Thomas was unbelieving until Jesus appeared to him. Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Are we like Thomas who only relied on past experience to judge what is possible and what is impossible?
Do we have faith...enough faith to be qualified as having such by the Lord? Isn't the duty of a believer to believe? Yet, Jesus asks.... that when He returns, will He find faith on the earth.
If we take all the various experiences of everyone in the church...a little bit of this, a little bit of that...and if we rely on those experiences to inform the faith of individual believers...without trying to form one big picture, you get a fragmented jumble of disjointed pieces, like an undone puzzle.
Who can see the bigger picture that is able to put all those seemingly unconnected experiences into a harmonious whole? And how can we trust that anyone has a greater gift than we do to accomplish the task?
Can we trust local pastors to see to the unity of the wider body? No, they are only concerned with their own flock...their own franchise...and are usually so dogmatically prejudiced that they are seeking only those who fit into their category.
Does the religious system operate by faith? No. It is by religious beliefs. Who then is sent by God to bring the body together? I'm not talking about hirelings or denominational appointees by men...no, who is sent by God? Has God left us rudderless...left us to our own devices and experiences? Do we care about God's church or just ourselves?
Unless we have faith in God that this can be accomplished...bringing the church into a singleness of mind and heart...then the church will be overcome by the world and deviated from God's purpose by human agendas.
What say you?
Are we like Thomas who only relied on past experience to judge what is possible and what is impossible?
Do we have faith...enough faith to be qualified as having such by the Lord? Isn't the duty of a believer to believe? Yet, Jesus asks.... that when He returns, will He find faith on the earth.
If we take all the various experiences of everyone in the church...a little bit of this, a little bit of that...and if we rely on those experiences to inform the faith of individual believers...without trying to form one big picture, you get a fragmented jumble of disjointed pieces, like an undone puzzle.
Who can see the bigger picture that is able to put all those seemingly unconnected experiences into a harmonious whole? And how can we trust that anyone has a greater gift than we do to accomplish the task?
Can we trust local pastors to see to the unity of the wider body? No, they are only concerned with their own flock...their own franchise...and are usually so dogmatically prejudiced that they are seeking only those who fit into their category.
Does the religious system operate by faith? No. It is by religious beliefs. Who then is sent by God to bring the body together? I'm not talking about hirelings or denominational appointees by men...no, who is sent by God? Has God left us rudderless...left us to our own devices and experiences? Do we care about God's church or just ourselves?
Unless we have faith in God that this can be accomplished...bringing the church into a singleness of mind and heart...then the church will be overcome by the world and deviated from God's purpose by human agendas.
What say you?
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