I've lived all over the U.S., from California to New Jersey, Florida to North Dakota. I've also lived four years in Germany and five years in Hungary. And I've learned that most people think their country, region, race, culture, or subculture is the best.
unless it divides us, makes us feel superior, makes us insensitive to others, or makes us prideful.
Being a Christ-follower is our most important heritage, and the family of God, which is multi-cultural and multiracial, is our most important family.
Being a Christ-follower is our most important heritage, and the family of God, which is multi-cultural and multiracial, is our most important family.
God's family is also multi-denominational. By that I mean that genuine Bible-believing denominations have different views about non-essential beliefs, and we shouldn't let these differences divide us.*
If we let our denomination, earthly heritage, family, income, education, country, race, or culture divide us from other genuine believers, we're grieving the Holy Spirit (James 2:1-9).
“Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” should be the character traits of God's family (Galatians 5:22-23).
We must love the unsaved and seek to share the gospel with them, but we must remember that the saved are our true family, deserving of our deepest loyalty.
“Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” should be the character traits of God's family (Galatians 5:22-23).
We must love the unsaved and seek to share the gospel with them, but we must remember that the saved are our true family, deserving of our deepest loyalty.
“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:10
We must give up anything and everything that negatively affects our love for the family of God. We must reject cultural anti-Christian stereotypes. We must speak up and defend those who are unfairly criticized for speaking God's Word.
Why? Because Jesus is our true home, and the family of believers is our true family.
💙💙💙
For more inspiration on this subject, see Are You Sticking Up for Your Family? and Did You Know Your Brother Is a Songwriter?
* We do not compromise on essential beliefs: Genuine believers oppose any denomination that denies God's Word is perfect, inerrant, and eternal. We believe that some Old Testament commands were for a specific group or time in history, but all New Testament commands are loving, applicable, and unchanging. See Understanding the Law.
We believe Jesus is fully God and part of the Trinity, one God in three persons. See Don't Claim You Understand the Trinity. That's why we don't have Christian fellowship with Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses. See Articles on Mormonism. Jesus is the only way of salvation, and we must accept His offer of forgiveness and follow Him to be saved. See Eternal Life as one resource to help explain this truth to others.
amen!
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