I think that every believer should read about martyr’s, or the persecuted church, or those who are experience persecution. Especially western believer’s. Iw as thinking about this on sunday, because we are all so spoiled, and complain about everything and I hate it. we need perspective, we need to really know and believe and understand that this life is not about our comfort…and reading about all Paul went through in the epistles, and reading about believer’s from other parts of the world today…i feel is so good for us, to recognize that there is persecution, and that we are promised to suffer for Christ and we need to consider that a privelage.
I love reading from Brother Yun (The Heavenly Man). In his book Living Water, in one of the chapter’s he is talking about the unity of believer’s, in Christ. So often, we are so caught up in Doctrine, and who believes what and what denomination people are a part of and what they believe that is different than what other’s believe…which is not necessarily wrong to want to know these things, but sometimes i think we make this so much more of a bigger deal than it is, and it only disunifies the church of Christ. and I like what Brother Yun was saying about this, and parts of it acually broke my heart and kinda makes me a bit sick…so I just want to share this…;
“…For most of the 1980s, the house churches in China were unified. We all served Jesus together and didn’t care what kind of group we belonged to. We all belonged to Jesus, and that was all that mattered. Things started to change in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Many Western Christians had heard about the tremendous revival going on in China, and they wanted to be a part of it. They sent representatives to China to meet with house church leaders. They told us we weren’t educated enough and that our greatest need was for more theological training. They assured us ,’our denomination has the best training program. We will bless you with it.’ For years believer’s had come to Hong Kong and carried Bibles across the border to us in China, and we were very grateful. Now, however, thousands of teaching books were also being carried across, promoting certain favorite doctrines of each denomination.
Before this happened, things had been much simpler. Jesus was our teacher and professor. We didn’t ask one another what school we had atteneded. Rather, we asked, ‘in which prison have you been receiving your higher education from the Lord?’ ….
After I was released from prison, I recommenced preaching the gospel. Things were different, however, and everywhere I went I was asked, ‘brother, what church do you belong to?’ I replied, ‘I just belong to Jesus. I am called to be a witness for Jesus.’ The answer did not satisfy those who asked me…’
I guess it just makes me sad, that westerner’s…(which America is included in this), of course did some good, but really, built barrier’s between some church’s in China simply because of different doctrinal beliefs. We are a body.
We will never come to a complete agreeance on Doctrine with numerous people. but we must be careful not to impose and to build barrier’s between the body of Christ. We are all here for one purpose, to serve Christ. We focus to much of our attention sometimes on Doctrine (which, I do believer doctrine is important, do not get me wrong), rather than on just serving and loving Jesus and being obedient to what He has asked us to do.
I know this can be kind of a hot topic for some people, this is just where my heart lies. I pray for unity for all those who truly love and follow Jesus Christ, no matter what denomination, or church, or doctrinal belief.
“Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, and laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” Hebrews 6;1-3
