Good almost evening Church!
Wayne Campbell had finally saved up the money to buy his dream guitar, a 64 Classic White Fender Stratocaster. He went to the guitar store, picked it and started to play. The store owner cleared his throat as he strummed the first chord and pointed a sign that read “NO STAIRWAY.” Wayne looked into the camera and said, “Denied!” That’s what happened to me on Monday. I was commenting on a FB page that was created by the preacher (I think) at the Winslow, Arizona Church of Christ. I dared question the orthodoxy of Christ’s birth on December 25, drinking alcohol (the Bible does condemn drunkenness), and only people who attend a building that says Church of Christ on the outside are going to Heaven. The posts were taken down, I was blocked and was referred to as someone who was just using their page as a debate forum and was called a troll. Denied! I thought it was both funny and sad at the same time. My “sins” were these…
Nobody knows when Jesus was born because none of us were there. Some think drinking alcohol is a sin, some see nothing wrong with it and others don’t think it’s a sin, but not expedient. I referred to Romans 14 where the Apostle Paul said to leave each other alone on disputable matters, including eat and drink, and someone who celebrates a day and another does not. And the name on the building is not as important as what is being taught inside it. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not taking the ecumenical approach where we’re all going to the same place just taking different roads. There are things we plant our flags and scripturally so in the Church. Salvation occurs only after baptism. You can’t read the book of Acts and claim any different, and there are many more besides those 9 examples of conversion. The importance of The Lord’s Supper at least every Lord’s Day and some think it may have been taken more. Not using instruments in the assembly, although there is a lot of debate on that one. One can fall from grace. If not, why did Jesus tell the folks in Luke 13 to repent or perish, or why did Peter say in 2:20 of his second letter that we could get tangled up in the world after escaping it and our final condition is worse than our first? But for too long in the Churches of Christ, we have debated and sent people to hell on things that have no bearing on their salvation, thumped our chests and claimed if you ain’t in one of our buildings, you’re lost for eternity. Again, I’m not opening the door to every doctrine whether it comes from God or not, but before we plant our flag on something like Christmas, make sure that’s something that doesn’t fall under the heading of “LEAVE EACH OTHER ALONE.” That is all!
In Him,
Brother Bob
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