There is a
lot of disunity among Christians these days. I have read about this and also
heard about it on podcasts. Just the other day, I heard this: “People say
Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship.” The podcasters didn’t like this. They
insisted Christianity is a religion. They didn’t understand what these other
Christians meant. They thought they were putting down the Christian religion.
When Christians
say, “It’s a relationship,” they mean that this is the most important
facet of Christianity. Without the relationship with God the father, Son and
Holy Spirit, and you say you are a Christian, you are just following the rules.
As Jesus said, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but
inside you are full of greed and wickedness.”
Luke 11:39
We cannot
become truly clean inside without a living relationship with God. It is
impossible. He alone is the strength of our life, which even the writers of the
Old Testament knew.
We are
living in time of the end of the world. Jesus is returning soon and calling his
children, “Come out of her my people, that you be not partakers of their
sins.” Revelation 18:4
I believe
this verse means God’s people who are in churches that are led by evil leaders.
This verse is coming true right now. People are leaving the regular Christian
churches and starting their own. They could not stay with people who said they
were Christians and yet are full of hate.
I left my
church because of the way the people there treated non-Christians. I also didn’t
like they way they treated each other. I didn’t see love there; I saw harsh
judgement and criticism.
Most
religions or churches don’t want people in their community if that person
disagrees with them on doctrine or life-style. Drinking, drugs and sex are the
sins they think are the worst. Pride, greed, selfishness and unkindness aren’t
really addressed. But their kind of teaching is the opposite of both the Old
and New Testaments.
Jesus
doesn’t care what church you go to. As he said to the woman at the well, “Sir,”
the woman said, “I see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this
mountain, but you Jews say the place where one must worship is Jerusalem.”
Jesus answered, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither
on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship
what we do know, for salvation comes through the Jews. But a time is coming and
has now come, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in
truth. The Father is seeking these kinds of people to worship him. God is
Spirit, and his worshiper must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:19-24
“Master,”
said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to
stop him, because he does not accompany us.”
“Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for
whoever is not against you is for you.”
Luke 9:49,50
Paul wrote, “All of us who
are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently
about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well."
Philippians
3:15,16
Whatever church you belong to, whatever
your beliefs about God, that is the freedom God has given us. We must give that
freedom to others. If there is disunity among the churches, we should accept
that with love.
