Mark
Quote: Boldly go forth preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn him who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand." Romans 14:1-4 (NIV)
A great enemy of the church is Denominational Doctrines which divide rather than unit the family of God. For as the old saying goes, "United we stand; divided we fall." And with all the forces outside the Church determined to destroy it, we must be strong in our unity in order to hold together the body of the living Lord.
There simply is no room for the arrogant, self-righteous judgment passed by one so-called Christian against another of questionable faith. For we know, as Paul teaches, that all are equal in sin, and all are equally saved by the faith in Christ Jesus which is itself a gift of the grace of God, that no man may boast. And each man will receive that instruction and that freedom of behavior as the Holy Spirit directs him according to the will and purpose of God. Therefor, let no man tell another that he is not doing right by God by dancing or not dancing, observing a custom or not observing a custom, drinking wine or beer or not drinking, or any of the other myriad of doctrines invented by the multitude of denominations. And, let's be honest; all of the various denominations arose when one group of Christians got mad at another group of Christians over some disputable matter, and decided to go off and start their own denomination. So the body of Christ has already been fragment by petty arguing and stupid arrogance. Let us not divide it more, lest it be nothing but unattached toes and fingers unable to do God's work.
As the man Christ was able to heal all ailments and unite men of diverse backgrounds, let us free the Holy Spirit to unite His body into one powerful force able to defeat the powers of darkness, and bring the light of Life and Truth to the whole world. For this is our mission. The Great Commission Christ Jesus himself gave to us before he went to be with the Father to prepare our place in God's kingdom. Let us not be distracted from our commission with petty squabbling within the family of God.
May God the Father, the son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit be with and give you peace. Amen.