Give Unity a Shot

 Church, there are many things that can divide us.  The fault lines of division are seemingly growing deeper and wider, at least in my neck of the woods.  There are lines being drawn in the sand in every direction.  

Unless you live under a rock, you know that one of the issues dividing citizens of the world, Americans and Christians is the issue of what to do about the COVID-19 vaccines.  Some of you believe we should definitely take the vaccine and some think we should definitely not.  To some, the vaccine is a life-saving shot and to others, it is a potentially deadly jab.

I see many seeking to divide us further and I, to my delight, see others trying to unite us.  I've seen many uniters say something to the effect of, "There's no wrong answer.  Just do what's right for you and your family."

I think that's dumb.

There most certainly is a right answer.  Some of you may be offended by that statement, but you know you believe there are right answers to the vaccination question.  Unity within the Church of Jesus Christ is highly important (see John chapter 17) but relativism is a stupid answer to an important goal.

We can't let relativism be the basis of our peace.

G. K. Chesterton has said, "Merely having an open mind is nothing.  The object of opening the mind, as the opening of the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid."  Relativism about the best ice cream flavor is okay.  Relativism about important topics in the midst of a pandemic is an unreasonable expectation that few would or should impose upon themself.  So, relativism can't be our basis for unity and peace in the Church.

Let me put the mirror in front of myself.  I am thoroughly convinced that the COVID-19 vaccinations are safe and effective.  In my job I have been afforded the opportunity to speak directly to my county's health department administrator, several medical doctors, physicians and researchers from the American College of Public Health and more experts in the field.  I have listened to those working in the emergency departments that are swamped with sadness.  I have seen the stats on who's being ventilated and who is dying from COVID-19 and it's mostly unvaccinated people.  

I am convinced by what I have seen, heard, read and experienced first hand with my own vaccination.  I believe that these vaccines are a great good for society.  I firmly believe that if your doctor says you can and should be vaccinated that you should get vaccinated for the good of you and your neighbor.

Let's keep the mirror in front of my own face.

Can I be thoroughly convinced that I am right and that you are wrong and still be kind?  Can I be more unified with the person at my local church who disagrees with me about this important topic than I am with a stranger that is in the choir I was preaching to above?  

Again, G. K. Chesterton once said, "A bigot is not the one who thinks he is right.  Every sane man or woman thinks they're right.  The bigot is the one who cannot understand how the other person came to be wrong."

Do I ever give effort to trying to understand the arguments of the other side?  Or do I assume they're a selfish idiot that wants to infect everyone they meet?  Did you skip over my brief explanation of why I believe I am right?

The Body of Christ can't be splintered but relativistic thinking isn't the ligament that holds the members together.

Then what is?

Jesus Christ, the head, is what holds it all together.  In Jesus' own group of 12 men there was reason for great division.  Think about Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector.  One man worked for the Roman government while the other was part of a group bent on overthrowing the Romans.  What brought those two men with diametrically opposite views together?  Jesus.

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit... just as you were called to one hope when you were called... one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4:2-6

I think some of you reading this are right when it comes to your understanding of the COVID-19 vaccine and I firmly believe some of you reading this are wrong.  My unity and peace with you won't come from pretending I don't think that way.  Rather, I'm going to value my Lord and Savior and His wishes for unity above all.  I'm going to remember that there is much more that unites me to you than divides us in Christ. Frankly, I'm going to follow many of the proverbs and shut up when I want to argue with you.  I'm going to try hard not to be as snarky and sarcastic as I can be (I'm really good at sarcasm) and I'm simply going to bear with you some times. 

Church, let's not spend our time "quarreling about words" (2 Timothy 2:14), even though topics like this are important.  Let's remember that hands need feet, that eyes and ears have to work together.  We are the Body of Christ and we need to start acting like it.

Read up.  Listen to experts.  Talk with your actual doctor.  Come to an informed decision.  Have a strong point of view.  Think you're right.  But don't let us dare throw away the unity Jesus prayed for right before He was arrested to be crucified in part to bring us together.  

Exercise our unity in Christ today.

8 Years of Being Here

 "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD." 

Proverbs 18:22

Today is our 8th wedding anniversary.  How can so much have happened since that Summer day?  How can I love her more than I did then?  How did we live before kids?  Seriously, I don't remember.

The last 8 years have been the best years of my life.  Perfect?: No.  Best.  I have gotten what is good and received favor from the LORD.  I have a partner, a friend, a lover and my closest family member in her.  I have watched her birth children, love foster children, deal with my crazy schedule, put up with me and grow more beautiful by the day.

8 years ago Christine walked down the aisle at Grace Baptist Church to my recording of "I Will Be Here" (thanks Kat, Cody and Austin).  8 years ago those words felt true and today I know they are.  I didn't know exactly what marriage was going to look like for real, but I knew I wanted to find out with Christine Marie.  Today I know that my promise was to cleave to her and to try my hardest to love her well.  I too often fail at loving well, but I refuse to fail at staying.  

Happy Anniversary, Christine!  The promise remains: I will be here.

 

Stop Friendly Fire

 One of the sad pastimes of too many Christians is watching videos of people "taking down" ministry leaders.  Maybe I just clicked on one and YouTube thought this was my jam and Facebook agreed, too.  Maybe.  But even if that were the case, we Christians spend entirely too much time exchanging friendly fire.

Before I get too far along I must give a disclaimer: There is a time and a place for calling out false teachers and bullies.  There certainly are Biblical reasons to call out men who misuse their church office.  We've seen too many times when unfit leaders hurt and led people astray.  I've been disappointed too many times by people to whom I gave my respect.  Men like Ravi Zacharias that abused instead of shepherded.

But most of the friendly fire I see is YouTube and Facebook warfare against those who disagree on non-essentials.  Most of the videos I've watched serve the goal of making the viewer feel superior to those who have ideas that like "that guy".  Many of these videos feature clips of other pastors doing the "take downs" without their comments being intended to do such a thing.

Too often I've been around groups of solid Christians who spent more time discussing the who's in and who's out in the acceptable brand of Christian leaders than enjoying the goodness of God and enjoying the company of His people.  Recently I found myself joining right in and then feeling the painful correcting of the Holy Spirit that I was being a busybody and gossip.

"For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not mere men?
What, after all, is Apollos?  And what is Paul?  Only servants, through whom you came to believe... as the Lord has assigned to each his task." 1 Corinthians 3:4-5

This glomming on to celebrity pastors and even theological camps and infighting is not what the Good Lord wanted.  Consider Jesus' priestly prayer:

"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, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." John 17:20-21

I'm not saying there aren't good reasons for denominations.  That there aren't real theological differences.  What I'm saying is that the petty garbage is an affront to our Maker and Redeemer.  I hate it when my kids fight, and God must feel very similarly.  Some of you may be thinking about how Paul once called out Peter on his hypocrisy.  Again, there is right person and a right place and a right time, but most of you aren't the person, most of the time I see it isn't the time and most of the places certainly aren't the place.

I think of two seasoned pastors that I really respect and what they said: My dad and my current senior pastor.  

I remember being the one that started a stupid dialog like the one I'm bemoaning now.  My dad said (I'm paraphrasing from memory).  "I can't stand the fundamentalist who think it's their job to tell everyone else what to do."  Now, my dad was not bemoaning fundamentalist in the vein of those who believe the Bible to be 100% true and 100% authoritative.  In that moment he was referring to the fundamentalist that like to function like modern day theological police for everyone else's church.

My pastor, Jim Lee, once said when talking about the widespread prosperity gospel in South America: "God is more okay with a needle of truth in a haystack of heresy than we are."  Meaning, God works often in the very churches we would refuse to join and through the very pastors we wouldn't recommend to our neighbors.

Does this mean these two men don't care about their best understanding of Christ in the Scripture: Absolutely not.  We can care about ourselves and those we've been entrusted to guide without seeing the need to lob grenades on our own comrades. 

"Teacher," said John, 'we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.'
'Do not stop him,' Jesus said.  'No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us." Mark 9:38-40

Heaven's gates may be more narrow than we think but I am sure Heaven will be more ecumenical than most of us think.

If you enjoy videos featuring an edited clip, for instance, of Voddie Baucham "taking down" another lead worker in the harvest than his preaching of the Gospel, I'd imagine he'd be grieved.  I have to believe the Father would be more grieved.

You might be thinking: Matt, what's the solution?  I'm prone to enjoy this more than I should.  My knowledge has indeed made me puffed up and I need love that builds up those outside my theological and denominational camp (1 Corinthians 8:1).

Here's one helpful practice I have done off and on through the years.

Steeple prayers.

When you come across a steeple, you pray for that church.  When you come across the school the church plant meets, you lift them up to the Father in prayer.  You pray for every body of believers whose building or name you see, then watch your heart grow more ecumenical.  Watch your love for the Church grow.  Watch your love for Christ's bride deepen.  Watch the way you spend less time tearing down and more time wishing to build up those who may be Baptist or Pentecostal or Lutheran or Methodist or Anglican or Catholic.  It's hard to feud with your brothers and sisters when you're praying for them.

Stop friendly fire.  We have an enemy and he deserves our full attention.  Spend less time tearing down and much, much more time asking Jesus to beautify His bride today.