United We Stand...

 “Our divisions should never be discussed except in the presence of those who have already come to believe that there is one God and that Jesus Christ is His only son.” – C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Almost two years ago COVID-19 hit the United States. At first, I naively thought that the situation would help unite and heal our country. I thought having a common enemy would pull us together. Boy was I wrong!

Our nation has seen many times of division, some far worse than others, but I’ve never seen hatred like we have today, not in my lifetime.  Yet as heartbreaking as that is, there is another divided nation that breaks my heart even more.

The church.

The Israel of God.

The New Jerusalem.

This is so disturbing because it is completely contrary to the principles that the church was founded on. Our king came to unite, to bring into one.

ONE body, ONE faith, ONE Spirit, ONE baptism.

And yet here we are protecting and fighting over lines drawn in the sand. Not lines drawn by the King, but by us.

Here we are telling the foot we have no need of it, telling the eye it’s not even a part of the body.

Sound familiar?

Here we are telling this group they’re not good enough because they don’t hold to the same traditions that we do.

Sound familiar?

Now to the quote from the top of the page. I was listening to the classic book Mere Christianity this morning while hiking when I heard this gem.

“Our divisions should never be discussed except in the presence of those who have already come to believe that there is one God; and that Jesus Christ is His only son.” – C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

While it is inevitable that we are going to have differences in doctrine and tradition with other believers, we should consider these “in-house” issues. These conversations (which sometimes turn to spirited debates or arguments) are more appropriate in private settings.

Please do not misunderstand me, I love a good debate. It’s important that we allow our beliefs to be challenged. But there is a time and place for this.

Why would a non-believer want to be a part of a group that’s constantly arguing and disagreeing? Let’s show the world the power that Jesus has to unite people of all backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and races; to unite those with varying paradigms and philosophical views.

Let us live out the transforming gospel of the kingdom, and how our Prince, the Prince of Peace, has caused the wolf to feed with the lamb. How he has caused man to trade in his swords and spears for plowshares and pruninghooks.

May we focus on what brought us together in the first place.

The common ground.

Jesus Christ.

The way,

the truth,

and the life.

Crucified,

resurrected,

and alive forevermore.

God bless!

I look forward to your comments, questions, and corrections below.