of betrayal as well.
I knew how true his message was, because I am guilty of such an attack. It is sad that our future pastors are being warned that they will one day be wounded by their congregation or by fellow ministry staff. We need to be a part of the solution to this problem.
Think about your own life. Do you tear down or build up the body of Christ? May we be known as followers of Christ by our love for one another!!
"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give, grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29)
