Christians, there is such a thing as individualism. With individualism comes preference, convictions, and standards. They are all different things in and of themselves. Some men may be convicted about drinking to much coffee, and for them, they feel God would have them to stop. It does not make it wrong for all men to drink it. Thank God for that cause I love it.
Some men prefer reading, some prefer watching. Some write, some speak. Some prefer coaching some prefer playing. Some men teach, others preach. Some like sugar some like cream. Some like salt some like pepper. Concerning the body of Christ, there is much more underlined stuff there. It has to do with gifts and how they can be used. It may have to do with culture and where some were raised.
You have to wonder what we are doing to our own body when we so hastily cast the heretics, and people struggling out. Especially when we consider that we should be the very ones restoring, admonishing, and encouraging them. We should be the ones with patience. Even with the dirty and simple minded. In the NT, the body of Christ can have church and order exactly how they see it laid out in the word itself. And it is not like we see in the modern vision.
Most of my past doubt in affairs, angst and frustrations of the church stem from actions of men, not God. I never fully believed certain traditions of men in the Baptist ranks, though I may have preached them for righteous indignation, peer pressure, amens and support or to fit in, I still wondered about our attitudes and thoughts for others not like us.
I wonder about the crazy guy that was invited by a zealous member. Most are afraid of those types, I love them. I wonder about the scantily clad young girl. Most men are afraid to even approach her for fear of what the brethren or their wife might say, but that is the one that I want to reach. She doesn’t know any better, she is just worldly. They shouldn’t shock us or scare us.
Men will avoid certain types or even think some a heretic, reprobate, or heathen so easily and for any reason at all! I have seen men held back from a true calling by men who would rather enslave them as ministry staff because they didn’t think they were “ready”.
I have witnessed personally, men and women excommunicated from the church to cover the sins of the one doing the excommunicating or who were related to those in position. I have seen men reproved, and withdrawn from for having something in their home that some other Crusading Christian thought should be an accursed thing.
I have seen people asked to leave because the sin of their children, and the problems it was causing with the “preachers kids”. (like preachers kids are innocent!) It just boggles the mind
They would rather met them at the doors and say “you ain’t coming in here wicked sinner!” Never even conceding to any possibility they could once again enter. They shunned them! Even boasted of ripping them up with the sword of the spirit.
Are we not bible believers? Why are we so hot with people who differ? Why do we lose all rationality and reason when someone goes against what WE think the word supports? We can have fellowship and unity in major areas of our faith such as salvation, sanctification, and the scriptures. These things are always neglected because we squabble over likes and dislikes.
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