We had an interesting situation last Sunday. A person from another church visited us. But this person was not here to enjoy our fellowship, rather they came to convey a message and convert us. This person handed out papers stating that a certain denomination was the only true church, and the inference was that we were in the wrong and they were the only ones in the right. Now that was their privilege to do so, and I would welcome this person back again, but it is an example of just how fractured the Christian church is in our world. I have no particular beef with the denomination that this person was promoting, but obviously there is a reason that I am a United Methodist and not something else. I prefer John Wesley and his theological thinking, and I like our particular form of church government. But I do not believe that we are the only denomination and that all others are lost. In fact, Sue and I attended the Episcopal church before coming here and we enjoyed the ritual. Both the Episcopal church and the Methodist church have its roots in the church of England, so in a way I felt like I was getting in touch with our spiritual heritage. John Wesley, as you may know, was a priest in the Anglican church and remained so until his death. He never intended to start a new denomination, neither did he desire to do so. We have people here who were formally a part of the Roman Catholic Church and other denominations, and they still value parts of the tradition of which they were a part.
There is no “one true church” any more than there is “one true hospital” or “one true grocery store” to the elimination of others. We, as the church, are all trying to do our best in following Jesus Christ and bringing about his kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. The thing that unites Christians is not our denominational name or church polity; the thing that unites us is our belief in the deity of Christ and our love for him. We are united in our desire to bring the world to him and see all people reconciled to God. We believe that God loves sinners and wants them to experience the forgiveness and life which he offers. Christians may each prefer different worship styles, and we may emphasize different things, but we are essentially one church united in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ prayer was, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:21). We do not have to be all the same denomination, but we do have to see ourselves as one in Christ. We have one purpose — to follow him and carry out his will here on earth.
In Jesus’ great prayer in John 17, which came at the end of his ministry, he had one great desire — for us to be united as one. Sadly, this prayer has yet to be fulfilled. And it is not just our different denominations, but the differences within individual churches. There are power struggles, differences of opinions, hurt feelings. Many churches are seriously divided within themselves over things as big as major building programs, and things as small as the color of paint or the kind of carpet. Many churches in recent years have divided over what has been called the “worship wars” — whether to have traditional worship with hymns, contemporary worship with praise choruses or a blend of both. It must break the heart of God.
I have to say how grateful I am for the unity of this church. There is a love for each other and a desire to get along that is remarkable. I have seen it in our worship and our business meetings as well. I believe it is a result of the spiritual maturity that is here. It is also a result of our commitment to each other and the love we have for God and one another. There have been problems in our recent past, but what has impressed me is that no one has come to me with a rehearsal of those problems, and most of all no one has run other people down because of disagreements. Disagreements are inevitable. It is part of being human. Disagreements will inevitably come, but it is how we handle disagreements. It is whether or not we are able to see the other person’s point of view, be patient with one another, and forgive one another. It is whether our commitment to love one another is larger than our disagreements. We put up with the faults of others because we have faults too. We extend grace to others because God has extended grace to us.
George Whitefield, one of the prominent preachers in the early Methodist movement, had strong disagreements with John Wesley on some theological matters, but he was careful not to create problems in public that could be used to hinder the preaching of the gospel, even though some people egged him on. Someone once asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven. Whitefield replied, “I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him.” That is the kind of spirit we all need.
Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” And Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Sometimes decisions will go our way, and sometimes we will not get our way, but getting our way is not what it is all about. Sometimes we will see later that our way was not God’s will in a particular matter. We will be glad that others saw things differently. We will sometimes be glad we didn’t get our way, because looking back we will see that it was best we didn’t. Our desire is that we will be one even as Jesus and the Father are one. Our desire is to fulfill the prayer of Christ that we be one SO THAT the world may believe. We don’t have to always get our way. We don’t always have to be right, because having right relationships is more important than being right.
One of the great hindrances to people coming to a church is the divisions that are so often there. “How can they believe that God is love when they don’t even love each other,” they say. Jesus’ prayer for the church was that we might be one in the unity of love. He said, “My prayer is. . . 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. . . . May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me” (John 17:20-23). The purpose of our unity is that the world may believe that the message of Christ is real. If we can only love people that we agree with, then we know little of the love of Jesus. I would suggest that if there is someone you are having difficulty with that you go to them soon and try to be reconciled. Jesus said, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). The apostle John wrote: “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:19-21).
I saw a video this week of a family who had a prosperous business and yet decided to go from a home of over 2500 square feet to a home of 350 square feet. It was not something they had to do, but something they wanted to do. Obviously they made sacrifices. But as I watched the video, the woman said the secret was not dwelling on what they did not have and to concentrate on what they did have. That is a good rule of life. It is also a good rule for a church. Instead of being irritated because of certain things you wish were different, you could concentrate on all the things that are good about the church. You could concentrate on all the good that is in the people around you rather than the things that might irritate you. We need to stop demanding a standard of perfection from people that we are not able to live up to ourselves. The glory of the church should be that we don’t have to wear a mask here — that this is a place where we can be real. We can admit our faults and make mistakes and have people still love us. People can see our weakness and still value us. We don’t have to be perfect to be accepted.
I have known a lot of people who changed churches, only to find that the next church had its problems as well. As someone said, “If there was a perfect church and you joined it, it would no longer be a perfect church.” Paul admonished the church at Rome saying, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus” (Romans 15:5). Paul wrote to the Ephesians saying, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). He said that the gifts of the Spirit were given, “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13). He listed the virtues of the faith and then said, “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:14). He said, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
I recently read a newspaper article where the author said: “I know the Lord says turn the other cheek, but give me an eye for an eye any time!” That is a recipe for disaster in your personal life, not to mention your relationship with God. This is not about you. James MacDonald writes: “The church of Jesus Christ is not like a Target store. It’s not like you go, get what you came for, and then head home again. The church isn’t just about you getting what you need. It’s about you participating in what everyone needs. It is a community of families all working together so that the church can be all God wants it to be.”
A.W. Tozer in his book The Pursuit of God pointed out a great truth. He said, “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other?” Do you see what he is saying? If each of us have our hearts tuned to God, then our hearts are also automatically tuned to each other. Our love for God brings us in tune so that we also love each other. Here is the call for the church. Here is Christ’s call to us — to be the answer to the prayer he prayed.
Joni Eareckson recently told a story commenting on Romans 15:1-2: “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” She writes, “My husband, Ken, serves as a track-and-field coordinator for Special Olympics. There is always band music, colorful banners, and flags everywhere. Scattered across the infield are teams of mentally handicapped young people. A few years ago at the games, Ken blew his whistle to signal the contestants for the 50-yard dash. A Down’s syndrome girl with thick glasses and a short, stocky boy in baggy shorts were the first to line up. There was a moment of stillness, then a ‘bang’ from the starting gun. Off they sprinted — six contestants bobbing and weaving down the track. Suddenly the boy in baggy shorts began running toward his friends in the infield. Ken blew his whistle to direct him back to the track, but it was no use. At that point, the Down’s syndrome girl, who was just a few yards from the finish line, turned around, ran toward him, and gave him a big hug. Together they got back on the track and completed the race arm-in-arm, long after the rest of the contestants had crossed the finish line.” She ends by saying, “We must run the race not to please ourselves, but to please the Lord. That often means taking time to stop and put our arms around a weaker friend who needs to get back on track. Have you watched a fellow believer get spiritually confused, and yet you’ve kept on going? Jesus doesn’t seems as preoccupied with ‘winning’ as we do. The important thing is how we run the race. And we are called to run it, bearing with the failings of those who are weak.”
Rodney J. Buchanan
Amity United Methodist Church
June 5, 2011
rodbuchanan2000@yahoo.com
www.amityunitemethodist.com
