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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue # 489 May 13, 2002 The Church I frequently get emails asking me what religion or denomination I am. I usually respond that I am a Christian and if pressed further advise them that my home church is involved with the Moravian Denomination. (If you want to know what a Moravian is visit http://moravian.org ) When pressed for my theological perspective I usually reply that I’m a conserva-fundimen-evangel-charismatic. Or as a pastor friend used to say evangelical neurotic with charismatic leanings. We often get so tied up in our denomination labels or our pride in being non-denominational that we forget the most important element. The most important part of who we are is simply that we are disciples of Christ. I don’t know how to tell you this, but Baptists, Methodists, Moravians, Pentecostals, Nazarenes, Independents, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Church of Christ, and the rest don’t have a corner on the truth and salvation market. Salvation comes through a personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus is truth. As the body of Christ, His church (note, it is His church not ours), if we profess our faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour and the Bible as our source of truth, we are all part of the same body. We must learn to accept differences, to agree to disagree where need be, and to concentrate on the reason we are here. We’re here to tell the world about Jesus. We can disagree on music styles; worship format; the role of the clergy; whether to dip, dunk or sprinkle; how we take communion; end times theology and much more, but our love for Jesus and each other must rise above that. If a person has accepted Jesus as their personal saviour they are your brother or sister. To disregard that simply because of differences in theology or denomination is an ungodly attitude. One I have had to confess more than once. If you are not first and foremost a Christian, followed by whatever denominational or theological labels a distant second, you have made that denomination or label an idol. You need to repent and make amends. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 NIV I AM NOT SAYING that we give up our beliefs and distinctives and become one giant, impotent ecumenical body. It is acceptable to keep our distinctives as long as we keep Christ first and foremost. Until next time, may you come to realize that the church is a body of many parts and accept each part as your brother/sister. Be blessed today. Kevin Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? A relationship that crosses the barriers of gender, race and nationality? Email me and I’ll share some Bible verses that explain why a personal relationship with Jesus is so important and a prayer that will make it possible. Or simply begin the relationship by saying a prayer along the lines of: Dear God: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer let me know and I will direct you to some free non-denominational resources that will help you grow in that newfound relationship. Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? Your comments, your questions and your joys are shared with the prayer team, to keep me accountable as the head of the ministry and to encourage them as they see God at work in your life. As with prayer all these things are kept confidential within the Gleanings team. To share your prayer concerns and praise reports email us at corbin_writer@shaw.ca If you enjoy 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 To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit http://hundred-acre-woods.com/magic-list/lists/ or email me at corbin_writer@shaw.ca Archived issues of Gleanings From The Word can be found on our web site http://gleanings.jesusanswers.com To share your thoughts on this issue of Gleanings, or to share prayer concerns email us at corbin_writer@shaw.ca or write us at Gleanings From The Word 114 Oak St Sherwood Park, AB Canada T8A 0V8 © 2002 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin Gleanings From The Word Ministries International All Rights Reserved
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