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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #344 December 6, 2001 Denomination or Religion?
I received an email this week from a college student. As part of her Religious Studies program she was required to contact a "religious" website and get the owners opinions and beliefs on several issues. In her inquiry, she wanted to know what religion I was. She asked, "Are you Catholic or Methodist or Protestant or what?" In my response, I told her that I was first and foremost a Christian, that I attended a Moravian Church, and that the denominational labels were differing expressions of the Christian faith. Now I know many of you are proud to be Episcopalians, Catholics, Baptist, Moravians or whatever else you belong to. Many of you have equal pride in being non-denominational. BUT if you have accepted Jesus as your Personal Lord and Saviour, you should be a Christian first. If not, your "label" has become an idol to you. Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 3:2-6 NIV It is time we set aside some of our "labels" and worked together as one body. Our goal isn’t to steal sheep from one another but to tell the world about Jesus. The difference in practice, tradition and many doctrines between us is secondary to our acceptance and proclamation of Jesus. One of the greatest strengths and one of the greatest weaknesses of the Christian church is the diversity of denominations and traditions. Different people are going to fit in different places. If we lead them to Christ and they choose a different denomination than we attend, the Kingdom has still grown and we should still rejoice. I’m not saying you have to agree with everything other denominations do or say, just that if they preach and teach Jesus is Lord, we need a relationship with Him, and the Bible is true, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even among blood relatives, no family is perfect, but they are family. Until next time, if you have been guilty of putting down someone because of his or her denominational affiliation, may Holy Spirit soften your heart and move you to repentance. God bless. Kevin If your faith is based on being a member of a denomination, you still have a step to take; you need to accept Jesus. Email me and I’ll share a few Bible verses that explain why that is important and a prayer that will make it possible. To share your thoughts on this issue of Gleanings, or to share prayer concerns email us at corbin_writer@hotmail.com. At Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential. If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page on our website
© 2001 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin All Rights Reserved SUBSCRIBE TO GLEANINGS FOR FREE
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