Thoughts which pull me to Jesus, and to His cross.

Many have tried to report on the things that happened among us. 2 They have written the same things that we learned from others—the people who saw those things from the beginning and served God by telling people his message. 3 Since I myself have studied everything carefully from the beginning, most excellent Theophilus, it seemed good for me to write it out for you. I arranged it in order, 4 to help you know that what you have been taught is true.  Luke 1:1-4 NCV

The real meaning of the Church, which is far more than a permutational organization, is growing dim and the question is being raised with increasing urgency: After all, should we not recognize the equality of all denominations? There is a growing tendency to downgrade one’s own denomination and so to locate one’s state as a Christian, not in the Church, but, as it were, behind her. With this is combined a predilection for biblicism, that is, for the isolation of the Bible, which is now valued for itself alone, quite free from all ecclesial traditions.

Most heartily we beseech Thee so to rule and govern Thy Church universal, with all its pastors and ministers, that it may be preserved in the pure doctrine of Thy saving Word, whereby faith toward Thee may be strengthened, and charity increased in us toward all mankind.

There was a time, when I was training up for ministry in college and just after, that I believed that denominations were abhorrently sinful. After all, I belonged to a non-denomination church movement that had some great slogans to encourage this! “No Creed but Christ” was one, another was borrowed from the church fathers, “in essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity (love).” We took great pride in our independence from lesser groups that made a stand over what we considered non-essential! A

A problem developed over the years, in order to be more “missional” the list of things that were essential changed. A movement that once had very strong roles for both baptism and the Lord’s Supper saw churches starting to omit both, to give more room for longer sermons. Ordination went from being something that was prepared for, to something that could happen after a weekend retreat.

Eventually, after my own ordination, and serving a church, I ended up moving into a different brotherhood of churches, because I realized my theology had changed as I studied the scriptures. It was not a simple or easy change–but one that took over 5 years–including three years returning to school. Lost a few friends over it, confused many more.

Why was it important? Why not just continue to teach about Jesus where I was – were people cared about me? WHy not just work directly from the Bible, and not care about the differences.

In my devotional reading from Luke this week, I see a part of the answer. I am not an apostle, nor are these posts of mine–or my sermons equal to scripture. But, like Luke, there is a reason for them–to help you know Jesus. That is why the research I do exists, why I spend time struggling with the passages or a verse, so that those reading or listening can know Jesus, and be assured of the promises He makes to them and fulfills in them.

To understand our relationship with God we need to understand scripture–for that is how God reveals Himself to us. That is theology, and often that theology or how it is put into practice is the difference between denominations/brotherhoods, movements. So there should be individually and corporately, a desire to maintain the core beliefs that bring comfort and peace, for we know that God is faithful to those promises.

Joseph Ratzinger, Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year, ed. Irene Grassl, trans. Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992), 32.

William Lœhe, Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians, trans. H. A. Weller (Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House, 1914), 136.