I grew up in the churches of Christ. My father has served as an elder in four congregations of churches of Christ over the years. I have preached for nearly 38 years and served as an elder for two congregations. I have had the opportunity to observe many things in churches of Christ over the years. I have seen wonderful things in the church and things that have been rather sickening. Such is life.
Truth is an amazing thing. Some in the church believe that all truth is owned by churches of Christ. I do not believe in such a concept. Truth is of God and has been dispensed by God to all the earth in the pages of the Bible and in nature.
I have never seen a church of Christ that practiced all truth. I have never seen a church that could not improve itself and do better. I have never seen a congregation that owns all the truth of God. The Restoration movement was about searching for truth and always seeking to follow the path of truth. It was never a journey completed but always a journey in progress.
As I mix and mingle with people of various religions I have come to believe that various aspects of truth can be found all over the earth in all forms of religions. Some have a greater appreciation of love and mercy than do those of the church of Christ. Some have a greater sense of emotion and felling in their faith than do we. Some have a greater sense of spirituality and service to God and to others than churches of Christ. We can learn much by our interaction with people of other beliefs.
It is amazing to me to talk to people not of the church of Christ and hear them tell the story of Jesus and tell me how they see the Bible. It is refreshing and enlightening. They are not all wrong about everything and we are not always right about everything.
It is important that in our congregations we welcome fresh faces into our family. Stagnant churches that never add a new member but just bury the dead, tend to say the same things over and over about the Bible and never venture out of the shoe box they have made for themselves.
Truth is a vast Ocean and we have only waded around in the shallow waters safe at shore. We must sail the Ocean blue and search for a City whose builder and maker is God.
I appreciate truth wherever it can be found. I am always for truth. I want to travel with truth wherever it goes no matter what the cost is for such a journey.
There are many people across America that believe in God, believe in Jesus as God's Son and who believe that He died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. They believe the Bible is the WORD OF GOD and they believe in following Jesus. I do not see them as my enemy. I see them on a journey just as I am on a journey. They can teach me much and I hope, I in turn will teach them something. Whether I agree with a man about his "faith" or not, does not threaten my faith and the confidence I have in Jesus Christ. We need greater dialogue and interaction with all the people of America and we need to try to desperately appeal for unity and submission to our Heavenly Father.
*Allen Ashlock, 2014
*Picture: is a ship sailing the Ocean. We are all on a great ship, the ship of life seeking a city, whose builder and maker is God!
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