For those unfamiliar with the Church of God Reformation Movement (Anderson, Ind), let me give a brief overview of our history.
In the 1880s in the Midwest (USA), a preacher by the name of Daniel Sydney ("D.S.") Warner discerned the voice of God leading him to reform an established Church movement through promotion of Holiness (Ref.: Wesleyan Holiness Movement) and Unity.
The clarion call became: "It's not Luther's Church, or Wesley's Church, or ....Church, It's God's Church!" Hence the name, The Church of God (1 Corinthians 1:2).
In the 125 years that have since passed, though, The Church of God has not always demonstrated and practiced Unity all that well. I think any honest Church of God man or woman would confess that we have failed. Don't get me wrong: We can probably all recite some examples of Unity from our collective past and from our own experiences. But unfortunately that has all too often been the exception rather than the norm.
In our desire to fulfill the words of Jesus' prayer (John 17:11), we have allowed selfish motives, stubborn pride, and little 'petty' differences to get between us. This has resulted in separate congregations choosing to do their own thing, rather than come together under the banner of the Holy One in whom we are reconciled (Colossians 1:20). [If I was preaching, at this point I would say 'Amen?']
The reality is: Unity is a beautiful thing. I first experienced the beauty of unity ("Beau[ni]ty") as a 12-year-old boy in Wanblee, South Dakota, as my youth group came together as one to work at putting a new roof on a Church building on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. I learned this again a few years later at Brownsea Junior Leading Training as a dozen random Boy Scouts were paired together to function as one cohesive unit for the week, determining amongst ourselves who would fill each of the needed positions to guide us, and to take care of building and maintaining life at camp.
I have since learned this lesson over and over, whenever Christy and I have led a short-term missions trip, or whenever our congregation has partnered with other area congregations even just for times of fellowship or worship.
It is a BEAUTIFUL thing to see God's Church UNITED!!!
Oh, mystery of heaven’s peace!
Oh, bond of heaven’s union!
Our souls in fellowship embrace,
And live in sweet communion.
It is a BEAUTIFUL thing to see God's Church UNITED!!!
The Netherlands is no exception to this common practice (dis-unity).
And yet, when we were there for our site visit (READ HERE), the Church came together as one.
And it was indeed a beautiful thing.
How can the LORD use our gifts to fill our brother's weaknesses?
How can the LORD use our sister's talents to overcome our shortfalls?
How can we better draw together with other believers in Unity?
Over the years I've been in ministry, people have apologized to me for having to deal with unpleasant issues/situations, to which I have responded: "That's OK. It's par for the course. The Church is supposed to be messy because the Church is comprised of people."
And yet, we do ourselves and our Lord a disservice when we allow differences to get in the way of the Unity that we are mutually called to through our shared faith in Christ.
The Netherlands is no exception to this common practice (dis-unity).
And yet, when we were there for our site visit (READ HERE), the Church came together as one.
And it was indeed a beautiful thing.
Such holy moments are not only a foretaste of eternity. They are also a sample of the beauty and joy that can be ours here on earth.
Here are a few questions for us all to chew on:
How can the LORD use our gifts to fill our brother's weaknesses?
How can the LORD use our sister's talents to overcome our shortfalls?
How can we better draw together with other believers in Unity?
