"All For One. And One For All"

   "All for one. And one for all!" For those of you that know that is said by the three musketeers, congratulations. When we think of the three musketeers we either think of a candy bar :D or a group of tightly knit friends who save people. They are trying to make their world a better place. It is kind of like what the church is supposed to do, right? 

   However, instead of being the three musketeers, we end up being like the people in The Hunger Games. Fighting each other to survive and only thinking of ourselves. "I am right." "Things need to go my way or I'll leave church." Is this how the church should be?

   At Lancaster Bible College, we need to learn about the history of the church. One major thing we talk about are denominations. What are denominations though, are they important?

Denominations are basically groups of people who have different beliefs; but most, if not all, consider themselves to be Christian. So if we are all Christian shouldn’t we all believe the same things? Shouldn't we all be "all for one and one for all?" I mean, we all get our information from the Bible, right?

   The Bible is where we get our information, but the Bible is not always clear. Yes, it is divinely appointed, but what we need to remember is that we cannot understand everything about God. Our minds are finite and, if we could understand God, then we wouldn’t need to worship Him.

   Anyhow, my point is that Christians focus on fighting with one another over trivial issues. I’m not talking about things that are directly against the Bible, like murder. I’m also not saying that we cannot state our opinions to someone. What I am talking about how we do communion, feet washing, opinions on politics, and so much more. Is this really what we want people to see us doing? Do we want people to see us argue over trivial issues? I’m sure that these arguments will lead so many people to Christ, right?

   Um, NO! We wonder why so many people are lost in this world; and the answer is simple. We have a goal to prove to others that we are right. We argue about when to do communion because this is when we know we should do it. We argue like we are in court trying to win a case. Yes, some cases can be important to the faith; but others are just petty differences. What’s worse is when some Christians try to evangelize to the lost they start arguing with those people. Do you think that arguing will lead the lost to Christ?

   What we should be focusing on, rather than our differences in the church or arguing with the lost, is the great commission. God calls us to reach the lost. True, some people understand facts more than emotional things, so they may be led to God through arguments. But, it will not be arguments where people yell at them. That will just push them away. See God made us all differently. Sometimes we focus too much on the differences and not on the similarities. As far as I know, all Christians believe in Christ and that it is important to reach the lost. So we need to focus on that common goal. We need to use our differences to reach the lost. Because, not all people are going to be reached at the same time, place, or by the same person; and that’s okay.

   So my challenge for you this week is to stop arguing over trivial things with other Christians, if you do that. It will not help change that person’s mind if it is not out of love. I also want you to think about the lost people you know. If you haven’t been able to reach them, don’t press, but try a different tactic. Who knows? You might just make a difference. And, this way, we will be the church community filled with people who are saying "all for one. And one for all." 

   Titus 3:9, John 17:20-26