One church—many congregations?

  

 

 

When I pastored, I tried, unsuccessfully, to change people’s thinking.  When I prayed for the “churches” in our city, I would try to remember—there is ONE church in our city that meets in various congregations!

 

Upon what did I base this?

 

1.        Jesus’ prayer:  John 17: 22-23 (NIV) I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

2.       The essence of the entire scripture.  There were not various groups, fighting, ignoring each other, but there was the people of God. 1 Peter 2:10 (NIV) Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

 

A person of my age, having been in church my entire life, probably knows 1000s of songs.  I was reading The Daily Office (Tickle, Phyllis. The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime. New York: Image Books, 2006.) yesterday, and it was the rare occasion that a song was inserted that I couldn’t recall.  The following was written by Charles Wesley and is entitled “Come, Let us join our friends above.”

 

1. Come, let us join our friends above 

who have obtained the prize, 

and on the eagle wings of love 

to joys celestial rise. 

Let saints on earth unite to sing 

with those to glory gone, 

for all the servants of our King 

in earth and heaven are one. 

 

2. One family we dwell in him, 

one church above, beneath, 

though now divided by the stream, 

the narrow stream of death; 

one army of the living God, 

to his command we bow; 

part of his host have crossed the flood, 

and part are crossing now.

 

         3. Ten thousand to their endless home

this solemn moment fly, 

and we are to the margin come, 

and we expect to die. 

E'en now by faith we join our hands 

with those that went before, 

and greet the blood-besprinkled bands 

on the eternal shore. 

 

A few takeaways:

 

1.        We, the beloved of the Lord, are a part of a magnificent bunch of people, from every tribe and nation under the sun.  Literally millions of people are part of my family.

2.       Chances are—to be honest—one tribe, person, movement, or denomination is not likely to have everything correct.  A little humility might be in order.

3.       The real enemy is Satan, not the congregation around the corner.  Perhaps we might stop stabbing at each other and take a holy stab at Satan?

4.       The ‘ultimate event’ is that great family reunion around the throne of God!  Should we perhaps act, live, give, and think with that in mind?

 

 

4. Our spirits too shall quickly join, 

like theirs with glory crowned, 

and shout to see our Captain's sign, 

to hear this trumpet sound. 

O that we now might grasp our Guide! 

O that the word were given! 

Come, Lord of Hosts, the waves divide, 

and land us all in heaven.