Of all the phone calls, conversations and visits I had this week, the one that caused profound sadness was one from a church in our area. They have decided to not partner with the rest of the churches in our annual breakfast for High School seniors because of our ‘differences’.
The churches in our Valley have been hosting a breakfast for graduating seniors for 30 years. We all join together and share the responsibilities each June, taking turns providing music, prayer and a short presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I acknowledge that we approach Christ from different directions but we all hold Him up and exalt Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the answer to the human problem that has no human solution. We are light and salt to a community who desperately needs the healing touch of the Gentle Carpenter from Nazareth. The One who came, lived a real life, died a horrible death and rose again to provide life eternal to those who would but place their confidence in Jesus and make following Him into life the most important thing for them. Learning from Him how to live this new life from above that will never end.
But, one church in our valley is right and the rest are wrong. Rather than present our unity in Christ they prefer to magnify the differences.
You don’t find that exclusionary approach in the scriptures.
Galatians 3:26-29 and Ephesians 4:5 is instructive.
Thank God, we are not saved by being right. If anything we are right because we are saved. Perhaps we should focus on being Christlike and whatever we need to be right about we should trust Him for that as well.
I so desperately long and fervently pray for each of the churches in our little valley to thrive because each will reach people the other churches are not positioned to reach. I desire the dissenting church to thrive and I pray for her pastor that he would become the kind of person who can show his community how Jesus Christ would live his live. But the church must not draw its boundaries smaller than God draws the boundaries. This is a sad day for the entire Community of the Redeemed in Long Valley.
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Sad indeed. It has weighed heavy this week. But I am reminded daily of the incredible journey God is taking this community on. I believe it is one of healing...healing from the damage church has unfortunately done here in the past years! God is Redeemer and He is redeeming our past wrongs and hurts to the community. He has untied more churches in the last year than I have seen united in the last 7 years. That is GOOD! Some of our community will get to rejoice (with us) in all this GOOD. I pray that all the churches will be able to rejoice in unity. God is doing things here that if we really payed attention too...we would overwhelmed! Praise God for His Faithfulness to complete what He has begun!
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