Please. Stop.
*This is a rant. Be warned*
Over the past year I have been to probably about 27
different churches. Which is saying something astronomical considering last
year I went to the same church for 52 weeks, but let’s not go there.
Because I’ve been to so many churches, I’ve heard so many
sermons about Unity and the power of it.
Unity is something pastors are passionate about. They preach
it with flailing arms and red faces. They want unity in the body of Christ.
I agree wholeheartedly! We need unity to move in the church because
only together can we move forward.
But if you are going
to preach on it, do something. And if you’re not. Please stop.
17 churches in the same area, 17 sermons on basically the
same thing. And yet churches of the same denomination aren’t getting along. Two
Baptist churches—both with basically the same cause—can’t agree to do a thanksgiving
meal together even though it’s at the same night at the same time and they are
having the same meal.
A Pentecostal church forbids their children from going to
the above mentioned Baptist church to go to a concert because it’s not the same
denomination—even though they both worship the same Jesus at the same time on a
Sunday morning and preach on Unity.
This confuses me.
Apparently when we
preach on unity, we don’t mean as all the members of the body of Christ. Just
as the ones who worship in the same building at 10am on a Sunday morning.
Apparently when we
preach on unity we are just being hypocritical. Saying nice things to make
people nod and tithe at our churches, and then not backing it up by actions.
Apparently we want
unity as long as our church looks like the good guys and the name of our church
gets raised higher.
But that’s soooo not
the point! The point is for us to work together.
To cast aside our differences and raise high the name of Jesus.
Because isn’t he the God we all worship? Sure we might interpret
things differently, but it’s the same
Jesus.
Dear Church,
Unless you are going to back up your words with actions,
please stop preaching something you don’t mean.
Because as a Christian, it drives me crazy and I’m sure that
non-Christians who are out there looking for Unity in a broken world are just
as tired of it as I am.
I want an actual unified body of Christ, and if the 20
churches in a Smalltown in Oklahoma can’t get along on something as simple as a
thanksgiving dinner, how are we supposed to get along on larger scale things.
A bond of three strands is not easily broken. What about a
bond of twenty strands?
What about if we all raised our voices in actual unison?
What would happen? Would perhaps the world be forever changed? I think so.
I think if we followed the words of Jesus, and were an
actual unified body we could do some
pretty amazing things.
Just saying.
“…I pray that they can
be one. As you and I are one… I will be in them and they will be in me so they
can be completely one. Then the world will know that you sent me and that you
loved them just as much as you loved me.” ~John 17:20-23
In Christ Alone,
Rachel Joy
*Rant over. *
