One Man’s Opinion

Yes, everyone will not get along, there is no perfect church and as humans we all want to be right. That is true and very much a reality. The problem with this is despite all of these facts it is no excuse for our division and hurtful behavior towards each other. We wage war on our own brothers and sisters over what? Politics, theology?, doctrine?, Ideals?, Morality? and everything else in-between. The result is a church made up of a million different denominations, sects and branches that all claim to be right and seem to be proud of the fact that they stand alone. This is humanity so it is well understood, our pride is a roadblock to unity. How can we get past this?

This question can not be answered now or maybe ever. The only thing we can do is start loving each other more and also start opening up. Talk about what bothers you but when you are done listen!!!! I for one am a person with a lot of issues with the church, I believe in my own ideas but I have to learn to take a step back and see the whole picture. People are different, it is the beauty of creation, we all have thoughts, fears, hopes and of course pain. Lets stop making God’s people a source of so much of this pain amongst believers, and of course lets stop hurting those who don’t even share our faith.

If we want to show people that Jesus is a God of forgiveness, love, mercy and justice. I suggest we start showing each other this before we do as Paul warns us in Galatians 5:13 – 15 “You were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another.”

I am not trying to come off as self righteous because I am 100% guilty of bitterness, hatred, and misplaced anger towards my fellow Christians. It is hard sometimes, especially when you feel your danger is justified. I just want this ministry to be an encouragement not a source of more disillusionment. This ministry was started because I felt that my own anger had not only furthered my distance from the body but also from my God. It kept me from joy, from peace and mostly from fellowship. I had no trust in God’s people and therefore doubted my own trust in God. This is a cycle that can eat a person alive and I have seen many a weary soul walk right out the door and never come back. Luckily I believe in a God that is forgiving, merciful and does not break promises. His gift was free and there is no expiration date. He knows that we are flawed and that is why grace is our first source of refuge. Next is our community, those who understand our faith and can encourage, lift us up and help us along our way. We have hurt so many but we can never destroy it all, lets be like St. Francis and pray to become an intrument of peace.

This Easter week is the one time of year that we all can agree is Holy. It is the one thing that crashes down our walls of ignorance and pride. It is the one thing that makes what we beleive so important and also so hard to explain to those that do not share our faith. The death and ressurection of our Lord is where our unity lies. It is in the blood and is a common denominator,we can not call ourselves Christians with out this week. Without this sacrafice our souls would not be saved, we would have no reason to be excited to serve this God we have never seen. It is the events of the final days of Christ and his return that give us hope, bring us peace and make what we do worth while. I challenge you this week to think of those Christians you despise, the ones that get under your skin, the ones that hurt you, that cast you out or that turned their back on you. Think of the ones that walked away and said hurtful things about your church or about you. Think long and hard about all of these people and I am sure we all have a few and before you get dressed up and go to Easter Sunday service with a big ole smile, FORGIVE THEM!!!!!

Lets try and see if we can’t show a little true Christianity this week and may God help us carry that into our lives from now on.