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Have you noticed that we have a few denominations within the Christian Church? Okay, so I understated it a bit! A quick perusal of the Oahu Yellow Pages yields us Anglican & Episcopalian, Apostolic, Assembly of God, Baptist (Regular, Independent, or Southern), Bible, Brethren, Calvary, Catholic, Charismatic, Church of Christ, Church of God, Evangelical, Foursquare, Gospel, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Nazarene, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, and Seventh Day Adventist – and that’s just a few!
It gets confusing for me sometimes and I’ve been a Christian for three decades. It gets even more confusing for unbelievers. Have you ever heard someone say something like, “If Jesus is the only way to heaven, how come there are so many ways to Jesus?”
The reality is that to be a Christian only requires one thing – that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It’s easy. It really is that simple. But once you do it, you have to figure out how to start living a Christian life and how to grow in Christ. And that’s why we have denominations.
One Christian denomination isn’t inherently better or worse than any others. They’re just different. When you study their doctrines, theology, and traditions and compare them to the bible, you’ll always be able to find something that you don’t quite agree with. It may seem major to you, or it may be minor, but there will be something. Why? Because denominations are man’s way of addressing the differences in personalities and ways of thinking. They are man-made, not God-made. And they are almost as old as the Church itself.
Now you’re probably thinking, “What’s she mean by personalities? My church is full of many different personality types.” That’s true, but you’re looking at a narrow definition of personality when you think only about the lions, beavers, lambs and whatever. Personality comes in many forms, including spiritual.
Yes, you have a spiritual personality! It determines what forms of worship feel right to you. If you have an exuberant spiritual personality, you’ll gravitate toward the Charismatic and Pentecostal type churches. If your spiritual personality is more reserved, you’ll probably feel God more in a Lutheran or Presbyterian church. If your spirit craves majesty, then you’ll be pulled toward the Anglican or Catholic denominations.
Our church is also determined by how we think. Do you see the most obvious points when you read or hear something, or do you see the details? Baptism is a great example of differences in thinking. Some churches read, “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved,” (Mark 16:16) and see “believe” and “baptize” and conclude that you have to be old enough to “believe” before you can be baptized for salvation. Other churches read, “… and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household,” (Acts 16:33) and think like so: “His household would include infants and children, therefore, they were baptized too. So, we must baptize infants. When they get old enough, they will confirm their baptism.”
Similar issues occur with the method of baptism. Some churches see that John baptized by immersion and conclude that we should baptize in like manner. Others read, “… unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,” (John 3:5) and interpret: “Jesus said born of water, so we baptize with water, but he didn’t specify a method. As long as we apply water, we have baptized.”
Which is right? Which is wrong? Both are right, and neither is wrong! If the time and means of baptism had been critical to God, he would have specified it! In Genesis 17:12, when God gave the covenant sign of circumcision to Abraham, he specified “every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations.” Why didn’t he give a similar command for baptism? Because he didn’t feel the need to do so! He left the particulars up to the Church to decide for itself.
We need to belong in a church, but we shouldn’t primarily identify ourselves as members of a denomination. In the New Testament, we see how denominations were used to divide people – Jew vs. Gentile, circumcised vs. uncircumcised, these were the earliest divisions within the body of believers. And they fought!
At first, they were lined up generally behind the pillars of the early church, Peter and Paul. But as time passed, the denominational divisions became much more varied. When Paul penned his first letter to the Corinthians, about 20 years after the Resurrection, he mentions divisions of Paul, of Apollos, of Cephas, and of Christ. This he decries heartily:
Now I exhort your, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.... Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Corinthians 1: 10, 13
Yes, we fellowship in different denominations. We each need to find where we fit to maximize our growth potential. If you’re not growing in your church, ask yourself why? What distracts you or makes you too comfortable? Find a church that resolves that issue. Understand that as you continue to grow spiritually, God will either move you to a different position in your current church or move you to another church entirely. He may move you within your denomination or call you out to another. His ways are beyond ours. Trust in Him and He will direct your paths.
But a word of caution. If you’re moving every other year or so, you’re probably not moving in God’s will. (Unless He has you moving to different geographical areas.) If you are a church-hopper, seek help from a counselor or accountability partner. You need to explore why you’re moving so often. Resolve some issues so you can begin to put down roots in the Christian community.
If you’re too deeply rooted in your denomination, explore whether or not you are willing to follow God if He needs to lead you out. Are you more devoted to your denomination or to God?
If you’re a pastor, you may be offended by this. I know I’ve heard pastors preach that you have to find a church and never leave it. That’s not anywhere in the bible! Quit worrying about someone stealing “your” sheep. They aren’t yours anyway – they are God’s! He’s just given them to you for a season to help them grow. Pastor your flock by knowing them as individuals. Know their talents, their dreams, their families, and know where they are spiritually. Help them to move on with your blessings when God calls them out. He will bless you with more sheep when you take care of what he’s already given you.
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