Group mentality

I was in a church and someone leading the service asked us to pray for Christians who were being killed in Asia, and then he said an extraordinary thing.

He said: “...and what makes this situation worse is that they are Baptists, our own brothers and sisters!......”

I found such a statement repulsive.

They were Christians, people bought with the price of the blood of Christ.

People who were God’s own possession, the redeemed of the Lord.

Surely that is enough?

But before we ‘tut’ at the Baptists, all the denominations fall into this trap.

And just in case the new churches, and the house churches think;

“Oh, that doesn’t include us, we’re not a denomination.”

It includes everyone!

It shouldn’t matter what denomination, or group, they are from!

What are denominations in the Kingdom of God?

It’s people that are important.

Christians are now in fellowship with Almighty God.

Paul told the Corinthians:-

“God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” 1 Cor 1:10-13

Hopefully we would all agree, that to look down on another group of Christians is

wrong, and it is divisive.

Our group or denomination can get into that mentality of “I follow Apollos.”

or Cephas or Apollos, or Paul, or “We follow Christ!”

So what is unity?

Jesus prayed:

“that they may be one as we are one....... My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one....... ....May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:11, 20-23

Many people stop there.

But there is a lot more to unity than that.

We’ve just had the introduction, let’s get started.... see part 2

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Text images: thanks to Serif PagePlus 8.

Coffin image: thanks to Release International (The Voice of the Persecuted Church).