-We should follow what the Bible says, not what this former church father has said about the Bible.
-We focus on the wrong issues in the church. If we focused on the correct issues, then we wouldn't need denominations.
-Groups of people that think the same way should band together.
-Ever since the reformation, churches have been splitting into smaller and smaller sections. Its time that churches should start meeting at a middle ground once again so that we can help the oppressed and the poor in the world. What the church needs is organization.
-Legalism kills the unity that the church is striving for. Oftentimes people don't think that legalism is a problem.
-In history, unity has been attempted by the church, but it hasn't been implemented well. This lack of organizational focus caused those movements to fall, and fall hard.
What about having different worship services, but the same sermon is preached? Wouldn't the church body be separated into those different church services?
WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?
1 comment:
I don't understand how this issue has even become a debatable one due to the clarity of the Bible, specifically in John 17. Jesus prays for all believers and says:
"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
"Complete Unity"! It seems clear to me that God desires their to be one christian church. Denominations are a blatant manifestation of selfishness and sin in the church in my opinion. But what can we do? As individuals, and even as church bodies, how can we combat hundreds of years of seperation and ritualitic stubborness amongst the body of Christ?
The more I think about it, the more I seem to think the Western church (US and western Europe) are helpless when it comes to fixing this problem. There is a mountain of selfishness and stubornness that is preventing any real change or push towards unity to take place. Yes, God can move mountains and I believe he would IF and only if we as the western church would humble ourselves and ask for forgivness. But I don't know that I see that happening on a grand scale any time soon. I don't see the final solution coming from anything we do inside our own "Western" church body...
I think the solution to this problem will come about from the emergent and persecuted church around the world. The church in Muslim parts of Africa and Asia, the underground church in China, the parts of the body of Christ that are alive and well around the world. I think God will grace us with revival when the "Western" church can admit its failure and humbly submit to the ideals the 3rd world church embraces and follows. I don't see God pouring out revival and change until we fully admit to our sins of seperation on a large scale. And I don't think that will come until the persecuted church puts at least some of their prayer and mission focus on the Western church itself. I think it will take the part of the body of Christ that is still alive, with God's help to pull back in the parts of the body that are "dead". With their help, and more importantly God's, the body can become one again, full of life, with Christ as the head.
I know that response was somewhat off topic, but it's what came to mind. My computer screen is flickering into oblivion and making it quite difficult to do anything, so we'll talk later.
Take it easy bolte ^_^
P.S. I read your post about blogging and it was somewhat enticing.. but I won't be doing anymore blogging until this monitor is fixed or I have a new comp... so we'll see what happens.
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