What would happen?

Jakarta skyline

Why must we always be checking and examining each other, to make sure that we are all ‘on the same page’ and believing everything in exactly the same way, so that we can feel safe, so that things seem to be ‘in control’?

When encountering another Christian who does not confess the ‘Orthodox faith’ it doesn’t really matter if I agree or disagree with him. It isn’t like I am calling him forth into a new ‘nameless non-denomination’ if I try to share some fellowship with him ‘outside of’ confessional boundaries. He can stay whatever he is, and I will remain Greek Orthodox, but in Christ our unity goes beyond labels or concepts like ‘catholic’ or ‘orthodox’ which were never spoken by the Lord Himself. 

Our unity in Christ isn’t affected by our formal theologies, which can do nothing, nothing! Salvation is through knowing only Christ, not by what we believe about Him, all of which pales when compared to our knowing Him and His knowing us. That is ‘the one thing needful.’

Let a man say Christ is not con-substantial with the Father, and ‘I don't believe in the Trinity.’ Let him even say that Jesus is a man.
He is ignorant, that’s all. But if he confesses Christ as Lord, believes in His resurrection as the Bible plainly describes, and fulfills His commandments, is an ignorant man to be denied salvation in Christ? And who would keep him out? You and me, who know so much about Him? Everything we know about Christ, think about Christ, believe about Christ is nothing compared to what He is, and what He does for us, here and now, and in the world to come.

Let’s tear off the costumes we wear in front of each other as we go into battle. Why? Because our battle has thus far been against each other, and not against ‘the powers of wickedness in the heavens,’ as it should be. If we want to fight each other, let’s strip ourselves of our defenses and see what is under them—Look! We’re all the same after all!

Then, let’s put on the only garment worth having, because He gives it to all who believe in Him, His own skin! ‘All who have been baptized have put on Christ,’ as the scriptures say. And what baptism is that? Being buried with Christ in His death, so as to rise with Him in His glorious resurrection.

As for me, I’m trying to move beyond thinking about God, so I can just live in Him. I’m trying to untie for me, and maybe for you, the knots of tangled lore that have kept us encamped on the devil’s playground so long, fighting each other.

Just imagine the following scenario…

What would happen if, suddenly, the various Christian missions and denominations in a majority Muslim country like Indonesia or Malaysia—which still allow the existence of Christianity—suddenly were seen to absolutely and without reserve support each other in everything, and without coalescing into one uniform institution?

Everything that they disagreed about, they would agree to just pray and ask the Lord to intercede for each other’s folly, and then, with that out of the way, they would just ‘go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them.’

Hey! But what if they can’t agree on how and whom to baptize, and when? Well, that’s just some more pieces of folly, to ask the Lord to forgive and correct. Meanwhile...

Let’s all just go into the harvest field, and work, because ‘night is coming when no one can work,’ and because ‘the time is close.’

Yes, what would happen?