I am told that Voltaire once referred to the Apostle Paul as an “ugly little Jew”. How he even drew his conclusions so many centuries after the great man lived and died, is a bit of a mystery. That said, appearances never defined great men. Rather Paul referred to the sweet fragrance of Christ in His life, the powerful essence that endows the faithful with a regal air. Paul added, that the same fragrance, whilst alluring to many, remained a deep offence to others.
Now Paul also alluded to one of the key factors for that sweet fragrance. In Ephesians 4 he makes the point that, despite many differences in administration there is still one Lord, one Faith, On Baptism, One God and Father over us all.
Divergent administrations reflect the many different ways in which believers across cultures have given expression to their faith. Of course I tread on dangerous ground here, for the same Apostle was quick to add that not all who say they are believers are believers.
Indeed, the fringes of our faith are often far from wholesome, but as Jesus once said, “Let the tares and wheat grow together. When the Lord of the Harvest comes, will He not separate them and burn the chaff?”
Despite many differences. I have met believers across the spectrum of life that are substantially in agreement on the most vital tenets of our faith. My sense is that the gathering storm clouds signal a period of great struggle that will drive believers towards a common world view.
Over recent decades, automobiles started to look alike, as they all pursued an elusive aerodynamic ideal. Well maybe force of circumstances will also oblige believers across the earth to join ranks against our common enemies.
Yes we have our differences and maybe we always will have, but the future of the church will not be a celebration of differences. Rather we will converge around the most vital identifiers of our faith, to emerge as a bride adorned for her groom. Sam Stone put it best:
The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord, She is His new creation by water and the word. From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride, and with His blood He bought her and for her life He died.
The crux of our faith is Jesus Christ. That is why Paul said, “I sought nothing amongst you other than Christ and Him crucified”. He spoke well, for the simple reality is that the coming war will not be about us or our many differences, it will all be about Jesus. He is the scythe of God and the Lord of the Harvest. He is the whole counsel of God. He is the key to all that God is doing in the earth.
(c) Peter Eleazar @ http://www.4u2live.net/
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