DIFFERENCES AND CONFUSION DON’T HAVE TO BE.
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
Philipians 2:2 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, and of one mind.
Amos 3:3 Can two walk together unless they agree?
Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, ...
Matthew 18: 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them...
20 Where two or three are gathered in My Name,
there am I in their midst.
I ponder differences?
I was watching a bird’s nest.
I saw the eggs.
I saw the baby birds as they were hatchlings.
One day I was watching and I saw the two baby birds fight,
one was pushed and fell out of the nest to it’s death.
I ponder, What did the baby bird tell it’s Mother when she flew in with a big worm?
May what Cain told God?
Am I my brothers keeper?
I ponder how many people have been pushed out?
I ponder how many have pushed another away,
and swept it under the carpet?
When dating opposites attract.
It marriage opposites attack.
Unless we learn creative use of conflict.
Someone asked me once what is the difference is a cat and a lie?
I didn’t know?
They said, A cat only had only nine lives.
Mark Twain
Confusion and differences can become great excuses to avoid coming together.
We can hide behind traditions and past, or we can come together and learn.
Confusion is a choice, it is misdirected focus.
You know my dad pastors in the Church of God,
my older brother Charles Edward is Methodist,
I - Assembly of God.
Someone once asked dad why we were so diversified?
He replied, we didn’t want to put all the eggs in the same basket.
I compare different denominations like chickens.
There are hens and roosters, Rhode Island Reds, White chickens,
big chickens, and little chickens...
but in the dumplings we are just chickens.
While on the surface there are many differences,
in hot water we are just servants of the King.
Conflict within, conflict without.
Once I was teaching in a religion class in the High School.
I was the last of 10 different preachers to teach.
A young lady asked, why so many different religions and one God and one Bible?
I replied, How many appetites are there?
One....hunger...how many restaurants?
Some like steaks, some vegetables, some sweets - no one is wrong,
just what we prefer.
Some like pipe organ music, some think organ music is too funeral like? Some like drums and guitars. God allows for man’s individual taste.
Some like formal structure and tradition,
others like to raise their hands and sing powerfully before God.
They are both OK.
Harmony is pure love.
Love completes itself in agreement.
Not to see all identical, but that we need each other to be complete.
God knows man’s taste varies.
God must love flowers, but they are so different.
God loves variety.
Red, white, pink, roses, flags, fat, skinny flowers, tall and short.
A good bouquet usually contains a variety of flowers,
like baby’s breath with roses and greenery.
As long as a group does not write their own Bible and accepts some basic truths, we are brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Denominations are but TOOLS to help those that agree.
The basics are that Jesus was virgin born, that he lived and died and on the 3rd day arose to the Fathers right hand.
That Jesus’ blood was shed for our sins, that there is a hell to avoid and a heaven to gain.
Often we agree on ten things and disagree on one thing and we fuss and argue over the one contentious area, this is not wise.
Samuel Johnson said in 1772,
ALL DENOMINATIONS OF CHRISTIANS HAVE REALLY LITTLE DIFFERENCE IN POINT OF DOCTRINE, THOUGH THEY MAY DIFFER WIDELY IN EXTERNAL FORMS.
While we see much division in the Armed Forces of the USA,
the Marines are much different from the Air Force and the Navy from the Army, but in war we must unite and bury our petty differences and work together.
In Desert Storm, it was amazing to watch the Armed forces bury their differences and come together with each other and the British Army, USA, and Japan strive together.
We have a common enemy, Satan.
He is out to divide and conquer.
His purpose is 3 fold:
1.TO STEAL;
2. TO KILL;
3.TO DESTROY.....
We need to unite and tear down the walls that separate us and see we need to work together.
Some will agree for a penny, Matthew 20, then after they compare themselves to themselves, they will disagree, and the agreement they had will be null and void in their eyes?
Back to the tool of denominations, by coming together churches have a unity and can reach more together than one can reach.
Two can do more work together, than one and one working separately.
We need organizations to unite and the common leadership can birth team work and purpose.
When man works together often politics and personalities come into play, so some stress independence, but not coming together for teaching and common purposes will not hinder growth.
TEAM....
T-ogether
E-veryone
A-ccomplishes
M-ore
We must agree to disagree and we must allow room for variety.
The Catholic church stresses good works,
the Church of Christ stresses water baptism,
the Baptist stresses salvation,
Pentecostal groups -- freedom of worship and the gifts of God.
We need a good healthy balance and moderation.
Often jealousy and argumentative voices give way to contention instead of the brotherhood of those that love the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Sure, every denomination has problems, working with people brings problems, but God has a GLORIOUS CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE.
It is all in the focus?
Jesus will return for His church, with all her faults and failures.
I do not understand denominations/differences, but I refuse to focus on the confusion and differences.
I do not understand an automatic transmission and how it knows when to shift gears, but I don’t stand and watch others, as cars go by. I drive my automatic, it gets me there.
Sometimes the more arguments you win,
the less friends you have.
If a foot compares itself to a yard, it will always come up short.
We need not compare this group with that.
We can hide behind confusion and I don’t know, or we can launch out into the deep and try.
We need more tools and less toys.
Denominations are bridges to help us come and develop together.
We need each other, God builds His church.
We can focus on differences and strife, or we can study the Bible and Pray and come together to worship the King.
Philipians 2:2 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, and of one mind.
If there is power in agreement, there must be a power in disagreement.
Today we have debate committees and argumentive attitudes thrive.
We need to avoid strife.
Can the kettle and the clay jar agree?
Some attend church to watch others and talk and judge, and leave confused. We must refuse bitterness and build betterness.
The Bible and denominations are not barriers -- but resources,
like a launch pad to a rocket.
Lord bring us together in purpose.
Fault finders will find fault, we look for agreement.
Can others have good sense that don’t agree with us?
We can’t hide behind confusion, or we come together,
learn, teach, and build the church.
We are a nation and a church of differences.
Differences don’t have to make you weak.
Differences can make us strong and diversified.
Let us agree to disagree, and still be brothers.
What can be done when everyone is right?
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
