Eclectic Christianity
You know, I was thinking. There are a lot of thoughts out there today about how to lead people to Jesus. Many people have put away some of their old traditions to help breathe new life into the body of Christ. Some have moved away from some of the traditional styles of public worship and have even traded in the term Christian for Christ Follower. It is obvious that there are many out there who are looking at reaching everyone they can for the cause of Christ. I don't usually share my viewpoints on these matters because I for one am glad that the message of Jesus is getting out to people but today is different. Today I want to share with you some of the things that I love about being a Christian.I love traditional worship with hymns both accapella and with instrumentation. I also love contemporary worship songs. Now in both of these catagories there are particular songs that I enjoy more than others. Some songs really speak to me while others just make me think "that was nice"! I would love to sit in a worship service and sing a couple of songs like "Undignified" and "Praise You With The Dance" followed up with "How Great Thou Art" and "The Old Rugged Cross". Music is something that I love and music that speaks about salvation or our relationship to Jesus I love even more.
I love dressing up for church and being a little more formal that at other times during the week. I also love the fact that I can wear jeans and a T-shirt if I wish and still serve communion or lead prayer. I usually will dress according to the mood that I am in on any given Sunday morning. I don't put a lot of stock in being fashionable or trendy. I do like to have a clean and neat appearance though and do my best to be appropriately attired.
I love to hear sermons that encourage others to seek a relationship with Jesus. One that is both encouraging and not pushy. I also do enjoy a good barn burner sermon that gets you pumped up and excited about being a follower of Jesus. I also like (believe it or not) to be convicted by God's word because that motivates me to change the things that need to be changed in my life. I guess I just love to hear lessons about God no matter how they are presented.
I love to be called a Christian. I know that in today's world that term carries some negative baggage. It is descriptive of who I belong to and to whom I am a servant. I also love being called a Christ Follower. This term is specific to my task in life and that is to follow Jesus. I guess as long as people regognize that I am trying to become more like Jesus then I really don't care what they call me.
Why do I write all of this today? Well, I guess I am just simply saying that I am an Eclectic Christian. I have seen a great divide in the people of God. There are people who hold to extreme views whether they are very "conservative" and "traditional" or are "seeker sensative". Extremes are usually bad and often promote divisions amoung God's people. I for one do my best to never place judgement on how people serve God. I have not perfected this yet and do still struggle but I have always believed that as long as each of us are doing the best we can to live a life for Christ then we are doing what we are called to do. So today if you are Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Church Of Christ, Epicopalian, Lutheran, an Evangelical, an Independent Non-Denominational whatever just do what you do for the furthering of the Kingdom. I want to leave you with two scriptures today. The first is from the Gospel of Matthew 6:33:
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
And Paul's first letter to the Corinthians 1:10:
"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."
Be blessed beyond belief today.
posted by Doug E. Pudge @ 7:35 AM
4 Comments:
AMEN!!!!!
Amen, brother Doug. My son-in-laws parents attend Quarry Ridge in Sylvania, Ohio (He is an elder there) and I would like to share with you from their "what we believe at the ridge" statement of faith. The are non-demoninational but do refer to their roots. "The Ridge’s lead pastor is ordained in the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), a movement of conservative, evangelical Christians dating back to 1881. This movement was born because the founders felt it was possible for Christ-followers to live together in the unity that comes when God’s love is present in people’s hearts. “Why must we divide ourselves into Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, and all the others?” founder Daniel S. Warner was said to have asked. “Why can we not live together as brothers and sisters in one great church family under God?”
At Quarry Ridge, we believe that if we wish to glorify God and build His Kingdom, we must not become bogged down by arguments on such things as the amount of water used in baptism or the frequency of communion. We won’t debate the highly volatile issues of end-times theology or the many other doctrinal or theological issues that regularly divide the Christ’s Church."
I agree. We let man made doctrines get in the way. At my daughter's wedding (not at the Ridge) they had a closed communion and many were not able to participate. The priest sad that he had hoped that one day that would not be the case but for now, "those were the rules". None of the parents of the blissfull and beautiful wedded couple were able to participate in the Lord's Supper that day because we were not members of that denomination. As long as we try to focus on the one thing that is the main thing, Christ crucified and raised from the dead, or as I have heard it said "dead man walking" then we are headed in the right direction.
Very well put, pudge! And Jim, I agree as well.
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
Yea me too, I with you guys...
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