Greetings, all ... great thread. Sorry for the long post, but this is something the Lord has been working hard on me about for several years.
It only the unprecedented prosperity and liberty of the American church that gives us the luxury of rejecting one another over non-fundamental differences.
If persecution comes, some of those differences are going to seem awfully trivial.
I sometimes think of it like this:
Persecution has arrived in America. You and your family are on the run from the authorities ... with imprisonment and perhaps worse awaiting you.
It is a bitter cold, winter night ... you are driving along, wondering what to do and where to go. The children are cold, hungry, and tired. As the snowfall thickens, you realize that you cannot spend the night on the road.
Up ahead, you see a friendly-looking farmhouse with smoke coming out of the chimney. You decide to chance it. You stop the car, breathe a fervent prayer, walk up to the door, and knock.
The door opens part way, and a suspicious face peers out. You explain, "I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but I need help. My wife and children are in the car. We're Christians, and we're in trouble, and we ... well, we need a place to stay for the night."
All of a sudden the man's face breaks into a wide smile as he swings the door open. "We're Christians, too. In fact, we're having a church meeting down in the basement right now. Please, come in ... and welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus!"
You return to the car with joyful heart. "It's okay ... they're Christians, too!"
Your new friend leads you and your family into the house and down the stairs into the basement. Kind hands take the children and snuggle them in warm blankets, while others greet you with a hug and a warm cup of coffee. Someone hands you a songbook, and you begin to join in the worship.
As you are sitting there, you look over and observe that the brother next to you is using a different Bible translation than the one you like ... or you notice that the musical style of the worship is different than you are used to ... or you discover that these people are Arminians and you're a Calvinist ... or they're charismatic and you're Baptist ... or they're amillennial and you're premillennial ... or they practice infant baptism and you're convinced of believers' baptism.
The question is, how much will it matter then? Will you turn to your wife and say, "Gather the children, dear, and let's get out of here"? Not likely. You may still disagree with these dear brothers and sisters, but the disagreements will tend to find their proper perspective.
It's an imaginary scenario, of course. But it poses a very real challenge. Because I'm convinced that how much those differences would matter then is how much they ought to matter now.
That is by no means to say that scriptural truth does not matter or that some differences are not important. But the issues that divide us must be kept in perspective ... and weighed against the great commands of the New Testament to love, accept, and care for one another.
I believe it was Paul Billheimer who said ... if love is the greatest commandment, then failure to love is the greatest compromise.
Beautiful.
I believe it was Paul Billheimer who said ... if love is the greatest commandment, then failure to love is the greatest compromise.
= = =
INDEED
Wasn’t he the author of the wonderful book:
LOVE COVERS?
Well worth anyone’s time. Crucial truths and principles for the church now and certainly in the coming months and years.
Bless you and yours tons for sharing your narrative. Quite prophetically accurate, I think.
I know.
Thank you, O.O., you said,
As you are sitting there, you look over and observe that the brother next to you is using a different Bible translation than the one you like ... or you notice that the musical style of the worship is different than you are used to ... or you discover that these people are Arminians and you’re a Calvinist ... or they’re charismatic and you’re Baptist ... or they’re amillennial and you’re premillennial ... or they practice infant baptism and you’re convinced of believers’ baptism.
The question is, how much will it matter then? Will you turn to your wife and say, “Gather the children, dear, and let’s get out of here”? Not likely. You may still disagree with these dear brothers and sisters, but the disagreements will tend to find their proper perspective.
‘I believe it was Paul Billheimer who said ... if love is the greatest commandment, then failure to love is the greatest compromise.’
Thanks O.O. Good point.
Billheimer wrote Destined for the Throne, a book that spurred many to develop a genuine prayer life.